Stella’s Fish Cafe, NightShots Series, Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 2008, photo © 2008 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
July summer night
if only I could eat fish
I’d dine at Stella’s
Note: I’ve been going back through archived photos from the last year. This was a drive-by shooting out near Calhoun Square last July. I’d just had dinner with two writer friends and we were giving a Wisconsin native the tour of Minneapolis, including writers’ homes, Birchbark Books, the Mississippi River, the Minnesota Zen Center on Lake Calhoun, and a few great places to eat. The I-35 bridge construction was just meeting in the middle, so we also walked out to see the construction progress at sunset.
When we reached Uptown, it was approaching dark; I looked up to see this great shot of Stella’s. If only I could eat fish! Well, I can eat shellfish but am allergic to all other kinds. Maybe I can stop by after all. As for the photography, I like to write in the morning when I’m fresh, but I’m a total Night Owl and some of my best shots are taken at night.
Last night I was in the studio until 2 a.m. Below are some other Night Owl posts from over the years. Are you a Night Owl or a Morning Person? Has it changed over time?
-posted on red Ravine, Sunday, November 9th, 2008
-related to post: haiku (one-a-day)
I was a night owl in my younger days. In my 30’s I switched over to a morning person, getting up as early as 4:00am because I was wide awake and it was better than lying there hoping to go back to sleep when it became clear that I wasn’t going to go back to sleep.
Even in my younger days and late nights, I was always most energetic in terms of getting things done, especially physical work, in the mornings. The nights were for more creative pursuits.
Now, approaching 50, I don’t think I’m a night owl or a morning person. Some nights I stay up late, drawn by something I’m writing or going through photos or reading. Some days I’m up before sunrise, exercising and hitting the yoga mat before the rooster down the road starts crowing.
That’s a really good shot for a drive-by, QM. 🙂
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As a child I had to be home, in my pajamas, and in bed by 8 PM. I slept until 7 the next morning…without fail. That morning preference has stayed with me for years now. I like the mornings when no one else is up and the world is fresh. I can always take a nap if I am tired because I get up so early.
Great photograph. May we eat at Stella’s the next time I’m in Minneapolis (if they have seafood you can eat)?
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nice haiku
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Robin, that’s kind of how I feel these days. The more energetic pursuits around my writing are better done in the morning when my mind is not clogged with all the dribble of the day. But nights I like to do visual work where I use a different part of the brain — go through photos, paint, draw, make notes in a sketchbook for projects.
That’s a change. Or maybe I didn’t want to admit that my writing schedule had changed. About 6 years ago, I’d work a 50 hour week, then do all my writing late at night or very early in the morning before work, anytime I could squeeze it in. I’ve realized recently that if I want to get my book done, I’m going to have to hunker down and write 3 or 4 hours early in the day. And save the rest of my creative endeavors for the night time.
Bob, You seem to be a total morning person! I know from writing with you. I’d better try out Stella’s first before I take my Guests there. 8) It’s funny, I always pass it in Uptown and have always liked the sign, but never gone in. Maybe one day I’ll check it out before a movie at the Lagoon. I don’t get into Uptown as much as I used to. Orr Books used to be there and I lived more in the heart of Minneapolis.
Scot, thanks for stopping by.
I have always heard that people need less sleep as they age but I don’t know if that’s going to be true for me or not. I’m keeping a close watch. Sometimes I wish we didn’t need to sleep 8 hours to feel refreshed and could feel rested with little cat naps. I’d get so much more done. But then, I’d miss my dreams. 8)
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QM, my mother has terrible insomnia, which has come on in her later years. She’s now taking to staying up until 11:30p (per her doctor’s suggestion, as he’s not sure what else to try), and then see if when she wakes up at 3 or 4 she might be so tired as to fall back asleep.
It’s a new regime for her, so we’ll see if it works. I feel bad for her, because she rarely gets a full night’s sleep.
I, on the other hand, sleep like a log. Well, I’m a light sleeper, so I do wake up if Jim gets up or the dogs start barking like crazy, but I’m always able to slip right back into sleep.
Definitely a morning person, although I’m still adjusting to the time change and feel like I’m neither a morning nor night person right now. Truly, by 7p I’m ready for bed. 8) Jim’s been building a big fire these past few nights, and the warmth of that has kept me up until about 9. Ha! I’m going to have to adjust, but so far I haven’t.
Interesting hearing about your mind and how visual arts lend themselves to night time…different part of the brain and all. That makes sense.
Hey, btw, I love the name Stella. It’s such a great name. I have a friend from Mexico whose dog is named “Estella.” 8)
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ybonesy, ah, I feel for your mom. It’s hard to walk around so tired all the time. I hope her new regime works. I know people with sleep apnea, too, who have a hard time getting enough sleep. It’s tricky because it seems like they are sleeping, but then there heart is working overtime all night trying to get enough oxygen in those lungs.
I love the name Stella, too. In fact, a couple Liz and I know stopped by the art studio last weekend and we walked them to their car afterwards. They had two of their dogs with them and one was named Stella. I wonder if it’s a common name for dogs?
ybonesy, do you wake up in the middle of the night ever when you get worried about things? Usually 3 or 4am are the times when I am apt to do that.
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Yeah, my mom had to do a sleep apnea oxygen test, and I’m not sure what the results are. She is waiting for a doctor to let her know. And, it could be anxiety/worry. Those are the main things they talked about with her.
I don’t wake up in the night much with worry. Once in a blue moon. My worry manifests in other ways…I sometimes get a little patch of eczema (sp?) on my hand, or my lower back and/or neck and shoulders will bother me.
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Great photo. I wish for your sake you could eat fish. Poignant haiku, considering.
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ybonesy, yeah, it seems like worry can come out in all kinds of ways. I had a friend who used to get cold sores in stressful times. I’ve never had anything like skin stuff or cold sores. Just the lack of sleep. And once a pretty bad ulcer. But these days, worry comes out mostly in waking me up in the middle of the night sometimes. I usually get up and read or write. It seems to help.
Christine, thanks – the fish thing is not fun. I sure miss it sometimes. I do get cravings now and then (or my body does) for the vitamins and minerals in fish. I have to get them elsewhere. Strange about the shellfish — I can eat tons of them, no problem. And I sure did that in St. Simon’s this year.
I developed the fish allergy in my 30’s. I get violently ill from it. Strange but true.
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YB, I’m sorry to hear about your Mother. Sleep apnea is a strange thing. You don’t always know you have it or that you have stopped breathing during the night.
The doctor discovered mine . He had been trying to get my blood pressure under control for some time with meds, but it was still high. One visit I mentioned that I was almost falling asleep while driving to work , even after, what I thought was a good nights sleep. He suggested that I have a sleep study. When I did it showed that I wasn’t breathing over 50 percent of the night, and my heart had to restart me breathing each time. It was killing me and wearing out my heart.
I’ve been using a C-Pap machine for 5 years now and it really helps. Some times it is a pain but I like to know I’m breathing.
I wish your MOM good health what ever her problem is.
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Thanks, MOM. I think my mom was cleared of the sleep apnea prognosis…which, based on what you’ve said seems very problematic.
Isn’t it amazing how our bodies are whole systems, and how something like not getting enough oxygen at night can wear out your heart. Of course it makes sense, but still.
I do know that when she was tested, both her lungs and heart were getting oxygen within the desired range. She was tested both in the day and at night while sleeping.
It’s also a mystery to me as to how sleep apnea gets diagnosed. I wonder if insomnia is one of the main symptoms, and/or tiredness during the day.
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[…] was a beautiful summer night. I was walking across the 10th Street Bridge in Minneapolis with a couple of friends. We stood across from the I-35 […]
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