I remember her, personally, for her kindness and how she reached out to me. And publicly, her powerful leadership at the Capitol and for MN. Sen. Dziedzic was pretty great. We lost good women, good leaders this year. AND so many stepped into their _own_ too and that has been beautiful to witness.

So who else cried during episode 6 of Heated Rivalry?

John with the NE Ohio Regional Sewer District is simply the best. You really need to call the number.

Awesome bike rides this year: 1: the Vancouver Seawall, 2: from NE to Saint Paul along Como Ave, 3: out to Hidden Falls in Saint Paul, 4: to Coldwater Spring, 5: out to Hopkins and then onto whatever gravel trail I ended up on for awhile, 6: the Coon Rapids Dam,...

This year has been so...much. Took a sabbatical, started dating!, honestly, everything just was great. And then my husband died, and there's his death & grief over that and there's all the...shrapnel that comes from it. Sometimes it feels like it's cutting holes in all the great parts of the year.

this has been a tradition-less christmas for me, which is deeply unsettling; but at least one of my new traditions is greyhounds starting at 10 am on Christmas Eve, hanging out with cool people, and tasty treats from locally owned shops.

I was quoted here saying Target Center is old, implying (not incorrectly) that it’d be nice to have a newer facility. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1... What I also said that didn’t make the story: 1) Public dollars should never go to stadiums, and there is copious research to back that up.

Awesome books I read this year: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This (Omar El Akkad), The River Has Roots (Amal Al-Mohtar, A Psalm For the Wild Built (Becky Chambers), Crying In H-Mart (Michelle Zauner), Anita de Monte Laughs Last (Xochitl Gonzalez), The Travelers (Regina Porter).

Awesome food I ate this year: a breakfast bagel that was beef bulgogi, a fried egg, kimchi, a slice of Swiss cheese, cream cheese, red onion, and sauce. It was served with plastic food service gloves and I needed them. From a stand at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Sean Duffy is absolutely gonna be part of my villain origin story.

Yo lutherans: where's your fave Christmas Eve church service? Doesn't need to be midnight, but does need to be in Minneapolis. And on transit. (I like the red hymnal Missouri Synod program, but am open to more modern services, lol. Also I wanna sing!)

My idea is BETTER: a buddy movie with Nick Fury & Carol Danvers driving across the country, getting into shenanigans, and bonding. They'd have a flerken with them, for extra fun too.

This is a policy failure by every city in Minnesota. This gentleman and I had just gotten off the busiest bus line in the state. The entire sidewalk was this bad or worse. Enforcement is not working. Community driven solutions leave too many areas out. Municipal sidewalk clearing now.

Choose your fighter.

kept waking up all night trying to remember the name of a knockoff squishmellow store in Minneapolis. I don't think this store actually exists but my sleep brain is pretty sure it does.

Yo, Minnesota. You need to read this.

realizing that hey, maybe I should have taken more time off for bereavement. fuck me.

Minnesota is stepping up to help neighbors - here’s how you can help. Drop off gift cards for Edison High School families. Here’s what is requested: ALDI Cub Foods Target Wal-Mart Walgreens Gas Stations Any cards to help families with basic needs Let’s do this Minnesota! Details in the image:

Last day at TAB...been 8 years of geographic balance and working to fund public transit.

Yo, business owners in MN (500 employees or less)! MPCA has a cool grant you might be interested in. E-bikes for commercial biz. Think delivery, providing services, etc. Grant applications due Jan 15, 2026: www.pca.state.mn.us/grants-and-l...

if I ever become a "play my music without headphones and/or on a Bluetooth speaker" transit person, I'm gonna make everyone listen to Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen's angsty working class album. And then I Want It That Way, the classic Backstreet Boys anthem. And maybe some hardcore techno. #busride

The City Council scheduled an override session yesterday to consider the Mayor’s vetoes. Instead, Mayor Frey waited until there were no more council meetings to prohibit an overturn of the humane encampment response ordinance (even though he said he would veto it last week). 1/

sometimes on the bus, I just close my eyes and see the light change on my eyelids. that sounds weird and isn't the correct description of what happens, but close. and it very relaxing. #busride

grief bites. i feel like a mess and my therapist told me "be a mess" and then i get too judgemental about that, like maybe i'm _too_ much of a mess. i feel like i should be able to _contain_ myself. like, this is such a private thing, but why? it shouldn't be, right? ugh. barf.

Tip: use one tablespoon of gochujang paste to make your entire apartment smell like tasty sweet & salty wonderfulness. Also, beef bulgogi, lol.

@klobuchar.senate.gov what is wrong with you?

Excellent audio book!

My peripheral vision is a bit obstructed but I am cosy and warm. (and oohhhh this will be next level hat hair).

my @metrotransitmn.bsky.social bus driver has several of the "years of service" patches, ending at 30 years. holy cats, man. and also, thank you! he also has a very cool furry hat with a gold badge right in the Center, and looks _sharp_. #busride

I emailed [email protected] about this yesterday; I have no idea if Carlbom ever sees those emails or on what schedule. But if this pissed you off, you should email him too, or if you know him, reach out. Seriously, @dfl.org, you want to be the party that relies on this kind of narrative?

Chad got a new sweater.

I am on a call with people who didn't know Prince is from Minnesota and their minds are blown and I can't even. (I have never wanted to defend Minnesota more.)

what the fuck

I cannot stop thinking about the @dfl.org statement re Chris Madel. It makes me so mad. But to literally say that a defense attorney has no moral compass because of the clients he represented is saying...that. Richard Carlbom, do you actually believe that?

Writing my first email to the @dfl.org because that press release by Carlbom, etc has me so angry.

Yo Richard Carlbom, people have the right to legal representation and this press release sounds suspiciously like you and the Minnesota DFL Party don't support and believe that.

TJA gives harmed parties an option in justice--something that can be healing for everyone.

Oooh, following for recs!

i just came in from shovelling, got my cat's pill ready, sat down on the couch with it, his treats, and my coffee, and proceeded to...swallow my cat's hyperthyroid medication. So how's your day going?

seriously, i get being a budget hawk (right? isn't that where you focus on the dollars), but Palmisano, what are you doing to help beyond that?

who knew the unifying issue of Minneapolis politics is places to pee?

in all seriousness, re this amendment--expand it. i saw a guy pee against a fence in my neighborhood because Eastside Neighborhood Services has their doors locked during the day and that's the closest bathroom by my bus stop. Safe places to pee = public safety.

KATIE CASHMAN WHYYYY?

buy cannabis, take public transit! new metrotransit campaign! (in all seriousness, wtf?)

nothing like giving your cat two kinds of medication and the looks they give you to make you feel like the worst person on earth. ouch.

Katie nooooooooooooo that was so bad. (but did it pass?)

But you guys, he also wants you to dress nicer when you fly!

@katiecashman.bsky.social coming through with an excellent proposal for public bathrooms along Nicollet. It's a known issue; here's how we fix it: www.axios.com/local/twin-c...

VIKINGS GOT A TOUCHDOWN. Randall Johnson, all for you.

"As you set out for Ithaka, hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery..." Ithaka--CP Cavafy.