Avoiding Homegrown until Friday, when I see my friend Emily Jayne play at Sir Ben’s… but still today enjoying Darin Bergsven at Dubh Linn. Time to reflect on the week.

Monday, I spent some time with Tim Jollymore, an author who arrived at UMD because of the hard work of Veronica and Mareesa and the awesome students in the Writing Club. Jollymore talked to the students about his craft as a writer — and it was an amazing afternoon for all of us.

So Sunday night’s Pub Quiz at Carmody was about Homegrown. My company, two small businesspeople, including the operator of Locally Laid, and I were hopeless, but we had fun.

I had dinner Monday with the other co-founder of Locally Laid at Oriental House II. If anyone sees Alli, our old favorite waitress, please tell her that the Monday Night gaming crowd misses her. Those same nerds walk over to Rogue Robot for games. The owner of the Nifty Nerd joined us and taught us to play Seasons.

Tuesday, I went to the Zeitgeist hoping for a free movie in their Defenders series. No such luck, but I ran into Rich, the organizer of the Duluth Superior Film Festival, who was excited to tell me that the new schedule for 2015 will be out soon.

Saturday, I had a rental car (a big, black Ford Edge). I felt like every federal agent on prime time TV crime shows. So I hopped the bridge with the co-owner of Collector’s Connection for Sweeden Sweets and Izzy’s Barbecue. Sweeden’s Sweets was awesome — it is a HUGE place, with a full soda fountain for making root beer floats and such. And popcorn, chocolates, and fudge — so very tasty. I had the dark chocolate covered bacon strips — they were good, although as I described it to a friend, not enough chocolate and not enough bacon. But my tastes prefer something exploding in my mouth. Like their chocolate covered cheesecake bites. (Izzy’s had live music, which was great, but the consensus on the food was a little disappointing.)

Friday, I saw someone I had not seen in weeks. We ate at the Casino, the Buffet at the Black Bear. I have enough friends who sneer at buffets that I recognize that they are an acquired taste. But my friend loved this one, loved the duck especially. Admittedly, she and I share a propensity for the “meat coma.” Afterwards, we drove to Wisconsin Point. She’d never seen the massive methane burner out there. On a cold night, the light and the heat from the tower are one of the most spectcular sights in Duluth. I could not find a picture. Somethings must be retained in memory. Sights, sometimes the people you view them with. But I don’t know that.

Maybe one of you has a photo?