The Wake

Stepping out of your apartment numbs your whole body. You haven’t been grocery shopping in weeks, and the only food your roommate has would adequately feed a rabbit, not a human being—and you’re hungry. Of course, finals are coming up this month, and your studying schedule simply doesn’t allow you to get away for some of Mom’s beef roast and baked potatoes. Fortunately, there are some excellent options for proverbial comfort food in the area that will sooth your frozen insides, expose you to different cultures, and still allow you to afford textbooks next semester. Kramarczuk’s Deli has been a vital …

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Dear SHADEy,
My girlfriend is on the pill but still gets anxious when I cum. What can I do?
Frustrated in FridleyThis question was sent to “Ask SHADEy,” a column found on the Sexual Health Disease and Education (SHADE)’s Web site. SHADE is a student organization at the university that promotes student sexual heath by answering difficult questions and handing out free condoms in residence halls and Greek houses. They also work out of their mobile unit, the notorious “Shaggin’ Wagon.”Sexually active college students risk contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and many other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like …

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Long before the sun rises, before the coffee brews in the Courtside Deli, vacuum cleaners hum and Recreation Center staff mill about the empty gym, preparing for another day.While many students are putting the finishing touches on term papers or cramming for tests, several University of Minnesota students and staff gather in the Rec Center lobby, eager to get at the gym equipment. When front-desk attendant Hanna Loberg unlocks the doors at 5:45 a.m., the early birds file in and begin their morning workouts.Rosalyn Washington arrived at the Rec Center about 5:30 a.m. She waited in the lobby, stretching …

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Some were supportive, some were appalled but most passersby in front of the Coffman Memorial Union bookstore just stared as they passed an assortment of plastic fetuses, one inch in length, sprawled on a table amongst pro-life/anti-abortion literature as a part of Students for Family Values (SFV) table.SFV President Martin Andrade and three other members of the self-proclaimed non-partisan conservative group set up their pro-life table near the escalator outside the bookstore for about three hours on Nov. 21. The group says it decided to hand out the plastic fetuses to draw attention to their table and to the issues …

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Every Monday night, men line up outside the Simpson United Methodist Church in Minneapolis. They wrap around the building, one by one, waiting for the weekly lottery. This isn’t the kind of lottery you see on TV with multi-million dollar prizes and oversized checks. This is a lottery sponsored by a coalition of homeless shelters including St. Stephen’s Shelter, Simpson Housing Services and Our Saviour’s Housing. The prize they offer is a 28-night stay in one of the three shelters. On a Monday night in November, 60 men lined up, all hoping for a bed. Only 24 beds were available. …

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On November 20, a Thursday night when many college kids were out drinking at the local bars, studying for a test or hanging out with friends, Habitat for Humanity members spent their night sitting on cardboard boxes outside the St. Paul Capitol. Group members participated in “Night Without a Home” in conjunction with Hamline University. By sleeping outside like the homeless, the group hoped to raise awareness on their struggle, shatter stereotypes, and “challenge Minnesota’s legislators and governor to reverse the most harmful cuts made to homeless programs in the 2003 session,” said PR Director Stacy Buehner. The group listened …

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Least likely phrase heard coming from Tim Pawlenty’s office:
“Man, I gots to be fiscally conservative!”Least likely thing heard in a National Enquirer meeting:
Wait a second – why are we calling him ‘Jacko’?Best way to start a post-winter break conversation:
“OK, so I was at Senor Frogs, right?”Dinkytown establishment most likely to be haunted by the pissed-off ghost of Bob Dylan:
Bobby Z’sLeast popular American value: ABSTINENCELeast popular winter vacation spot: IRAQBest career move for Tom Cruise after The Last Samurai?
Playing the title role in feature film, Chairman MaoBest name for a Christmas tree: PineyLast thing …

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Sure the 35-yard field goal would give the Gophers a victory over border rival Wisconsin and its first nine-wine season since 1905. But Gopher kicker/punter Rhys Lloyd had added incentive.“Coach [Glen Mason] told me that if I made the kick, the whole team was going to love me because we were going to have pizza for supper,” Lloyd said. “And I said, ‘As long as there’s extra.’”The 21-year-old, Recreation, Parks and Leisure major came to Apple Valley, MN from Dover, England in 1997 after his dad got a job as a professional soccer coach. He was a two-time All American …

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The men’s club soccer time lost in the semifinals of the National Tournament in Tuscaloosa, AL, but not before spoiling other teams’ championship hopes. The highlight of the tournament was a 3-0 trouncing of defending champion Weber State, coach Alan Merrick said.“They [Weber State] were mesmerized by our performance,” Merrick said. “We came out and took it to them early in the game.”The Gophers beat Arizona State, Texas and Weber State and then loss to Utah Valley State in the semis. Nick DeMeuse scored two of the three goals in the Weber State game and had an outstanding tournament, Merrick …

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In 2002 Gophers fans cheered as the Minnesota’s wrestling team successfully defended its 2001 national title. Last April, Dinkytown was once again swarming with fans after the men’s hockey team accomplished a repeat when they defeated New Hampshire in the national championship. Gopher fans might have another two-peat champ to cheer for, or cheer with, if the top-ranked U of M dance team pulls off another title in Orlando this January. Yes, the women’s dance team, the ladies who bust a move on the Williams Arena floor during Gophers’ hoop games and cut-a-rug on the Metrodome carpet during football games, are looking to …

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The annual border battle between the Minnesota Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers brings out the best each state has to offer. Each team plays its heart out for the Paul Bunyan Axe, a hallowed symbol of the blood, sweat and tears expelled throughout the rivalry’s history. But the players are not the only ones leaving their emotions out on the field. Gopher and Badger fans gather together each year happy to exchange hateful cheers, partake in some beer drinking and of course, watch quality Big Ten football. This year’s game ended with Rhys Lloyd and rest of the Maroon and Gold …

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Many of the current housing problems faced by students living near campus were addressed Oct 28 at a Minnesota Student Association forum.Vice President Jeff Nath introduced “Project Lighthouse,” a multi-step project that attempts to conquer the economic and physical problems that students living near the university face.The housing component of Nath’s resolution calls for the city of Minneapolis, as well as the state, to impose stronger laws concerning “landlords who knowingly violate zoning laws or who ignore housing codes.”“The city of Minneapolis needs to enforce housing concerns, complaints and violations of housing zoning and also needs to draft stricter penalties …

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Lights Out Asia, a newly formed post-rock project from Milwaukee, WI, plays an extremely innovative, stunning and sincere form of indie rock. Composed of two former members from the band Aurore Rien, the duo straddles the line between placid soundscapes and highly unique and palatable electronic elements. Influenced just as much from the soundtrack to the movie Bladerunner as modern day post-rock heroes Mogwai, both members have the ability to capture and articulate the deep and painful emotions one experiences throughout life. Baring a similar resemblance to Sigur Ros’ ( ) record, Garmonia is split into two distinct moods. …

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Finally, Paul Westerberg gets it right. After spending the nineties churning out puke-tastic ballads, the Minneapolis born ‘n’ bred icon has rediscovered his roots with Come Feel Me Tremble. No, Tremble does not sound like a Replacements album, and no, it’s not without its’ droopy balladry. But that doesn’t matter. After all, it’s been more than a decade since the demise of The Mats, and Westerberg is no longer a picture of carefree, youthful ignorance.
Rather, he appears to be a comfortably retrospective aging rock star. From the spastic rave-up of “My Daydream,” to the haunting sadness of “Never …

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This summer I had the opportunity to take a time out of a day working at Sherwin-Williams and talk to Opeth co-founder, guitarist Peter Lindgren. For those shamefully unaware of Opeth (and if you are unaware of them, you should be ashamed!), Opeth has been one of the biggest forces in metal in recent years. They have combined the brutality of death metal with soft, melancholic parts, to create something that could only be Opeth. However, on the bands most recent album Damnation, they explore more fully the soft progressive elements of their music, leaving out all death metal. We …

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