Over the Weekend, 1/4-1/6

The weekend before this one was an about-town individual's dream. Standard Friday and Saturday festivities were augmented by holiday cheer, and New Year's Eve gave us all permission to drink on a Monday night.

This set of days was a bit sleepier. If you didn't hibernate, though, maybe you went to a punk rock show. Maybe you went to church. Maybe you embraced Carl Jung's duality of human experience and did both.

If you did neither, fear not. We won't tell. We will, however, give you a full report.

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS
Always looking for a chance to celebrate? Wishing the Christmas season wouldn't end? To local Russian Orthodox observers, it's the height of the season. The calendar Orthodox churches use hearkens back to the Julian system, which is a few weeks behind the West's Gregorian system. Think of it as daylight savings time on the Balco plan.

The holy days thus began in earnest last night, with Christmas Eve services at St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral in northeast Minneapolis.

Christmas Day is today, and the worship begins at 10 a.m. Yesterday's festivities included a procession and two choirs performing at the lovely cathedral. You can see Daniel Corrigan's photographs -- and trust me, you want to see these -- here.

THE MIGHTY MOFOS AND MORE AT SEVENTH STREET ENTRY
The garage/punk sound of the Mighty MoFos has graced the Minneapolis-St.Paul scene for decades, and they show no signs of slowing down.

If it doesn't have bagpipes, can it rock? Really?

In conjunction with The Hostages, Maps of Norway and Miss Carla's Velvet Lash, the Batson brothers and company played at 7th St. Entry Friday night at a birthday fiesta for Ollie Stench (Brad Beving). Photos are here.