Walkin' Around Checkin' Stuff Out. #57

Nov 10, 2024

Wow. What a week. I get sucked in to it all just like everyone else does and the world can seem pretty bleak at times…so much hate and anger and greed. That’s the stuff that sells and gets the clicks. But that’s not what the world is and that’s not the world I want to live in. I draw to call attention to the good stuff. The good stuff is everywhere…dogs, music, food…heck, I spend hours drawing bricks on the side of buildings because I think bricks and brick buildings are cool. So no matter what happens with politics, there’s good stuff everywhere…you just gotta go looking for it.

Apartment above a bar.

I was driving through NE Minneapolis the other night and noticed a light on in a little apartment above Tony Jaros’ bar. I wonder who lives up there? I wonder if Tony Jaro ever lived up there? It’s a pretty cool spot if you ask me.

Davis.

Dogs are the best. How can your mood not improve when you’re around a dog? They are amazing. This little guy knows he makes people happy and loves to say hi to everyone he meets….he calls them “customers”. We sit outside the coffee shop on the weekends and he waits for people to stop and pet him and he gives them wiggles and everyone is happy. Why can’t people be more like dogs?

Davis was not a patient puppy…he was just the opposite. But finally, little by little he’s learned to be more patient. A year and a half later and he might be the most patient dog we’ve ever had. If you would have told me that a year ago I would have said you were crazy.

One line drawing of Davis…it looks like he’s judging me. He probably is.

Bucket-head wants another breakfast…and he’s pissed he’s not getting it.

A woman at the coffeeshop called him a bucket-head and I thought that was a pretty good nickname or him. His head is so big he’s top-heavy and I’m waiting for him to tip forward someday.

Old dude and his dog.

These two are best buds for sure. Same whiskers, same wispy hair (except gray hair for the old dude), and matching outfits. Why wouldn’t their outfits match? This is the old dude I want to be someday.

Old dude in a sweet hat.

Part of being a cool old dude is you need a hat. It’s mandatory. It’s part of the outfit, and no one looks as good in a hat as an old dude. Now we need to bring pipes back, he would look good with a pipe.

Kinzo Udon.

A new noodle shop opened by the UofM. I heard they made their own udon noodles so we had to check that out. I didn’t have high hopes, but WOW…it was good. Simple, fast, cheap, in a pretty cool space and the food is great. The world needs more places like this.

I love a place that does one thing and does it well. It would be a lot easier if they just got their udon pre-packaged from some food supplier, charged more and upped their profits and put out an ok bowl of noodles. Hats off to the people that work a little harder to make things better because it’s the right thing to do.

I love seeing something being made from scratch especially in a quick serve restaurant. I didn't have high hopes for this spot, but it blew me away. So much so that I came back the next day.

Spyhouse Coffee.

I love coffee shops. People hanging out, working, having meetings. All good vibes. Not to sound like a dork, but coffee shops are community, and we need that stuff. The tea at Spyhouse is ridiculously expensive, but it’s cheap rent so it all works out.