I fly to Minneapolis in a few hours. It was a fun weekend but I’m ready to go back.

Solution? A trip to Miami.

Madre flew up from Miami this weekend to help outfit the room. We took the rent-a-car to the suburbs and got, well…lost. We eventually found Wal-Mart, the madhouse that is Ikea, and Mall of America…

When law students go out: Lucy’s Birthday celebration [...]]]> This weekend was mostly shopping madre and hanging out with the Gammas.

Madre flew up from Miami this weekend to help outfit the room. We took the rent-a-car to the suburbs and got, well…lost. We eventually found Wal-Mart, the madhouse that is Ikea, and Mall of America…

When law students go out: Lucy’s Birthday celebration with the Gammas.

You can’t see his face, but the bum on the side is so amused that he forgot to beg the obviously captive audience.

Me: Hello, do you [...]]]> My first weekend in Minneapolis was a lesson in Krawall & Remmidemmi, but I think I have my bearings…well, sort of. Here are some snippets:

• I met the stereotype on Friday: a strikingly blond girl who I asked for directions. Her Minnesota accent was so thick that I couldn’t understand her at all.

Me: Hello, do you know where can I get my student ID?
Minnesota Girl: YodelYodel GurbleGarble Yodel Gardel!
Me: Uh… Pardon me?
Minnesota Girl (slower): Yooou go ooova der and YodelYodel left Garbel Gurble dontcha know?!
Me (thoroughly confused): Okay thanks!

• I’ve been downtown several times. Most of the buildings are connected by skywalks. There is also a mini-Broadway-like street called Hennepin that has theaters. One of my favorite things downtown is the ginormous two-story Target. (Target’s headquarters are downtown too.)

Look Mommy! It’s America Sized!”

• There is a conspicuous lack of Starbucks in Minneapolis. Miami has them on every-other corner. I think it’s because of competition from a regional chain called Caribou Coffee and another one called Dunn Brothers. Caribou and Dunn Brothers stores are a nicer inside and offer free wifi. There are also tons of indie coffee shops. I’m in one right now called The Purple Onion Café. I like the Purple Onion but I suspect it gets miserably crowded when school’s in.
• Saturday I hung out at JR’s house. His dog is cute, in spite of being slightly enfeebled by a recent accident.

• I signed up with TCF Bank since there are no Bank of Americas. The cool thing about TCF is that they are open 7 days a week and they have ATMs everywhere here. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a TCF ATM in my kitchen.
• Late Night Hilarity: Me dressed as a cowboy (I’ll explain that later) running full speed across a bridge in the middle of the night. Classic Jansen-being-special moment. After 7 years in Miami you’d think I have enough sense to carry an umbrella right? Wrong. Of course I was halfway across the old stone bridge when the sky just dumped on me. The cellphone survived, the verdict on the MP3 player is still out.


The stone arch bridge!

I went to Mall of America today. I’m pretty sure it’s the biggest mall in the country. It’s so honkin’ big that it has a theme park INSIDE. Why do we do things like this?

• Friday was my first time on a public bus in the US. I’m now fairly competent with the mass transit system here (we didn’t do buses in Wichita or Miami), although a major transit f-up is probably in the works. “Crap! How did I end up in Michigan!?”
• Definite differences from Miami: wild rabbits (Miami has lizards), tons of bikers, squirrels that aren’t skinny and decrepit, huge historic houses/buildings everywhere, a weird grid system, new categories of immigrants – Somali, Ethiopian, South-East Asians… there’s also that Minnesota-Nice stereotype… hm.. OH! And the falls on the river!

So yeah, things are geil! More later. OH, and by the way…I found out that my neighborhood DOESN’T have a legit grocery store… just two Gas-Station-Mart-esqe things…hmmf!

Und der Hans von der harten Musik kommt vorbei, und auf ihm lastet es schwer. Er sieht den Dingen ins Auge. Er hat den Augapfel gepierct.

Und ein Schwarm auserirdischer [...]]]> Mann und Frau kaufen rollende Schuhe um zusammen zu rollen. Sie rollen und können nicht halten und stürzen und versinken im heißen Asphalt.

Und der Hans von der harten Musik kommt vorbei, und auf ihm lastet es schwer. Er sieht den Dingen ins Auge. Er hat den Augapfel gepierct.

Und ein Schwarm auserirdischer Kinder in großen Hosen fällt er über die Stadt. Und sie überspringen alle Mäuerchen und ich glaub so werden, so werden Skateboards gezeugt. Halleluja, das ist der Sommer im Asphalt sitzen und versinken…Skateboards zeugen, Augäpfel piercen, Halleluja das ist der Sommer.

Peter Licht Rockt.

From the original 2006 post.

Translation of the song + youtube of it after the cut.

(translation from the last.fm page)

PeterLicht – Die Geschichte vom Sommer

Die Geschichte vom Sommer – The story of summer

Die Geschichte vom Sommer geht so
The story of summer goes like this

Mann und Frau kaufen rollende Schuhe um zusammen zu rollen
Husband and wife buy rolling shoes to roll together

Sie rollen und können nicht halten und stürzen und versinken im heißen Asphalt
They roll and can’t stop and barge and bog in the hot asphalt

Und der Hans von der harten Musik kommt vorbei
And Hans from the hard music comes over

Und auf ihm lastet es schwer
And it’s pressing down on him

Er sieht den Dingen ins Auge
He confront things (wordly: he looks the things into the eye)

Er hat den Augapfel gepierct
He got his eyeball pierced

Halleluja Sushi Sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo das ist der Sommer
Alleluja sushi sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo this is the summer

Auf Pollenkorn fliegen so weit so weit so weit so weit so gut
Flying on pollen grain so far so far so far so far so good

Und ein Schwarm außerirdischer Kinder in großen Hosen
And a swarm extraterrestrial children in big pants

fällt her über die Stadt
pitch into the city

Und sie bespringen alle Mäuerchen
And they mount all little walls

Und ich glaube so werden Skateboards gezeugt.
And I think skateboards get sired this way.

Halleluja Sushi Sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo das ist der Sommer
Alleluja sushi sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo this is the summer

Auf Pollenkorn fliegen so weit so weit so weit so weit so gut
Flying on pollen grain so far so far so far so far so good

Halleluja, das ist der Sommer
Alleluja, this is the summer

Im Asphalt sitzen und versinken
Sitting in the asphalt and bogging

Skateboards zeugen
Siring skateboards

Augäpfel piercen
Piercing eyeballs

Halleluja, das ist der Sommer
Alleluja, this is the summer

Halleluja Sushi Sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo das ist der Sommer
Alleluja sushi sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo this is the summer

Auf Pollenkorn fliegen so weit so weit so weit so weit so gut
Flying on pollen grain so far so far so far so far so good

Halleluja Sushi Sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo das ist der Sommer
Alleluja sushi sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo this is the summer

Auf Pollenkorn fliegen so weit so weit so weit so weit so gut
Flying on pollen grain so far so far so far so far so good

Halleluja Sushi Sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo das ist der Sommer
Alleluja sushi sushi Bang Bang Bang Bang Gongo this is the summer

Auf Pollenkorn fliegen so weit so weit so weit so weit so gut
Flying on pollen grain so far so far so far so far so good

…no one said Little Havana was politically correct.