another busy weekend

Despite my exhaustion post-sharing on Friday, I resolved not to let this weekend be a lazy one. I started Saturday off with a trip to Mapps Coffee & Tea, a favorite of the few U of M students I've met since coming here. I have to say, I wasn't all that impressed. The coffee was definitely good, but the atmosphere tried a little too hard for my taste: I mean really, the walls were covered in framed maps (get it?!). It didn't help that the place was nearly empty the entire time I was there, though it did allow for some lovely quiet time to sip my latte and read a few chapters of Elaine Dundy's The Dud Avocado. I've been dying to read it since a friend recommended it quite highly this spring, and so far   Sally Jay Gorce's adventures in Paris have been the perfect companion to my slightly less glamorous adventures in Minneapolis. 

Once I tired of Mapps (it didn't take too long), I made my way back to my apartment for a quick tofu scramble and then set out again for the Stone Arch Festival, a local art and music festival along the bank of the Mississippi. While I was there, I was lucky enough to catch Squares, a self-proclaimed "Minneapolis gypsy-psych-folk band." I'd say that's pretty accurate; they reminded me of the best possible mix of Beirut, Gogol Bordello, and the Decemberists. The crowd was pretty mellow, but I'm looking forward to seeing them play again on the 28th (I happened to catch the guitarist after their set and he told me about their next gig) with what I'm hoping will be a more exciting audience. The rest of the music I caught while I was still at the festival wasn't anything special, but was fun accompaniment to my wandering around various artists' tents and snacking on samples of locally made sauces and jams. 

The Stone Arch Bridge (the festival's namesake) and the Mississippi River

On my way to my yoga studio, I made a quick stop at Open Book, Minneapolis' center for "book arts." I didn't spend enough time to really figure out what the place was all about, but of course I bought a cup of coffee before yoga and walked around the display cases filled with beautifully hand-bound books and briefly browsed the poetry section. It's a place that definitely warrants more exploration, so you'll be hearing more about it soon enough.

Yoga yesterday was a challenge. All the walking around the Stone Arch Festival had me pretty exhausted, so I spent a lot of class falling out of my balances. My frustration didn't help me focus, and the hour in the studio turned into a vicious cycle of falling out of balances because I was so unfocused, and becoming more and more frustrated every time I stumbled, just adding to my lack of focus. I was glad I tried, though, and it was good to be reminded that staying centered takes effort and won't happen just because I show up to class. 

This morning a friend and I checked out what we thought would be a meditation class at the Minnesota Zen Center, near the beautiful Lake Calhoun. It turned out to be more of a religious event than either of us had planned on, but was certainly educational. This morning's "Dharma Talk" was about love, interdependence, and mutuality. Though I didn't know enough about Buddhism to understand everything in the talk, the gist was that love (not attachment) is what keeps us alive. The talk ended with a bit of guided meditation, and we scooted out pretty quickly after it was over. It wasn't a meditation class, but it was definitely an adventure, and I got to walk along Lake Calhoun for awhile, which was the perfect way to spend such a beautiful morning.

The rest of today consisted of a really great talk with one of my fellow interns at the Seward Cafe, an old hippie coffee shop not too far from my apartment. Their coffee is incredible and so is their all-vegetarian all-day breakfast menu. So far, it ranks first in my favorite places for coffee around Minneapolis. We started outside in their beautiful, funky courtyard, but moved inside when the accursed rain started up again. I hung out until the rain let up enough for me to bike home, and then comforted myself by trying Happy Herbivore's Aztec corn salad recipe: it's so easy and so delicious, and means a few days of easy lunch next week.

I'm off now to meet up with a friend at the Stone Arch Festival (I can't get enough of it!) and then student rush Amen Corner at the Guthrie. I've heard great things, so it should be a great way to end a fantastic weekend.