Is That Like a “Target Penguin?” I’d heard of “Emperor” penguins and “King” penguins, but until recently, I’d never heard of “3M penguins.” Apparently, the Minnesota Zoo’s new exhibit is titled “3M Penguins of the African Coast.” Good timing for Morgan Spurlock’s new documentary, “Pom Wonderful: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” a satire on corporate product placement (Spurlock’s last effort was...Read More
“Attention All Walmart Costco Shoppers!” Looks like gas prices just jumped 15¢ to 20¢ per gallon today. Which means that savvy Costco members head there to fill up — before Costco bumps prices tomorrow (it’s famous for lagging price changes by one day). P.S.: And yes, it lags price drops as well as price increases.Read More
New Name for City Lakes Real Estate Blog In a shameless ploy to goose traffic, I’m hereby announcing an official change in this blog’s URL. Instead of www.RossKaplan.com, effective immediately, the new address will be www.TwinCities-housewives.com. Just kidding (kind of). #1 — With a Bullet After over 2,000 posts spanning almost four years on subjects...Read More
More Zero’s, Same Principles Let’s say you were trying to re-start a stalled negotiation over a house where the Seller’s last asking price was $357,000, and the Buyer’s last offer was $340,000. Where would you expect the middle ground to be? Give or take, somewhere in the high $340’s. Compromise Number Add five zeroes, and that’s...Read More
Guilty Pleasures First, a disclaimer: the reason I picked up a newsstand copy of “The Real Housewives of the Twin Cities” — the July issue of Mpls – St. Paul magazine — wasn’t to find out who the five women were, where they shop, or eavesdrop on any juicy gossip, titillating personal details, etc. No,...Read More
Vacation Exodus: Manhattan vs. Minneapolis In August, Manhattan seemingly departs en masse for The Hamptons, leaving the city empty — and a playground for the (relative) handful who stay behind. In July, people in Minneapolis head in droves to their cabins up North, leaving the city lakes, beaches, restaurants and biking paths (relatively) empty — and a...Read More
