Made my day life:

Snowconsin

It snowed all last night and into this afternoon. On my walk to get some coffee, I stopped several times to take pictures. Most involved trees. But I particularly like streets lined with tall trees on either side, so this shot wins. It's the perfect weather for cuddling up on the couch with Toast cat and maybe a whiskey to finish the night.

Bad with pop culture

Is it weird that I can't tell the difference between the Kardashians and the Pussycat Dolls?

A Photo-Driven Update

Yes, I am one of those people that never updates. I could give a million excuses, but the one I'll go with is I'm too busy living life to write about it. Or something. Whatever.

Ok. So, this little lady had the pleasure of meeting her aunt Alli on Halloween, and looks more like Conan O'Brien every day. Lucky girl. I got to see her again on Thanksgiving (as well as the rest of the family in Missouri), and had to fight to hold her. Sophie never cries and hardly fusses. BEST BABY EVER.

Once the weather started heading to cold city, the gang and I started finding boozy ways to stay warm. This photo is from cider night, where sugar and rum induced silliness was mixed with loud music and goofy shows. Pat is quite the cider mixer.

Garrett and Andrea visited in mid-November, providing the opportunity to visit the Cheese Bar, which is as delightful as it sounds. Cheese plates, beer, wine and liquor in a relatively empty bar made for a nice time. Later we went to the Old German Beer Hall and shot some bucks and drank half liters.

The past two years in Columbia, I cooked a pre-Thanksgiving dinner for friends. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to obsessively prepare and cook too much food this year, so Garrett, Andrea and Rux came up from Chicago yet again and Jenna and Kristin joined us. The food this bunch brought was exceptional. Wine was consumed and we bee-lined to a divey basement bar/bowling alley/karaoke/arcade and practically threw quarters at the games. Andrea combined all the tickets to redeem them for this crappy little dinosaur, which she then left on my bathroom floor. I felt he needed to be glorified, resulting in this picture.

Other recent excerpts from my life include:

- one x-ray

- one stress fracture in my leg

- one boot for said stress fracture

- one impending MRI for said stress fracture

- a lot of annoyance due to all of the above

In other news, JESSICA WILL BE STATESIDE IN ONE WEEK AND IN MY APARTMENT IN 9 DAYS. I'm not excited at all.

Yawning as I type this

I fit firmly in the category of people who can sleep way too long, yet don't get to because of "responsibility" and "employment". DUMB. Anyway, much more than ever before, I feel like my life revolves around sleep. I get home every night and think to myself, 'I better start getting ready for bed.' Then I think, 'WHO ARE YOU?!' The weekends are spent depriving myself of sleep and then wasting about all day Sunday to make up for it. I probably get the exact same amount of sleep I've ever gotten, but I think about it much more. There's more guilt and weight revolving around each doze. I think I'd like to get back to my high school days when there was nothing to do but sleep. Yes, please.

Welcome!

In very very recent news: Sophie Flynn was born this morning at 9:15 AM!

My brother's first child, and my third niece. We're all so excited to have another baby in the family, and a redhead to boot!

A short catch-up

It's been a bit since I've posted. This could be because I'm busy, but really I think it's because I haven't really felt like writing. As much as I love the fall, the decreasing amount of sunlight every day sucks the energy out of me. Also, I'm attempting to begin training for the possibility of maybe one day running a half marathon, so that is taking some time after work each day.

This past weekend was super fun, with special guest appearances by Garrett and Andrea. We ate at the Wicked Hop, and later experienced the Cheese Bar. Cheese and booze. Does this land get any better? (Answer: no.)

Garrett and the giant pile of nachos at the Wicked Hop.

Also, I've recently redecorated my desk at work. Keep in mind I work in Children's and I'm awesome.

I hope you like the cut out dinosaurs, I know I do! Anyhow, I'll write more when I have more to report.

Lakeside Fried Cheese and Scarves

Wisconsin has something nowhere else has: fried cheese curds. If you are like me, and had never experienced these, they sound super gross. Quite the opposite is true, and the best ones are enjoyed freshly fried by the lake. It's already chilly out and the breeze off the water brings everything you love about fall into the forefront of your mind. The bad part about the colder temperatures is that Northpoint, the source of the best cheese curds in Milwaukee closes October 3rd for the winter months. Not my favorite, but I will find some way to cope.

Another awesome things found last weekend was the town of Cedarburg, Wisconsin and their Wine and Harvest Festival. Probably 4 times larger than any festival of the sort that I've ever attended, there was wine, food, candied nuts and kettle corn. Booths lined the small town's adorable streets, and people strolled in their scarves and Packers jerseys. Several of the vendors were watching or listening to the game on portable electronic devices, but none surpassed the pure badassery of this monster:

Could you resist such a beauty? Also this week, an old friend sent me this gem (courtesy of Futurama):

Thursday night at the Turner Ballroom, I saw Tokyo Police Club in concert, and some other exciting band that was played before them, but I never caught their name. The picture below is of the mystery opening band. The light show of the Tokyo Police Club was bright/assaulting/mesmerizing/totally rad. As lame as this might sound, one of my favorite things about shows here is that there is consistently one opening band and then the headliner. No standing around for 5 hours waiting for the crew to set up between sets. Brilliant.

The weekend has brought a brand new haircut and the discovery of a swanky wine boutique furnished like the study in the Clue movie. Expect booze for Christmas, friends.

Oh, hi again

Hello all two of you!

You may not have noticed or cared, but it's been almost two months since the last post on this here little site. I've returned to Milwaukee after just under a month in Missouri. Things are a little different here now with the absence of the warm weather and Jessica (who will be in Spain for the coming months). Also new is my residence, which may or may not be featured at a later date once paint is dry and furnishing is completed. One of my favorite things about my apartment is that many more things are accessible by foot. Walking past the drive-thru doughnut stand, Sil's, this evening, the scent was unbearably intoxicating. It is a mixed blessing to have doughnuts hot and fresh at all times a short walk away from your door. We'll see how it goes. Just a few feet away from Sil's remains the epic sinkhole from the summer's flood, which is scheduled to be patched up within the next couple of weeks. You'll be missed, Sinky.

It's now the perfect weather for the autumn lovers (read: me), able to emancipate jackets and warn-in boots from their summer prisons and revel slight bite of cold in the air. Transitional weather has the cleanest smell, crispness cut with the warmth of laundry's dryer sheets escaping from houses. It's that last bit of lightness before the spicy buttery sweet baking smells emit from winter kitchens. The leaves will soon turn to fiery hues and the magic will begin in earnest and I will be giddy with excitement about pumpkins hay rides and apple orchards.

For now, I'll wait patiently and enjoy the final bits of summer and outside patio sitting. Hooray!

Flood, Dragonflies, Yodeling

Early Thursday evening around 4:45, the sky opened up above Milwaukee and poured. It rained so hard and so fast that the clothes were dripping on our bodies after walking in the parking lot, as if we jumped in a pond on the way out of work. Less than a mile away, our drive was interrupted by flooding on the highway. We waited, we turned around, we got on different roads, we drove through high water and in the end, our 40 minute commute became a 3 1/2 hour trek home. We kept positive, cheering my car through the roads and relying on the Foreigner for silly laughs. Many cars and their passengers weren't as lucky, and several were left abandoned on the side of the street. Close to where I live, a giant sinkhole opened up and swallowed an Escalade whole! There are still construction crews working to fix the

intersection.

Friday involved takeout dinner and then drinks on North Street (very near the sinkhole). The rain started up again as we were walking home, so we stopped at a closer friend's house and watched Flight of the Conchords until it was time for bed. The same friends took the opportunity to grab some late-morning breakfast at the Jewish diner/deli, Benji's. I experienced my first corned beef hash, which was delicious! Thank god for the Jews; they know what's up. The afternoon was spent at the Brady Street Festival, where young and old alike drank themselves into stupors and celebrated being awesome. After the festival, Jessica, Shawnna and I stopped at a lookout above Lake Michigan, where there were more dragonflies than I have ever seen in my life. Thousands of dragonflies flew overhead, creating a surreal and magical feeling I've never experienced before.

Today was the last day of German Fest (it is the City of Festivals, after all), so we headed to the Summerfest grounds to drink good beer, watch yodeling contests, awe in the lederhosen and celebrate a heritage I'm pretty sure may be less than 1/8 of my European mutt heritage. Time for some much needed coffee and possibly another round.

July Housekeeping

Things to catch you up on that don't really require a long post:

* Work is still great!

* I'll be back in Columbia August 8th for a few weeks before I start up work again

* Blueberry beer is weird

* I saw both the Girl Who Played With Fire and Inception this weekend and they were both spectacular. Run and see them now.

and most importantly...

***** I FINISHED MY THESIS TODAY!!!!!!!!!! *****

And now to celebrate, here is a picture of a painting on the wall of Art Bar:

Sweat is the New Headband

I grabbed my ticket and we left for Chicago early Sunday morning. The drive was quick and easy, until we hit the north suburbs and that inexplicable bottlenecking transformed the last 18 miles into a 90 minute affair. Jess and I entertained ourselves with loud music and a new game called 'who else in traffic is going to Pitchfork?' Crowded highways turned into crowded city buses that turned into crowded circles around stages in the hot sun. Foot tapping, head nodding and light swaying amongst rapidly shifting clouds and marijuana smoke signified the interest of the festival-goers, a subset of the population mostly too hip for dancing.

Some acts solicited more of a reaction, including St. Vincent with Annie's guitar solos and Neon Indian with freshman status and approachable electronic sound. I'm not usually a fan of music festivals; sunburn, bad lineups, and the inevitable giants that stand in front of me usually mean I could have had a better listening experience at home. This was different in that I didn't so much mind the sun or the fact I had been sweating profusely for 8 hours straight. I didn't mind the people next to me and their individual quirks. I didn't mind the standing, the waiting or the lines. And when it came time to drive back to Wisconsin, I didn't feel relieved, I just felt good. The day was good and home was good and the people in my life are good. We got sodas and took the entrance ramp to the highway and drove home with bed in mind.

Sit on it

So I'm trying to finish my thesis and get things done and sleep in the process. So instead of writing about what I did this week, you get a blurry phone picture of some of us in front of the Fonz on the Milwaukee River. The four of you that read this won't mind, I'm sure.

3 1/2

When you work a 8-5 job, weekends become precious. Having two consecutive days off is a joy, and you can accomplish more than you ever thought possible. For example, sleeping until 2 pm AND getting laundry done. Try

not to be too impressed.

So if two days are so wonderful, 3 ½ days in a row of no work is like magic. This past Fourth of July weekend was simply magical, starting with Friday at the beach. Some friends came out and we played soccer, made Jessica into a mermaid, threw a Frisbee around and managed to get sand in every possible place there is to have sand.

Friday night, we joined a group at the German Beer Hall, where waitresses in beer wench outfits delivered liters of Hofbrau and dancing on the tables is encouraged. A night full of sing alongs, dance moves and giggling ended in diner food and hilariously wrong directions home, and I went to sleep with a view of the sun rising orange and mauve.

Fireworks in Milwaukee took place on Saturday night, and in the morning crowds staked out

space for tents, blankets, and grills. Imagine the land rush, but with more kites. The sun was hot as we layed around, ate bagels and watched the games settlers near us played. I didn’t see the fireworks on the lake, however, due to the fact I drove to Chicago with Jess and Jenna a few hours later.

Chicago’s Ukrainian village greeted us with Mexican food and hospitable friends, and loud blasts from fireworks set off in the daylight. We walked around the Lincoln Park Zoo Sunday after a diner breakfast and a bus ride. I never thought I’d see three monkeys pee in one v

isit, but you better believe I did. A couple of hours full of sunburns and smashed pennies later

, the females of the group shopped. We’ll just say many dollars exchanged hands, and we headed back to the apartment to get ready for the fireworks show.

Friends of Garrett and Andrea hosted a pot-luck style evening in their beautiful apartment, and from the porch you could see sparklers used to spell out names and hear ‘Merica! shouted from all directions. We rushed to a nearby corner for a professional grade/amateur execution firework display, where we passed two hours of delay with photos and open containers. The show started, and stopped, and started again, proving along the way that danger makes things more fun and people love bright lights and explosions. More pictures were snapped as a

sudden police presence inspired U-S-A chants and the national anthem from the crowd, as well as the ever-so-apt, “It’s the 4th of July, jag-off!” from one neighborhood hero. Rockets were lit in defiance and we strolled away as a paddy wagon pulled up as the show’s finale.

Jazz in the Park, reggae edition

Favorite

Last night, Jenna and I walked down the lakefront, taking in the wildflower prairie and listening to the co-mingled music coming from the nearest Summerfest stages.

Over the past year I've developed an unexpected interest in lighthouses, so with no goal in mind we headed in the direction of one of the visible four, bracing ourselves against the chill in the breeze. Comfortable silences and the calm city behind us, Jenna said she didn't think she could express how much she loved the lake. Every time I see the the blue punctuated by white sails and gulls, something inside my core brightens and I can't believe I live in such a wonderful place.

The End of June

It's been a very busy week.

Tuesday night was spent downtown at Sake Tumi, a pun-tastic sushi restaurant on Milwaukee St. It was a great night, the rain held out long enough for us to enjoy some great maki and watch the expensive cars valeted on the curb. I saw a couple of apartments this week, and one had a sauna built in a small closet. My ideal apartment is difficult to find, as I like older buildings that have been well kept, with bedrooms actually big enough to fit my bed in them. Not an easy search, but I have a couple of months before I need to move so optimism is still high.

Thursday night was the opening night of Summerfest. Passion Pit was the attraction for my friends and I so we walked to a bar-filled corner offering free shuttles to the grounds with the purchase of a drink. Taking said drink onto the turpentine-scented school bus, we made friends with barking strangers, an Australian looking for a green card and a southern girl, and powdery deodorant wearing concert-goers of all types yelling "Sheryl Crow!" at the fireworks on the lake. Summerfest is huge - much larger than I anticipated - and the shows were energetic and rowdy. We left to street performers giving it their all, Harleys roaring, and bus confusion, ending up walking home and stopping at a bar along with way with some new friends. I suppose everyone I know here is a new friend since it's only been 4 weeks. (I wish the guy holding this sign was my friend, too.)

An outing from work took us to the Brewer's game on Friday afternoon, where we tailgated and got free foam fingers in the first retractable dome stadium I've ever been to. I left in the 4th inning and was swept away from Miller Park by Deborah and Katie who came up from Chicago for a 18 hour visit. After some trouble with a missing ID and resident hall "security guard" who takes both himself and his job much too seriously, we went to Yield and had some beers and laughs and talked about the people from high school were fat/married/awesome. Saturday afternoon consisted of Vietnamese food and a brewery tour that turned into drinking beers by the river and listening to Springsteen.

After Katie and Deborah left, Jessica and I went to the beach and sipped local beer in between wave-fueled cat naps. Saturday night, a group of us went to Von Trier again for the German atmosphere, patio seating and free popcorn. The usual 2:00 AM Sunday morning phone call was made to Mystery Science Radio 3000 in Columbia, where Kyle and Tony were celebrating their 5th year on the air with a PB&J buffet and those Coors cans that change color when they're cold.

Today is another overcast Sunday afternoon spent in a coffee shop. The Black Keys are playing on the stereo and people are happy to be outside, rainy or not. The coming week has me looking forward to a butter burger and frozen custard lunch courtesy of my coworkers tomorrow, and 3 1/2 day weekend in Chicago, hopefully on a rooftop somewhere. For now, it's time to run some errands and relax before the morning comes.

Water Town

The river and the lake combined make Milwaukee a water town. Today was a river day for us, as Sunday Funday's cocktails and lunch took place at Water Buffalo, conveniently located on the corner of Water St. and Buffalo St. (clever, no?). The first photo is the view from our table, where we watched tour boats, booze cruises, and kayaks while bathing in the not-too-hot sunshine.

Before getting lunch, we stopped at the Public Market, where I picked up some cookies and postcards for birthday packages. That place is a culinary dream, full of inspiration for dinner parties and effort-full meals.

We also went to Urban Outfitters where I happened upon a lavender 35mm fisheye camera on sale! I took a few shots with it, and can't wait to use the entire roll and see what the developed photos look like! I've wanted to dabble in photography for a while now, particularly with analog cameras, so this was a serendipitous find. Here is the obligatory picture of the new lavender camera, along with the framboise I so adore.

Mild Summer/Longing

Last night was the first time I experienced the Bradford Beach. Sitting on the sand that was just cool enough to give the illusion of dampness, I had the hood up on my sweatshirt. We listened to Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac, Grandaddy and Neon Indian while drinking beers and talking about the surprises the short time we've been here has provided. All the surprises were good ones, and every once and a while I looked out at the lake and pretended I could see through the misty darkness to Chicago or Michigan. A few couples held hands and walked by, and I found myself shocked again at the mildness of the summer here. Never before have I experienced a comfortable month of June or been without the intense Missouri humidity for this length of time. It's jarring how comfortable getting dressed and ready in the morning is without the old fear of blow drying your hair only to get so hot you have to shower again.

When I let my mind wander on the chartered bus commute, I often think about Alley A in Columbia and the line it made between two of my favorite places in the world and the eagerness with which I walked back and forth. I'm positive Columbia will always have a piece of my heart and I can't wait to see it and its inhabitants again, but at this moment, I'm glad to be in Milwaukee.

Lost & Found

The weekend has been full of good things.

First, I got lost driving around downtown Milwaukee, but luckily I was with Jessica and Jenna, two people who make getting lost fun. Then we got unlost, retrieved a left-behind cardigan, and ended the night on a note of victory.

Second, Garrett and Andrea came in town from Chicago on Saturday, making the night a great and welcome mix of old and new friends. We ventured out to the Safe House, a local speakeasy-themed spy hangout where everyone is called 'agent' and mysterious sirens blare unexpectedly. A good place to go for drinks with out of town guests (many of the drinks come with a glass to keep). On the way to the Safe House, I'm pretty sure a pack of birds exploded on my car, because the sheer quantity of shit that bombarded us (and my open window) was mind-boggling. Who could be upset with something so confusing?

After dinner we went to Regano's Roman Coin and had a couple of pitchers and enjoyed the low-key atmosphere and the seriously awesome music (minus Cat Man Do). This morning, we went to the Original Pancake House on Downer and had omelets and pancakes that were huge. I mean, really, very very big. I could only eat 1/3 of my omelet. Not joking.

The rest of my Sunday was spent on the search for an apartment for the fall, or more accurately for a parking space near the apartment open house we were going to see.

The Milwaukee Air & Water Show took place this weekend, and the Blue Angels, among others drew in huge crowds of people to the beach area, making it hard to drive and hard to hear. This is a picture taken after the planes flew overhead and a flock of birds scattered. It looks pretty dreamy.

So today, no apartments were seen, but Water Street was explored, a book store was found, the Anthropologie was patronized and a greater sense of familiarity was achieved in Milwaukee.

A little over a week

I made a mental list of the things that were most important to find first upon moving to Milwaukee. Friends are important, yes. So is a good bar. But highest up on my list was a decent cup of coffee and a comfortable place to drink it. If you come to Milwaukee (which I hope you do) I highly suggest heading to Brady Street. It's got everything you could ask for: local shops, food and bars, varying in price, atmosphere and clientele.

For coffee, there's nothing better than the freshly made, small batch, cold-brewed iced coffee from Rochambo Coffeehouse and Teahouse. These people must have known I was coming because those words were heaven to my ears. More importantly, it was heaven to my taste buds. The oft-lost intricacies of coffee come through loud and clear when cold brewed, and this is the best I've ever had.

In the near vicinity, I also stumbled upon The Exclusive Company record store. Super helpful staff, dollar bins and an independent vibe are getting me real excited to come back for a visit (once I fix my record player, that is).
The real gem of the past weekend for those of us new to Milwaukee has been the Hi Hat Garage. The Hi Hat looks like a great spot to grab cocktails on a hot date, but for those of us who are less refined, the Garage is a more relaxed atmosphere. Friday night drinks and Sunday brunch were both excellent, and each time my friends and I were warmly welcomed my those at the tables next to us. Good food, $5 liters of beer, nice people, oh and trees growing inside are all big checkmarks in the yes box.

I think this Wisconsin thing just might work out.