Rick Nelson and Claude Peck dispense unasked-for advice about clothing, etiquette, culture, relationships, grooming and more.
CP: Even a slow-to-anger man like my father occasionally would fly off the handle. When he did so, it was sometimes intro'd by the phrase, "that really chaps my ass." Which I don't think we can even say in the newspaper. But is there a thing or two that you are finding highly annoying of late?
RN: Minnesota drivers. After a few summer motor trips, I'm beginning to wonder if anyone in this state grasps the purpose and proper use of the passing lane.
CP: I hate those hefty Yellow Pages that show up in plastic bags on my doorstep with inexplicable frequency. They are as welcome as a hangnail, as useful as a plastic knife on a tough steak, and I have been unable to remove my address from the delivery list.
RN: Despite the fear of being ostracized by my fellow preservationistas, I'm mystified by the plan to maintain the status quo, design-wise, at Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis. When is the last time, outside Sommerfest, that you saw more than 10 people there? 1997? Start over, please.
CP: Shocked I am that someone with your hatred of teardowns is all gung-ho about razing that historic 1970s-era sump pump.
RN: I'll reserve my surprise and disdain for the way the planned Southwest LRT line sidetracks the boom town that is Uptown.
CP: Sometimes, hate turns to love. That's the case at the St. Anthony Main Theater. I've groused plenty about the crummy condition of the last first-run movie theater in Minneapolis, and now they are putting $2 million into new seats and renovations. How refreshing to read co-owner John Rimarcik admitting, "We have the worst seats in town." But I digress.
