So well written – plus several memorable scenes that were just amazing (The Eye, factory/prison, funeral)

Everyone has their own rebellion…

If you know anything about Minnesotans, don’t mess with their walleye…

Now that I’ve been in my new role as systems engineer at TPT for a month, I figured it was a good time to reflect on this change and write about my experience so far. The organization’s post-COVID return to the office has been branded as a “Return to Lowertown” and it literally is for me too. Hard to believe it’s almost a year already since we left Rayette Lofts to head on down the river…

The commute back and forth has been great so far, usually taking under 15 minutes each way. Next spring, I hope to ride my bike a few days each week if I can sort out the storage issues. I splurged on the expensive parking option in the Lowertown Ramp, which is easy-in on Sibley and easy-out on Jackson (plus covered spots with no winter scraping). I’ve never really had any security trouble in Lowertown, but it is convenient to have a parking spot right next to the office entrance.

Some other logistical things: currently working a hybrid schedule of four days in the office and one day from home (Wednesdays), which has been very nice. While every day has been focused on getting up to speed on systems and technology, I’ve been trying to use the work from home day as a deep-dive research day (which is easier alone). TPT has a nice lunchroom, so I’ve mainly been bringing in frozen lunches to eat. The reawakening of the downtown St. Paul lunch dining scene has been slow, but there are pockets here and there. Still exploring the skyway, but always open to suggestions and recommendations.

Totally digging the culture and mission of the organization:

Enrich lives and strengthen our community through the power of media.

How can you not smile walking into an office with a two-story Big Bird on the wall? I grew up watching Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, The Electric Company and 3-2-1 Contact, while my kids were raised on Teletubbies, Arthur, Caillou, Zoboomafoo, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Sagwa and Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman. Our family was addicted to the old Action Auction they produced in the former studios across from the fairgrounds on Como, regularly bidding on 25-pound salted nut rolls (among other things).

Looking at some of the other pictures and signs around the office bring back a flood of other positive memories: Downtown Abbey, Rick Steves’ Europe, Nova, Nature, Austin City Limits, Lowertown Line and Almanac. So much good content has been broadcast from this PBS affiliate and I’m really excited to help such a talented and creative crew. My high school friend Terry Gray has been at TPT for 15 years and was a major influence on me considering this role. Super excited to work with him again (we worked together at HSRA Minnesota and I saw him occasionally on the sidelines at U.S. Bank Stadium).

The Information Technology team at TPT is solid and I really enjoy being part of a larger group again. Former McNally Smith veteran Nick Kaihoi is great to work with and we have so many shared tech experiences and philosophies, it’s scary. The team picked out a new M2 MacBook Air for me to use, which was just perfect. I also appreciate that the HR department has an actual “No Jerk Policy” and find the overall vibe just so refreshing. It reminds me of this Mr. Rodgers quote:

There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.

“Funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and contributions to your PBS station from Viewers Like You”

Contact is the secret; is the moment when everything happens! Contact is the answer; is the reason that everything happens! Contact! Let’s make contact!

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/arts/television/pbs-pledge-drive-history.html

Will never get tired of seeing this on the way in to work

https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/10/28/23426969/warren-zevon-late-show-david-letterman-anniversary

1969 was a hell of a year, no?

https://www.tpt.org/outside-chance/

Damn, I already love this place 🧁

I don’t know what number multiple is, but it’s better than zero…

Day Four ✅

…and beyond!

Sunny day, sweepin’ the clouds away. On my way to where the air is sweet…

I have no limitations…

Different paths up the same mountain…

And that’s when Lincoln said, ‘Don’t diss my homies’

Kinda sad it’s over, though

Multiple interesting Sunday storylines out in Blaine this year

Best hockey day of the year

Just up the hill from our plot @ Acacia

Security at the Toronto Zoo is surprisingly lax…

CK got a present from the boy

Opinion not shared by the entire household, though

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day 2022

Contact, it’s the secret. It’s the moment, when everything happens. Contact, it’s the answer. It’s the reason, why everything happens. Contact, let’s make contact!

Dr. Shrinker, Dr. Shrinker, he’s a madman with an evil mind. Dr. Shrinker, Dr. Shrinker, he’s as crazy as you’ll ever find…

There’s the man and there’s the monkey. And somehow, you gotta be man enough to face down the monkey…

Saint Paul needs this bad

Yobo, the Jesus know what we thinking. He’s like a X-Man…

You know what we call problems in sales? We call them opportunities…

Love, exciting and new. Come Aboard. We’re expecting you…

https://old.reddit.com/r/Muppets/comments/lnwse2/muppet_show_episodes_with_content_advisories/

It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights. It’s time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight…

Here’s some money. Go see a Star War.

Wow. He did not give a fuck. What’s his name again?

You’re a bit of a failure, aren’t you? You come all the way over here in this country to kill Tommy Shelby, but…I mean, well, he’s not dead, is he?

In the not-so-distant past, I was very much an advocate for cord-cutting. Everyone likes to bag on the cable companies, but to be honest, the only real issues I’ve had with them my entire life are cost and channel selection. The former always goes up and the latter never seemed to include exactly what I wanted. Cord-cutting seemed to be the solution – just let me pay for the channels I want. Unfortunately, the TV provider also being the internet bandwidth provider makes it difficult to get one without the other. The last time we moved, Comcast basically offered me internet plus a bunch of channels for the same price as just internet (which also turns out to be a very good deal if you like live sports).

Today, I seem to have a bit of everything (and the amount I pay to Comcast continues to rise). I have an old AppleTV connected to our Sony set, which streams multiple services that I get billed for in addition to Comcast: Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Disney+ and CBS All Access (which we just added so Colleen could watch The Stand). At some point, I need to catalog all of these accounts, see how much I’m paying in total and decide if we really get that much value out of them. In normal times? Probably not. During a stay-at-home pandemic? Likely a bargain.

My list of lists page has always had movies and TV shows I want to watch. Here are some recent things I’ve finished (or just started) since my best of 2020 post:

• Dark, Netflix (seasons 1-3): Armon told me to watch this German science fiction series about murder and time travel. It’s got subtitles, so you really have to pay attention. That’s good advice even if it was in English, as there is a large cast and it gets confusing very quickly. I did like it overall, but to be honest, it was a battle to finish all three seasons.
• Letterkenny, Hulu (season 9): I love this Canadian comedy and was super excited for a new season, but flew through all seven episodes in one sitting and now it’s gone again. Pitter Patter.
• Disenchantment, Netflix (part 3): Matt Groening’s medieval cartoon series is more Futurama than Simpsons, but the trio of Bean, Elfo and Luci make me laugh. Similar to Letterkenny, season/part 3 was over way too fast.
• Lupin, Netflix (season 1, part 1): Another foreign language Netflix original (France), this mystery thriller with subtitles demands attention. With only five episodes online now (out of ten shot for season one), it’s a quick watch. Cliff hanger warning: hopefully the second half of the season gets released soon so we can find out what happens to Omar Sy’s excellent character Assane Diop.
• Kim’s Convenience, Netflix (seasons 1-4): this Canadian comedy series set in Toronto has some of the best husband-wife and parent-child jokes of any show we’ve watched. Almost done with season four (and very happy to read there will be at least two more seasons coming).
• Night Stalker, Netflix: The New York Post (of all places) said this four-part true crime documentary about serial killer Richard Ramirez was “too graphic,” but we found it very interesting. I believe most of this happened while Colleen and I were in high school, but I only had a vague recollection of the case.
• Snowpiercer (movie): This 2013 science fiction thriller was on my watch list for a long time, as part of our recent Bong Joon-ho kick (Parasite, Okja, The Host). Can’t remember which service it popped up on, but we recently learned this is now also a series on TNT (with two seasons).
• Peaky Blinders, Netflix (season 1): With five seasons of this BBC show available, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit the time to a period piece set in post-WWI Birmingham, but now it’s almost like a British Sopranos for me, to be honest. Will continue onward.
• The Aristocats: I like that Disney+ has almost all of the old Disney animated movies to watch whenever you want (no more “available for a limited time on VHS” crap). When I read that some of the old movies now have disclaimers at the beginning, I decided to re-watch this one first. More details can be found on their “Stories Matter” website.
• Behind the Scenes of The Mandalorian, Disney+: I know I just linked to something different on the Star Wars website, but the behind the scenes series on Disney+ is really good (after you’ve watched both seasons). This franchise is in such good hands: Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Carl Weathers, Robert Rodriguez and Jon Favreau (who was a guest on Letterman the one time I got to see it in person) all seem like such cool, dorky people.

Thinking back on how many hours I’ve spent watching these, it’s a good thing at least some were also spent on the treadmill…

UPDATE: Per Kid Two, *she* pays for Hulu and also said I forgot about Amazon Prime Video…

Man, after-work drinks taste so much better than instead-of-work drinks…

Damn I love Duluth

HBO + Candyland

Did you know that China’s having a shortage of ninjas?

https://www.startribune.com/from-play-ball-to-play-bally-s-sinclair-betting-on-legal-gambling-to-boost-viewership/573452881/

I’m Mister White Christmas, I’m Mister Snow. I’m Mister Icicle, I’m Mister Ten Below…

With the whole fam too

My favorite pandemic time killers (alphabetical):

• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Fargo
• The Mandalorian
• Ozark
• The Queen’s Gambit
• Schitt’s Creek
• Ted Lasso

Any others I should start? Better Call Saul was good too…

Chris Rock, Timothy Olyphant, Jason Schwartzman (and so many other great actors)

Cue the outrage

From no coverage of the front nine to (perhaps) too much coverage?

…and The Child

It’s funny, but it’s also true

Ronnie, gentle reminder, the line has been changed to I want to KISS you like an animal…

Ferda, boys

Gossip is the devil’s telephone, best to just hang up…

Trust me, people aren’t thinking about you the way that you’re thinking about you…

Um, what the hell, Mickey?

Welcome to the real world, jackass!

Every human relationship can be adjusted with the right amount of money…

Everybody counts or nobody counts…

Baby Groot, do me a favor. Keep my name out of your little tree mouth, before I snap you like a twig…

Mood.

The boat no longer goes to Loserville!

Sweargen, you cock-sucka

https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Regina-Spektor-Youve-Got-Time-OITNB-Theme-Song-Video-46425999

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/tw2ltp/chappelle-s-show-wu-tang-financial—uncensored

So much is said in silence…

Now we just need a win over Oakland