Author Archive
YOUR FIRST APARTMENT!
By MARY ELLEN KALUZA It's that time of year ”“ moving vans are everywhere. Eighty percent of moves happen between April and September. A significant number of those moves are young people leaving the nest for the first time. Many life lessons await them! Some lessons will be painful. Avoid the pain with a little bit of knowledge. CHOOSE YOUR ROOMMATES WELL Everyone will be equally liable for the whole rent, not just their portion. Are the roommates dependable?Do you share a similar lifestyle?What about smoking or drinking? Frequent guests?How will you resolve conflicts? IS IT AFFORDABLE? The rule of thumb is to keep housing expenses at 30 percent of your income. But, this is just a guideline and not necessarily the best measure of affordability. If you have a decent income, the remaining 70 percent of your income can be substantial. If you are earning minimum wage, the remaining 70 percent isn”™t much. Spend some [...]
Community Woodshop Seeks Physical Space and Neighborhood Input
By JESSIE MERRIAM https://www.fireweedwoodshop.org/ Fireweed Community Woodshop (FCW), formerly known as the Women”™s Woodshop, had to close its South Minneapolis physical location in April of 2020 due to COVID. The shop was started by Jess Hirsch in 2016 as a safe studio and classroom space for women and nonbinary folks to practice and learn woodcraft. During the lock-down, she and a group of dedicated instructors, volunteers, and students used the down time to learn and transition the shop to a cooperative nonprofit, renamed Fireweed. Fireweed”™s mission is to facilitate creative and vocational experiences in the art of woodcraft for genders traditionally marginalized in the field. Throughout the past year, the woodshop has offered virtual hand tool classes such as spoon carving, chip carving, woodblock printmaking, and Dala horse carving as well as demos such as dovetails and bowl carving. The virtual space created new opportunities to gather [...]
Peace House Community: A Place to Belong
Pleased to Almost Meet You By MARTI MALTBY I stole the title for this column from Colin Hay, the lead singer from Men Without Hats. His song “Pleased to Almost Meet You”™ is a tongue in cheek commentary on how people these days tend to talk a lot about getting together without ever actually meeting. The song opens with the lines: I'm pleased to almost meet youThe pleasure's almost mineI can see that you're busyPerhaps another timeI'm pleased to almost meet youHere let me get that doorNo need for conversationThey do say less is more Before covid hit, I heard many people talk about being too busy to spend time with friends or family. After covid hit and everyone started interacting through video chats, the discussion focused on how much people missed face to face interaction. Now I”™ve heard debates about whether workers will want to come back to the office or stay at home, whether we will keep connecting with far-flung friends through our phones [...]
