You, Me, AJ Bombers & the Arts...TOMORROW night!

Just a reminder folks, this is it, GO TIME.

In 24 hours I'll be wrapping up my stint Guest Bartending for the Arts @ AJ Bombers. If you haven't already blocked your calendar from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. TOMORROW (Friday). Here's five reasons why you should.

5. Celebrity appearance! The one, the only, Michael L. Arnold, a.k.a. Dad, will be making his first social outing in Milwaukee in three years. Don't miss an insight into where the heck I came from!

4. FREE transportation! AJ Bombers is conveniently located at Water & Knapp, right on the Route 15 bus line. Even more convenient? Tomorrow, in honor of 150 Years of Public Transportation, the Route 15 is FREE all day!

3. World-Famous Food! Food Wars on the Travel Channel filmed at AJ Bombers today, so its burgers will soon be out on the basic cable scene. Order one and wash it down a cold one -- proceeds of your beverage going to the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts.

2. Fabulous giveaways! Throughout the night I'll be "auctioning" off prizes including shirts, Brewers tickets, Milwaukee Iron tickets and of course, tickets to United Performing Arts Fund member groups.

1. Great cause! Hopefully I've convinced you that this means a lot to me, but I'm sure the arts mean something to you as well. I'd love for you to leave a blog comment as to why YOU support my efforts.

Can't make it out for the party? You can donate online here.

Hope to see ya at AJ Bombers!

Happy Earth Week! Let's Save Transit

Fellow Wisconsinites,

Did you know Thursday is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day? Did you know Earth Day was invented in Wisconsin? Did you know that Thursday is the last day of current session of the Wisconsin State Legislature?

Did you know that Thursday is the LAST CHANCE for the legislature to approve the RTA bills or there will be additional devastating cuts to transit in the state's largest county? The good news is the Assembly has a vote scheduled for Tuesday, April 20. Make sure they're not smoking something and VOTE YES on AB282 (well you probably shouldn't say that when you call, but I couldn't resist a joke).

If Captain Planet were real, I think he'd be assembling his forces right now. But since that's just a fictional character from the early '90s, we need you to fill the role of the Planeteers (or not, but just follow the directions below okay?).

FROM SERTA (http://southeasternrta.wordpress.com/):

If you have yet to make a call, or it has been a while since you’ve asked your Assembly Representative’s support of transit legislation to provide adequate funding for bus transit in southeastern Wisconsin- this may be your last chance. Call them NOW and tell them to support transit legislation by voting to pass legislation this Tuesday.

The following legislators need to hear from constituents:

- Representative Cullen – 888-534-0013

- Representative Staskunas – 888-534-0015

- Representative Krusick – 608-2661733

To find out who your representative is visit: http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/

Please remember that this legislation is about JOBS and ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. I'm pleading with you, as a transplant, please keep Milwaukee a region where people CHOOSE to live.

Also, in case you haven't heard...as an added incentive for you all to step up and save transit, I have pledged to tattoo the new RTA logo on my body once dedicated funding actually begins. This is a really big deal because I hate needles and have nothing more than my ears pierced...BUT this issue means just that much to me.

Thank you for your support. If you have any further questions, I'm happy to answer them for you. Also, advanced apologies for possibly bombarding you with posts this week, but thank you for understanding and respecting my passion for this issue.

blog action day: you can make an impact

You may notice that today is Blog Action Day if you're a heavy RSSer. This is a global movement to have bloggers take one day out of the year to focus on a preset topic. This year it's climate change.

It's so funny to me that people dispute climate change. I remember when I was about 9 or 10 years-old getting a fun activity book from Target that explained the issue to kids and taught us what we could do then (1990ish) to make a difference. I hardly think Target, as much as their ads would like us to believe, was being subversive.

I think the doubters are truly just people unable to look at the big picture. Yes, it may be "cold" in Milwaukee, in October, but how does that correlate to the planet itself not warming up? Being a creative, and by no means a "math & science" person, I am still shocked and sickened by the way that math and science have been tossed aside in recent years. It's kinda freaky, and from my literary point of view, kinda dark ages.

At any rate, tonight I will try and get up some "best of" posts or my reflections on a Wisconsin affected by climate change. But, before rushing off to work in the cold and rain, I'll leave a few tips for you to try today to make your own impact in the battle against climate change:

• Take public transportation somewhere this week. In Milwaukee, you can go to RideMCTS.com to figure out how to do that.
• Ride your bike or walk to run errands. Absolutely walk if you are going less than a half mile away.
• Turn off all the lights before you leave the house.
• Unplug your cell phone charger, if you aren't charging your cell phone.
  
• Shut down your computer, or at least put on your "energy saver" functions
• Eat and shop local (start with this great list here in Milwaukee)...and pay attention to those labels I was buying orange juice the other day and noticed that half the juice was now from Brazil. Florida's Natural got my purchasing vote because it was all a product of the U.S.A.

Remember, you can't change your lifestyle habits overnight. Pick one thing on the list and do it just once a week, or even once a month. Slowly, over time, you'll realize you're doing the right thing for yourself and our planet.

Good luck!

milwaukee props: streetcar meeting this thursday

As down as I get sometimes about all the NO NO NO NO NO we hear in Wisconsin when it comes to progress, I forget that there's plenty of open-minded, big picture thinkers doing what's best to move our region forward in a global reality.

That's why I'm very excited about the upcoming Milwaukee Streetcar meeting, this Thursday, October 8 from 3-7 p.m. at the Zeidler Municipal Building/ Broadway Entrance Lobby Area, 841 N. Broadway.

You can review all the materials at MilwaukeeConnector.com before you go and give your input.

What route do you favor? Are you planning to go and take part in this exciting step toward Milwaukee's better future?

horn tooting: april fools!

I don't know if it was because I had to get up extra early this morning to take Lars to the airport or what, but I was in a naughty prankster mood all day.

I began my assault of practical jokes at about 7:30 when I texted a few of my friends that I'd made a terrible drunken mistake the night before. Jane and Becky didn't fall for it, but Maribeth and Jason/Yesh did. I just wish I could've seen their faces.

The next victims were my co-workers. My boss and our marketing assistant fell to realistic job-related "fake news." My other co-worker fell for the old "your shoe's untied trick." He tried to get me back by unplugging my keyboard, but felt bad and ruined the prank before it even worked.

Lars and my parents fell this afternoon. I told Lars that I heard there'd be an airport strike on Sunday and I hoped she'd get back to town. My parents were informed that due to my boss being out of town, I was appearing in a segment on MSNBC for my organization.

The parents were the hardest to get as I have a general rule about pranking that I don't want it to be within the realm of "jinxing." The easy one to go for is "I sprained my ankle," but since I do that often and don't really want to, it's out. The forbidden joke, which Brooke pulled last year on her mom, is pregnancy. Brooke was doing this in the context of being a newlywed, I would just be screwed (obviously on many levels, couldn't resist the bad pun).

The only person who remotely "got" me was my buddy Mark, who texted that he'd be showing up at our LOST party tonight with three friends, brining pork rinds and malt liquor. It was just a split second of worry, until I texted back "APRIL FOOLS."

TONIGHT: Car-Free LoveFest!

It begins with the final public meeting on the Milwaukee Connector Study from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Harbor Lights Room. "Transit corridors throughout Milwaukee County will be evaluated, focusing on bus rapid transit and streetcar vehicles. You are invited to attend an open-house public information scoping meeting to review and comment on the project scope, schedule, study area, routes and more."

After that's got your juices flowing, head over to the Bike Federation of Wisconsin's Love Your Bike Party at Lakefront Brewery from 7-11 p.m. "A party for anyone who loves bicycles! Join the Bike Fed for a night of socializing and celebration!" There is a bike-themed silent auction, including a bike art auction. Plus food, and FREE BEER. The party costs $15 or $5 if you contribute Bike-Art (must be framed if picture) OR it's FREE if you are a first-time Bike Fed Member ($25).

Yes, it should be a fun night and you should leave being completely enthralled with alternate forms of transportation. Forget that day two days later, February 12 is when you can love yourself and the environment.

Will I see you there?

sunday catch up: busy as a winter bee

After Friday's "night in," I went full throttle the rest of the weekend.

Yesterday I returned to yoga class at the WAC to find it chock full of people (thanks to those good old New Year's resolutions). The class really kicked my butt, in part because the sub concentrates on movement in yoga and we did a lot of arm and ab exercises, as well as about 300 sun salutations. I ended up giving travel tips for India to the sub though, after I mentioned having gone there. I always like being useful.

I was sort of useful after class, hurrying over to the east side to help my friend Ben unload a U-Haul. There were about 10 people, so the move went pretty quickly. Ben could use a few packing lessons, but I couldn't complain too much. I got to drink a Riverwest Stein and watch Rear Window for a bit after it was all over. I soon left those folks though to go meet Maribeth and our friend Ed from Marquette, who was up visiting for the weekend.

Our plans were to go watch the Marquette vs. Georgetown game, but first Mar needed to donate her old televisions. We stopped at Goodwill and they told us they no longer took TVs because of the digital conversion! They didn't offer any advice as to where else we could take the sets. They really should figure this out soon, because there are going to be a lot of useless televisions in a couple of weeks. How hard is it to partner with a recycling facility? Major fail.

We made it to Hooligans with plenty of time left in the first half. The game was neck and neck and we went into the break at 42 all. I had money riding on this thing, so I wasn't too pleased. Luckily in the second half MU pulled ahead and dominated the rest of the game. I gladly called my buddy Jason and told him I accept cash or check.

The one-sided game gave Ed, Mar and I plenty of time to catch up. You never realize how much you miss some of these friends from college until you see them for the first time in a million years. Ed is still as incredibly inappropriate as I remember him being and I couldn't be more glad.

After the game, we headed back to my house so I could change for my work holiday party and my friends could flip through old photos. They then were nice enough to drop me off at Alioto's way the heck out on Highway 100 & Burleigh (not very conducive to transit). I'm hoping after two westside locations they'll move the thing back closer to downtown or at least near southside. It's really frustrating. I had a really fun time, but did have my coworker drop me off at Mayfair to catch the Route 21 back at 10 p.m. I had offers from other folks to take me back downtown, but I was getting a flurry of texts from Mar and Ed, who now had Becky with them.

The long bus ride was not friendly to my bladder and I hopped into Von Trier to use the restroom before I caught a cab up to Mar's apartment. I found out what a bottle of Belvedere vodka can do to my friends while I'm away. I also found out that trying to catch up after the long day that I'd had causes me to pass out on the couch.

Becky and I eventually split a cab home. When I finally crawled out of bed today I fixed veggies and dip and tropical lime bars for the Super Bowl Party at Brooke and Craig's. We kicked the party off with Rock Band/Guitar Hero. Brooke's friend Jenny actually could sing, so that was sad for me, even though I didn't see her jumping around or crawling on the floor. Maybe we can make a deal like those Chinese kids. Oh wait, that was the government.

Maribeth cursed the game at the start, wishing for a nailbiter. We definitely got that. In the end, The Steelers prevailed, and while I feel bad for my Arizona fan friends, I was pretty excited about that. It was actually the first time I think the whole party (Craig, Becky and I have watched together every year since '02) agreed on the team we were routing for.

I'm pretty exhausted, but don't get a break this week. I have my first Young Non-Profit Professionals Network (YNPN)-Milwaukee Chapter Board meeting tomorrow night. Tuesday is going to be a really cool FUEL Milwaukee Event at Turner Hall Ballroom with the makers of Rehorst Vodka. On Wednesday I'm hopefully meeting my friend to get Antony & The Johnsons tickets, then going to my first Spreenkler meeting, before going to watch LOST. On Thursday night I have Classical Connections, which I am really bummed about because I want to go to the Milwaukee Film screening of Handmade Nation.

I need a clone!

social media madness: 25 random things about me

Certainly if you're on Facebook you've seen the phenomena that is the "25 Random Things About Me." Well now that I've been "tagged" multiple times I figured I'd go ahead and do it, when I came home from happy hour this evening. So here's your factoids and I'm only tagging folks who tagged me, because I don't believe in chain mail karma (I guess that's a bonus fact for you!).

1. I moved 2,000 miles away from home, in part to escape my family. The distance has tremendously improved our relationship over the past 10 years. Now my mom joined Facebook and I feel like I'm 17 again, needing to hide everything I'm doing -- even though none of it is bad.

2. One time I came home from college and I forgot I had a mostly-empty pack of Camel Lights in my bag. I tossed them in the garbage in the bathroom I shared with my then adolescent brother. My mom blamed him, he blamed me, I blamed my friend Lisa (one of the friends that was "mom-approved"). I don't smoke anymore. The idea generally disgusts me, unless I'm ridiculously stressed. But I found out my mom sneaks one every now and then.

3. My best friend, Kat, and I have been through things together that would fill a whole week on Lifetime Movie Network. Luckily, we don't think like women who actually buy into LMN, so we've gotten through it all just fine. Also, Kat and I can go for months without communicating (when she was in Germany, pre-prolific internet we'd actually write infrequent letters), but we always slide back into conversation with the greatest of ease.

4. The great love of my life and I never did anything more than accidentally hold hands in the theatre during "Bowling for Columbine." I don't know if it was on purpose or just going for popcorn simultaneously. I thought I'd find out, but then he got a Marcia-Brady looking girlfriend who inexplicably hated me. When I found out they were getting married I reacted like Carrie to the Big & Natasha storyline in "Sex In the City." When I found out via Facebook-stalking that she is pregnant and they've moved back to Milwaukee, I didn't know how to respond because I no longer had an equivalent pop culture reference.

5. I used to be a hopeless romantic (see #4), but I found that makes your heart much easier to smash when things don't work out. After a few rounds of that, I have a heart of steel. My last break up should have devastated me, but I picked up the pieces fairly quickly. I attribute that to the steelheart, the support of my amazing friends and all those who crushed me before. I may have cried over those guys in the past, but I'm kind of grateful to them for making my life a lot easier now.

6. I have traveled many places by myself, but I've gone with a buddy to my two "I" countries: Italy and India. My friend Kristen and I have always talked about going to Iceland for the Airwaves Music Festival (she's been once before). Despite their collapsing economy and government, I think we may just have to go for the trend's sake.

7. Emerging unscathed from corners of the world where the guide books warn me about scammers and pickpockets, I have been robbed twice. My bike was stolen at a jazz festival in Milwaukee's posh Third Ward neighborhood and my purse was stolen at a bar in Wrigleyville, Chicago. The lesson? Beware of yuppies (and Cubs fans).

8. I love my job working for, living and breathing the transit system. I was actually so excited about it when I applied that I barely told a soul because I was terrified of jinxing it. People had been telling me for years to "do what I love," but unfortunately having W as president for most of my adult life put a huge damper on my choices. Once I started promoting public transportation though, I knew what they were talking about. I wanted this job so badly because I felt I could help create change (and this was BEFORE Obama started encouraging everyone to do that). I know it's an uphill battle, but it's easier to fight when you have faith in your cause. I hope I can connect better with the amazingly dedicated community members who fight for this cause, because at the end of the day I'm one of them. I also hope they understand that I don't have a magic wand and that patience is a virtue until the ink is dry on a dedicated funding source. My two main selling points to get the job were: I don't have a car and I'm from Portland, Oregon. Those still hold up both internally and externally.

9. Throughout my tenure as a Wisconsin transplant, I've my Portland roots have earned me cred amongst the following groups over the years: college stoners, music fans, hipsters and transit advocates. Hypothesize what you will about overlap. It also blows people's minds that I was born in Portland, Maine but raised in Portland, Oregon.

10. It's always been a slight fear that I hit my prime at 17, when I appeared on the 1997 Jeopardy! Teen Tournament (and no, I didn't win, but I was an alternate for the second-round, which meant I got a free trip to DC (the first time they took the show on the road) and didn't have to stress about being on national TV again). Yes, I did meet Alex Trebek, but I also met several awesome fellow nerds who I don't really keep in touch with, but a few are Facebook friends. I gave a much better performance on Portland's locally-produced "High Five Academic Challenge." This resulted in my first real date (awful) and meeting one of my good friends freshman year who recognized me in the Cobeen (dorm) cafeteria as "that girl from the High Five commercial." Yes, when you tuned into your syndicated "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" reruns after school, I'd inevitably pop up on the screen buzzing in and saying "Wagner?" This commercial could very well still be running in the greater Portland area. While I never gained fame and glory from my teenage trivia antics, I did land on Varsity College Bowl as a college freshman and would get sporadic freaked out calls from acquaintances when a rerun of Teen Tournament would pop up on the Game Show Network (see #9, Group A).

11. There's apparently a such thing as a "Classic Meghan Story." I believe my retelling of them, after you buy me a pint or two, is only enhanced by my ethnically inherited Irish Gift of Gab. Unfortunately pretty much none of these stories are "family-friendly" (see #1), so as entertaining as they are I think I'd have to publish them under a nom de plume. Still, I don't know if writing them out would translate the nuances of the oral presentation.

12. I have zero interest in going to Germany, but have two friends marrying Germans in Germany in the near future, so I guess I'll go. All of my good friends from high school were fascinated with the place and the language. Kat and Mary Ann both studied there in college, but I never visited. I have a "Classic Meghan Story" about a German exchange student, but you should know you're not going to hear it right now if you've read #11. I do like German film however, with Metropolis, Run Lola Run, and The Lives of Others ranking quite favorably on my list. Of course, most of all I like making fun of Germans -- so Beerfest ranks even higher on my movie list.

13. I'm a little out of control in my film snobbery. Luckily I have an outlet in volunteering for Milwaukee's film festival. I usually am disappointed in buzz movies (i.e. Slumdog Millionaire). I am a firm believer that foreign films more accurately and unapologetically capture the human experience, so I'm always pleasantly surprised when an American film (i.e. The Wrestler) does so as well. My most-hated film of all time is The Notebook, despite having several really good friends who have tried to convince me otherwise. I actually think people claiming it is a good movie only adds fuel to my fire of loathing. I love the classics and am grateful for taking a Hitchcock class in college, even though I ended up only auditing it (thanks to the computers in the brothel that was Cudahy Hall giving my disk a virus and eating my entire final paper). I don't believe in favorites, so I don't have a favorite movie, but All About Eve is pretty well up there.

14. Music snobbery is another one of my traits. I fully credit my college boyfriend, Stew, for defining my indie musical path and my dad for making me appreciate the full unabashed glory of rock n' roll (I went through a phase in high school where I'd come home and rock out by myself to the Led Zeppelin II record every afternoon). I'm fortunate enough to have seen most major musical acts that I've wanted to, traveled to multiple music festivals, and caught amazing indie bands. My last boyfriend, Phil, introduced me to a lot of Milwaukee's local music scene and I'm grateful for that. He also sold me on the importance of donating to community-supported independent radio and really appreciate the magical goodness that is WMSE. My defining music moment though was seeing Arcade Fire OPEN for the now-defunct Unicorns at Mad Planet. There were maybe only 10 people there (this show often is confused with a later packed AF show at Mad Planet after the buzz had started) and we were all drawn from the bar to the stage, gaping in awe at the incredible sound filling the venue. I knew this was special. But not enough to not have the band sign the handmade EP I bought directly from them at the show. I felt then, and still do, that this band is this generation's U2/Radiohead-caliber band.

15. For someone as "artsy" as I may appear (see 13 & 14), I love sports. I lost my first tooth at a Tacoma Tigers (AAA?) baseball game. I was there with my dad. Despite taking quite the hiatus from baseball, I am now a huge Milwaukee Brewers fan. I believe this was destined to be, because when I was a kid I always chose the Brewers baseball helmet sundae at Baskin Robbins. I'm really glad they half-rock the old logo. Before I moved to Milwaukee there was a huge political debate about the new stadium and I know a lot of very liberal folks who refuse to step foot in Miller Park. I think this is dumb. I also think these people wouldn't be baseball fans anyway, and using politics as an excuse is easier than explaining that you just don't like sports. I challenge these people to start fessing up to the latter, because honestly at this point you just sound like a tool. I do wish I'd gone to a school with a football team, but Marquette Basketball helped me discover my love for the NCAA Tournament. What would my March be without brackets? I have adopted UW-Madison as my football team and love getting the chance to go to Badger games with my friend Cramer. Ten years in Wisconsin has turned me into a Packers fan, but I don't think that transformation will be complete until I make the journey to the Holy Land, aka Lambeau Field.

16. I have not eaten red meat since December 31, 1994. That was a pot roast. It was my New Year's resolution to give up red meat and it stuck. It was supposed to be a stepping stone to going full veg, but the thought of Thanksgiving without turkey really depresses me (even though I've skipped it some years -- see #17). I also love seafood, despite all the mercury. Despite a campaign waged by many to get me to embrace the apparent deliciousness of bacon, I haven't caved. I actually don't think I'll ever eat pork again, because a meat banned by two major religions can't be good for you. I figure I may end up eating beef again, should I ever become pregnant. I think one day I'm just going to yell "THE BABY WANTS STEAK!" and go dive into a hamburger. Right now I can always tell if I get a trace of forbidden meat in my food because my stomach quickly rejects it. It's not pretty.

17. Since 1998, I've only had one Thanksgiving with my family. I've spent one in Southern Illinois with a college friend, two in Northern Michigan with my college boyfriend, three in Wisconsin with friends and/or their families, two in Ozaukee County with my ex-boyfriend, one in Wales & England and one on a train from France to Barcelona with an Australian girl I met that day. The Welsh one is my most memorable. I'd been off exploring in Cardiff all day and returned home to find the 400-year-old farmhouse I'd been staying in filled with a delicious aroma. My friend's mother and aunt had a full spread on the table and invited me to sit down after we all enjoyed a cup of tea. They announced that we'd been having Shepherd's Pie and my stomach churned (see #16), but I was so grateful for their hospitality I decided to suck it up and hope they had good plumbing. They scooped a huge plateful for me, a dark meat swirling around with veggies and flaky crust. It smelled amazing, but I was terrified. I waited for my three dinner companions to take the first bite, took a deep breath and took a nibble. It tasted -- familiar. After my feigned approval, one of the hostesses proudly said, in her lilting accent, "We know it's Thanksgiving in America, so we wanted to make sure you felt at home. We went to the market and found a turkey for the pie!" I immediately dug into my plate and enthusiastically "mmmed", "aaahed, " and exclaimed "this is delicious!" Later on the way to pub I explained to my friend about my eating restrictions. He was incredulous, "So you were just going to get sick?!" I responded with, "Well I didn't want to be rude!" I believe he then commented about Americans being polite at the oddest times.

17. I constantly disagree with Catholicism, but I can't ever see myself switching teams. I do consider myself a very spiritual person, although I don't discuss it often. I am vehemently against evangelizing with hatred (i.e. "you're going to Hell if you don't do this). I don't understand Christians who nitpick passages out of the Bible to throw stones at people who are different from them (gays, those of different faiths). It seems to me they're ignoring the basic teachings of Christ, which in my understanding are love and tolerance. I silently cheer for interfaith dialogue and was impressed that Obama's inauguration speech also gave a shout out to non-believers. Although I've been to some of the most amazing cathedrals and churches in the world (including St. Peter's) as well as on several retreats during my eight years of Catholic school, the most incredible spiritual experience I've ever had was in none of them. It was in Rome, but completely unexpected. My friend and I were on the tour of the catacombs and met a family from Wyoming, a couple from Nebraska, and the couple's friend, a monsignor at Creighton University. After the tour the couple and the monsignor noted that they were going to celebrate the Eucharist in the catacombs. The family from Wyoming kinda freaked out and exited. Andrea and I were like "what the hey?" and stayed on. It was the most intimate experience I have ever had with God and it really sunk in saying the same mass (albeit in a different language) as people 2,000 years prior.

18. I advocate for gay rights, not because I'm gay, but because I feel that no one should be denied the right to the pursuit of happiness, especially when it's written into the Declaration of Independence. I don't understand people that think being gay is a choice either. It's hard for me to comprehend that this country is still restricting people's rights. And it really sickens me when people compare homosexuality (between two consenting adults!!) to pedophilia or bestiality. Again, going back to #17, I can't understand Christians picking random passages out of the scripture instead of going with the overall theme of love and acceptance (and you don't have to love in that way). Gay rights are a human rights issue to me and I'm happy to do what I can for the cause.

19. When I was a child my biggest fear was spontaneous human combustion. Now I think it's either being buried alive (a la Kill Bill Vol. 2) or drowning while trapped in an enclosed space. I don't think either would be very pleasant.

20. I got more out of a few days volunteering for the Obama campaign in the central city (I was eventually moved to my own neighborhood), than out of the months I spent schlepping for the Kerry campaign in the suburbs. To echo my friend Beth's sentiment, "I still stop what I’m doing and smile whenever I hear 'President Obama.'" Reading this article about how he's changing the work environment at the White House, made me smile even more. I love having a cool president!

21. FUEL Milwaukee (formerly Young Professionals of Milwaukee, or YPM), despite all its faults, is a huge factor as to why I've stayed in this town. I have made so many wonderful friends and connections through this organization and don't feel I would be who or where I am today without it. I certainly would not be on the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network-Milwaukee Chapter Board, without having gotten my start with YPM.

22. One not so exactly "family-friendly" tidbit (see #11). I have kissed someone from every civilized continent except South America (although I appreciate Beth's comment that she needs to get there "before cartographers pull a Pluto on Antarctica and it won’t count anymore," I do recognize that it has no native human life). My ongoing joke is always "I need to find a Brazilian and a penguin and be done with it."

23. I have several tracks for my future that I realize are completely unparallel: A) go to graduate school for a joint Urban Planning/Public Administration Master's; B) pay off my debt and save enough to buy a house; C) pay off my debt and save enough to quit work for a year and travel around the world before I'm 35; D) find someone, get married, reproduce. Actually I think D=disgusting at this point in my life. I'd actually rather find someone to travel around the world with me and then go from there. Although a recent joke on that note was "I need to find a guy who would build me the Taj Mahal." Uh, yeah, at this point someone who would pay half my rent after a couple years of dating would be just fine with me.

24. To echo Bill who tagged me, I also rejected the "digital converter box" for my television. I am perfectly fine with utilizing Netflix and watching my shows online. I never personally owned a TV until after college and thus missed some great shows that premiered between 1998 and 2002. Luckily TV on DVD has caught me up on Freaks and Geeks and The West Wing.

25. I am deathly afraid of needles thanks to a rogue phlebotomist during my pre-kindergarten physical. Because of this I've never gotten a tattoo or tried heroin. As traumatic as that phlebotomist was to my childhood development, I am grateful to her now to preventing any missteps in my lifestyle.

WTFisconsin: don't breathe deep

For those that think the state of Wisconsin is one big pot of fresh air, think again. Granted it's not India, where my Kleenex turned black when I sneezed, but unfortunately a new study came out today that showed Milwaukee is the second most challenging place to live with asthma.

The factors that ranked cities poorly were:

• Prevalence Factors – morbidity and mortality statistics
• Risk Factors – air quality, pollen, "100% smoke-free" laws, poverty and more
• Medical Factors – medication usage and access to specialists

It doesn't take a scientist to hypothesize from those risk factors.

Our air quality sucks. It's winter and we are under advisory for particle pollution. Wisconsin, the home of the founder of Earth Day, is mired in political infighting which results in its residents unable to catch their breath. Green solutions are never built and things like progressive public transportation (such as that in my hometown of Portland) never get off the drawing board.

Poverty, of course, is another issue, even prior to this economy. The city has the 7th highest poverty rate in the country, and a HUGE disparity in wealth and poverty between Milwaukee and its surrounding counties.

Finally, we have no restrictions on smoking whatsoever. I completely agree that this should be a statewide ban, and not just city-based (God knows Milwaukee does not need another city-suburbs battle factor). However, this needs to happen sooner rather than later. I cannot tell you how lovely it is to travel to cities that have smoking bans. I have plenty of friends that smoke and they don't mind going outside if they don't reek in the morning. Tonight I was only briefly in Flannery's, it wasn't very crowded and I only noticed a couple of folks smoking. Yet I get home and my freshly laundered jeans stink of stale cigarettes.

Maybe the detergent industry is the secret lobbyist in this state?

globetrotting: tourist in my hometown - pt I

Friday began with a quest for a famous doughnut.

Being from Portland I am constantly barraged with questions in the Midwest of "weird" Oregon stuff that's been glorified in the national media and/or cable television. It seems the Food Network and the Travel Channel have both highlighted Voodoo Doughnut in recent years. I think that's the #1 question I receive when I tell people I'm a Portland native these days: "Have you been to that Voodoo Doughnut place?" (So different from the questions I used to be asked in college...I guess I'm getting old).

No, I hadn't been. Neither had my mother. So we decided to trek downtown and see what all the fuss was about.

You see, even though I am "from" Portland (from age 11-18), I grew up in the west suburban part of the city and wasn't "allowed" downtown until maybe my senior year of high school. I moved away as soon as possible and only really explore the city in my short visits here. Thus, there are a lot of landmark Portland experiences that I've not been privy to, although I've definitely covered more insider ground than most Midwesterners.

At any rate, Dad dropped Mom and I off at the Sunset Transit Center to catch the MAX to downtown Portland. After some fun mother-daughter drama, I successfully purchased two TriMet all-day passes for us for $4.75 each (although the machine didn't allow me to select quantity on those, I had to buy one and then the other, kind of a pain in the butt). Bypassing the coffee kiosk open for thirsty commuters, we headed down the platform to wait for a train.

Admittedly, I don't take public transportation often enough when I come to Portland. The transit center is about a mile from the homestead and my friends are spread far and wide across the greater metro area. Even though the suburbs are accessible by the wonders of TriMet, my time is often stretched to get from one side of town to the other. It was wonderful to have urban center focused plans on Friday to take full advantage of Portland's top-notch system. If I lived here I would definitely not have a vehicle. My brother is 26 and like many other Portlanders has never even gotten his driver's license. I'm a tad envious of him, as when I was growing up here the westside lines to my parents' neck of the woods were still being built. I wonder what my high school life would have been like with light rail as an option.

Another thing about Portland transit is seeing people from all walks of life taking it. Case in point: walking into the transit center we were passed by a pickup with a McCain/Palin sticker and then a station wagon with an Obama '08 sticker. God bless Oregon Republicans (it may be a surprise to outsiders, but there are several). They truly have embraced public transportation. My father is a corporate conservative, and he doesn't even blink an eye when it comes to light rail, streetcars, commuter rail, etc. In fact, he gets excited about it. The economic development that has occurred here because of the transportation infrastructure is indisputable. What is going to take for Southeastern Wisconsinites to "get it"?

Sigh.

The ride down to the Skidmore Fountain stop was quite pleasant, especially as we were entertained by the cutest Asian kids ever across the aisle from us. How could you not smile at two brothers making themselves giggle in two different languages? Awww.

Unfortunately the trek from Skidmore to Voodoo Doughnut was not an easy one. Portland's idiotic snow management philosophy (let it warm up and melt) made the sidewalks an obstacle course, even on a 45 degree day. I'd made the mistake of not wearing my boots and quickly found my socks and shoes soaked to the core. I'm not kidding, some enterprising Wisconsinite could've made enough to retire on by slapping together a private snow removal company for the Oregonians over their freak snowy December. Honestly, I have no idea how anyone in a wheelchair could possibly get around even a week after the snow ended. Considering grocery stores and restaurants weren't even getting their deliveries until yesterday.

We located our doughnuts, but first swung into the US Bank building to hit an ATM and try and do a money exchange for my trip. I used the ATM, but we could not find the actual bank in the building. Very strange. Opting to try post-sugar, we headed to the sweet spot -- Voodoo Doughnut.

One of the "things" about Voodoo Doughnut (which I just realized is abbreviated "VD," kind of gross considering they do weddings), is their funkily named (Triple Chocolate Penetration) and quirkily combined (bacon maple bar) concoctions. I decided to go with the classic "Blood-filled Voodoo Doughnut." My mom really wanted to order the "Cock-n-Balls," but was too embarrassed to say it, so she tried for the peppermint sprinkle (a Christmas special). They were out of that so she ended up with a chocolate glazed. My little guy, impaled by a pretzel stick, adorned with a pentagram and filled with "bloody" raspberry deliciousness, was definitely worth the journey. I don't know if Mom felt the same way, but I would definitely return on a future visit downtown. The place is open 24-hours, so I could go whenever the mood strikes.

Quest completed, we tried fruitlessly to go find some rupees for my impending trip. I resolved that I will just pay the outrageous change fee at the Newark airport, and then hit up an ATM quickly in Delhi. Yes, I realized I should've addressed the money issue much sooner, but I've been spoiled by the accessibility of the euro. Although we didn't find rupees, we did find a beautiful US Bank location on 6th and Oak. I always loved being surprised by historic architecture. They just don't build 'em like they used to.

Although we really wanted to take a ride on the Portland streetcar, we couldn't figure out a place to go, so Mom and I just decided to trudge up Burnside to Powell's City of Books. I could really spend all day in Powell's, but we only stayed for about 1/2 hour as it was pretty crowded the day after Christmas. I picked up a gift for a friend who ended up being iced-in, a new neck wallet and a flexi-map of Delhi. I also bought a Powell's reusable bag. Powell's truly does have a book and section for everyone and while I perusing the women's travel section, I spotted the most amazingly titled book in the abutting gay travel section: How to Say "Fabulous!" in 8 Different Languages: A Travel Phrase Book for Gay Men. Seriously, fabulous.

Following my travels through "travel," I located Mother in the poetry area and we headed across the street to Rocco's Pizza. I remember coming here a few times a child, but Mom apparently blocked those memories. Regardless, they have huge tasty slices and I wanted one. Packed with hungry locals and tourists trying to get out the rain, Rocco's seemed a hot spot to be that day. Mother ordered a slice of cheese and I got the special, The Slick Dawg, with tomato, spinach and feta. Mine wasn't going to be up for a few minutes, but the incredibly stoned cashier promised me that when it did arrive it would be "hot AND awesome."

Hot and awesome it was, and well-fed, Mom and I walked back to Morrison to catch the MAX home. All that eating and touristing made a gal sleepy and I decided to take a nap before continuing my Portland adventures.

...To be continued, following my flight home to Milwaukee...

snowpocalypse now: it's real this time

You gotta love getting a wake up call to get out of bed and start working 15 minutes before your alarm goes off. Then looking out the window and realizing all of your friends probably do indeed have a snow day.

Off to go make a difference in the world today. Well, at least in the world of weary local travelers.

If you are a bus rider, do stay tuned to www.RideMCTS.com for updates.

milwaukee props: santa cycle rampage

Yesterday I had the most fun I've had in a really long time.

Because when you combine santa suits, bicycling, beer and polka, fun is pretty much inevitable.

We began the day at Fat Abbey Bier Café. I met up with my friends Monica and Joe P around 10:30 and caught up to the gang with a Bloody Mary. Unfortunately I lost my pickled bean when I turned around to meet my co-worker's family.

Shortly after 11, the orders were given to head out onto the streets. We grabbed our bikes and followed the pack of Santas.

Instead of heading directly to our next location, we had an impromptu Santa Cycle parade up Milwaukee's busiest streets. We looped around to Water Street and then headed south to Wisconsin Avenue, heading west up downtown's biggest artery. There were so many excited tourists, kids smiling and waving, homeless people shouting "Merry Christmas!"...it was pure holiday magic. Then we got pulled over. Yes, 150 santas pulled over on Wisconsin Avenue. We tried singing Christmas Carols to appease our captors, and perhaps it did work. The cops ordered us to ride "stop at red lights and ride two abreast." The latter order elicited a huge Santa giggle from the crowd. Seriously, who doesn't giggle at the word "abreast"?

Something to note here, on our run in with the law, is that no one is "in charge" of these indie bike rides. Obviously the liability would be ridiculous. These things just sort of "happen." There's an unwritten code to follow the group and not get out of control and the whole thing happens peacefully and without major incident. It's pretty amazing to witness and really does restore your faith in humanity.

As we rode away from our detour, I overheard one of the cops say "Wow, I really needed a laugh today so thanks for calling me out on this one." We continued down 4th Street, back to McKinley, to Water and on up to Brady. Unfortunately this meant tackling the Water to Brady Street hill. This hill is a pain in the butt when you can get up the speed to fly up it solo. Inching up it in a pack (two abreast no less--we were followed by the cops) was pretty brutal. We pulled up to The Nomad, I reunited with my gang, and Joe P bought us some Boddingtons in a can. It was warm enough (40 degrees!) to stand outside and drink with the santa pack.

This was a pretty quick oasis, so we slammed our beers and headed back with the pack on the short ride over to Lakefront Brewery. This was the off-road portion of the ride and although the Marsupial Bridge was fairly easy:

...the ride down the bike path to Commerce was more like a ski hill:

By the way, that plastic Santa attached to the back of a bike, had speakers and played Christmas music. (It also played Gary Glitter at some point too, which was a bit disturbing considering Santa's interaction with children.) There was also another guy with a "SantaCam" attached to his helmet.

The Lakefront folks were WONDERFUL to our group and gave us a free beer token when we walked in the door. They also accommodated us by taking a group photo (there was huge pile of cameras to get through). Add to their generosity the most delicious beer in Milwaukee and they top my list of favorite breweries. I enjoyed a few samples of their classic, Riverwest Stein, yesterday.

 

 

After the Lakefront stop things got a little hectic (and there is no longer photo evidence). Monica had to figure out if she was meeting up with her sister and her kids later, we were chatting with some elf, not paying attention, etc. and we realized all the Santas were gone. The next stop was four miles south, in Bay View. Monica and Joe P are way faster riders than me, so I left them and got a head start. I made it all the way to National Ave and realized how far behind I was, so I hopped a Route 15 and took my bike on the bus for the first time. Although we are not getting bike racks on our buses until next spring, if a bus isn't crowded you can ask the driver if you can bring your bike on board. I definitely was an instant celebrity on the bus, as most of the passengers, and the driver, had seen my comrades ride by about 10 minutes prior.

I hopped off at Lincoln and Kinnickinnic, to head into Café Centraal. On the way in I ran into my friend Liz, her husband, aunt and uncle, who I'd all seen the night before. They thought the whole thing was a riot. I got inside, ordered a Fat Abbey Strong Ale (Lakefront) and waited for my friends to arrive. I ended up running into another co-worker who was having lunch with his wife.

Question of the day: "Is this what you do in your spare time?"

Later I ran into my Santa co-worker and gave him the heads up to be alert. About that time, my friends walked in the door looking worse for wear. Apparently Joe P's crank fell off his pedal and they'd walked the last mile to Centraal. They just wanted to get some food and figure out how to get home, but I had my second wind and wanted to finish the ride.

When the Santa pack left, I headed out with them this time. This would be to the last stop, Kochanski's Concertina Beer Hall, where I hadn't been since it was Art's Concertina Hall. Another long ride, three miles from Centraal, I ended up meeting some of the Twitter folks that were doing the ride. That was interesting, as I'm not a huge "internet friend" person, but I do have plenty of real-life friends who are.

Kochanski's had free chili for Santas, but alas I could not enjoy the meaty treat. Instead I sat at the bar drinking a Fat Squirrel (New Glarus) watching A Christmas Story. Eventually I made some new Santa friends, did the polka, was treated to an accordion serenade and snagged a much-appreciated lift the five miles home for my bike and myself.

Needless to say I will definitely be rampaging again next year (even though my whole body aches today). I also hope to do some of the other silly bike rides before that time...if I'm cool enough to hear about them.

milwaukee challenges: three challenges for 2009 (more may come)

Another promise from last Sunday, was to outline some of the "Milwaukee Challenges" I've been thinking about for next year. These will certainly give me instant blog-fodder and help me highlight Milwaukee's best to you, my hopefully increasingly loyal reader.

Milwaukee Challenge #1: Read my way through Milwaukee's Public Libraries

I mentioned part of this challenge here, when I signed up to do the Support Your Local Library online challenge. The challenge is rather simple in that I just have to read 12 books (one a month) from the Milwaukee Public Library.

I decided to add my own "Milwaukee Challenge" twist to that, and vow to visit each location of the library system and pick one of the librarian's choice books there. Conveniently there are 13 locations, but since I visit the Central Library all the time, I will focus on the 12 satellites.

Milwaukee Challenge #2: Ride my way through the Milwaukee County Transit System

Speaking of visiting new parts of town, I will definitely be using the bus to get to the libraries above. I actually am challenging myself to get the most out of my employee pass and ride each of the nearly 30 regular routes in the system round-trip next year. Not only will this help me do my day job better, but it will allow me to explore many parts of the County I don't regularly visit.

I may also hop off the bus at landmarks along the way to give the blog posts some extra flavor, so if you have some tips on unique spots on Milwaukee's various bus lines, leave them in the comments.

Milwaukee Challenge #3: Pray my way through the Archdiocese of Milwaukee

For quite awhile I've toyed with the idea of starting some sort of Church blog, as I definitely enjoy visiting historic churches and places of worship in my domestic and world travels. One of the cool things about Milwaukee is that there are several unique churches of all faiths here and many associated with a particular ethnic tradition.

It would be impossible for me to hit all the churches in the city in a year, even at the rate of one a week. It would also be foolish of me to commit to going to Mass once a week, as I know myself too well.

I do however, think it realistic, to commit to a "church blog" twice a month. So, 24 churches next year. I'm going to start with what I know -- Catholicism, but I'm always willing to check out other traditions (keyword being "tradition" -- no "Christian New Wave" for me, thank you, I can respect you (well provided you truly are "Christ-like" in your teachings), but I'm just not interested) as bonus blogs. As you've probably also guessed from this blog, I'm a very liberal person and there are certainly opinions of the Catholic Church that I disagree with. I am a self-described "Cafeteria Catholic" and that viewpoint should be taken into account as I describe the services. I'll also focus on the art and architecture of the church as well. I'm also going to stick to the City of Milwaukee, with one exception, to keep things simple.

What churches will I be hitting up? I'll cross the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist off my list, as I just gave a description of that, and it is just a hop away. I should make some effort!

• Old Saint Mary Parish is just up the street from me and one of the oldest churches in town. I also just saw on there website that one of my favorite priests, Fr. Tim, who also presides at the Three Holy Women parish is assigned there as well.
• Speaking of Three Holy Women, I will add that to my list as well. I'll probably try to blog about St. Hedwig, as it's a predominant landmark on Milwaukee's popular Brady Street. It's also the parish I used to attend when I lived over on the East Side.
• No Milwaukee Church tour would be complete without the Basilica of St. Josaphat. I'm ashamed to even admit I've never been in here, as it was the third minor basilica designated in the U.S.
• St. Stanislaus has always intrigued me because of it's unique architecture and the fact that it's perched right over I-94. Now I'm even more intrigued because the Sunday masses there are held in Latin!
• St. Joan of Arc Chapel at my alma mater Marquette is another unique to Milwaukee place of worship that I couldn't possibly leave off this list.
• St. Benedict the Moor is another Milwaukee church with an interesting history. It was founded in 1908 to serve Milwaukee's African American population.
• Many of my friends who live on the west side of town attend St. Sebastian church in Washington Heights. Sometimes you need a little help from your friends to complete these types of challenges.
• I happened upon St. Michael parish while canvassing on election eve and was struck by its imposing beauty. My co-worker used to be a member of the parish and told me it's gorgeous inside. Not in the best of neighborhoods, but it's going on the list. It also has a Hmong service, which might be interesting to witness.
  
• Ss. Peter & Paul has some very fascinating architectural features I'd like to write about. I've been to this Eastside church before, but will probably swing through again for the challenge.
• St. Adalbert on the Southside is a former Polish church that now has primarily Spanish masses.
• In browsing the listing of churches out there, I came across St. Catherine of Alexandria, a historic church in the far northwest corner of the city. This is a part of town which I'm quite unfamiliar with, so I may as well add it to the list. I may hit this one up after the bike racks go on the buses!
  
• I bike by St. Francis of Assisi sometimes on my way home from work and am interested to see that they have mass with gospel music and one with Spanish folk music. Which to hit up?!
• St. Hyancinth has a great name, a history, and Misa en Español.
  
• Immaculate Conception is in the heart of Bay View, so it'll be interesting to check out where those in that cult worship
• St. Martin de Porres is another African American Catholic church, located in Riverwest.
• Speaking of Riverwest, Our Lady of Divine Providence parish is comprised of two historic churches in that area. I think I will try and visit St. Casimir.
• St. Rose of Lima church is near Marquette and tucked away. I've never heard of it, but I'll add to the list.
• Sacred Heart Croatian has Croatian Mass. I'm intrigued and there!
• St. Vincent Palotti is another combined parish with historic churches on the west side of Milwaukee.
• All Saints is a combined parish of 9 central city churches. It has a gospel choir as well.
• Congregation of the Great Spirit is a Catholic Native American Community. Fascinating!
• Ss. Cyril and Methodius has Polish Mass
• St. Mary Magadelen has Korean Mass.
• My one exception to Milwaukee churches is Holy Hill, another Wisconsin basilica. I've never been here either and hear amazing things.

What challenges are you issuing for 2009? Are you interested in participating in any of these?

Come Stuff the Bus Today in West Allis!

Yes, I am up at the crack of the crack of dawn, but it's for a good cause.

I'm headed to the Pick N Save at 111th & Greenfield in West Allis to stuff buses full of non-perishable food for needy families this Thanksgiving.

It's the annual Stuff the Bus event for Second Harvest of Wisconsin with 99.1 WMYX.

Our goal this year is to collect 200,000 pounds of food.

How can you help?

• Come on down to the Pick N Save between 5 AM and 6 PM today (I will be there with the bus until about 3:30/4) along with your canned goods. Here's a list of what's needed.
  
• If you can't make it down, or aren't in Milwaukee, you can donate online as well. Obviously you can't put a can of corn in your computer, but you can give money to help purchase food.

Hope to see you later today!

milwaukee props: coalition for advancing transit

I do want to give another shout out to the Coalition for Advancing Transit (CAT) a new group that spun off the Urban Economic Development Association (UEDA).

CAT doesn't appear to have it's own site yet, but they did hold a press conference last Thursday promoting the RTA vote that will happen tomorrow. (That's a vote for a Regional Transit Authority--currently each county in Southeastern Wisconsin does it's own thing--not exactly the best solution for a regional economic growth strategy).

Anyway, that event combined with the YES vote for transit funding warmed this gal's heart last week. Unfortunately I can't say much more. Yes, I do currently have my regular citizen's hat on and it is after 4:30 p.m. and before 8 a.m. and I'm using my own home computer, but one needs to be careful.

Those who don't have political constraints though--KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

YES WE DID!!!!

Thank you America!

Grant Park was surreal, amazing, a defining moment of my life.

Beyond glad that I was there.

Will post pictures when my brain doesn't have to go to work after 4 hours of sleep.

Thank you Milwaukee!

You told the powers-that-be that you want a dedicated funding source for transit and parks. I'm so proud.

local election endorsement

If you live in Milwaukee County, please vote YES for moving transit, parks and emergency medical services off the property tax levy. They would be paid for by a 1% sales tax increase, which translates into a nice property tax decrease for you homeowners out there. It also greatly ensures our continued Quality of Life in Milwaukee.

Please vote YES on the referendum tomorrow.

sunday catch up: a missed blog action day and my personal curse

I find it rather interesting that my computer crashed on the eve of Blog Action Day , the same year that my bike blew a spoke on the second day of Bike to Work Week. Why are the community action gods so offended by my efforts?

At any rate, I was nothing short of totally inspired by the amount of participation I saw in this effort. It seemed almost every other blog in my Google Reader had some mention of the event and a post relating to Poverty, which was this year's theme.

My attention to poverty has been heightened quite a bit in the past year through my personal and professional commitment to public transportation, through my new-found interest in the politics of food and of course through my obsession with the 2008 election and depression-era economic climate.

Public Transportation
It's so hard for me to comprehend how people can overlook mass transit as a critical tool in breaking the cycle of poverty. Public transportation connects people with jobs and education. It also much less expensive than the cost of owning, maintaining and insuring a personal vehicle. Not to mention the environmental benefits, which can also overlap with poverty issues (i.e. better air quality is better for impoverished children with respiratory problems, etc.). I realize this one paragraph is only skimming the service of the greater argument, which I certainly do hope to lay out in greater detail in future blog posts.

ACTION ITEM: One step you can do to improve this factor of the poverty cycle is vote for dedicated transit funding on November 4. If you live in Milwaukee County, you will see the referendum for transit, parks and emergency medical services. Just mark the arrow next to "YES" to show your support. For more information on this issue you can visit the Quality of Life Alliance website.

Politics of Food
You've certainly been subjected to my own food rants lately, but again, I strongly urge you to read Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. This book really cracked open a whole vault of interest for me in food issues. Next up I'd like to read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food.

ACTION ITEM: One organization I've been hearing more and more about lately (though it's been around forever) and whose catalog I just received is Heifer International. I'm very interested in learning more about organizations that tie together sustainable agriculture and poverty. Up until this point I'd really only focused on the "give a man a fish" side, versus the "teach a man to fish" aspect. I think both sides are important though, and that's why I'm personally committed to giving fish (or hot dogs, ham, etc.) to Milwaukee's homeless once a month by volunteering at the Open Door Café at St. John's Cathedral. I encourage anyone who wishes to come along with me sometime.

Poverty and the 2008 Election
As unfortunate as the economic meltdown has been, I think it's somewhat positive that it's shining a consistent light on the symptoms of poverty that are beginning to lick at even the middle class in America. I have high hopes that more permanent solutions can be implemented under our next president.

ACTION: PLEASE vote. In most places you can vote NOW. If you live in the city of Milwaukee, go to the Zeidler Building and do it as soon as possible.

reading for pleasure

A recent comment asked how on earth I have time to read for pleasure.

I'll admit, this hobby had all but dropped out of my life for awhile, with the exception of long plane rides.

However, in the past year it's resurfaced in full force. How?

Well, that's one of the absolute beauties of public transportation.

I have 20 minutes in the morning and 20 in the afternoon to dive into a book. I also find this a good time to listen to new music on my iPod.

What if you don't have someone else driving on your commute? I've heard audiobooks are good for long drives. Also, try blocking off the 15 minutes before you go to be at night to read at least one chapter of a book. Or set small goals like reading three chapters a week.

I found once I started reading again that I made time, as it's hard to put some books away.

Case in point, I just finished The Kite Runner. I stayed up late to finish it, because it was so emotionally gripping that I knew I couldn't read it on the bus as I found myself sobbing pretty much every 50 pages.

required posting

I had full intentions of keeping up with my blog roll (nerdy, nerdy pun right there) from last week, but unfortunately time has slipped away from me. Work has been really insane this week, with my boss being on her second week of vacation, and I am exhausted at the end of each day. Luckily I had after work dinner plans with my dear friend George tonight, so I made sure to bust out on time and try to leave the day behind me as best that I could.

So what I have been up to with them there goals I laid out last week? Well, let's see:

Limit eating out to 1 lunch and 1 night per week, 1 night OR brunch per weekend -- this is one of the greatest areas where my spending starts spiraling. I'm determined to remedy that.

In the past week I've only gone out to eat once, tonight. I went to Phan's Garden at 19th & National for Vietnamese food. It was my first time trying that cuisine and it was delish! I had Pho Ga, which is basically thinly sliced chicken in broth with rice noodles and then you layer on peppers, bean sprouts and cilantro. It was mighty tasty, and the decor in the place was wild. The only negative was my fortune which said "You will soon find a new line of work." That sucks, because I certainly love my job. I hope it just referred to my boss returning and me going back to my daily duties.

Limit buying cocktails to 1 per weeknight, 3 per weekend night -- another spending death trap. I think this is a reasonable goal. Cocktails does mean beer and wine as well. And note that it basically refers to going out and buying them. If I have a couple glasses of wine at home I don't think there's any harm there.

I actually don't know the last time I hit up the bars. My drinking seems to have been confined to purely social occasions. Of course, once I can relax again next week I may finally crack open that vino.

Create viable eat local plan -- I'm starting with my October plan to do one meal a day. We'll see where it goes from there.

I'll admit, I've swayed off my October plan, mainly because I can't invest the time right now into tracking down grain options, nor the money into truly organic dairy. I am committed to using local produce in everything that I make (sorry pineapple and bananas) and that's going great. I had a fabulous meal of sauteed delicata squash and red onion over harvest grains that lasted days. I made a tomato sauce again. I made a fabulous salad for the debate party I attended Tuesday, which was a huge hit. That actually had all Wisconsin-grown ingredients except the walnuts and dressing (which was homemade however). Even with my mac & cheese dinner last night after the worst day ever, I steamed some local broccoli and it truly did make me feel better. Another thing I did with this goal in the past week was blanch and store my corn for winter. That was a cool accomplishment. I also nailed down my CSA committment for next year -- thanks Becky, planned a local Apple Picking outing for Saturday, and hit up the farmer's market last week and plan to early Saturday morning. I realized you can't jump headfirst into something like the Eat Local Challenge, but you can take baby steps and hope for a better 2009.

Post a blog (minimum) three days per week -- you'll be hearing a lot more from me

Clearly I've sucked at this. But I think if I do this tomorrow and Saturday I'll cover my arse for this week. Phew.

Obama campaign activity at least once per week through the election -- this is going to be tricky but I have to find/make the time. If a week goes by where I can't make it in, I'm going to make myself donate $5.

Realizing that watching the debates wasn't going to cut it, I stopped into the Obama office on Monday night and did data entry after work. I had a great time and met an amazing woman who had been personally encouraged by Desmond Tutu to move back to the US and work on the campaign. I overheard that last part, but how could I not be impressed?

Read three books per month -- a reasonable goal and motivation to pay off my library fees

Found out my fees weren't that terrible (gotta love the library!) and checked out a few books last week. Currently reading The Kite Runner at long last. Only about halfway through, but loving it so far and have cried about 17 times.

Attend one film at UWM Union Theatre a month -- they're free so this should be easy

Since I believe the Fleet Foxes concert is sold out, I am considering going to the Milwaukee Premier of My Blueberry Nights tomorrow, but it's at 9, I may be too sleepy.

There you have it. Yes, I do realize there's a lot of outstanding goals. But, I'm only human.