@JoelECarlson – Welcome everybody to the 1st Food-Friday Twitterview of 2011 with @FarmgirlsDabble (Brenda) as the guest. Lets get cooking!

@FarmgirlsDabble – Hi Joel, great to be here!

Q – #1    So @FarmgirlsDabble, share a little about yourself. Where did you grow up and what did you do after High School?

A: Grew up in NE corner of SD, on a farm. Went to college for architectural drafting.

Q – #2    So then what got you from drafting to what you do now?

A: Marriage, kids, LIFE! Have worked for SALA Architects in Twin Cities for 11 years now (in HR), still really like architecture.

Q – #3    What then led you to doing a food/family blog? How long have you had it?

A: To share with others & document for myself & my girls all my favorite recipes/traditions/stories.

And I just plain love food. Cooking, eating, experimenting, eating out – all of it.

I started my blog in April 2010, on my daughter’s 3rd birthday.

Q – #4    What kind of cooking would you say is your focus? Are they “tweaks” on old recipes, new ones or good “experiments”?

A: Mostly, I focus on what pleases my tastebuds. I like variety and lots of flavor. I’m constantly with a new recipe.

I don’t tweak much on family recipes, seems like they need to stay intact. But otherwise I tweak quite a bit.

I do a lot of experimenting. A number of new recipes each week. No stale menus around here!

Q – #5    Is it comfort food or fancy fair? Do you do more cooking or baking?

A: It’s probably 50/50 on the cooking & baking – I really do like it all.

I make what strikes me – the people at my table can determine whether it’s comfort or fancy.

Q – #6    FAVORITES Question – Restaurant, store, vacation spot, winter activity & Twin Cities neighborhood.

A: Love the Longfellow Grill for breakfast, Reds Savoy for pizza, and 112 Eatery.

Williams Sonoma is like being a kid in a candy store.

Have a special place in my heart for FL, as I visited my grandparents there alot.

Love the Grand Ave/St. Paul area. Great shopping & eating. (And Penzey’s Spices store!)

Q – #7    To close. What mantra or life-advice would you like to share with people today?

A: Do what you love. And share it with others!

@JoelECarlson – Thank you for your comments and time today @FarmgirlsDabble. Feels like good soup making weather! Take care.

@FarmgirlsDabble – Actually, I’m doing a soup experiment this weekend. Currently, we’re ordering pizza for a bunch of 8YO’s.

Thank YOU, Joel, for having me. I’ve enjoyed your past twitterviews. Happy weekend!Sleepover!

@JoelECarlson – Hello everybody, and welcome to the FRI AM Twitterview of @breon who’s Tweeting from the #CES event in Las Vegas. Lets get started!

@Breon - I’m ready when you are :)

Q – #1    So @Breon, where did you grow up and briefly, what did you do after High School up until today?

A: I was born and raised in Southern Michigan. I lived there until I was 23. While in HS i was working at Best Buy.

after HS, I decided to work as much as i could and save some money. I ended up with a lot of opportunities at Best Buy

i worked in BBY stores for about 5 years. Then I worked on a traveling project team for a year. Then they moved me to Philly

they eliminated the position in Philly but offered me a position at the corporate office in Mn.

I worked at the corporate office for about 6 years on the interactive Display Design team. Then left BBY to seek other opp

i got a job with a end or of BBY called LYNX Innovation. Worked there for a couple of years and was laid off.

durning my unemployment, i decided that i wanted to shift my focus to mobile. That’s how i got to where i am today.

Q – #2    Cool! How did you get interested in mobile, and what’s the company that you work with today?

A: I’ve always been interested in mobile. I had to have the coolest phones.

I really started researching and learning in 2007. When I wanted something more than my flip phone.

i looked at the iPhone and other smart phones of the time and didn’t think they were ready for primetime yet.

I jut bought a messenger phone and kept researching. When i was laid off in 2009 i had a lot of time for research.

i started saw a message about this @MobileTC group, where i met @JustinGrammens. He later started @RecursiveAwesum

i pestered him enough to get a job there. We develop mobile and web applications for a variety of clients.

Q – #3    In addition to your mobile work, you also are also into rally-racing. Can you briefly share you interest & work with it?

A: I’ve been into rally racing since about 2000. My cousin bought a Subaru Impreza and learned about its rally heritage

When i moved to Mn, i found out that there is a massive rally community here. I started racing in 2003.

It was fun for a couple of years, but got too expensive. After racing I started helping the organizers.

now i organize 4 or more events per year. I still get to drive down the roads and have a lil fun

Q – #4    How has the #CES event been going for you? What are 1-5 things that you were WOWED or excited about?

A: #CES is chaotic, as always. Tons of people a bunch of TVs. The top three things I’m excited for are…

4G mobile devices – tons of tablets, smartphones and MiFi devices.

Tablets in general – a range of sizes, form factors, cellular connected and not

Connected TVs – the ability to watch Internet content and use apps on the big screen

Q – #5    FAVORITES Question: Restaurant, store (brick/mortar), store (online), mobile service, mobile device, MSP neighborhood.

A: Corner Coffee for lunch, Pizza Luce for dinner, Best Buy, Threadless.com, Foursquare (won a Mashable award last night)

HTC Thunderbolt (announced yesterday) Uptown…maybe northeast.

Q – #6    Lets get a “mobile vision” point of view from you. Where do you see mobile going in the next 1-2 years?

A: Mobile is only one part in the future of our connected life. Mobile devices will be the portal to give access on the go

Faster connections, faster devices, tablets were always on the horizon…they are now here.

@JoelECarlson – THANKS @breon for your time and comments today. Have a great time at #CES and enjoy all of the “new toys”!

@Breon – Thank you for the twitterview opportunity. Now i have to catch a shuttle to the convention center!

@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone! Welcome to Twitterview No.200 with special guest @Real_Genevieve! She’s from Minnesota! Let get this party started.

@real_genevieve – I’m ready @JoelECarlson Let get this party started.

Q – #1    So @real_genevieve, where did you grow up in MN, and how did you get interested in home design/decorating?

A: I grew up IN the city, 32nd Colfax

My family bought old victorians in the 80′s and we’d restore them from top to bottom, these are my first design memories

I come from an art driven family, it’s just wiring and support for beautiful comes naturally from all of us

when I say city I mean, I am South High, I’m KMOJ (the 1000 watt giant), lived in uptown before there was a calhoun sq. ha ha

Q – #2    After high school, did you get schooling/training in design? How did you land your 1st TV gig?

A: Yes, I went to Lewis & Clark College in Port. Or thinking I would be in International Affairs…but I found design, one class and

it sent me straight to NYC where I attended and graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a BFA in design.

I also studied in Europe for close to a year at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Holland, but I can never just study…

I would always be working/interning in design along with fulltime school. In NYC I worked at MTV for several years in the design dept

In Holland, it was so much design theory and not enough practice so I worked in a small studio out there called muskadelic

So, in short. Yes, I’ve had extensive training, I’m a real designer who just happens to be on TV

Post design school, my 1st job was one of my greatest. A co. from MPLS called Duffy Design.

Joe Duffy was and is an incredible design mentor to me.

Q – #3    When did you 1st start appearing on TV doing design work, and how has it evolved for you?

A: I first started doing design on television 11 years ago, this has been an incredibly long ride. I’m enjoying the entire journey

design television and myself have grown up together. My life experiences evolve my vision and curiousity

I have 2 be incredibly prolific and am unable 2 repeat myself. There’s an incredible amount of pressure,but thats how I operate best

Q – #4    DM’d question – @real_genevieve Did you ever work for Prince? In what capacity? Ever considered a home goods line as a side venture?

A: Yes I worked for Prince. I worked at Glam Slam as a teenager…he is and will always be a god to me. I’m forever 16 when I see Prince

Being from Minneapolis, Prince is less of a performer to us but more of a religion, we throw down for him

I do have many home goods coming out this year Bedding, Textiles, Accessories and Rugs

to keep inspired, u have to keep moving. Travel. It is the great educator. every yr. I push myself out there for a design mission

Last year, my roots. I went to Croatia & Norway to study embroidery & rosemalling. I came back refreshed w color and new eyes.

I actually filmed it, went to ancestral homesteads and met my family on both sides…humbling, unforgettable, forever inspiring

Bedding-Springmaid/Wamsutta in spring, Rugs-Surya, Accessories-Target Fall, textiles-everywhere

Q – #5    Great! With the “New Economy”, have you changed your style or approach to fit more of people’s needs?

A: My approach never changes, my mediums change with peoples budgets.

It never gets boring, out of desperation comes creativity. Small budgets make me feel like I’m in art school again, it’s a challenge

Q – #6    DM’d question – Can you be hired as a private designer? Also, what is the link for your design studio?

A: I can be hired privately, it’s rare that I have time but occasionally I’ll do a juicy project.

I like to do pro bono charitable spaces during my “free time” or hospitality

Q – #7    Your FAVORITES: Restaurant, store, activity/sport, city for vacation & your comfort food.

A: MY FAVORITES in MPLS or in the world?

@JoelECarlson – Both. Re: Favorites

A: favorite cities in the world? New York, Istanbul, Rome, Paris, Marrekesh….for getaway disappear? Villasimius in Sardinia, poof!

Fav sport? I’m a soccer girl thru college, but have always been athletic xxskiing, etc and my latest obs. running. I’ve got a club

restaurants: in mpls: bar la grassa, the old lotus and swedish meatballs from ingebretsens

restaurants in NYC and the world? we’d need a whole separate interview, too many!!!

Q – #8    Understood. What is the most common & simplest mistake to fix that you see done in peoples homes right now?

A: fear. People are paralyzed by fear of making a mistake in their home. This is why they’re all beige. This can easily be fixed

The unbeiging of America will be my lifes work, ha ha ha

Q – #9    Unbeiging. You should copyright that! :) What advice would you give to designers just starting out?

A: to designers just starting out…lead from your heart first, head second. Design is an emotional practice not a science.

Your job as a designer is to imagine harder than everyone else in the room. Your eyes must ALWAYS be open.

We are visual therapists.

@JoelECarlson – THANK YOU so much @real_genevieve for being my guest today for No.200! Keep up the great design work!  All the best to you.

@real_genevieve – Thank you, to all of you! It was a privilege.