blogspiration: congratulations kat, or how to be friends with a junkie

Proving you don't have to use substances to have a ridiculous amount of fun. (Although neither of us is really over our cheese addiction).

This morning I groggily complained about having to crawl out of bed on a Monday.

Only halfway through the day did I realize that it was January 3rd, the day I'm annually reminded how lucky I am that my best friend, Kathleen, is still crawling out of bed herself.

Today is her fourth anniversary of sobriety. I have written about her before and truly I could not be more proud of her. She is my biggest cheerleader, my spiritual guide, and my court jester. I love her more than anyone else on the planet (since Jon Hamm took out that restraining order on me -- kidding!) and I'm so glad that she is on the path to health and happiness.

It's funny that many of my Midwestern friends view Portland as this utopia. True, there isn't the segregation, the extreme poverty, or the horrible winters (sarcasm) that Milwaukee has, but Oregon has its own set of social ills. Drug abuse is a HUGE one. Drugs are seemingly divided down socioeconomic lines, and if you live in Portland and haven't been acquainted with someone who is a junkie or tweaker, you're probably blissfully unaware of your surroundings.

That's why I am so proud of Kathleen for blogging all day today about her journey through addiction. I have sobbed tears of sadness and of joy reading these posts that make A Million Little Pieces seem like Eat, Pray, Love (read: disingenuous, oversimplified).

She is brutally honest:

I've heard so many times, "You have to WANT recovery!" and that's bullshit. I wanted to get high, planned to get high, and was very pleased that my tolerance would be lower. Since I was going to leave in better condition, I could go out to bars again with my friends and escape into a whirlwind social life where I still felt alone, but not after I drank enough.

She is admirably unashamed:

Please understand- I'm not writing any of this so that you feel any kind of pity for me. When people find out my past, they often say, "Heroin? That was stupid." I'm hoping that you'll see what kind of pain drives someone to take such a heavy painkiller.

She is spiritually wise and simultaneously adorable:

And who says animals don't go to "heaven"? There were animals in eden, right? There will be animals in paradise- mark my words!

And stay tuned to her story, because she is beyond triumphant.

I want to evangelize her gospel, because I feel more people need to be prepared to support the addicts in their lives. And trust me, you know one. (Could even be the same person as your gay "confirmed bachelor" cousin...who knows!)

Addiction happens in Milwaukee too, but the reaction of people here is different then the West Coast - perhaps because people keep these things "behind closed doors." I also think it's because people tend to associate really bad addictions with poverty. Or they just *wish* they stuck on those lines. Maybe it's just because this is a city of functioning alcoholics that drugs get overlooked, but I digress.

One problem with our DARE-focused society is that we stigmatize users so much, that when we inevitably encounter them, we don't know how to react.

When Kat confessed her relapse to me, I was fucking angry. But she was my best friend and I was going to stay on her to get help. No matter what. While it was hard leaving her to deal with recovery alone, it was possibly a blessing for me to not have to watch her go through all that. Also, it was only within a week's vacation that I found out how bad it was, walked through the recovery gameplan with her, and got on a plane to go back to my life. I got the periodic check in, putting my faith in the universe that it would all work out.

Thank God it did.

Isn't it funny how the universe works though? Because it was damn convenient that I had a recovering addict on speed dial (ooh, bad pun...unintended) when a couple of years later I went through witnessing the entire spiral of addiction -- from watching a dear friend who "liked to party" become the friend who never showed up to our movie date because he was in detox after his friends left him for dead on a curb after an OD.

About two years ago this Milwaukee friend was struggling with heroin and other addictions and the reaction of most of our mutual friends was to choose one of two routes 1) just ignore it or 2) just drop him completely.

Neither of those sounded like a fair shake for me. I knew his behavior wasn't him, it was his drug cocktail du jour. The misconception about junkies is that they're constantly zombies, ready to eat your brains or steal your wallet. However, in moments of clarity, you still can converse with the friends you knew before the drugs. You have to shift through the haze, the fog, and find them in there, but their light is there -- the connection between the two of you. I could still see this in my friend, event though I often wanted to punch him in the face to get him back to reality. With Kathleen's help, I was able to maintain my friendship with this person and she gave me the best advice. I made no secret when I hung out with him about my distain for his addiction, but unlike others I *acknowledged* that he had one (even when he didn't). I'd make sure to ask him what he was on each time we hung out ("I just want to be prepared if you're going to pass out on me (heroin) or run around like a flipping idiot (coke)"). I offered him the opportunity to talk to Kathleen. (He never did, but they finally met in person this summer). Finally, with the support of his family, he did get help. I'm very pleased that this person is now clean for almost 18 months.

There's no way I could have had the strength to handle this if it weren't for Kathleen. No way.

Something else I learned for Kat though is to not take someone's drug-free streak for granted. I make sure to ask him how "that" is doing each time we hang out and to tell him how proud I am of him. I can't imagine overcoming something like that (losing weight was hard enough!) -- it's really damn impressive to suppress a psychological and physiological dependency. For Kathleen to have done this for FOUR YEARS, she's like an ultra-marathoner.

When Kat and I were 18, she decided to get an elaborate, multicolored tattoo. My fear of needles prevented me from desiring one, but I sat through the several hour ordeal with her, cracking jokes and holding her hand, because that's what best friends do. The process was painful, but the result was a beautiful work of art. When were were 26, and she was resolved to finally go to detox/rehab, I took her a final bottle of wine, a pint of ice cream, and watched TV while she went and shot up (something my fear of needles had always kept off the table), then I hugged her until I couldn't any longer, because that's what best friends do. The process was painful, but four years later, the result is a beautiful work of art, a living example of God's love, and my best friend, who still struggles, but whose warmth envelopes all who are privileged to know her.

I love you Kat. Congratulations.

Tyranena Half Marathon Recap

First, all I really have to say is "HOLY CRAP."

Second, "HOLY CRAP I am so glad that I know a billion and ten awesome, incredible people, that would stand outside on a chilly day and cheer all of us across the finish line."

Third, I thought I'd started Couch to 5k around this weekend last year. Turns out it was 11/20/09. So less than a year and I'm running a freaking half marathon. HELLS YEAH. And the really really weird thing -- I think I was more freaked out about my first 5k in January.

I don't have too many words to sum this one up. I cried. I laughed. I smiled, a lot. I cursed. I talked to myself, channeling the Little Blue Engine That Could during the evil mile 12. I have a newfound respect for those who do TWO OF THESE IN A ROW.

My best at a breakdown:

RACE EVE: Thanks to Becky and Tony for “carbing” with me at Via Downer. Delicious. I also stayed up until 10:30 PM creating the “perfect” soundtrack for my big run.

RACE DAY: The day started off great with running into two very wonderful people on my way over to meet the caravan at Tony’s. Especially wonderful to see one of my fellow original Weight Watchers at Work participants driving my bus. What day isn’t awesome when it starts out with a hug from your bus driver?

I’m not going to lie and say there weren’t nerves. I had a very cathartic scream in my apartment before I left. I started freaking out that we were “behind schedule.” I was ancy. I also had to pee. A lot. Properly hydrating is a nuisance.

The car ride (thanks Craig for driving!) up was really fun. Craig, Brooke, Tony, Becky and I saw some craziness (including a lady driving in a leopard print snuggie who also had a leopard print seat cover, as well as a car with the license plate: TOPLES5).

Lake Mills was pretty nutzo when we pulled in at 11 for my 11:30 race. The crew dropped Brooke (who was 4.37ing) and I off to get our packets. I of course had to pee (again) and the line was really really long. Brooke prepped everything while I was in the loo queue and I was in the “corral” with just minutes to spare.

MILEAGE BREAKDOWN (my time above is the official chip time, but I’m using my runmeter splits below)

Mile 01 - Average 9:43 /mile

Started off way too fast. For my next one (ACK!) I need to really work on the consistent pace in training and not get swept up in the excitement and start like it’s a 5k. I do however highly recommend starting a soundtrack with Patti Smith’s “Horses.” Man that really got me into the mindset quickly. Patti Smith is one badass lady and I know am too!

Most of this mile was through the stately Victorian area in Lake Mills. I honestly didn’t pay too much attention though, as I was just focused on the fact that I was here! I do remember thinking when I hit the .5 mile mark: “Okay, 1/26 there!” I also got a ton of encouraging tweets during this first mile, motivating me to keep pushing ahead, people were counting on me!

Moon Duo’s “Motorcycle, I Love You” came on and I sped into Mile 2...

Mile 02 - Average 9:50 /mile

Still keeping that above average pace, I started noticing my surroundings. The lake came into view and I began to appreciate that it truly was a gorgeous autumn day. I began to “pace” with other runners, especially as we moved into the shoulder of the road. As I recall, the first water stop was during this mile, so I allowed myself to “reset” by walking there. The super extended (Patrick Cowley) remix of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” started during this one as well, so I began matching the beat in that to slow down a bit.

Mile 03 - Average 10:21 /mile

Donna carried me into mile three and I was glad to have a steady beat as some hills were added into the mix while we rounded one corner of the lake. I started to get nervous here as I hadn’t looked at the route map (novice mistake) and feared that we’d have to come back this way and we were running down hills nastier than we were heading up. This mile also included the worst hill on the route, just before mile 4. I hate that pit of your stomach feeling as you round a corner and there’s the behemoth staring at you. The good news was, this was the worst one! Yay! AND my song changed just at the base of it to “Rippin Kittin” (not exactly this mix) by Miss Kittin. Hooray for Berlin dance grooves pushing me up the hill.

Mile 04 - Average 10:42 /mile

A couple more inclines as Miss Kittin and the Scissor Sisters “Invisible Light” carried me through this hilly residential area. I believe it was along this stretch where I ran into my friend Rob too. It was cool to spot someone you haven’t seen in years and give them a shoutout and congrats while you’re both huffing and puffing along. I began to appreciate the beauty of the route and the lake along this stretch, getting a little philosophical as Underworld’s “Always Loved a Film” popped on and then laughing as I saw a resident placing our beer for the runners. I opted to pass since it was my first half, but some of my fellow athletes made the stop.

Mile 05 - Average 10:27 /mile

Appropriately Caribou’s “Sun” carried me onto the first “path” part of the route through an open field, bathed in autumn sunshine. I became really grateful that the temps were in the 40s and not the 60s at this point. As I approached the second water stop, I allowed myself to slow down and drink all my water and gatorade.

Mile 06 - Average 11:24 /mile

I started to drag on the country roads here, even with LCD Soundsystem’s “Beat Connection” giving me some push. I had a little heart attack thinking we were going to head up a massive hill, but luckily the route turned and we ended up on a tunnel underneath said hill and on a lovely stretch of bike path. I officially crossed the 10k marker with a 1:05:29. Unfortunately that pace wouldn’t keep up!

Mile 07 - Average 10:52 /mile

Picked up speed a bit here on the path. Shook things up with another psychedelic Moon Duo number, “In the Trees,” the funky jazz of “Unbroken, Unshaven” by The Budos Band and then getting back into the shoegazey dance “Pigeons” by Hundred in the Hands and "Fixed" by Stars. I had started to feel a little leaden before this mile, but was glad to push back on pace. The really cool part of mile 7 was that we ran across a little wooden bridge in the MIDDLE OF THE LAKE! It was breathtaking and cool, although really windy. Definitely a unique highlight of the race.

Mile 08 - Average 11:09 /mile

My slowdown here was not due to fatigue, but TRAFFIC. I was beginning to feel good again, and excited that I just had an easy 5 miles left. After a little warm up of Unkle’s “The Answer,” around 8.5 “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” by LCD Soundsystem came on and I charged past several runners, practically bouncing down the path, only to hit a traffic jam. I am not sure how long we were stopped, but I’d say about 90 seconds. On one hand, it could’ve been beneficial, as it let me recharge. However, I’m definitely wondering what would’ve happened had I kept pushing, especially since I was in “recharge” mode. I totally understand that they had to move traffic along the main street, but I wonder if there is a standard “stop time” for runners. There was probably a pack of 10-15 people held back.


Mile 09 - Average 10:33 /mile

The timing worked out okay for actual Daft Punk’s new song “Derezzed” (clever how I did that one!) to carry me into the start of mile 9 and keep up a fantastic pace and then Maserati’s “We Got the System to Fight the System” and another Budos Band song “The Rite of the Ancients” propelled me toward the last water stop and the last three miles. This worked out well because my shoe came untied right before the stop. I also took my first ever gel here. Raspberry Cream. It tasted like cough medicine.


Mile 10 - Average 10:35 /mile

I cannot tell you how excited I was to hit the Mile 10 marker. I was now at the FARTHEST DISTANCE EVER RUN BY MEGHAN ARNOLD. I wanted to scream and shout to the world. This was kind of a dead end street in an industrial area, but I imagined highfiving like a billion people at this point. Okay, maybe the gel caused hallucinations :). I also was smiling at my soundtrack decision here of Tom Tom Club’s “Wording Rappinghood.” For those unfamiliar with this classic proto-hip-hop jam, the repeat verbal beat is “don’t stop! don’t stop!” and that chorus did wonders for me mentally, especially as I kept up a great pace in this stretch. I felt great to conquer that last 5k. I laughed as “Hot Mess” by Chromeo came on, added after my friend Kara recommended putting that band on the list, and reminded me not to “poo myself.” I also think it was on this mile when I saw a road called “American Way” and laughed again.

Mile 11 - Average 10:56 /mile

Well unfortunately, the euphoria of crossing Mile 10 didn’t magically coast me through. Mile 11 started my descent into madness. The usually uplifting “Dust Devil” by School of Seven Bells failed to motivate, nor did a remix of Florence & The Machine’s “The Dog Days Are Over.” In fact, the last made me tear up a bit and wonder “is this damn race over?” Probably didn’t help that we were running through subdivisions and industrial parks at this point.

Mile 12 - Average 11:44 /mile

Mile 12 was an evil bitch. I hate Mile 12. Mile 12 can suck it and die. Florence gave way to Karen O. and a remix of “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I knew I was almost there, but I was crying and limping. My hip was killing. People around me were all walking. But I was determined to KEEP RUNNING. I started channeling The Little Engine That Could and out loud saying “I Think I Can, I Think I Can.” I kinda didn’t care if my fellow runners thought I was crazy or not. It worked. I kept running. I did it. I didn’t stop at all. And I was rewarded at mile 12.5. Lady Gaga and Beyonce pushed me forward with “Telephone.” And yes, after talking to myself already, I began to sing along. I also knew this was the section of my soundtrack that I’d purposely added cheesy pop music. I smiled, hope returned as Snoop said the magical words “Greetings loved ones, let’s take a journey.”

Mile 13 - Average 11:32 /mile


With Katy Perry’s horribly sugary and obnoxious “California Gurls” I rounded the corner toward the marker for mile 13. ALMOST THERE. And there they were! Becky, Tony, Craig and Brooke. And @sawaboof. All on the corner. They had a sign, AND IT HAD MY NAME ON IT!!!!!!!!! I felt so loved. My smile was HUGE. I was almost there and I had a posse. I was thrilled to see Brooke there too! She’d finished her 4.37 race already. Yay! She and Craig had both tweeted me in those later miles too. Brooke’s came through during evil mile 12 and said “Fuck yeah, Meghan! Can't wait to see you! So close!” I’d needed that push and now I got to see my friends. But still had that .1 to go! And it was a bit chaotic. People were milling about, so it wasn’t quite clear where to go, but I just moved forward. In a world of hurt, happiness, and bubblegum pop. And then I saw another group of people. Right by the finish line. Jumping up and down. “Oh, how nice!” I thought at the kind souls. Then I realized they were screaming MY NAME and yelling for ME. It was the #FitMKE / Daily Mile gang! Anne, Tracey, Amy, Sarah S., Rochelle, and Stacy S. I coasted across the finish line on a wave of love! So incredible.

(I also noted the irony that I’d started to Patti Smith and ended to Katy Perry.)

Post-Race

I got my food, water, solar blanket, and MEDAL. I hugged a lot of people. I cried. I got my photo taken. I cheered for Marty & Augie to finish. I sang “Don’t Stop Believing” with Brooke. I drank BEER. I ate tasty, meaty lasagna.

I tried to embed it all in my mind. I never want to forget it.

globetrotting: the dealio

I'm heading to Germany and Belgium on Saturday to see my oldest friend in Milwaukee get married to a German, visit with family friends, and spend some quality Meghan Time. I also anticipate having some excellent adventures, because that's how I roll.

Here are the highlights that I'm looking forward to:

• Getting the tour of the "real Belgium" from actual Belgians
• Beer Island! Seriously, there is a boat on the Rhine. It goes to an Island. On this Island, there is a Biergarten. You drink there until you're ready to go back.
• Seeing my dear friend marry her Prince Charming in an actual castle. Even though I don't believe in romance for myself, it's nice to see it can happen to other people.
• Doing nature-y stuff in the Black Forest, as well as eating Black Forest cake and looking at cuckoo clocks.
• Meeting new friends from across the globe.
• ??? - Putting myself out into the great unknown, satisfying my wanderlust, and letting the universe be my guide.

practice an attitude of gratitude

This was my fortune cookie last night from Lucky Liu's and I really took it to heart today.

The last month has been incredibly rough. My mom lost her job of 15 years, my godfather passed away after a short battle with melanoma, and I got in a car accident at work and now have to deal with both a back injury and fighting an unjust ticket (since when is driving in the shoulder of a two-lane highway legal?).

Thanks to the car accident I also had to put my fitness and weight goals on hold until I start physical therapy and find out how to adjust my exercise plan. Nothing's more frustrating to me at the moment.

BUT the cookie put it all in perspective.

So here's some of the many things I'm grateful for today:

• Getting up early enough this morning to hit Alterra Coffee before work.
• I hurt less today than yesterday and that I wasn't hurt worse in the accident.
• I have the resources, intelligence and gumption to fight my ticket.
• My best friend in the world, Kat, happened to be visiting the day after my wreck and took care of me mentally, physically and spiritually. AND she cleaned my bath tub so I could soak my muscles. She's pretty much amazing.
• Swimming really helped my back out and the WAC and Milwaukee Athletic Club have partnered so I now have access to a pool downtown.
• I was able to donate blood today and that I can be motivated enough by the importance of it to overcome my terrible phobia of needles.
• My #fitmke and dailymile networks rock and have been so encouraging throughout my hiatus from my exercise routine.
• The stars aligning and the Pabst Theater booked the Pavement reunion. Now I can sell my Pitchfork tickets and have an extra weekend in Milwaukee, go to a friend's wedding shower, and support the WMSE Radio Summer Camp.
• Spending quality time with my family this past month.
• My awesome co-workers who bring in treats, entertain me throughout the day, and give me rides home when it rains.
• Reconnecting with childhood, high school and college friends recently. And continuing to make new friends, even with three decades behind me!

Thank you fortune cookie!

PDX Perspective

Arnold Family Photo - June 1, 2010

This weekend I was going to do a lot of things. Explore my hometown more, catch up on blog entries…be productive.

Then on Saturday my family was hit with very sad news at 8:30 in the morning. My godfather, and my dad’s best friend of 40 years, passed away after a short battle with melanoma.

I ran it out while my parents began to grieve. I met up with my little brother, went to LCD Soundsystem with Kat, waited to find out if I’d be making it back to Milwaukee or detouring to DC first. 

Grandma & Me

It was really hard to watch Mom and Dad try and hold it together. I was glad I had pre-existing plans to hang out with Grandma all day on Sunday, three hours north. I tried to take my time in the car to process my own thoughts, memories of growing up with the Fisher family, reflecting on the one-year anniversary of my own father’s heart attack scare…

I tried to hug my parents as much as possible all weekend. I didn’t fight with my mom, which is a miracle in itself. I processed. I made my arrangements to DC (with a couple hiccups). Then on Monday night, before dinner, I checked Facebook. I learned that a good friend’s brother who had been in a coma the past month, passed away.

Argh.

Auntie Meghan & Joey

The weekend wasn’t without joy. I met my friend Lisa’s baby, Joey, and got to hold him until my arm cramped. I spent countless hours with my best friend, Kathleen. I am so grateful for her, I can’t even begin to describe. She amazes me with everything she has done, and all the obstacles and tragedies in her own life that she’s handled. She inspires me to be strong.

Kat, Nathan and me at Coffeetime. Circa 1998. Or on Monday night.

There were the other usual suspects, old and new, woven into the fabric of my trip home: Nathan, Jasmine, Leland, and my brother’s girlfriend, the lovely Nathalie.

I saw the Oregon Coast for the first time in years. It was rainy and blustery, but the ocean still makes me happy. The Pacific really does bring me peace.

Sibling bonding.

And then there was my family. Kevin, my brother, and I had a great sibling-bonding day. Mom and Dad and I existed peacefully in the house. Grandma and I had a blast driving all over the southern Puget Sound looking for farmer’s markets.

I was not “productive” in the sense of creating materials, but I was productive in getting perspective.

I’ve already been reaching a breaking point with my commitments, but this weekend revealed much to me. I need to spend more time with the people that I love and taking care of myself so that I’m here and healthy for the people who love me. We’re all here for just a short time.

I want to spend the summer living life to its fullest. Carpe diem, indeed.

February Fitness Pays Off!

I totally sucked at blogging this week. And you're not getting make up blogs. I think you will live.

A couple people have asked for fitness updates, so here goes...

Becky and I continued our 5k a month challenge, completing the Frostbite 5k in Nashotah Saturday (don't we look hot post-run?). We met up with several #fitmke folks -- Anne, Tracey, Sarah, Rochelle and Julie. They all did incredible, with Anne and Rochelle both earning bronze medals for their class!

I set a PR for myself, finishing the very hilly course in a speedy 31:20! Considering I did my first race last month just over 38 minutes, I would have been happy with 35. Needless to say, I'm thrilled.

Next up: The Madison Shamrock Shuffle on March 14

In just 20 days I'll be doing the Fight for Air Climb, also with Becky. I owe a huge shout out to my wonderful Twitter friends who generously put me over my $100 fundraising requirement in less than 24 hours. Thanks so much Nick, Derek, Sara S., Karen, Anne, and my awesome #fitmke partner Amy!! If the American Lung Association of Wisconsin is an important cause to you, please feel free to donate as well, but know that I'll be doing another big campaign for the Miller Lite for the Arts in the coming months. I've got some exciting news about that too!

I have had some friends who I don't see often start wondering why all my posts are about fitness/diet/etc. Well, hopefully they are beginning to understand that it's a huge part of my life now...and if I ignore it, HUGE will take over my life again. I can't ever let that happen. I know I can be thin....if I work at it.

I could not have been more excited to jump around Boutique Vieux et Nouveau yesterday in the above dress. It was a size 8!!! An 8!!!!! I started this thing in a high 16. Dude, I'm proud of myself. I am so happy because I don't know the last time I felt I earned something with so much hard work. Plus, I actually like who I am now. I feel like I smile all the time. Why? Because this was me just last August:

And again, me now...

another friend in the 30s pool :)

Just a quick post tonight, as I'm exhausted after a loooong day.

I wanted to give a birthday shoutout to my best friend, Kathleen. You may remember my post about her incredibleness last year. Well today she entered a new decade -- welcome to the thirties Kat!!! I hope it's as awesome for you as I've hyped it up to be.

Every word in my 2009 remains the same, although I think our friendship has continued to grow even stronger since. We are so in tune sometimes it's almost freaky. I am so grateful to have such an amazing friend in my life.

Happy birthday! MWAH!

milwaukee props: santa cycle rampage 2009

There are some events in my life that I've been afraid to recreate, worried that the magic will have worn off the second time. I am terrified of going back to Rome, weary of partying until dawn in Chicago, and until yesterday, a little nervous about riding in Milwaukee's own Santa Cycle Rampage again.

I admittedly had a different experience this year. I talked the ride up to several of my friends, including relatively novice bikers, Ben and Becky, who I spent most of my day with. Last year, I'd lost Monica and Joe on the ride and met and partied with lots of randoms. I seem to get more trouble when I'm unleashed on my own, so maybe it was a good thing the Bs kept me in line. :)

Ben and I met up at U.S. Bank early so we could get some cash for the day. It turned out we didn't need much of it, as Santas get some sweet drink deals. This first stop was handy in realizing that somewhere on my ride up to North Ave. I'd lost my flimsy Santa hat. I think it was karma from blowing off the two guys on Farwell who asked me to take a picture with them. I'd been running late, so I said no. Santas who say "no" lose hats. A stop at CVS on Downer became necessary, so I as not to be shamed by the other Santas. I picked up the number above in part because the dangling snowballs notified me that the hat would be staying on. They also provided much amusement throughout the day...because there's never too many "dangling snowballs" jokes.

While waiting for Becky to arrive at Cafe Hollander, we filled out a raffle ticket for the Bike Federation of Wisconsin and grabbed a Fat Tire from the keg--ah, the first beer at 10 a.m.

We also scoped out some of the decorated bikes, like the one above. I think that this is a goal for 2010 for sure.

Maribeth decided not to do the ride with us, but stopped over to check out the excitement. Hopefully we can convince her to come along next year.

Becky made it in the "Saint Nick" of time before we headed out on the road. I had the bright idea to put a refill of Fat Tire in my water bottle holder, and we were off.

The magic for me this year came in the form of seeing the absolute joy on my friends' faces as we began riding through the Eastside spreading cheer.

Down Farwell to Brady and then over the Marsupial Bridge, we traveled to the next stop at Lakefront Brewery, where a contingent of Santas who had ridden in from Wauwatosa awaited us. The numbers were now 200-250 strong, and the Santa population dwarfed the civilians there for an early tour.

My friend Virginia (in elf-green) had met us at Hollander, but we got to sit for a bit (and warm up) with her at Lakefront. Massive props again to Lakefront for providing one free beer for each of the Santas. I was hoping they'd have their new brew, Local Acre, on tap, but in a pinch, I went with the delicious Pumpkin Lager.

We headed out around noon for the downtown part of the ride. 250 Santas strong, we went up Water Street, passed the Red Arrow Ice Rink (we stopped the skaters), up Wisconsin Avenue (some folks threw candy canes at pedestrians), and over the 6th Street Viaduct. This truly is the best part of the ride, as people just love seeing that many Santas .... on bikes!

Things definitely started getting a wee bit fuzzy after the next stop at Great Lakes Distillery. Again, a super awesome local business supporting this fun event. Wisconsin recently passed a law allowing them to have samples, and they are rocking that like nobody's business. They had free Santa punch or Candy Cane Vodka Coffee, as well as sample tastings of their liquor. I tried the punch, which I believe had their artisan grappa in it as well as a whole lotta deliciousness. Ben and I also sampled their two types of Absinthe - vert and rouge. I have to say the green fairy did it for me more. I also got to try their Pumpkin Seasonal at long last.

I ended up with a rogue group of Santas heading from the distillery over to the next stop at Kochanski's Concertina Beer Hall. While we had a fun little side street detour, we did miss the highlight of many Santas' day...

... a police ESCORT! Definitely in contrast to last year's traffic stop, these cops were awesome and treated the Santas with respect. My friend Tim has more about this over at his Beer Runner blog.

The house polka band greeted us as we packed into this tiny Southside tavern. I grabbed a $2 pint of Point and stood in the food line, forgetting that there was nothing I could eat.

I made due with my four saltines, and made a note to pack a lunch for next year. Those saltines didn't really prepare me for the next great idea.

Do the people in the photo above LOOK like they need to take a shot of Rumpleminze off of a ski? Well, this is Wisconsin, my friends. And since when I blogged about it last year, I neglected to provide photo evidence, I enlisted Virginia to capture the beauty of the SHOTSKI on camera.

We still had one more stop after this too! After polkaing and another point, we grabbed our bikes to head to the last stop at Cafe Centraal. Somehow I lost the Bs, who ended up halfway to Tosa following some westside Santas. Whoops. In the interim, I filled my stomach with some vegetarian chili and some WATER (brilliant), before grabbing another Fat Tire off the Santa keg.

Despite grand plans to bike with an illicit pack of middle-aged Santas down forbidden routes (for which we'd risk $250 tickets), I ended up riding good old reliable KK home. I somehow lost the Bs again, keeping up with my friend Jeff's well-lit bike, as my front guppy headlight got snatched in Bay View. Totally bummed about that. It's gotta be bad karma to steal from Santa! This put me in a salty mood, and I passed out at 6, hoping to make it to a Christmas party later that evening.

I woke up at 3:30 a.m., bummed I missed the party, but glad I spent another year Santa cycling-- even if the "magic" shone through in different ways.

one year ago...

My friend Ben started a great thread today asking our friend group (pictured above minus our live updater, Adam) to reflect on the historic night we experienced last November 4.

Seems a lot longer then a year since we witnessed history (Or were tweeting about it). 

 To set the mood.

Any reflections over the past year? Are we where we thought we would be? Does that night still give you the chills?

To answer Ben's easy question first -- YES, of course that night still gives me chills! Looking back, it's almost surreal. I will truly remember that night for the rest of my life and it's something I'll tell the neighborhood kids about when I'm a crotchety old spinster (after I yell at them to get off my lawn).

 

I never thought Obama was going to fix everything in a year. I learned at a young age that the Mary Poppins "snapping your fingers and everything returns to place" trick doesn't actually work. This administration clearly had a LOT of cleaning up to do. Screw health care reform, they haven't even gotten around to reversing the tariffs on Roquefort cheese.

 

That said, despite the unbelievable obstacles to mass change, I think an educated and informed person can point to several initiatives they've begun to dig us out of the pile of sh*t that Bush left the world:

• At least begun public debate on health care reform. Regardless of all the ridiculous opinions flying around out there, at least people are discussing it. The end solution is going to be political, but at the very least I think all sides are beginning to agree that pre-existing conditions are morally reprehensible.
• Increasing transparency in government. The White House blog! The podcasts! The videos! Even some of the cabinet blogs (I'm a fan of Ray LaHood's Fast Lane blog, oh yeah, Transportation!) I feel engaged in the process and like these very important people are accessible. I really do believe that social media is the great leveler. (Socialist!)
• A shift in the mood toward public transportation. Let's just say, when I'm feeling lonely, I drink some wine, put on some Sade, and look at the High Speed Rail map. Okay, kidding! Although our local transit funding is still dire, the stimulus funds will help immensely. Also, there's an upbeat tone nationwide. The transportation industry newsletters have been so optimistic--talking about new projects and services, compared to the previous years of "and the Bush administration cut this again or made this logisitical nightmare of a change so that a handful of private industry players could profit."
• Emphasizing the importance of healthy eating. This may be the most solid healthcare reform that the administration has done (word to my girl Michelle). It goes beyond the White House garden. She's made it hip to grow your own food, eat sustainably and go to farmer's markets. (Well, actually I made it hip, but that's neither here nor there...next thing you know they'll be having an indie rock concert on the White House lawn).
• Oh yeah, and there's that whole reducing troop levels in Iraq thing too...

I'm not living in a bubble of joy. I recognize there have been some really boneheaded decisions. I recognize that some programs were hastily thrown together to soothe political pressure:

• Auto Industry "Reforms" -- hooray for new fuel efficient vehicles on the road through Cash for Clunkers, but what happens to all the clunkers? Couldn't we have mandated public transit reform? Can't GM rebuild all the infrastructure they tore out in the '50s?
• Increased troops in Afghanistan -- I am very pleased that the focus is back to y'know, where it should've been eight years ago. I don't agree with an increased military strategy however. Why not build schools? Improve infrastructure? I agree we do need a presence though. If you've ever read The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, you know that the Taliban are bad, bad, bad people
• Obama's choice at the beer summit. Bud Light? Really. That totally takes away your hip cred. You could've at least had a PBR.

This exercise has made me feel a lot better after watching the conservative circle jerk on Twitter last night. We also have to remember that there's three years in this term and hopefully four more years after that--lots of time to get things done. On a personal level, I still feel incredibly inspired by Obama himself. I don't know if I would have attended The White House Project Go Run training a couple of weeks ago with the same motivation, had it not been for that glorious November night.

 

After emailing the group, I realized some thoughts had been left out and others had more reflections. Below are the unedited essays.

Larissa:

While I agree with most of what Meghan said, I do want to draw a point on Afghanistan. Much like Iraq, what Bush failed to do here was to employ a strategy to hunt Al Qaeda (even though I can't imagine that this would be an easy thing to do). The other thing that Bush didn't do in Afghanistan was completely dismantle the government of this country. The reason they were able to actually get to work stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq was because they installed a coalition government and trained them on how to run the country. Afghanistan still has a nut job with delusions of grandeur who has now declared himself the winner of a rigged election TWICE.

Not to mention, if there's no buy-in from the existing government and you're left with a rash of suicide bombings and that makes it pretty hard to build a school or two. As much as I hate to admit it, I think we need a troop increase (and the accompanying STRATEGY, which I'm sure exists but the media never seems to get around to telling us about) to stabilize the region. To simply pull out would be a horrible idea, cuz Al Qaeda would see that as an open invitation to wreak havoc not only on the region, but on countries like ours as well.

Just my 2 cents.... I'm glad the media is being critical of Obama but I'm extremely disappointed in the Republicans for not even trying to work with the Dems, and I'm also sort of disappointed in the Dems for just giving up on bipartisanship altogether and pushing their agenda. On the other hand, I don't really blame the Dems for cutting their losses (at least they DID try) and actually getting stuff done. And props on adding sexual orientation to the hate crimes bill!

 Adam:

Yeah, Lilly Ledbetter got me through more than one argument about the Nobel prize. (It's a pretty easy answer to the claim "He hasn't done anything!")

I guess looking back, I feel a bit disappointed in that it seems like democrats in general have wasted a great opportunity. With the White House, momentum and congressional majorities, people on the right were stockpiling and hugging their guns, while people on the left were looking for retail space for "Osama's homo-abortion-pot-and-commie-jizzporium". Of course, it's no shock that Obama smacked into the brick-wall called "the reality of modern politics and bureaucracy" which tended to slow things down a bit, and make those easy to repeat campaign promises magically transform into briefing books, memos, and weird congressional parlimentary procedures (reconciliation! woo-hoo?).

I can understand wanting to use whatever advantage a new president has in the first 6 months or so to get things done. And in that mindset, it makes sense to tackle the hardest issues first, like healthcare reform. But now we're about 10 months in, and it seems that no amount of perceived political capital can just gloss over all of the crap that has to go into an overhaul this big. It doesn't matter how popular Obama is, Olympia Snowe will still want attention, Joe Liberman will be a jerk, and Max Bacaus will still have no spine.

So, instead of taking on something so huge, I wish they would have tried to win more of the small battles that are doable. There are a lot of areas where Obama can affect major change, and it's hard to see all of the rest of them fall away as we tackle healthcare. It's certainly one of the most important issues facing us as a country currently; it's just not THE one most important.

I also think Obama is learning what it takes to get things done in a position of this much power. It was clear in both the stimulus and the inital healthcare bills in committee that he put too much faith in the congressional committee leaders to iron out the details, while making overarching statements that didn't touch on the sticky small stuff. I think going forward, he'll be better about clearly outlining exactly what he's looking for in legislation. Although, he's still only saying things like "yeah, sure, I'd like a public option" as if a waiter offered him some extra mayonnaise. (I just like the idea of slim mcgoo eating anything with that much fat in it.)

Maybe he'll learn to be more forcefull in other ways too. While I've heard a bunch about how hard he was courting Snowe in committee, I'm surprised that Liberman and a number of other Dems have gone to the press to say they won't vote to stop the fillibuster of healthcare with a public option. Obama really should be taking responsibility for this, whipping people into shape, and doing what it takes to get this to pass. Maybe crazy Joe (who it seems just really really really likes the insurance companies for some reason, now that Dodd has distanced himself from them) is beyond help, but I thought Rahm's job was to kick ass on the hill to get their priorities accomplished.

I know none of this fits into the world Obama described during the campaign. (Or even earlier.) While we may not be separated into a red America and a blue America, we definitely have a majority pary and an opposition party. And while I'm dissapointed in the dems, I'm just completely exasperated by the Republicans (and not just McConnell's stupid press releases). I guess I'm like Jon Stewart, in that I'm a hopelss optimist when it comes to this kind of thing, and I assume that when someone is sent to Washington to help fix our country that they would much rather be part of the process, as opposed to willing to sit it out until they get a majority again. I don't think the the Republican's strategy of immediately opposing Obama on anything is working, at least not in a way that helps them.

By just saying no to everything, it allows the fringes in the Democratic party to get more of a say. Both Ben Nelson and Jay Rockefeller get much more attention, which leads to more party in-fighting. What results is a watered-down, more useless bill that still gets passed, which has none of the reforms the GOP actually wanted, since they weren't part of the process. If the Republicans are looking to actually get their own issues and concerned addressed, they are totally failing. If their only goal is to destroy the Democrats then they're succeeding.

So, where do we go from here? I'd like to see Obama stand strong on key issues, and make congress accomodate his concrete plans. I don't know what you do to get the Republicans to engage in actual debate on key issues (more self-tanner for Boehner?), but until that happens, you need to pass things through with the situation you've got, instead of hoping that things improve.

Oh, and with Afghanistan I'm actually starting to agree more with Matthew Hoh. I really liked his point about how al-Qaida isn't looking for a safe haven in Afghanistan anymore. He feels that they have enough places like Somalia and Yemen to hide in, and that we can't keep treating this like a war against one country, that exists only in a single country. I would also add to Meghan's list this book too to read about the situation in the region.

What are your thoughts and reflections on that historic night and the last year? On a highly personal level, I shudder to think what I would have done with myself had we lost. My three-year relationship was crumbling, I was at the heaviest I've ever been (due in part to the crumbling relationship) and in massive debt. Working on the campaign truly did fill me with hope, and I'm pleased to say I rode that hope throughout 2009. I've lost almost 30 pounds, digging my way out of debt and am (not always, but mostly) happily single.

time out thursday: i can't take a break

I had one free weekend in October. My first entirely free weekend since May. So what do I do? Sign up for a women's leadership conference of course! Signed up around the same time as Weight Watchers in a total grasping for something before I turn 30. It should be an interesting weekend though and help me become more active and engaged in my community.

Tonight though, I'm heading to the Milwaukee Ballet for the premiere of Cindrella. As part of my UPAF fund raising, I was able to pick one arts group to get "season" tickets for (I'm not technically a "season ticket holder" -- just vouchers -- hence the quotes). I have season tickets for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's Classical Connections series and regularly attend the Milwaukee Rep's Entourage events, so I thought I'd try something new and different. At the time The Skylight kerfuffle was going on, so the ballet won out. I do need to get to The Skylight and The Florentine sometime this season, so let me know, dear readers, if you ever want to go.

Finally, on Sunday, Becky and I will make the annual pilgrimage to Elegant Farmer for a little late-season apple picking. Have to build up my stores before the markets end for the season.

time out thursday: finally laying low

I'm really, really looking forward to this weekend. Why? Because I finally have a chance to relax and tackle the insanity that is my apartment at the moment. I also hopefully have a chance to sketch out some blogs for the upcoming weeks. I feel badly that I didn't get a Worldly Wednesday post up yesterday -- am going to have to plan better for that.

Although I'm "doing nothing," here are some of my "low-key" things on tap:

• Brunch/lunch at The National with Wren
• The Get Down at Mad Planet with the usual crew
  
• AIDS Walk Wisconsin with Maribeth on the 88.9 Team
• Bon Iver Benefit Concert for AIDS Walk Wisconsin

Other than that, cleaning, and blogging, I plan to attack some of the fruits/veggies in my kitchen and create a couple of dishes for the upcoming week. I just got a bunch of sage from my CSA and don't want that to go to waste.

monday munchies: unhealthy kick

Being on the go for two weeks has not helped my eating habits. I have a bunch of potatoes and leeks and am hoping to have the opportunity to make some potato leek soup tomorrow evening after catching up with my friends, The Filter, at the new restaurant, Coa.

Saying Goodbye: Trouble the Cat

I realize I haven't blogged since I returned from my vacation, so it's pretty crappy of me to break my silence by eulogizing a cat. Especially a cat that wasn't mine. But if you don't understand, then you never knew Trouble Landberg. And if you don't understand, you can skip this blog.

Trouble was one of a handful of cats I've ever truly liked in my life. This may have been because she didn't set me sneezing and wheezing, but it was more than that.

Trouble was a really friendly cat. Almost dog-like in her demeanor. She always wanted to be petted and always had to sniff around our wine and cheese. I would like to believe she was just as into "LOST" and "Mad Men" as the humans that invaded her space every Wednesday and Sunday evenings. I hope in kitty heaven she gets to watch these shows. As I posted to Facebook, maybe she already knows what's going to happen during the last season of "LOST."

Speaking of "LOST," Trouble has been a constant in the lives of a core group of twentysomething friends throughout our post-college years. She's been there through all of our break-ups and new relationships, drunken nights and hungover days, Superbowl Parties and holidays -- we've all matured and changed, but Trouble was all the while a purring, happy little furball.

Trouble left one of her nine lives the evening of September 17, 2009.

Trouble is survived by her son Boo (who is a pretty good cat too) and her mom, Becky, who turns 30 tomorrow. (God really has a sense of humor, doesn't he?) My heart goes out to them.

She will be sorely missed.

monday munchies: too hot too cook

Only a couple of dishes to post this week, as summer has finally arrived, making time in the kitchen a wee bit unbearable. I was also out of town this weekend, so I relied on the food of friends and festivals.





Last week I whipped up this pasta dish with the remainder of my cilantro pesto and fresh tomatoes.






Tonight I waited until 8:30 p.m. for the heat to subside so I could use some extraneous veggies. The summer squash, onion and kale tacos turned out really well. And didn't create too much heat! I didn't have salsa, or peppers, so I flavored with the leftover gazpacho I ordered at Alterra last week. Worked out great!





On Sunday, I was treated to my friend Heather's culinary chops. She whipped up a delicious pre-Lolla breakfast of French Toast and turkey sausage. It was brilliant and staved off the need for too much festival food.

Heather, her husband, Sam, and I also enjoyed a fantastic brunch on Saturday. I'd been to this place a couple of years ago and had a great experience, but I wasn't sure if I'd just built it up in my mind. Glad to find out, it's still wonderful. I highly recommend the all-you-can-eat brunch at Joey's Brickhouse if you're ever in Chicago. It's made-to-order and drinks are between $1 (Miller Lite) and $4 (top shelf Bloody).

Hopefully the weather will cool down a little bit, as I have loads of veggies to use up from my CSA.

Stay tuned for a Lolla recap later this week!

music madness: lollapalooza preview

I'm really looking forward to my weekend in Chicago at Lollapalooza. This will be my fourth Lolla (I only missed the '07 festival) and while the headliners aren't overly crazy, I'm stoked for many of the smaller acts.

Here's a preview of who I'm planning to catch. Asterisk is the first timers for me.

Friday

• The Henry Clay People* - My friends Brooke & Craig got me hooked on this album and it's so good it's forcing me to take the 8 AM train.
  
• Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears* - Brooke & Craig claim this is one of the best shows they caught at SXSW this year, so I'm going to run over there from the train station tomorrow.
• The Gaslight Anthem* - Another B&C recommendation -- they rarely steer me wrong.
• Bon Iver - Wouldn't miss a chance to again catch my top album (and second best concert) of 2008. Plus, Wisconsin's own.
• Ben Folds - The only time I ever saw him (at the Miller Oasis Reopening at Summerfest) I was preoccupied with my Miller Lite, so it'd be nice to catch him in a right state of mind.
• Fleet Foxes* - The show I most regretted missing in '08, glad to get a chance to redeem!
• The Decemberists - It'll be like the 80th time I see them, but I know I won't be disappointed. And Hazards of Love is still in the running for album of the year.
• Simian Mobile Disco*- This is my workout music. Maybe I should bring my running shoes?
• Depeche Mode* - Only planning to catch a bit of the set. Feel like I need to go back to the '80s after this whole John Hughes thing.

Saturday (and my lazy blogger kicks in here, because I HAVE to get to bed)

• Los Campesinos! - Because once this year wasn't enough
• Robert Earl Keen* - Another B&C rec
• Blind Pilot - Opened for the Decemberists in May, a B&C recommendation, and Portland band.
• No Age*
• Hercules & Love Affair*
• Santigold*
• TV on the Radio* - !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
• Ben Harper*
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs* - OH YEAH!

Sunday

• Ra Ra Riot*
• Bat For Lashes*
• The Raveonettes
• Gang Gang Dance*
• Vampire Weekend - BLAAAAAKE'S GOT A NEW FACE!
• Passion Pit*
• Dan Auerbach (half-asterisk, as I've caught the Black Keys plenty o' times)
• Lou Reed* - !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Band of Horses

A huge thanks to my friends Heather & Sam for their hospitality this weekend.

thankful tuesdays: long lost friends

Just a quick one tonight...

I'm thankful for catching up with, and spending quality time with long lost friends.

I got to do that tonight and hopefully, according to rumor, I'll get to do that on a grander scale. Also last Saturday I spent quality time with my friend Laura who I just don't see enough.

I am a ridiculously busy person, who is lucky to have many close friends. Even though I don't see many of you often, I want you to know that I truly treasure when we get to hang out.

gallery night funkified

Big night ahead of art and Northern Soul!

Here's the plan: meet at Hooligan's to satisfy my friend's mini-corndog craving at 5:30 PM. Bikes encouraged tonight!.

Around 6:30 hit up Caggio on Brady St: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/51492797.html

Stop over at Green Gallery East:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/51426962.html

Hit up Peltz Gallery on Knapp:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/51414437.html

Then bike by the IN:SITE installation on the way to Turner:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/51498562.html

Be at Turner Hall by 8:30/9 for Kings Go Forth.

thankful tuesdays: puppies!!!! (and friendships)

I am in love.

My heart melted a LOT tonight when I met this little lady (the one on the left):


Isn't she freaking adorable?

I'm so thankful to have a wonderful friend in Jane as well. It was fantastic revisiting our old Brady Street stomping grounds tonight. I'm so glad she wanted to include me in her first day of being a "mother." Puppy parade!

thankful tuesdays: summer in milwaukee!

New frozen custard and snack shop!

Fro-yo for Becks!
Custard for Megs!

And beautiful sunsets over one of our many bodies of water!

I've heard many people describe Milwaukee as an abusive lover. It's so cruel to us in the winter, but boy do summers rule.

Milwaukee Props: How I Spent My Opening Day

No, I was not at Miller Park to see this:



(Not the best camera work, but it was all I could find on YouTube)

Instead I was jumping and screaming with my friends at The Bomb Shelter in Walker's Point. With free food, free shots when a homerun is hit (thanks Corey Hart for that Apple Pie), an unpretentious atmosphere and a daunting beer list, I can see how this bar has quickly become one of Milwaukee's faves. The "Ultimate Peep Show" in the back was just an added bonus. Greg's collecting skills are truly unmatched, so it's not surprising that he was able to find rarities like "Peep-flavored" popcorn.

I joined my friends Wren and Sarah there around 3:15 and while I had to pass up on the free wings (darn Good Friday), I did enjoy a delicious Bloody Mary (extra hot--they were out of Tabasco and substituted Sriracha sauce) with a Lakefront I.P.A. chaser (hey, look at that "Goes great with: Any spicy food").

I then decided to take an expedition through the Bomb Shelter's mindblowing craft beer menu. I opted first Ale Asylum Mercy Belgian Grand Cru. I thought Mercy may be a good choice, since I missed Good Friday service for a much-needed facial at Neroli. It was a pretty intense Belgian, I could really only handle one. I felt pretty special drinking it, as I guess there's only 600 cases out there. Next up was the recommended Yuengling Original Black & Tan. It tasted eerily spot on to the mixture of Guinness and Harp. I was glad to finally taste a beer from this microbrewery as well, since I'd never heard of it until there was a friendly wager between them and Lakefront during the Brewers/Phillies playoff last year. This beer was really delicious and went down smooth. I'd definitely try it again. I capped off my beer journey after Weeks' victorious slide with a Central Waters Brewing Company Kosmyk Charlie Y2K Catastrophe Ale. I'll admit, I picked this beer just for the name. I don't know if I've ever had an "American Barleywine"-style beer before. It packed quite a punch, but I was glad to discover another Wisconsin brewery.

By this time Sarah had headed out and Jason, Grant and Becky had all joined the party. Grant and Wren opted to stay at the bar, but the rest of us were craving fish fry. We headed up the street to Triskele's to grab some fish and delicious water. Food was delicious (just the right amount of crispiness on the fish and even the coleslaw was good (I don't really like coleslaw)), but Jason did awkwardly embarass our table, so we shoveled the food in and got out quickly.

It was still early and Becky's brother wasn't getting in until 9:30 on the train, so we decided to cap off the night at Bryant's. Becky and I tried the recommended Candlelight cocktail for a change. It was quite tasty -- and on fire! Jason got a Black Magic. Becks and I ended with a Straw Hat for her and a Grasshopper for me. Even though there's no longer old ladies, Bryant's retains a special place in my heart.

Best part about the day drinking...I was in bed by 9:30 and up and at 'em early this morning. If only every day could be Opening Day!