My friend and former Fort James Corporation colleague Arline Datu picked me up at the Depot Minneapolis hotel and took me on a driving tour of St. Paul. More about that in a later post. I had no idea prior to that drive that the IABC Pacific Plains Region Exchange Conference planners had the foresight to schedule this year’s conference adjacent to a long-time classic local event: “The Zombie Pub Crawl.”

Yes, Minneapolis is the REAL “Zombieland, U.S.A.” as the ZPC website explains. Forget this movie version–the real-life zombies are pretty entertaining.

I could have killed myself (or let a zombie do it for me) when Arline drove past a park that was the gathering place for dozens of zombies who were getting ready to “Crawl.” I wish I had my camera ready, or that I had yelled for Arline to stop the car. Sadly, I don’t have still photos, just a narly brief video clip that I may or may decide to post later on my YouTube channel. I think the zombies who came up to Arline’s car were attracted to me–probably because they considered me the “brains” of the operation.

Oh well, time to wrap up this post so that I can hunt down some more zombies. I practice “catch and release” zombie fishing, where I don’t use a rifle; I use my camera.

I just logged in from the hotel room in downtown Minneapolis, Minn., where I’m staying through Tuesday to attend the IABC Pacific Plains Region EXCHANGE Conference.

The airport shuttle driver told us about the many accidents that occurred here over the past 24 hours, as drivers encountered icy conditions for the first time this year. Short memories, or too many new residents moving from warmer climates! The driver was behind a truck that lost control as well as a gasoline can that ignited when it hit the ground. Gasoline poured across the road, and the fire chased the gasoline across the road. The shuttle driver couldn’t stop in time, so she drove through it ala “Ghost Rider.” She expected to see her tires flaming, but all was well.

Our ride was much less exciting. Oh well, they’re predicting snow tomorrow, so I’ll be on the lookout for more tragedies.