I get it, but I was laid off. Sometimes you get it after being fired, but it depends on the reason. I have gotten it after being fired before. You can even get it in some cases if you quit; I was going to get it after quitting a job about 10 years ago (very extreme circumstances), but I found work before I started drawing Unemployment checks. I can live on a little less money for a while; it's been over a decade since I have been unemployed and I am kind of enjoying this short respite.

I was unemployed for about two months after working for a couple years in my first job in Minneapolis. That was back in the early 80s. Minneapolis was still a great city, and even though my unemployment checks reduced my income a little, those were two of the best months I've ever enjoyed. Very relaxing. Had a lot of time to get out into the city and do and see the things that my 9-5 always kept me from.

Hey, that's where I live!

Seriously!? What part?

We (wife and I) lived in south Minneapolis, just east of I-35, a little north of 50th street (if I'm remembering my locale right). We'd walk over the I-35 bridge and go over to the lakes and wander around. There were some great little record stores around there, too.

what about wireless headphones :P ?

This is obviously an opinion of someone who's never dealt with serious, clinical depression.

I live right by the River Road, near where Lake street crosses over the Mississippi into St Paul.
There are only a couple of indie record shops left in town; when you lived here they were all over the damn place. The late 80s/early 90s had KILLER record shopping as well. The place I just got laid off from is actually a record store that was a storefront downtown for 18 years (went online-exclusive/vintage records only due to falling record sales everywhere and condo developers taking the building they were in); business is OK, but not enough to sustain both me and my employer. We were the only two people working in the online store. I hope he does OK now; he is one of my best friends.

Now there are only two decent independent stores, one very good punk-oriented collective store run by volunteers and one good vintage/used shop. Makes me sad.

I do love my neighborhood though. My wife and I bought our house right before the market exploded, so it was cheap. We could never have a house of this size in this good of an area if we wanted to buy now!

I like this town. It's cosmopolitan enough to have a few world-class museums and a thriving arts scene both over and underground, yet small enough to feel a real sense of brother/sisterhood with the people you see at all the shows and events.

Sad about the record stores. Truly. Very fond memories of those places. I went to the famous Oarfolk..etc. whatever it was called many times.

Is there still one on Hennepin Ave downtown? I went there a lot. It was very punk oriented. And dudes would stand right outside on the street and try to sell me bags of pot in broad daylight. It was a pretty heady time for a kid from small-town Iowa like me.

Downtown was actually gritty back then. It was also a lot more fun. Now that store (Northern Lights/Hot Licks) is long gone, and that whole area has been gentrified and sterilized in the worst way. Hard Rock Cafe even. Thing is, there is still violence down there even though they tried to make it a "family destination;" it just looks way more hideous now.
Oarfolkjokeopus is now called Treehouse and it is one of the few that are left, along with Roadrunner.

Yeah, pretty gritty, all right. I remember taking the bus all over, like into the Lake Street area, getting off, wandering around, taking it downtown, wandering around Hennepin. Later I'd tell my suburban friends about my day and they'd go, "You went WHERE? By yourself? Are you crazy?" I had no idea, really, of any danger. Aside from thinking that big black guys selling pot on the street was pretty wild. But mostly it seemed safe and normal to me.

One of my other memories of downtown is of the sales girls in the expensive department stores. They knocked me out. They all looked like glamorous models, every one of them, and they'd look at me with that sort of cold/hot piercing look that could make you go all weak. It was just downtown that they were like that, not in the suburban shopping malls.

Bummer about Northern Lights. Damn, that kind of thing makes me sad. I hate the urban clean up that destroys everything that gave a place any soul.

Glad to hear Oarfolk survives in some incarnation. Not sure I was ever in Roadrunner. Where's that?

Roadrunner probably wasn't open yet when you lived here; I think it started in the late 80s.
And yes, the downtown ladies are Hot. This has not changed.
There are very few areas I do not feel "safe" in, but there are a few.

Oh, and to keep this in the "pic of yourself" category (sorry folks!):

Those are candles on the right? Nice touch.

I've generally avoided joining the slavering hoardes, but you are a most attractive lady. Well done in having good genetics.

I feel like I've done a bad thing.

Good one.

Ahh. Talking of the cities are we?

The area around Hard Times is a fucking shithole basically. I feel perfectly fine and all there but the annoyance of bums sitting on the main drag asking you for money and shit is annoying. ESPECIALLY, when they don't speak English. Not to sound like a racist or anything but that place is overrun with Simoleans. When I went to see Danielson at Triple Rock a few months ago some of them bought tickets and just came in and watched Danielson. I'm assuming they didn't know who they were.

As far as record stores go I have yet to find that great of one in the cities. I'd much rather mail-order shit than dig through a store full of crap to find something decent.


Anyways, I don't actually know if that was scene day in which that pic was taken. I was inevetibly wearing girl pants which is 'scene' I guess. I believe my friend was 'testing' her scene making for scene day. I recall wearing all black and make-up on scene day. TIGHT BLACK CLOTHES to be exact.

PORKIE, plz put up some more pictures. Hottest guy on the board if I say so myself.

Getting laid to keep your job is an even more viable option.

lmfao

There is plenty of that as well. No loss of energy from working all day!



My old boss is not my type. I mean, seriously not my type.

Myspace FTW

1. Only hicks and yokels refer to this area as "The Cities."
2. "Simoleans" is slang for "dollars," and misspelled at that. Somalis are people, and yes, there are a lot in that area. They are immigrants, and they have to live somewhere. I think the stench of the Hard Times' clientele is far more objectionable, personally, though I do like the Tall Bikes.
3. There are 3 good record stores: Hymie's (used), Roadrunner and Treehouse. There used to be at least 15, you are just too young and missed the boat. There were many good days in my high school years where we just hopped from store to store. I wish the economy could still support that.
4. While I am hurt that you have chosen to shift your affections to porkmarras, I have to admit that he is a fine hunk of man-meat, and at least you are keeping up your pattern of hitting on guys in their 30s. Good one!