Archive for December, 2009

Best of 09: On the Town

Posted by Kristin in Best of 09 on December 11, 2009

December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

While I considered several locales for this post (Blue Door Pub, Cossetta’s, DT Minneapolis Public Library, Izzy’s Ice Cream) I went with the one that is a guaranteed fun night out with great food, music and friends.

Drumroll… 508 in Minneapolis.

508

As a 23-year old gal living in the city, nightlife is an important part of my weekend. As schedules get busier, it is increasingly difficult to get everyone together for a girl’s night out. So when we do get together, the venues need to be fun, the drinks need to be cheap and the music needs to be hoppin.’ All of those things come together at the 508, and I have never had a bad experience.

We always end up leaving to hit up another local hot spot, but the atmosphere at 508 consistently delivers nights that I will always remember, with some of the most important people in my life .

So what about you? What was your favorite spot of 2009?

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Best of 09: Soundtrack of my Year

Posted by Kristin in Best of 09 on December 10, 2009

Well, this is my first attempt to capture one of my “bests” of 2009. I’ll admit, it’s harder than I thought – most likely due to my horrible memory. So here goes:

December 10 Album of the year. What’s rocking your world?

For me, this is a rather difficult question, but not because I have too many choices and can’t narrow it down. My problem is just the opposite.

I love music, I really do. Whether in a concert, bar or outside in a park, I absolutely love listening to music. However, I often find myself sticking with the same, tried and true favorites.

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Recently, I stumbled across some music from Josh Kelley (I know, I’m way late to the bandwagon) and it really stuck with me. It is something that I can listen to at work, or at home. When I need to concentrate, or relax. Daily music is something that I need more of.

So, if you have never listened to his music (though I seriously doubt that), I recommend you check him out. I’m a big fan of his album “For the Ride Home” – from 2003, shame on me.

What about you? Any recommendations for new (or those who have been around for a while, and I’ve never discovered) artists that I should open my mind to? I promise I’ll listen to at least one of their songs ;)

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Best of 2009 Blog Challenge

Posted by Kristin in Best of 09 on December 5, 2009

Thanks to The Recovering Procrastinator, I stumbled across the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. This is exactly what I need to jump start my creativity and help fight my writer’s block.

Here’s the breakdown: writing prompts were created for each day of December to help you reflect on this past year. Topics range from best car ride to best moment of peace. Find out more about the blog challenge here.

I have a horrible memory, it’s a curse, so I hope this challenge will help me remember all the wonderful, hilarious, difficult, important things that happened in 2009. It’s definitely been an interesting year, where I’ve learned a lot, grown as an individual and professional and met some great people.

If you decide to join in the #best09 blog challenge, please let me know so I can read what you most enjoyed about this year!

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Developing a Perspective

Posted by Kristin in Social Media on December 2, 2009

My blog has been live for exactly one month – and I’m starting to experience writer’s block, already. The challenges of maintaining a blog are obvious, and ones that I knew coming into this endeavor: Finding new, interesting content to update regularly, keeping me relevant to my readers. However, I find myself struggling to come up with those topics that will highlight my knowledge, opinion and endearing levels of sass.

Thus, I am drawing inspiration from a current photography project and creating a personal challenge for my blog.

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I am trying to train myself to look at objects, scenes, people with an artistic eye. So, my first challenge I set for myself is to capture every letter of the alphabet somewhere in nature. It is quite the task so far… I don’t naturally look at the underside of a billboard and see Rs or bike racks for the Es. However, I hope that it will help me develop a new, interesting perspective in my photography.

Translating my letter-seeking, camera quest to my blog?

I hereby challenge myself to analyze. A simple reporting of current trends, news stories and events won’t make my blog unique or desirable to readers. I need to be more comfortable developing an opinion (I’m sure many of you don’t anticipate that being hard for me!), articulating said opinion and preparing myself to defend it. I want to inspire conversation, welcome alternative views and learn new things from my readers – all at the same time.

While I don’t promise thoughtful, provoking analysis in every post. It is something that I will strive for on a regular basis. As always, I appreciate and learn from feedback – so please feel comfortable enough to give it!

How have you proficient bloggers tackled your writer’s block? Any tips for a beginner?

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