Curling

Despite growing up just 13 miles from the "Curling Capital of the United States," I did not truly appreciate curling until the current Winter Olympics. So how did ambivalence turn to love quicker than you can throw a stone? See the following:

1. The US curlers are the epitome of what I think the Olympics should be about.

They all have regular, non-glamorous day jobs: Nurse, substitute teacher, bartender, IT analyst, etc. And they don't get paid to curl, they do it because they love it. They even have fundraisers in their home communities. There was a lot of disappointment this year when the teams didn't do that well, but when you keep in mind that curling isn't their profession, it's a lot easier to cut them some slack (and to be really impressed when they do well). The Chinese teams, for example, live and train in Canada 10 months of the year and do nothing but focus on curling.

2. Curling has a sort-of punk/alternative cache.

While everyone else obsesses over Lindsey Vonn, Apolo Ohno, and figure skating on NBC primetime, curling fans follow the matches on lesser cable networks in real time. Curling may not have speed, but it has lots of cool lingo and awesome non-spandex or sparkly uniforms. Check out the Norwegians' argyle pants:

The athletes are also total rock stars.

We have the the Danish punk (those skirts are fantastic):



The Swiss goth:



And of course, Duluth's own emo-boy (he even records his own music and posts it on myspace):



3. You actually learn things from the announcers.

Because curling is based so much on strategy, as opposed to speed, there is actually time for the announcers to explain what is happening. Similar to the telestrator that announcers us to explain football plays after they happen, curling announcers can listen to what the players are saying and doing and show you what shot they are trying to make, before it happens.

You also get to learn all kinds of ridiculous trivia about the players because there is time to talk about them. Like how John Shuster and Jason Smith have been best friends since high school, and how Jason is going to be John's best man in his upcoming wedding. Or how someone's favorite food is french fries.

4. I don't have to risk my life to play the sport myself.

If I want to go down to my local curling club, I will not need to dress in armor to protect myself from death. No helmets, no pads, no weird dicky to keep my throat from being slashed. Maybe just a sweatshirt and some gloves so I don't get cold. And warm socks. My first thought when watching most winter Olympic sports, "how does anyone learn to do this the first time without breaking their neck?" See aerials, luge, downhill skiing, half pipe, etc. This is just not a problem with curling.

5. Minnesotans!

Four years ago, the US curling teams were populated almost entirely by people from Bemidji. Yes, Bemidji. Four hours north of the Twin Cities, technically considered "the middle of nowhere" by many people. Bemidji has a mall whose main attractions are JC Penney and Herbergers. Their high school mascot is a Lumber Jack. But they have lots of Olympic athletes! And this year, the majority of the men's team are from Duluth. As everyone who isn't an idiot knows, Duluth is awesome. Also, these dudes from Duluth are all roommates (see #3 above re: trivia). There is no other time ever when towns like Bemidji and Duluth will get this much national, and international, attention. What's not to love about that?

6. Curlers know how to bring the sexy.

First, the US curling team sells its own brand of condoms. Seriously. Hilarious and genius marketing strategy.

Second, take a look at the rock stars above. WAY more appealing than Julia Mancuso and her stupid tiara. Curling's hotness has not gone unnoticed either. The European Curling federation even put out a calendar with nude photos of the curling hotties.

Finally, during every single match, over and over again you will hear someone yelling at the top of their lungs "Hard! Hard! Harder!" The yelling is directed at the sweepers but I'm sure Michael Scott would be in heaven.

Good Earth

Where to start? Delicious, great variety, reasonable prices, five minutes from my house, and pretty much the healthiest food you could ever hope to find at a restaurant.



Good Earth's "hook" is that the majority of the food they serve is organic and/or naturally raised. They also strive to get food from local farms when they can. In other words, Michael Pollan approved. This is a huge deal for me, because I only eat meat that is naturally and humanely raised. For most restaurants, that means I'm a vegetarian, but at Good Earth I can pick anything on the menu with a clear conscience. Restaurant food without guilt is pretty frickin' great.

They also have the *best* soups. Every winter, around Christmas time, they have this wild rice & mushroom soup on special that is to-die-for. I actually end up eating there at least three times every December because I love this soup so much. They also have a fantastic corn chowder every fall.

At every other restaurant, I have a favorite entree that I order every time, no matter what. But at Good Earth, there are so many tasty, healthy options that I rarely order the same thing. Sometimes it's soup & sandwich, sometimes a quesadilla, sometimes stir fry, sometimes pizza - it's all really good.

And let's not forget the tea. Good Earth has their own signature tea (Good Earth Original) - you can buy it at the grocery store but for some reason, it tastes 10x better when you drink it at the restaurant. I'm guessing it has something to do with the way it is steeped and/or the ingredients being fresher but I have no idea. I just know it is awesome.

Finally, I love Good Earth because it's great for a one-on-one tea & cookies date with your BFF, dinner with a group of ten, or a much-needed solo lunch during finals. So yeah, if you ever need a date for a trip to Good Earth, give me a call. :)

real mail

That's right, the real thing! Those unexpected pieces of paper from actual human beings who know me and care about me. And packages - those are even better! Receiving a letter or note from someone can improve my entire day, or even week.

Take yesterday, for example. For various reasons, the past week has been really awful for me. One of the worst I can remember. And then yesterday, I checked the mailbox and there was a small package...for me...from my cousin (who is like my sister)...with some of my favorite cookies from this small bakery in Duluth! There was also a little note from her, saying she knew I was having a bad week. Even though the cookies were awesome, I probably would have been just as excited about the note.

Obviously, cookies are above and beyond the call of duty. But with the way our culture is now, any type of handwritten item means SO much. Yes, I love getting personal emails, but it just isn't the same. There's something about the randomness, that sense of anticipation when I walk out to the mailbox, and then that sense of true connection with the sender, that email will just never match.

And you know what else is awesome about real mail? Stationery! I have loved stationery since I was a kid and I would send letters to my friends from camp after the end of the summer. Some of my favorite letters have actually been on notebook paper or post-it notes, but stationery always makes things feel special. And it's pretty. And it's art. And you get to express yourself. And sometimes it comes with matching envelopes - and who doesn't love things that match??

So in honor of this post, I am making a resolution to send more real mail. If other people love it even half as much as I do, it will be worth it.