State Sen. Dave Senjem has been getting into Facebook lately, posting pics of his grandkids, of St. Paul and of doings at the state Capitol. A few weeks ago, there was a pic of himself with someone who looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place him. Then I realized it was House Speaker John Boehner but without his trademark (and deeply unnatural) tan.
Senjem's caption on the photo was, "Thank you, John Boehner. A deal is a deal."
I was curious what kind of deal Dave was referring to, so I sent him a note. The Rochester senator confirmed it was a reference to the Republican Party line that the so-called sequester budget cuts should be blamed on President Obama because he supposedly made a "deal" that tax increases wouldn't be part of the sequester solution.
Dave also said the pic was from August 2011 at the Wayzata County Club. "John has a Minnesota connection in that he lives in D.C. with a person who has become a good friend named John Milne, a former Minnesotan who lobbies Congress on various clients and causes," Senjem told me in a Facebook message.
— Jay Furst
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It's easy being green — by recycling
Barkeeps worldwide are mopping up green beer and putting things in order after Sunday night's St. Patrick's Day parties. Last week, before the parties began, one Rochester bar showed that it's "green" in a novel way.
CJ's Midtown Lounge had a sign out front that was updated by hand — the "Sat." had been crossed out and replaced by "Sun., March 17th." Obviously, the sign was used last year, and a bartender told me that a new one didn't arrive from the beer distributor in time.
Still, it's a good example of "green" thinking — re-use and recycle.
— Jay Furst
Proud as a …
Remember the story a few months ago about the bellman at the Doubletree Hotel who brought in a peacock to cheer up a guest?
That story drew national attention in December. Shawn Marum, 30, works at the hotel and also has a farm east of Rochester, where he has cattle and a peacock named Henry. He noticed that a young hotel guest, who was from Texas and receiving medical treatment at Mayo, had a picture of a peacock on her notebook. She's crazy about peacocks, her mom said, so Shawn offered to bring Henry in to meet her.
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That created quite a sensation at the hotel, needless to say, and it made the girl's day at a tough time in her life.
Deb Knox, the sales director at Rochester's Doubletree Hotel, told me a few weeks ago that Shawn received a national award from the home office for Doubletree by Hilton, for his extra effort to "create a rewarding experience for a guest."
I'm guessing, though, that Shawn got his reward back in December, when he was able to brighten that girl's day.
— Jay Furst
