Odds and ends

After the nearly nonstop crazy of the past month, I've been enjoying a rather humdrum week. Next week I'm back out on the road for business and then mass birthday celebration fun in California, but more on that as it happens.

Today is Halloween and, thus, I gave out candy to my first trick-or-treaters. I thought about giving something special to the very first trick-or-treater who rang my doorbell (a solid chocolate 1st Trick-or-Treater badge perhaps) but then I decided that would just be weird.

My niece and nephews trick-or-treated on Sunday. I don't have any pictures, but I hope to get some. The toddler twins were devils, and the preschool twins were two of the three little pigs. Their six-year-old brother dressed up as the wolf, and - as a concession for having to wear something furry and cute - he had my sister buy him some fangs and fake blood. His story was that he ate the third little pig. I'm not sure what my oldest nephew and niece dressed as, but I did hear through the family gossip grapevine (my sister, via my niece, via my niece's friend) that a football player named Glenn "likes" my niece. Way to make me feel old.

I've heard familiar music in some odd places recently. Saturday night a restaurant had "Myriad Harbour" by the New Pornographers on their night's playlist, which was kind of weird. But not as weird as a little art gallery in tiny Paoli playing an Iron and Wine album while I was there last week.

Finally, the Walgreens nearest my house has both "24 Hour Pharmacy" and "1 Hour Photo" prominently emblazoned across the front of the store. Imagine how bad it would be for business if their implied meanings were reversed.

Boo

On Thursday night I hosted a pumpkin-carving and cupcake-eating party. It was a good excuse to get some friends together for Halloween fun, try my hand at baking cupcakes, and let people see how the condo is coming along (or meet it for the first time.) I was a bit overzealous with the invitations, but it ended up working out - I was able to scrounge up just enough chairs and work surfaces for everyone. Thank goodness I have a functional basement.

I enjoyed the motivation to decorate a little more extensively than I might otherwise have done, and buy things like cheesy Halloween table cloths and paper plates in preparation. Earlier in the week I visited a local farm to get some fresh honeycrisp apples and cider, and baked the aforementioned cupcakes. I ate one for dinner on Wednesday, and it was delicious. Frosting and decorating them was fun, too. Special thanks to U for the cupcake tips! People scarfed them down on Thursday.

I think a good time was had by my guests - and by me. I did take away some wisdom for future parties, though. First of all, when given the choice between apple cider, beer, tea, and soda, people tend to choose along these lines: 89% beer, 8% apple cider, and 3% other. They also don't eat much popcorn/pretzels/pumpkin seeds/apples. More popular: cupcakes, frosted rice krispie treats, and candy pumpkins. People apparently love sugar. Sugar and beer. Finally, there is probably a better place to store coats than random piles on the living room floor, but I hadn't really thought about it beforehand. Perhaps the guest room - it threw me off by being upstairs. Tricky!

Anyway. It was a fun night, and we wound up with an excellent group of carved pumpkins. Here are some of them:

Cleanup wasn't even bad after everyone went home - everything was spic and span and put away within an hour. I'm already trying to think of a similar activity theme for a Christmas party. Tree trimming? Wreath making?

What you once were isn't what you want to be anymore

This post has been a long time coming, partly because I'm not quite sure what I want to say ... or if I want to say it at all. I haven't written about it because I think actions speak louder than words, because I hate setting people's expectations, because I don't care to make a big production out of it. But it's no secret, so what the hell.

Over the past year and a half I've lost half my body weight. Soooo ... yep.

Actually, I dislike the passive nature of the word "lost." I think it's a poor description of what I've been up to. People like to ask me how I did it, but there's no simple answer. In a nutshell: take everything you've heard is bad in terms of nutrition and physical activity, and stop doing it. Then take everything you've heard is good in terms of nutrition and physical activity, and do it instead. (By "everything" I mean everything actually backed up by science/biology/medicine/research. And common sense.) I won't pretend I follow all of this to the letter 100% of the time (types the girl who's baking fresh pumpkin cupcakes with white chocolate chunks and cream cheese frosting for a party later this week) because I am human and not utterly boring. But that's the basic idea. It gets easier as time goes by, though it's very much still a work in progress.

So. That's that. On an unrelated note (or IS IT? No, it is. OR IS IT?) here's a picture of the llamas who live on a farm about three miles from me:

All the old showstoppers

When I heard that the New Pornographers would be coming to Milwaukee in support of their most recent album, Challengers, I knew I'd have to make the trip. Unlike the first two times I saw them, this tour would include Neko Case. I had previously determined that Neko's presence wasn't necessary for a great New Pornographers show, but it was still a goal of mine to see her perform with the band.

Wednesday night at the Pabst I attained that goal. The show included two openers, a concert paradigm I think I may be too old to appreciate. Especially for a GA show. I enjoyed both bands, though - Benjy Ferree was entertaining for half an hour, if a little goofy; and listening to Emma Pollack (and her Scottish accent) was quite a treat. The main act finally took the stage around 10:00 p.m. I resisted the temptation to look at the setlist beforehand, though everyone around me was peering at it. They were excited, which I took as a good sign.

The band opened with "Heaven and Earth" from Challengers, and followed that up with an energetic "Use It." They played almost all of Challengers over the course of the show, and included a very nice peppering of songs from their other releases. The first set's finale was "Bleeding Heart Show," which was as superb as I remember it from Madison.


Finally seeing Neko with the NP's was great, as expected. She sings backup vocals on nearly every song, not to mention the songs where she takes the lead. Kathryn Calder still provides excellent vocals in her turn, but Neko was a big part of this show. There wasn't a whole lot of banter between the band members onstage, which I missed a little bit - but I got the sense they were concentrating on providing the maximum amount of pop awesomeness in their allotted time. Carl did take some time to say that on their last go-round, Milwaukee was the best crowd of the tour - while the worst crowd was in Minneapolis. This prompted both cheers and boos from the crowd, though I think both were in the anti-Minneapolis spirit. Ah, rivalry between proximate Midwestern cities.

The real revelation for me on Wednesday, however, was Dan Bejar. Dan is another member of the New Pornographers who doesn't always tour with the band. I knew he was on board for this leg, and was pleased about it, but most of my anticipation was focused on Neko's presence. As it turned out, though, Dan's songs made the show for me. I've always been a fan of his unique songs and vocals, and was glad that Carl took over vocal duties so that band could perform a couple of them at the shows I saw last year. But actually having Dan (or, as Neko misheard from the crowd and joked about keeping as a nickname, "Dangelina") up there singing his own songs was really great. He certainly didn't say much, wandering on and off stage with a glass of wine in hand, but somehow that added to the charm. "Myriad Harbor" is one of my favorite songs on Challengers, and was a highlight of the show for me.


During the show it was pouring spectacularly outside. One might think it wouldn't be obvious that this was happening inside the theater, but between Emma Pollack and the New Pornographers we noticed something interesting. Either the lights were dripping a light mist of water onto the stage ... or the roof was leaking. This was somewhat alarming, and inspired Blaine to scoot his keyboard and laptop further forward to escape the shower, but didn't really seem to affect the show. At some point it must have stopped, and I was able to get from Milwaukee to my Madison exit before the downpour began again. Thanks, weather.

Setlist: (I think maybe they didn't play "From Blown Speakers" though? And maybe they played "Failsafe?" Wow, my memory is horrible.)

More photos here.

Hardly Strictly San Francisco

Last weekend I took Friday off and headed to San Francisco for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. With an impressive lineup, a pricetag of $0, and a beautiful setting in Golden Gate Park, it was hard to pass up. The fact that I have superbly hospitable friends living on both sides of the park sealed the deal.

Friday was a lovely day at the festival, though it started and ended a bit chilly. Our brigade arrived early to camp out in front of the Banjo Stage and took in acts that included plenty of the "hardly" in Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Augie March started things off, playing a relatively short (but enjoyable) set. They were followed by Buddy Miller and his band. I was pleased to see Buddy's cover of "Rock Salt and Nails" in person. T-Bone Burnett and friends came next, with an eclectic mix of friends indeed - Doyle Bramhall II, with whom I was not familiar; Neko Case, with whom I am quite familiar; and John Mellencamp, who is ... John Mellencamp. They ended the set with an all-star jam version of "Pink Houses" - a song I certainly never thought I'd see performed live by its original artist, let alone with backing vocals by Neko Case.

Friday's final act on the Banjo Stage was a fellow by the name of Jeff Tweedy. He played a very nice set of songs, and we were pleasantly surprised that the set went half an hour past the scheduled stopping time of 7:00. ("We" included the charming SF locals plus the welcome additions of Judy and family - yay babies! - and British import Andrew.) We were more than happy to get up and dance for the last couple songs of Jeff's set, and not just because we were freezing. The finger picking at the end of "Acuff-Rose" sounded right at home in that setting. We rounded out the evening with Best Burrito Night Ever, a trip down Lombard Street, and an illicit late-night visit to the Yoda fountain.

Saturday found U and I taking a break from the festival to fly a bit further south, meeting up with Heidi to check out that one guy we like to see at Largo. Due to bluegrass commitments Heidi was the only one to do the the Friday/Saturday Jon Brion double-header, but I'm glad we were able to make it for Saturday night. U and I also had enough time to hit up Farmer's Market and indulge our Pinkberry cravings once again. So much sooner than I expected to get my next Pinkberry fix! Jon's show that night probably won't go down as one of my all-time favorites, but it was a solid, enjoyable night of music. Ben Gibbard joining in for a few songs was a nice surprise, and we saw a lot of piano material from Jon. My favorite part of the night had to be the set-closing "Nowhere Man" in the style of Les Paul. A rather evil way of granting that request, indeed.

Sunday we were back in San Francisco in time to eat dim sum and arrive at Golden Gate Park before Earl Scruggs began his set. Andrew had become a HSBG crowd celebrity in our absence, staking out the best spot that day and earning an infinite number of hardcore fan points. We were only too happy to join him and bask in reflected glory. Earl Scruggs played a very enjoyable set - I kept feeling like I should be seeing him and his band at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa or somewhere similar. And again, who ever thought I'd see the theme from The Beverly Hillbillies performed live by its original artists? Earl was followed by Doc Watson - who, though it's really impossible to compare him with Emmylou, may have been my favorite act. I loved his stories and his songs, and feel very fortunate to have seen him perform.

The finale of the night - and the festival - was Emmylou Harris. I'd never seen Emmylou before, but this may have been the perfect setting for my introduction. She looked beautiful, of course, and she has such an amazing voice. Her choice of material was inspired, and the crowd - stretching as far back as I could see - ate up the performance. A lovely ending for a lovely weekend. Overall, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival impressed me immensely. The atmosphere was unlike any other festival I've attended - much more relaxed and, well, just good-natured. If all festivals could be like this, I would attend a lot more of them. As it is, I hope to make my way back to San Francisco for another HSBG in the not-too-distant future.

More photos here.

There is a road that meets the road that goes to my house

Last week I got up early one morning to go for a walk. I was out the door by 6:30 a.m., that time of the morning when it's not quite dawn, but not completely dark either. It was chilly outside, but I warmed up pretty quickly. At the end I was rewarded with a pretty sunrise. On the way back home I also noticed that the meadow down the street was still covered in frost, which was beginning to burn off - leaving a mist lingering a couple of feet from the ground. Near some trees I saw two deer grazing in the mist. That was pretty awesome. Not awesome enough to make me get up at 6:15 every day for pre-work vs. post-work cardio, but awesome enough that I am not averse to doing so on occasion.

That morning my curiosity was renewed about a particular road. Walking around my neighborhood can be a little tricky because many of the streets turn abruptly into country highways with rather zippy traffic. The area also isn't big on sidewalks. These two facts had prevented me from walking very far up Locust, a road that does in fact meet the road that goes to my house. About three blocks away, to be precise. I walk on Locust, but the sidewalk ends at the top of a hill and the road seemed to peter out soon after.


Doesn't look all that promising, right? I noticed, however, that sometimes cars drove down there and kept going. I had been meaning to drive down there myself to see what happened, and I decided that would be my day. So after work, that's what I did.

As soon as I passed the area I was familiar with, the road became more interesting.


Not long after that, it took a turn for the completely awesome. There was corn, an abandoned farm with really cool rounded roofs on the buildings, a freaking alpaca farm. Best road ever! I couldn't believe I'd never driven down it before. It pains me that I can't walk it. Unless I want to get killed by oncoming traffic, that is.


Just when I thought the road couldn't get any better, it ended. So I guess it couldn't. But it met another road that I turned left on, and followed for two minutes. Two minutes, people. And that was all it took for me to find myself in this tiny little town:


It is utterly adorable. I'd heard of it, actually, and knew it was nearby, but I had no idea it was FOUR MILES FROM MY HOUSE. Here are some of the things I saw there during my short visit:




Anyway, after taking a bunch of pictures I drove back home. It took seven minutes. Who knew?!