I'm a bit more careful about broadcasting my location these days, but now that I'm -- uh, back in Alabama? -- I'll say that I had a good time in Minnesota. I should post some pictures, shouldn't I? First up, though, a gentle bit of listening pleasure for your Friday. Guster still sounds like Guster, but the images in this video are the real winner.

Loved the statement in the email to the mailing list:

"Track 5, "Stay With Me Jesus" -- sounds like a Christian Rock title on the surface, but it's not. Guster is not Christian Rock.  Guster had Bar Mitzvahs."

http://vimeo.com/14537408

I dive-bombed the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Shocking, I know.

Veiled Lady
by domesticat.
['Veiled Lady']

I'm also developing a habit of taking closeup shots of Van Gogh's brushstrokes any time I'm in the room with one of his paintings.

Closeup, Olive Trees
by domesticat.
['Closeup, Olive Trees']

(If you're trying to remember the earlier photo in the series, here's the 2007 photo of Starry Night from New York.)

Van Gogh up close
at , New York, New York, United States by domesticat.

Oh, and in case you need it, tucked in a back corner at St. Paul's Cathedral is a place to get holy water for home use:

Holy water for home use
by domesticat.
['Holy water for home use']

Also, there was borscht and Russian dumplings at the Russian Tea House. I waddled afterwards, and remembered how comforting (and cheap!) good borscht is. Amusing: looking up while ordering and seeing the newspaper clippings showing that Alton Brown had eaten here as part of his Feasting On Asphalt tour. One of the few places I've ever been where the correct answer is "I'll have one of everything, please."