Creepy
Bat Girl & the Walrus
Has anyone else been following their romance in the personals of the Reader? It’s better than watching daytime soaps! The Walrus sounds like quite the romantic who is actively pursuing his love, Bat Girl. Who are they? What’s the back story? There was no ad in this week’s Reader from them but I am a total fan.
What the hell kind of bugs are these?
These bugs showed up early in the morning on the Fourth of July at Sturgeon Lake and quickly died off. But for the few hours they existed, they made quite a mess. They are small enough to go right through screens. We swept thousands of them off the floor.
Lack of Duluth Summit Cheeseburger Attempts
What is a Summit Cheeseburger you ask? Well, the mission of the Summit Cheeseburger Project is…
“To encourage, enable, and document the consumption of a Cheeseburger on every summit on earth.”
Granted most people are completely and totally unaware of the sport of Summit Cheeseburger-ing and perhaps that is why there is a lack of said activity in St. Louis and Douglas Counties so I will forgive you, good people of said counties. But, now that you are being educated on this activity I see no reason for easy targets like Ely, Bardon’s, Moose, Sugarloaf, Pike, and Sugar Camp Hill to be conquered with zest, vigor, and zeal!
Summit Cheeseburger Locations near Duluth
Do you like to hike, bicycle, drive, or just generally get off your couch and go do something but are looking for an excuse? Then attaining a Summit Cheeseburger just may very well be for you!
1. Grab a cheeseburger and your camera
2. Visit the Summit Cheeseburger website and find a summit.
3. Hike (bike, drive, fly, whatever) to the summit.
4. Photograph yourself nomming down a cheeseburger.
5. Post it to the S.P. site.
6. Repeat!
I’ve tagged summits in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana but Minnesota, and particularly Duluth is full of virgin first ascents just waiting for some PDD’ers to start tagging. Bon Voyage, Happy Trails, and Bottom’s Up!
Tornado Warning in Duluth?
Today is the first Wednesday of the month, and that’s when the emergency sirens are routinely tested, but today’s drill was a little unusual. The siren went off three times, and the middle siren was followed by a “tornado warning” and instructions to “take cover.”
I guess the snafu two weeks ago wasn’t an isolated incident.
Duluth Air Quality Survey
Did any of you get surveyed in the past couple weeks about air quality in our area? I was wondering if anyone could confirm that this was legit. I got a weird feeling about it and when asked for personal info I declined. The survey seemed very weak on content and I was handed a very unprofessionally printed raffle ticket ($500 shopping spree or something like that) after answering a few questions.
This may not be really appropriate for PDD, but I didn’t know where else to ask. Does anyone have any information regarding this survey? The recent home break-ins mentioned in the DNT article “Duluth police: Watch neighbors’ homes,” seem well targeted and a door to door survey would be a great way to get a look inside peoples’ homes.
This is probably just paranoia (I recently had some stuff stolen from a car), but I thought it was worth asking.
Creepy Crawlies
Hundreds of these guys are gobbling up the leaves on our boulevard tree. Help! Do we spray? Do we put our heads between our knees and wait for the Russian bomb?
What are they and what should we do?
Boys of Summer Comes to Life
Don Henley was right …
… Deadhead Sticker on a Cadillac. Downtown Duluth Thursday.
Wicked Storm in Duluth
4:30pm — Holy cow the emergency siren went off and a tornado watch has been issued in Duluth. I can’t remember ever hearing that siren go off for realsies before. And it’s so nice out.
According to the National Weather Service’s Duluth forecast office: “Hail and heavy rain reported on Highway 20 just inside St. Louis County.”
4:50pm — It’s actually a severe thunderstorm warning. The tornado watch siren was sounded by mistake. And it’s still sunny and hot in Duluth.
5:30pm — Clouds are creeping in. Faint traces of drizzle. People who are mowing their lawns have begun jogging.
5:45pm — Rumblings in the distance. Is that thunder or an airplane?
6:00pm — A little lightening over the hill. The storm seems to be mostly north of Duluth.
6:20pm — Things seem to be slowly shifting … slowly … holy cow! Run for cover! Or grab a swimsuit and have some fun! No! Don’t do that! Haaaaail! Watch out for flying deck furniture!
6:25pm — Whew. I guess that’s it. Just a little rain now. National Weather Service’s Duluth forecast office: “An aluminum flag pole was snapped in half by the wind (in Proctor). Pea-size hail.”
8:15pm — Lordy mama! Is it coming back? Yikes. Well … I guess it’s not as furious this time. Or maybe I’m less easily impressed.
9:16pm — National Weather Service’s Duluth forecast office: “A 6-to-7-inch-diameter tree snapped off, State Highway 27 (in Brule).”
Do I have the right to drive to work without seeing dead fetuses?
Apparently not. Corner of First Street and First Avenue East. The fact is, I cannot get to the parking lot for work without driving by, and often getting stopped at a light, near signs of dead fetuses.
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WTF?!? (Puppy Edition)
A warning to all dog owners out there: some asshole is going around Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood poisoning dogs (DPD, DNT, Strib, Fox21, MPR). Unlike the dog-napper rumors, this appears to be real.
Watch your doggies, bring them to the vet if you notice symptoms, and keep an eye out for suspicious people giving your pets “treats.”
Murder House on a Foggy Day
Reading Duluth News Tribune reporter Brandon Stahl’s series of stories on problem properties in Duluth made me think of the Murder House.
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Forest tent caterpillars in southern Minnesota — March to Duluth begins!
I came across several of these disgusting silken mats of forest tent caterpillars on Sunday in the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, about 160 miles south of Duluth. I’m sure there’s some larvae busting from egg masses somewhere in the northern part of the state, too, but I haven’t seen any yet.
I think next summer is when things should start to get really gross around here, with a peak in 2012 … although I haven’t heard any official predictions yet. Anyway, it probably wouldn’t hurt to get stocked up on tin foil and dish soap, or whatever is supposed to keep the ravenous little beasts from chewing your trees bald. Perhaps someone can fill us in on good dish soap substitutes that are better for the environment but still make the “army” retreat. (It’s smart the way they invade every 10 years … just long enough for us to forget all their weaknesses.)
Four Boxes at Zinema 2
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA7jOaudaPI
Four Boxes, the made-in-Minnesota film starring Justin Kirk that’s having a week-long sneak preview at Zinema next week, scored two impressive national write-ups this week.
Wired: DIY Thriller Four Boxes Taps Web Voyeurism for Chills
Screen Crave: Four Boxes — Another Horror Indie That Can Make It Big?
Four Boxes plays Friday, May 21 – Thursday, May 27 at 7 p.m. nightly at Zinema 2.
The Bitter Spills — “The Old Clyde Road”
Here’s another video from Monday night’s Homegrown Music Video Festival, in case you weren’t there. It’s Josh Carlon’s fantastic animated video for “The Old Clyde Road” by The Bitter Spills.
Opening night of Homegrown and people are already breaking out their two-sided, laminated cheat sheets
Anyone interested in stalking Jess Hall this weekend? Here’s where to find her.
Where in Duluth?
Is this?
What? Really? You still make people get a key from you to use the toilet? Really?
I don’t use convenience store toilets very often, so I’m no expert, but I do use them from time to time and I must say it’s been quite a few years since I’ve had to get a key from the cashier. I thought that practice died long ago.
Well, today the Plaza SuperAmerica reacquainted me with ol’ procedure. And the key wasn’t attached to a small piece of wood or a plastic tag; it was attached to a friggen Frisbee.
So, what am I supposed to do when I get inside, since I can’t put the key in my pocket? Am I supposed to wrestle my dork out with one hand? Because there’s no surface wide enough to set this key down except in the middle of the sink, on the floor or balanced on the door handle. I could maybe wedge it into the condom machine, but if it falls out it’ll land in the toilet.
Am I too much of a germaphobe or are restroom keys disgusting?
The ticks are here
Dear Duluthians,
I went to Jay Cooke for a (muddy) hike yesterday, and returned home to find a little tiny adult male deer tick upon my pant leg.
Let this be your first seasonal warning. Sorry, Paul, but I am still looking forward to your first tick-o-rama, as well.
The Batshit-Crazy Comes to Duluth
I see that Michelle Bachmann is speaking at Mr. D’s tomorrow. Sigh …
From the Get a Life Department, Winter Olympics update
It’s a drag that Duluthian John Shuster, chieftain of the United States curling squadron, has been having a tough Olympics. What’s really sad, however, is that this is totally ruining some fine American’s rich and fulfilling life.
Sympathy for the Ball Slasher
Below is video footage from last Wednesday’s “Paul Lundgren Happy Hour” at Teatro Zuccone. As a primer for the video, you might want to read my latest column.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3ewHHyibbU
Props to Dean Vogtman and Dan Fitzpatrick, videographers extraordinaire.
Paul Lundgren’s Happy Hour and a Rubber Ball Fetish Redux?
The Grand Entrance and Opening Monologue
Later, when Paul asked for audience participation… did Bob Boone seem over-anxious to slash at the rubber ball??
It seems as if he's done this before??
Hell yeah
I was just wasting time following a twitter link to the Walker Art Center site, and saw this. Holy poop, my seagull is right there on the Walker site IN FRONT OF Joel and Ethan Cohen.
Take that you famous Hollywood / Minnesota guys.
Last call on the $100 drawing
Perfect Duluth Day’s readership survey will end at 8 p.m. Tuesday, when the election polls close.
If you haven’t already surrendered your private information in order to be eligable to win the drawing, you have until then. Click here for a chance to win $100 from PDD.
The drawing will be held Wednesday morning, and the winner will be announced in the comments of the original post, which is linked above.