monday munchies: tornado meatloaf

I hopefully will be able to update you with my culinary adventures tomorrow. I was just about to sit down and prep a post while my CSA/market-inspired meatloaf was cooking, but then the sirens went off...and I freaked out.

So you get a post tomorrow! Goodnight!

WTFisconsin: the boy who cried snow

This will be my 12th winter in Wisconsin.

I realize that it a) snows several inches at one time and b) gets ass cold.

I got a CD in Meterology.

Why does local media act like it's the end of days?

girl on film: it was a dark and stormy night...

Tonight was the first night of film viewing for me at the Milwaukee Film Festival, as I worked at the Oriental Theatre for opening night.

Unfortunately I had to miss Modus Operandi, due to a tailgating commitment with co-workers. The rain did not a merry tailgate make, and I left the game (which the Brewers won, yay!) early to meet up with Jason to go film it up.

What better flicks for a dark and stormy night than a biopic of a sociopath and a homage to '80s horror about satantic cults?

Actually, Bronson, the first movie, was absolutely superb. It's playing again at the Marcus North Shore Cinema, so if you get a chance to catch it, do so. The write-up compared it to A Clockwork Orange, and I can't say that's inaccurate at all. The direction was extremely Kubrickian. It's also a movie, however violent, that I'd like to see again to catch all the nuances. There's so many layers to it, once you get beyond the shock value of the extreme violence (sort of like Fight Club, which I admittedly also need to see again). The lead actor, Tom Hardy, was absolutely brilliant and I look forward to seeing him in more things (especially since I'm sure he can be quite sexy when he isn't bashing people's heads in). Plus, it may have the best line in all of the festival: "Magic? You just pissed on a gypsy in the middle of fucking nowhere."

Of course, we couldn't be content with just catching an intense psychological profile. Nope. We had to freak ourselves the EFF out with The House of the Devil

There was a reason in the '80s that my parents didn't let us watch horror movies. They wanted to save on their electricity bills!!! I came home and promptly turned on all my lights. Screw SUVs, horror movies are fueling our dependence on foreign oil. Yes, I know I'm not "babysitting" in the middle of nowhere. I think there's no satanic cultists living in my building. I know there's no total eclipse of the moon this evening. Unlike most modern mainstream slasher flicks, where it's just about the body count of hot chicks and frat boys, this had minimal characters and maximum suspense. It didn't challenge me to reexamine my life or perspectives, but it scared the crap out of me, which is exactly what it was supposed to do.

Of course, it didn't help that Jason tried to freak me out as I was getting out of the car. I think I scared him a little when I screamed at him to "KNOCK IT OFF!!! DON'T EVEN START!!" He's lucky I didn't go Bronson on his ass.

***

I forgot to mention the dude sitting next to me during HOTD that added an extra element of suspense. You never knew how he was going to react. At one point of jumpiness, he elbowed me sooooo hard in the ribs that I practically jumped in Jason's lap. Jason had no idea this was going on and wondered why I was EXTRA freaking out. Talk about experiential theatre!

music madness: lollapalooza recap

As you know, I headed to Lollapalooza last weekend to catch some of my favorite bands and check out some new ones. As usual, I did not hit up every band on my list, but I did get in some good shows. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate very well this year, so my perspective of the concerts is somewhat skewed by the pouring rain on Friday and extreme heat of Sunday.

Overall, I enjoyed what may be my last "Lolla" (I'll hit 30 in January and not sure if I can deal with festivals much longer), and had the added bonus of catching up with great friends in addition to catching great music.

Friday

After a frustrating early-morning train ride, I was extremely glad that The Henry Clay People was totally worth the trip. I would love to catch these guys in a smoky bar, definitely real rock n' roll. Catchy originals and the added cover of "Running on Empty" was a highlight of the fest for me. My first "I'm old" moment though, as some of the kids around me definitely weren't familiar with the song. Yikes.

Next up was the highly energetic Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, another band probably best seen at a smaller venue. They were so much fun and I would absolutely catch them again. Glad my friends recommended I make this a "don't miss" of my weekend. Their current album is a good-time listen. I suggest you check it out.

At the end of BJL, I met up with my pal Brian from college over at The Gaslight Anthem. There's a ton of hype around this band because of some Springsteen-factors, but I think they may be the Slumdog Millionaire of hot bands for me -- I just didn't love it. Honestly, all the songs sounded sort of the same, and the dudes were way too clean cut (albiet for their tattoo-sleeves) for my vision of real-rock. If I want to listen to The Boss, I'll stick to Bruce himself, or The Hold Steady.

Luckily during this show I shared Brian's umbrella and didn't notice how much the rain had picked up. Unluckily, I headed over to my next show unprepared.

I love, love, love me some Bon Iver. Wisconsin's favorite indie son was my top album (and second best concert) of 2009. Too bad mother nature (and suburban high schools girls belting out "Skinny Love") ruined his Lolla set for me. Lucky for Milwaukeeans, Justin Vernon will be chairing AIDS Walk Wisconsin and performing at the Riverside Theater on October 11. I am going to try my best to make it to both.

I sacrificed catching Ben Folds to spend the best $5 of the weekend -- on a lovely blue poncho. It did little to dry me off, but it did prevent me from completely drowning during the rest of the night.

Fleet Foxes did not disappoint with their beautiful, haunting melodies. The poncho enabled me to enjoy the show a bit more, but this is another one I'd like to see in a concert hall versus a wet park.

By this point I'd resolved to sacrifice the headliners and head out a little early to a warm, dry place. But not before I caught what was my guaranteed album of the year (more on that later).

The Decemberists Riverside Theater show is likely going to be my concert of the year, so the Lolla show was like a second scoop of ice cream for me. It was great to hear Hazards of Love played straight through again and see Shara Worden steal the show once more. However, the hour set time didn't allow for any audience interaction and regular Decemberists tunes after the rock opera. The set was a perfect way to end the long day for me.

Saturday

Spending the morning with my dear hosts allowed me to avoid the bulk of the sweltering heat of the day.

I arrived, water in hand, just in time for Los Campesinos! This band has enough insane energy to be great in a small venue or a giant stage. This was also a band where I saw a couple members wandering around the grounds like normal people. I think they definitely win the award for "Band I'd Most Like to Be Buds With." And not just because they're Welsh (therefore awesome) or because they are really into the stage dives.

After LC! I met up with my friend Keiker who came down from Milwaukee for the day. She and I are both huge TV on the Radio fans, so we were both looking forward to that in the evening. We met up at the Kidzapalooza Stage after I got a text alert that there was a surprise Band of Horses set scheduled. They played just around 2-3 songs, but it was a nice time to sit in the shade.

Keiker and I split up so I could check out Blind Pilot on another small stage. They opened for The Decemberists in Milwaukee, but it was nice to get a chance to really give them a listen. Their album is very tight and another strong recommendation for 2009.

I headed over to Santigold next and as luck would have it ran into Keiker, which was a fantastic twist of fate since AT&T service was horrific on the grounds. She put on an over-the-top show, and I was disappointed I couldn't even get a good jumbotron shot of the outfits of her and the back up dancers. Keiker and I decided to head over to get a solid spot for TVOTR. This worked out perfectly -- we could still hear Santi and we landed a fabulous position.

This was the show of the festival. I wish Tunde Adebimpe and crew would come to Milwaukee sometime. I have been a long-time fan of the albums, but never imagined the band would be so dynamic live. Their songs on the albums are so nuanced, from dark & slow to upbeat & dancey, but live each performance in the set had a definitive spark.

Keiker and I both left this one with huge smiles on our faces. We grabbed some food, caught some of Ben Harper and the Relentless7, and staked a place for the headliner.

I didn't have any expectations for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but had I, Karen O. would have blown them away. The woman is the Chrissy Hynde of the Millenials, and definitely (after Shara Worden) the rockstar I'd most want to be. Even though my concert buddy had to head out halfway through the show, I stuck around and danced out the rest of the set solo.

Sunday

Sunday was hot. Really, really hot. I missed the days when Lolla was a two-day festival. 

I started out with Ra Ra Riot, which admittedly was a huge disappointment. I'd heard their live performance talked up, but I think the issue really may have been my baking under the blazing sun. I would give them a second chance in a venue like Turner Hall, when I wasn't 120 degrees.

Halfway through RRR, my friend Ryan texted me that he was waiting by the Bat for Lashes stage. I didn't find him, but I spotted an opening front and center under the stage. As soon as Natasha Khan stepped on stage I was captivated. This show was in tight running with TV on the Radio for best of the fest. I really hope the Pabst/Turner group can bring BFL to Milwaukee as I'd absolutely see this magical show again. And Two Suns now may beating out Hazards of Love for album of the year.

Mesmerized and sweltering, I left Bat for Lashes, I headed to refill my water and connect with friends. Walking away from the stage I saw a pale hippie pass out, eyes roll back into head, head thump on the dirt. Terrifying. Fortunately the medical staff saw this at the same time, so I could move on, the horrible image embedded in my head.

It was really, really hot.

I found Ryan over at Kaiser Chiefs, a band which I'm not a huge fan. We chatted a bit and I left to catch Gang Gang Dance at a shaded stage on the other side of the grounds.

This was the perfect chill group to take a nice break with. I watched about half the set and then connected with my old co-worker, Darcie, who I found out was at the festival via Twitter. We found a spot of one of the staircases to catch Vampire Weekend, who failed to impress. Their set wasn't much different than the one at Turner in April 2008 and they were clearly slowing down their songs to fill the hour timeslot. Thus, one of my favorite shows of '08 turned into one of the most forgettable of '09.

Our small group packed up to head over to the band usurping the "it" title.

Passion Pit brought it. The small stage they were on was PACKED and they could've easily owned the mainstage.  While they definitely straddle the border between indie and emo, they fall on the Death Cab side of the line (aka bands I really do like). I will be downloading Manners soon.

I ended up staying through the whole set, which caused me to miss much of Dan Auerbach, who my friend Brian claims put on the best show of the festival. I will have to try and catch him in Milwaukee this fall.

Everyone was a little (well a lotta) pissed at Lou Reed. He started his set nearly 15 minutes late, and I guess threw off the rest of the festival for the evening. I was happy to hear "Sweet Jane" before I had to sprint to the train station (I opted to skip the later Megabus), but underimpressed overall.

Lou was responsible however, for my 10 seconds of VIPness at the festival. For some inexplicable reason the exit I'd used the previous two evenings was closed on Sunday until the end of the festival. After explaining to two sympathetic guards that I didn't have time to wander through the grounds as Lou's lateness was pushing my time to get to the train, they directed me to the side of the stage. There, security escorted me out the VIP exit backstage. I didn't push my luck and look around or whip out my iPhone. But I can tell you that the special folks use a portapotty just like the rest of us.

Speaking of "special people," I think the two British-looking dudes are Kaiser Chiefs, but is the dude in the middle the dude from The Hangover? Or just a look-a-like? You be the judge in the comments.

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!

WTFisconsin: pedestrian peeves

You'd expect living in a major second-tier city that you wouldn't have to fear for your life or your convenience walking through it's streets. Unfortunately sometimes I run into that. This week was one of those times.

Those who follow me on twitter may have seen my upset tweet on Tuesday:

Just had THREE CARS cut me off in the crosswalk at van buren and wells. Car 3 caught my wrathh [sic--hey, i was typing from a cell phone after almost dying]

I then asked for folks to give me their scariest intersections and I found that others share my fears. Some comments from twitter and facebook:

• Oakland and locust
• ogden and astor. it's a four-way stop, but nobody can figure out who should go first, esp. when there are pedestrians.
• E. North Ave. and N. Farwell Ave.
• crossing St. Paul on the west side of Water
• how about Capitol Dr. - and any side street. As for Milwaukee - anything near the PAC.
• Brady/Farwell/Oakland

We shouldn't have to live in fear. Drivers please LOOK IN THE CROSSWALK for people before you hit the gas pedal. It's best for both of us.

Yesterday I ran into a couple of frustrating, but not deadly, obstacles.

First, the city is doing some maintenance to the Riverwalk. Fantastic! However, it's completely closed on the eastside of the river just past John Hawk's Pub. One would expect there to be a sign at the entrance to this section of the walk at Wisconsin Avenue to give people the head's up that if they are using this as a pedestrian thruway (because would you really want to go look at the dirty, melting river right now?) they can't can't through. Uh, well that didn't happen. Instead I got to this:

Really? Closed? You don't say. Maybe the fact that there are big boards blocking the way I'd figure that out. You know what would have been better? Putting that warning up BEFORE I walked an unnecessary 500 ft.

My second annoyance came in the form of navigating through the mudflats at the Cathedral Square sidewalk. Unfortunately during the winter these are never cleared sheets of sheer ice. Spring isn't much better. I'm guessing it's the county that is responsible for clearing, so I have one more thing to blame He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named (but you can guess that his last name doesn't mean he is one!) for:
Yes, that is my shoe sucked into a swamp. Lovely.

One other peeve I had walking home was wondering why there were a bunch of creepy looking middle-aged suburbany white guys lurking around downtown with zombified looks in their eyes. Then I remembered this creepy conservative conference was here this weekend. *Shudder.* If you want to see a lot of white people, check out that last link.

milwaukee props: sustainable spirits

While Thursday night's libation of choice was beer, Friday ended up focused on spirits -- made right here in Milwaukee.

Our original plans canceled, Becky and I ended up checking out the Great Lakes Distillery tour with a group from FUEL Milwaukee. You may remember my raving about the Rehorst event earlier in the month, now I am completely sold. If I buy a bottle of vodka for my home use, it will only be Rehorst.

The tour hammered home not just their focus on quality and standards, but their commitment to sourcing local products for their creations. Ninety-five percent of money from a Rehorst brand purchase stays in the local economy.

I learned the reason they make a wheat vodka is because they can use Wisconsin-grown wheat. I learned that my favorite product, the Citrus & Honey Vodka is made with honey from Wisconsin Natural Acres in Chilton. The lemons are HAND-ZESTED, and while not grown in-state (for obvious reasons) are sourced via a locally-owned produce distributor.

I'm not a gin drinker, but they did sell me on the idea that "gin is just juniper-flavored vodka" and that non-gin drinkers like their product. I have to agree. The difference is they make theirs with ginseng (Wisconsin grown of course!) and sweet basil (sourced from The Spice House) instead of angelica root.

Apparently a very limited supply of their artisan series brandies -- Grappa (grapes grown in Wisconsin), Kirschwasser (distilled from Wisconsin wine) and the highly recommended Pear Eau-de-Vie (also distilled from Wisconsin wine) -- is available now. I'm anxious to sample. I'm also excited to try their absinthe rolling out soon.

Because of all sorts of antiquated post-prohibition laws and crazy distributor monopolies, they aren't allowed to sample at the distillery. Luckily the fabulous Iron Horse Hotel is across the street. We joined the group of about 40 people in The Library (it was great to snuggle up on the leather couches next to the fire place) for a taste test of the vodka, Citrus & Honey and the gin. My friend Kristen was there too and I got the scoop on upcoming Skylight shows (who wants to go to Pirates of Penzance with me this spring?).

Though we were craving fish fry, Becky and I decided not to brave the icy weather and just move on over to Branded to nosh. We each had the Billy Blue salad (Becks had salmon with hers) and split a HUGE bowl of House Chips. The chips are tastetastic and coated with Wisconsin Parmesan. We, of course, washed down our meal with Rehorst Citrus & Honey and tonic (after I established that tonic is not soda). Branded is a bit on the pricey side, but man, I have to say it's one of the coolest places in town. It completely succeeds at being swanky and unpretentious at the same time. I highly, highly recommend it. Hopefully one day I'll get to stay in a room there!

It's good to see places like Great Lakes Distillery and the Iron Horse putting Milwaukee on the map. Rumor has it that Sheryl Crow was hanging out at the Iron Horse this week, and then I ran into my friend Eric (in from California for the day to close on a house in Milwaukee) at the distillery. Okay, maybe not in the same category, but both can spread the word about what fantastic things are happening here.

thankful tuesdays: global warming edition

I am really thankful for 60 degree days in February. I am thankful to the polar bears that likely sacrificed their lives so that I could enjoy a respite from the winter doldrums.

sunday catch up: too nice to blog

Believe it or not it was over 50 degrees this weekend. I've been out and about and when I've been home I've thrown open the windows to air out the place and clean out the winter blues.

I know it won't last, but I sure appreciate it!

Friday night I did stay in to shake off the last of my "bug." Saturday I woke up early and went to yoga. I walked to Brady Street afterward--in my yoga pants!! It was that warm. I picked up quarters and grabbed coffee and a bagel at Brewed. I came home and did six loads of laundry (still more to do), gathered up three bags of clothes for Goodwill and started attacking my kitchen. I finished the kitchen tonight (after a run to Target for supplies) and I must say it's lovely.

I actually am going to start rotating rooms each week so each gets a thorough cleaning once a month. I'm so busy that I figure writing it down on a calendar will help. I hate cleaning, but I certainly like clean rooms!

Last night I had my annual reminder of why I hate chick flicks. I agreed to a girls night (which WAS fun, I do love my girlfriends) and we went to see He's Just Not That Into You. It was so terrible that I'm actually going to team blog my review with my friend Mandi. Look for that coming this week (if it's not so nice out that I don't want to be at the computer!).

happy ground hog day everyone!

If that rodent sees his shadow (which he probably will, doesn't he always?), I'm going to cry. Or grab a beer.

weekending: despite settler FAIL edition

Okay, I know I bitched about it before, but SERIOUSLY, why did people settle in the Upper Midwest? Was it a trick? Were they all masochists?

I should not have been "pleased" with the "balmy" hovering around freezing temps this week. Zero degrees Celsius seemed just peachy.

Why?

Because once again we're in for ZERO DEGREES FARENHEIT or less.
Luckily (or unluckily because it takes me outside), I'm keeping busy to help combat the winter doldrums.

Last night I joined my pals Becky and Maribeth for dinner at Beans & Barley (I can never get enough of the Chicken Salad Plate with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Dressing). Afterward, we joined our friend Marcella at the Milwaukee Film screening of American Movie celebrating the 10 Year Anniversary of the documentary. I hadn't watched the movie in probably about seven years, so it was a nice refresher to see it again. Still effin hilarious. And now that I know Milwaukee a little bit better, I watched it through the eyes of resident, not just a transient college student.

After the screening there was a Q&A with the two stars, Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank, and the latter's new wife. That part was definitely pretty surreal. I mean, everyone sees those guys around town as "guest celebrities," but it was awkward to have them pop up after just watching a documentary on their life 12 years ago. Marcella described it as "sort of like performance art." Especially because there was this whole tangent on translating stories from Albanian and using that as a dieting technique. Uh, yeah, I guess you really had to be there.

Marcella and I swung through the post-party at Landmark Lanes, as she had never been there. It was kind of hard to tell what was really what with the whole "party" thing, so the two of us just grabbed a booth and caught up. Always good to do that!

Tonight I'm off to a "Summer in Winter" party in Cudahy with Becky, Brooke and Craig. The Bennett-Frizzells are cooking up some mango chicken and I am providing sherbert for dessert. It was supposed to be tropical lime bars, but I kind of didn't have time to make those.

We're also drinking some yummy "rumaritas."

Tomorrow I hope to brave the cold and get to yoga at The WAC. I really need to get back to my 30 By 30 focus. Of course, after that I'm going to add on some calories by taking my friend Margaret to the Lakefront Brewery Tour (since I realized it's been awhile).

The evening is reserved for my friend Jane. If I decide to make it a later night, my movie buddies are all going to Mad Planet for a Love Sounds dance party.

Sunday morning I hope to make it to this new "Try It Hip Hop Yoga" at the WAC. Don't ask, I don't know. Then for lunch I have a date at Izumi's (I have a gift certificate) with my friend Monica.

Of course in the meantime, I hope to clean, do more laundry, and get to some of those unfinished challenges from last week.

I do have to say that it's a myth that Milwaukee is only fun in the summer. Although it's ass-cold, I'm obviously not lacking in stuff to do.

What's on your plate this weekend?

weekending: arctic belated birthday blast edition

After hibernating for a few days due to the combination of jet lag and frigid temperatures, I'm being forced out of my hole tonight to attend Classical Connections put on by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. This is the second in a four part series for the season.

Tomorrow night I'll be celebrating my birthday by rolling into the MAM After Dark event at the Milwaukee Art Museum. I'll be there from about 7 p.m. onward, so please stop by and buy me a birthday beer!

globetrotting: two days, travel free

Coming home for the holidays is always hectic.

Not only do I get to fly 5+ hours, but I add 5+ hours of drive time immediately to that.

My parents live in Portland, but my grandmother lives between Seattle and Tacoma. That means every year I get to drive 2.5 hours up and back on Christmas day. This year I'd strongly considered flying direct into Seattle and spending extended time with Grandma. However, Midwest cut its direct flight there, friends in PDX balked, and those plans were scrapped.

Yesterday's drive was especially fun, since the Pacific Northwest is totally unequipped to deal with their version of the Snowpocalypse. I will be posting later giving recommendations to Midwestern entrepreneurs. Regardless of plowing though, they don't believe in salt here, so there's no preemptive clearing of the highways. I drove through snow, slush, snain, sleet, sun and good ol' PNW rain en route to Grandma's and back. Luckily I had my brother and his pal Vince to keep me from going insane.

And luckily-est of all, I had my Grandma and her hugs and food waiting for me on the other end.

At any rate, I am back in Portland now and get to just hang out for two days without traveling more than a few miles. I have three parties to hit up, but all within the metro area. It's like vacation! (oh, wait, it is)

WTFisconsin: weather competition

I really feel for my friends and family on the West Coast, where I'm hopefully heading on Wednesday. It's been freakish weather there with snow and freezing rain. They aren't prepared for this sort of thing, so the cities have all been shut down for a week. My mom's school was closed all last week, meaning a three-week Christmas vacation.

Yeah, I feel for them until I have to step outside here.

The high today was like 2 degrees. I'm not joking. It's currently ZERO, with a windchill of NEGATIVE FIVE THOUSAND AND TWENTY TWO. Well actually -21, but still, that's not inhabitable. I had to leave the house today to get prescriptions, quarters, one last Christmas present and food. And for the past couple hours I have had to leave my apartment to run down the back stairs to switch out laundry.

Even though I had a super fun weekend (my girlfriends and I ended up dancing our butts off at the Lotus Land Records party at Mad Planet until bar time last night. Becky and I knew it would be a fun night when we were offered Leinie's 1888 Bock while waiting for the bus), the fact that being outdoors for more than 30 seconds is a health hazard is really bumming me out.

I love my job, I love my friends, I love Milwaukee above 30 degrees, but I am really, really tested when the weather is like this. I had a suggestion in the last post about this topic to take up winter sports, but alas it's too cold to do that right now.

I'm also really angry at my recently ended relationship, because I wonder what if I'd looked harder to find a job in warmer climes -- since I switched careers twice while we were together.

I'd cry, but my tears would freeze.

nature, you disappoint me: happy night day!

I was so excited to do the Winter Solstice Candlelight Nature Walk at the Urban Ecology Center. Especially with our fresh foot of snow on the ground, I'm sure it will be a wintery wonderland.

One little thing -- in the next couple hours it's scheduled to drop from the current balmy 27 to a frigid 6 degrees. Accompanied by face-cutting winds and blowing snow.

Yeah, we're wimping out.

Instead we are hitting up Nessun Dorma before going over to Mad Planet for the Lotus Land Records 8th Anniversary Party.

I'll be completely honest the weather is REALLY getting me down this year. Maybe because I have to deal with it alone. Maybe because when all my friends get a snow day I get a crazy work day. Maybe because it's already been a rough winter and the actual solstice isn't until tomorrow!

I just have to remind myself that I'm going to be in warmer climes soon. In two weeks I will be in India where the average temperature is in the high 70s. Even next week I'll be in Portland. Granted the Northwest has been slammed by snow, but I'm guessing it will seem tropical compared to Milwaukee as of late.

And while yes, I am disappointed that nature is preventing me from celebrating her shortest day, I am glad that technology allowed me to locate the best (read: only) full-length sketch comedy episode about the solstice ever made.

weekending: post-snowpocalyptic edition

Now that I've had my the three things I needed to erase my stressful day (a drink, a nap, a hot shower), I'm ready to think about the weekend.

Headed out in a moment to meet a long-lost friend at Foundation in Riverwest. I already warmed up with a Riverwest Stein at Karma with co-workers after our long, long day.

Tomorrow I hope to once again do some yoga at the downtown WAC in the morning. I have some stuff to do around the house (holy moly is Christmas next week?) tomorrow afternoon. Saturday evening Maribeth, Becky and I are going to do the Winter Solstice Candlelight Nature Walk at the Urban Ecology Center. Following that we will head across the river to Mad Planet for the Lotus Land Records 8th Anniversary Party. Nothing like getting your groove on to some old school funk and soul to beat those winter blues.

Sunday is currently uncommitted, so hopefully I can play catch up on a lot of stuff that day. Or sleep. Sleep is good.

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.

30 by 30: if i can lift more than the temperature...

Although I went to bed early, I skipped the gym this morning opting for a little online bill paying instead. Why? Maybe because I checked the weather and it was TWO degrees.

New rule: If I can lift more than the temperature, I'll stay indoors until it's absolutely critical I leave the house (i.e. go to work).

It's supposed to snow this afternoon and I'm meeting a girlfriend for a drink after work, but I PROMISE I will go to the gym after that. When I'm already out and not risking hypothermia just for a couple of pounds.

I am doing spin class tomorrow though, so regardless of the weather situation I'll be there.

This is definitely the time of year I reconsider my residency.

weekending: sub-zero edition

It's these times of the year, when the temperature plummets beyond any reasonable number, that this Accidental Wisconsinite wonders why she is here. The siren's call of my friends to the temperate climes of San Francisco always gets a little louder when I feel like my face is about to fall off when I step outside.

Too bad I love my job and my Midwestern friends. A lot. Oh, yes, and Wisconsin. Because when it's not bitter, bitter cold, it's a fantastic place.

That said, it's important to have hermit-checks here in the winter. Last night I was g-chatting with a friend from Portland who asked why I was in on a Friday night. I explained to her the weather situation. But I HAD been out, with some work folk at the City Lounge in Cudahy. Right, Cudahy, you read that correctly. The holiday gathering they had planned was really fun and lovely and the drinks were cheap. But yes, I was DEFINITELY in Cudahy.  (For you non-Wisconsinites, there's probably not a coincidence that Cudahy rhymes with "yah-der-hay.")

Today I will most certainly be keeping busy. My friends and I will be baking up a storm at my pal Sara's house out in Tosa (yes, I'm a snob about the 'burbs, and this one is much more palatable than last night's stop).  It's going to be a cookie fest, which means I need to hustle and print my snickerdoodle recipe (and bag the ingredients) post-haste.

Thanks to my brother Kevin for leaving the winning cookie in the comments! Mom, if you had wanted your cookie to win, you're going to have to learn to use that comment box!

Hopefully I have time after Cookie Fest to swing by the Urban Ecology Center for the Our Milwaukee Buy Local Fair to peruse some local gifties and keep on my holiday goal. If I do make it up there I'll try and swing through Atomic Records to grieve (as others have certainly been doing).

Tonight I'll be meeting up with some friends at Fanatics (a new stop for me event though it's been open forever) to watch the Marquette vs. Madison game. This year there's even big blocks of cheese placed on this game, not just alumni pride. Contrary to Badger fans who have an ungodly hatred of all thing Marquette, I actually DO cheer for Bucky when they're not playing my team. That said, I look forward to the Golden Eagles crushing UW this evening.

Tomorrow I have an open calendar, so I'm going to try and catch up on some of the "to do" activities that have been piling up for me lately. I still have to make Act/React at the Milwaukee Art Musuem and I also have two passes to the Eisner Museum that expire at the end of the month. Provided it's not too awful outside, Becks and I will be hitting that up.

What are your weekend plans?

slacker saturdays: absolutely

Motivation is really hard to find today.

I was supposed to go to the Prop 8 protest at City Hall, but slept in (after being up in the middle of the night) and now am not really feeling 100%.

I was supposed to help my friend clean after her move, but I just don't feel up to it.

And no it wasn't the martinis.

I think it's the winter blues, and a combination of some other stuff.

This blog will be useful again soon, I swear. Sorry for making it a vanity piece lately.