Observations from this Journey

Just a few random observations from my journey home tonight.

1. There is not a whole lot of activity in downtown St. Paul after 9 p.m. A few people hurrying here and there. Two waiters are always smoking in the back door of Pazaluna. But other than that it's pretty much a ghost town. However, there are always at least 10 people waiting at the bus stop on 5th and Minnesota.

2. Meat Raffles. I must have lived a sheltered life but I had never heard of a meat raffle until moving to Minnesota. At first I thought it was you bought a ticket and they raffled off a cow or side of beef but really my friend Angie took me to one several months ago and they raffle off a few steaks or chicken breasts. So buy some pull tabs and a raffle ticket and hang on - you might go home a winner! (The newport firemen are hosting a meat raffle at the shamrock bar and grill soon)

3. We tend to park in the same spaces in our parking lot except the past few nights I've gotten home late and this white car has been in "my" spot. Okay, so it's not technically mine but still. We have the same thing with where we park in the Lawson ramp in St. Paul. I know pretty much each car and we know that Julie likes to park in the spot next to the door and bobbie right next to her. It's a tradition not a law but when random cars come and mess it up it just throws everyone else off because eventually even you have to park in some else's "spot".

It's kind of like eating dinner at my mom's dinner table in the kitchen - Jerry sits next to mom, pete in the middle and me next to dad. (Of course, we've added a few more people to the mix now that pete and sara and emily are three but there's still an order to things that typically gets maintained.)