Guest Post #5 - Katie "Hopalong Cassidy" Poulos

Since roughly 1/2 of The Canals hails from the beautiful land called the Midwest, we have Katie here to pick up the slack:

Hi, this is Katie Poulos, long-time reader, first-time poster. I'm from the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota. Yes, it snows. Yes, it's cold. Yes, "Minnesota nice" is real. I don't, however, pronounce words with long Os (although I have been known to add a long "A" sound to a phrase here and there). I've spent most of my life trying to get out of the Midwest and on to bigger and better places, but now that I find myself on the East Coast, I'm a little nostalgic for home. One of the great things many may not know about the Twin Cities (besides being able to order "pop" at a restaurant) is the underground hip-hop group Atmosphere. Based in Minneapolis, Atmosphere's brand of Midwestern rap has got more than just the central time zone excited. I saw them play at the Quest in Minneapolis a few years ago, they were awesome. Here's a few of my favorites, check them out.

"And it hit me, Minnesota is dope
If only simply for not what we have but what we don't"

Atmosphere -- Smart Went Crazy
Atmosphere -- God Loves Ugly
Atmosphere -- Guns and Cigarettes
Atmosphere -- Say Shhh

Check out Atmosphere at his Myspace page.
-Katie Poulos