Circle Pines 55014
January 18, 2014 6:56 PM Subscribe
An in-depth documentary of our favorite home town, Circle Pines, MN. [SLYT]
Mary Jo Pehl's hometown. I think it passed into Mystery Science Theater lore just for being kind of the prototypical obscure small town; it just happened to be one that the writing staff had personal experience with.
"I hear that train a-comin',
comin' round the hill!
I hope that is my train,
I'd better check my schedule.
Oops, that was the train to Appleton,
but it's going to Circle Pines.... (yee-hah)
I've got about twenty minutes to kill,
it's a good thing I brought some magazines."
Circle Pines. When all is said and done, of the thousands of little depressing towns in the United States, Circle Pines is one of them.
posted by JHarris at 7:19 PM on January 18, 2014 [6 favorites]
"I hear that train a-comin',
comin' round the hill!
I hope that is my train,
I'd better check my schedule.
Oops, that was the train to Appleton,
but it's going to Circle Pines.... (yee-hah)
I've got about twenty minutes to kill,
it's a good thing I brought some magazines."
Circle Pines. When all is said and done, of the thousands of little depressing towns in the United States, Circle Pines is one of them.
posted by JHarris at 7:19 PM on January 18, 2014 [6 favorites]
One time my husband and I were driving through Circle Pines. We stopped at a garage sale, because it looked like they had some kitchen chairs. Guy was sitting out front with all his stuff, petting a beautiful standard poodle, who was tied up to a tree, but snuggling his person. Sign on the tree said "dog, $50, comes with bowl." We left Circle Pines as soon as we could and never ever ever returned. THE SADNESS.
posted by Malla at 7:36 PM on January 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Malla at 7:36 PM on January 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
I uh....don't get it.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 7:37 PM on January 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 7:37 PM on January 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
"dog, $50, comes with bowl."
At least the sign didn't say "For Pets or Meat," like the one in Roger and Me.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:38 PM on January 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
At least the sign didn't say "For Pets or Meat," like the one in Roger and Me.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:38 PM on January 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
Huh, I didn't know about the MST3k-Circle Pines connection.
This documentary is so much more educational than I thought.
posted by sparklemotion at 7:56 PM on January 18, 2014
This documentary is so much more educational than I thought.
posted by sparklemotion at 7:56 PM on January 18, 2014
Hey, now there, Mister Gustafson: it's easy to take shots at a small town that's attached to a big urban area!
Then again, a lot of those little towns just suck.
The closest I have come to Circle Pines is maybe seeing its name as we get on 65 to go to the lake. Cheap gas in Blaine, we say, engaging the cruise control.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:04 PM on January 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
Then again, a lot of those little towns just suck.
The closest I have come to Circle Pines is maybe seeing its name as we get on 65 to go to the lake. Cheap gas in Blaine, we say, engaging the cruise control.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:04 PM on January 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
Five minutes of sophomoric snark with bad camera work. To top it off, they show us their uninteresting mistakes. Five minutes I won't get back.
posted by tommyD at 8:49 PM on January 18, 2014
posted by tommyD at 8:49 PM on January 18, 2014
Five minutes I won't get back.
To be fair, you'd only waste them anyway. Having just returned to my hometown, I can only note that while we may have 41x as many people as Circle Pines, I'm still looking forward to enjoying our fetid, stagnant wetlands - as soon as the ice melts. I may have something inked into my flesh to commemorate it. The camera, though - it is kind of bad. So is the sound; someone should fire Mitchell.
posted by sysinfo at 10:46 PM on January 18, 2014 [3 favorites]
To be fair, you'd only waste them anyway. Having just returned to my hometown, I can only note that while we may have 41x as many people as Circle Pines, I'm still looking forward to enjoying our fetid, stagnant wetlands - as soon as the ice melts. I may have something inked into my flesh to commemorate it. The camera, though - it is kind of bad. So is the sound; someone should fire Mitchell.
posted by sysinfo at 10:46 PM on January 18, 2014 [3 favorites]
Woohoo, Circle Pines, a slice of Americana where I occasionally share beer and grilled meat with friends! Making the Blue!
A friend of mine bought an older house with a big yard out there for a shockingly small amount of money. Well, technically it's probably Lexington, but who's counting?
Bad camera work? I'll say it slowly, it's... Circle... Pines... . The Coen brothers aren't walking through that door.
That being said, they didn't spend enough time in the trailer parks, there are like four or five, and they're extra double plus depressing without Ricky and Julian.
posted by Sphinx at 11:52 PM on January 18, 2014 [4 favorites]
A friend of mine bought an older house with a big yard out there for a shockingly small amount of money. Well, technically it's probably Lexington, but who's counting?
Bad camera work? I'll say it slowly, it's... Circle... Pines... . The Coen brothers aren't walking through that door.
That being said, they didn't spend enough time in the trailer parks, there are like four or five, and they're extra double plus depressing without Ricky and Julian.
posted by Sphinx at 11:52 PM on January 18, 2014 [4 favorites]
Oh sweet Jesus. I actually lived in Circle Pines for about a year.
...with my gf at the time, who eventually destroyed my psyche, and her coworker, who was coming off a bad marriage and attempted suicide while living with us. GOOD TIMES, I ASSURE YOU.
posted by neckro23 at 1:28 AM on January 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
...with my gf at the time, who eventually destroyed my psyche, and her coworker, who was coming off a bad marriage and attempted suicide while living with us. GOOD TIMES, I ASSURE YOU.
posted by neckro23 at 1:28 AM on January 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Circle Pines? If I recall there is one of the few gun manufacturing/machining programs in the United States located there? This was told to me by an Icelandic couple who lived there so he could attend school.
It is Minnesota. You still have good access to delicious meats and kuchen.
posted by jadepearl at 5:35 AM on January 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
It is Minnesota. You still have good access to delicious meats and kuchen.
posted by jadepearl at 5:35 AM on January 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
The Coen brothers aren't walking through that door.
You don't have to be Roger Deakins to know enough to use a damn tripod.
But maybe I'm just taking things personally - I live in one of those sordid and depressing small towns and find it a fine place to live, populated by fine people - even in the trailer parks. It's the big cities I find sordid and depressing and, even worse, full of callow snarks who think they're superior. That's right, callow. Now get off my lawn.
posted by tommyD at 5:41 AM on January 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
You don't have to be Roger Deakins to know enough to use a damn tripod.
But maybe I'm just taking things personally - I live in one of those sordid and depressing small towns and find it a fine place to live, populated by fine people - even in the trailer parks. It's the big cities I find sordid and depressing and, even worse, full of callow snarks who think they're superior. That's right, callow. Now get off my lawn.
posted by tommyD at 5:41 AM on January 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
You don't have to be Roger Deakins to know enough to use a damn tripod.
This was made in 2006. It probably used full size cameras on loan from the high school. The audio is what killed me.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:58 AM on January 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
This was made in 2006. It probably used full size cameras on loan from the high school. The audio is what killed me.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:58 AM on January 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
jadepearl: Circle Pines? If I recall there is one of the few gun manufacturing/machining programs in the United States located there? This was told to me by an Icelandic couple who lived there so he could attend school.
I'm pretty sure they meant Pine City. To be fair, you do have to drive through Circle Pines to get there (from Minneapolis), so I understand the confusion.
tommyD: It's the big cities I find sordid and depressing and, even worse, full of callow snarks who think they're superior.
Given my experience with Circle Pines and the folks who live there (Mr. Motion graduated from Centennial) I'm willing to bet more than a little lutefisk that the kids who made this video are native Circle Pinesians (or maybe Lexingtonians).
posted by sparklemotion at 9:21 AM on January 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm pretty sure they meant Pine City. To be fair, you do have to drive through Circle Pines to get there (from Minneapolis), so I understand the confusion.
tommyD: It's the big cities I find sordid and depressing and, even worse, full of callow snarks who think they're superior.
Given my experience with Circle Pines and the folks who live there (Mr. Motion graduated from Centennial) I'm willing to bet more than a little lutefisk that the kids who made this video are native Circle Pinesians (or maybe Lexingtonians).
posted by sparklemotion at 9:21 AM on January 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
sparklemotion: I'm willing to bet more than a little lutefisk that the kids who made this video are native Circle Pinesians (or maybe Lexingtonians).
If you can't laugh at yourself...
posted by rhombus at 10:19 AM on January 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
If you can't laugh at yourself...
posted by rhombus at 10:19 AM on January 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's all fun and games until Circle Pines shows up in the news again.
Ugh.
posted by sparklemotion at 3:36 PM on February 5, 2014
Ugh.
posted by sparklemotion at 3:36 PM on February 5, 2014
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