Ok, the weirdest thing happened to me this morning while I was walking to my gate.  Around 6:30am, a man started screaming an indistinguishable African word while briskly walking down the corridor of shops in the MSP/St. Paul Airport.  Something like “JAMANI” over and over again in a violent way, maybe a name?  Hundreds of people stopped in their tracks as they felt their deepest travel fears were about to be fulfilled.  Did the guy have a gun?  A bomb?  was he a terrorist about to attack?  Well, I don’t know exactly what his intentions were, but here’s what happened next…

Guy is screaming and running down the corridor when a half dozen security personnel all show up and start yelling at the guy to stop.  He keeps walking.  Finally a few of them pull out taser guns and threaten to shoot.  Now the man stops and raises his arms wide (to show no weapons?).  Security yells at him to get down on his knees and put his hands behind his head.  Still screaming JAMANI, he obeys.  Then they tell him to lay down on his stomach.  Apparently that was too much for him.  He gets up again and charges the security officer in front of him.  She fires her taser, 3 others fire their tasers, but it doesn’t even phase him.  He starts attacking the security woman in front of him, beating her with his fists and running off again.  A few more security officers follow, shooting taser guns as they go, but nothing stops him (is this guy immune to electric shock?!).  Screaming the random word still, he steam rolls through a pack of security guards one last time and out the security gate back to the front entrance.  Gone.

So, not sure what the true intentions were, or if I was even in danger at all.  But being 50 feet from the whole thing as it happened, I have to admit the scene was intense.  Interesting way to start your work week right?  Since I forgot to text Lindsey that I landed safely, hopefully she didn’t hear that story first and freak out.  🙂

When I come back to Washington DC, I always think of it as “home” … well, now that I’m working out here during the week, I’ll actually be “home” more than I’ll be home.  Follow that?  Today marked my first day working in DC, and I’ll be here until Thursday before heading back to Minneapolis.  It’s weird working in a Government building, especially after working in Retail.  Retail puts a lot of money into making themselves look fashionable, trendy, hip, and fun.  Government is the opposite.  They don’t spend a dime on appearances, because it’s your dime that would be spent and there are more important things to spend that dime on (*hint, teaser for tomorrow’s post!).  The picture above is my new cube, it’s twice the size of mine back home and has a nice picture window facing the surrounding forest.  The furniture is probably circa the Cold War, and I’m guessing a cleaning crew hasn’t been in there since around the same time.  Nonetheless, this is “home”.  And it feels good 🙂

Well, the US Government has officially deemed me a non-threat to society, and my security clearance has been officially approved for my next consulting assignment.  I appreciate all of you who kept their mouths closed or comments clean, and especially those of you who pretended not to be associated with me at all.  Next week I fly out to Washington DC for my first business trip with the new project, definitely looking forward to it.  For those of you in DC, let’s start working out some plans to get the band back together.Fados?  4 Provinces?  Brickskeller?  1221?  McFadden’s?  Heck, I’ll even do

Fado’s?  4 Provinces?  Brickskeller?  1221?  McFadden’s?  Heck, I’ll even do a Julia’s Empanadas run for old times sake.  Washington, here I come (back)!

Hot Dinky Dog Diggity!

Ok, not really – Dinky Dogs went out of business long before it even got started (it was a fun 9-month ride though!).  But apparently, there is a Hot Dog eating contest at The Bulldog in Uptown this Saturday at 2pm.   I don’t know if just anyone can sign up, or just the ones on the official website, but I’m all about eating free hot dogs and watching some Ross Tulman-type eaters go head to head.   Thanks Craig for forwarding this, anyone want to go?

and on the 8th day, the lord created kosher vodka

Once a year, Jews all over the world hang their heads in pain and cry out for fewer products to be made from grains or corn syrup.  That day(s) is upon us, as last night we welcomed the holiday of Passover to our homes.  For the next 8 days, “celebrating” this holiday means removing all forms of Chametz and Kitniyot from my home and diet.  Loosely translated, that means no eating bread or grains (Chametz) or anything that can be made to rise in an oven or confused for bread (Kitniyot).  In case you didn’t catch that, it means NO BEER!

But don’t worry, the Rabbi’s over at http://www.Kashrut.com have been aware of this tragedy and provided a list of all kosher l’Pesach foods and ingredients to satisfy all cravings.  And as for that after-work drink we all need, it doesn’t have to Manischewitz all week people, there are options!  Three Olives makes a nice grape vodka, and i’ll happily relax with my feet up on the table and a cold glass of Chopin Potato Vodka.  L’chaim!

For the past 2 years, my friends and I have considered ourselves the “best Jewish football team in Minneapolis” having won an all day touch football tournament sponsored by the Jewish Federation on Christmas day in 2007, and losing in the semi-finals in 2008.  To say we were a bit full of ourselves is an understatement.  Feeling good about our talent, we decided to take it to the street and join the popular MN Flag Football league (www.mnflagfootball.com) that plays Tuesday nights at the UofM indoor practice facility.   The picture above is of the team that DESTROYED us 48-7 in the playoffs (thank you, Dave Katz, for saving our humiliation with a desperation TD).  However, the spring league starts this week.  Thanks to some newly recruited players and developed playbook, I think it’s time to take home the D League trophy … and sure, it has nothing to do with the fact that Blue Thunder forgot to register again.  No Blue Thunder?  That puts a smile on my face.  🙂

I have had the pleasure of working at Accenture’s downtown Minneapolis for a couple weeks now, something that I haven’t done since joining the firm in August 2005.  Sure a couple things have changed in that time (what happened to the flavored coffee machine?!), but I’ve really come to appreciate working downtown again.  I couldn’t be happier with ACN, and below are my top 10 reasons to enjoy working at the downtown tower.

1. Accenture recently went “green” in the cafeteria, and no longer provides paper coffee cups.
2. Coffee and Tea are free all day.
3. Friday’s are like mini-reunions, where all your friends who travel work at the office together.
4. Black Bamboo Restaurant just announced $1 Mondays, where nothing on the menu is over a buck.
5. Even through tough economic times, ACN stays focused on keeping the dream alive:  Happy Hours every first Friday of the month.
6. I can take the skyways all the way here from home, and don’t have to suffer the snow in my dodge neon.
7. Eddington’s is in walking distance, and I’m one punch away from a free bottomless bowl.
8. Only one email address to maintain.  It was nice to retire the client email account.
9. Plenty of empty desks, so no need to share cubes with another co-worker.
10. I feel like I work for ACN again, something that is very easy to forget when staffed at a client site for 4 years.