This weekend has been very surreal. We've been ending up at a lot of places (or in situations) that we aren't normally in. Last night it was "Tickles" and tonight it was Coolio at the Fine Line. I really wanted to get on the list for that show because I thought he would make great photos (and I wasn't far off). But man, that crowd was not our scene. And one of the openers was something straight out of a Gitmo torture chamber. I have seen a LOT of bands, and this might have been the worst EVER. And *that* is saying something.But anyway, Coolio was really fun. You can see more photos of him here. And look at that hair. He's still got it. :)

Tonight was the sendoff for Matt and Brian. They are moving to DC because my beloved Matt landed himself a gig at NPR (you go!). I am so excited for the adventures they have on the way, but so sad to see them leave Minneapolis. I cannot even begin to tell you how much my face hurt from smiling after every night I ever spent with these two gems. I'll miss them so much.I had a ton of great photo ops tonight, from the dancing to the new tattoos (yay Madge!), but I gotta tell you. Those gay bars are DARK. I guess that's obvious, but they are hard to shoot. So I'm only posting this one. I figure it's of the VIPs anyway.

Check out this beautiful bar. I'm not really prone to these type of joints. It looks like a beer might cost 10 bucks, and they probably don't even serve Premium. But I can appreciate the aesthetic. I was here today with a few folks from work scouting out locations for an upcoming shoot we have. We got to see the Penthouse Suite, and they had a grand piano up there. Niiiiice.

Margaret and I walked over to the Guthrie today for a little creative break on deadline day. One of my favorite parts of the new space is the yellow box up top. I could shoot this place all day long. So many views, angles and lovely light.

Tonight Jamie and I headed over to Lee's Liquor Lounge to catch the Cash Bash (a punk rock tribute to Johnny Cash). We had a pretty good time taking in the scene. One of these bands was all right. The others were bad. OK, really bad. But frankly, I go to Lee's for the stiff drinks and amazing people watching. The music is kinda secondary.This band was called ... oh who cares. Anyway, this was at the end of their set. Obviously.

I have to be honest here. I'm not really that nuts about this photo, but the story behind it just provides so many comedic opportunities that I couldn't resist. So, this little setup was in the newsroom today. Which of the following do you think was going on: a) a journalist was organizing their stash b) a journalist was showing off a drug bust from the cops to photograph or c) someone was selling herbs that they bagged up to create a fundraiser for Haiti. Seriously. The answer was C. Someone was SELLING HERB to try and make money for Haiti.Now let me clarify. Kudos to people that want to help the people of Haiti. You are doing way more than I am. I get that. And I appreciate your passion. I do. But... herbs? Really? How much could you raise? I dunno. It seems a little strange to me.Each baggie was labeled with stuff like "catnip" or "parsley." Frankly, I think they would have made more dough by leaving the labels off. Newsrooms are desperate places these days! They could have raised a fortune! Also, there was a simple cigar box at the "herb station" where you just left your money. It seriously looked like a dealer had set up an area where you left your money like the boyscout candybar stations that pop up once a year. It's the honor system, folks.I swear. Newsroom people are a strange bunch.

Today I went ice skating for the first time in a few years. When I was a kid I was *certain* that I had the talent to become an Olympic ice skater, but my dream would just never be realized because I was unlucky enough to grow up in Wichita, Kansas, which had no frozen lakes or rinks and nowhere to learn how to skate. But I knew, I just *knew*, that was my destiny. Yeah. Little girls are funny that way.Anyway, so when we moved to Minneapolis, I finally learned how to ice skate as a 27-year-old. And while I am no Olympian, I do love it. And I'm decent enough to carry my expensive camera out on the ice while skating backwards and not be too worried about it. And that's good enough for me. Oh, and now that I've been out on the ice, I am certain that I would not have been into figure skating. Hockey all the way for me. Skating *and* kicking ass? That's more my style.

We all stayed in most of the day and worked (and by "we," I mean "me"). There were a few visitors to the house, which kinda wore Memphis out, but she was perfectly happy to chill by the fire for a while in her chair. Yes, she has a chair. She is, in fact, spoiled rotten. Hopefully all this work that was done today will be seen by you in the future. But it might take a long-ass time. Web design/html code is hard. For me.