What'd I miss?
Last weekend lots of good things were happening in Milwaukee. Our friends the brewmeisters again held their annual Milwaukee stging of The Big Brew and were one of many homewbrewers who all agreed to invite their friends over and brew the same recipe of beer. The International Pop Overthrow Festival was also this past weekend, which in Milwaukee could have easily been named Paul Wall Fest, since I associate his name with perfect pop madness. But I was off in rural Wisconsin with my Girl Scouts, missing what we were told was a massive downpour of rain (we got annoying 6 hour drizzle all day instead), but having a good time nonetheless. We taught them all sorts of dangerous things: how to start a fire, how to use a hand axe, how to use and sharpen a jackknife, how to tie knots. To our pride, the girls were kind of afraid of the jackknife and the matches -- which meant they had respect for their power and were thus very careful with them. Good. They'll build good habits this way, and hopefully when they get over this (otherwise healthy) fear, they'll have good habits built into their routines.They had a little too much fun with the hand axe, i have to say. They really enjoyed chopping wood, which was fine by me, but being 9 year olds, they didn't accomplish much. I ended up having to finish the jobs if we wanted enough wood for a fire.
Of course, my kid was the instigator of the "party tent." Every troop has one, and of course, it's my kid that has to stay up the latest. I have to admit, I tended to be in the party tent when I was a kid, too. Well, on the first night of camp, that is. The second night of camp everybody passed out good and early.
Still, there wasn't a lot of whining despite the rain. We were treated to spectacular views of a moon-less sky. A lot of the girls were strictly city folk, and don't often get to see such a big starry sky. Actually, that goes for me too. So instead of rocking out in a smoke filled club like I tend to do on Saturday nights, after the girls crashed, I spent some time silently taking in the starry sky, and just letting my mind wander.
This weekend is a different story. Saturday night is going to be a hard pick. Dr Chow and the rest of my posse are at Linneman's, and normally I'd say, "Gee, I NEVER get to seee Chow" and so I'd head over to the Stonefly to see Guido's Racecar and the return of the fabulous Barrettes, back from hiatus after drummer Joolz' hand surgery. But here's the thing: Rory Lake and the amazing Cooler By the Lake are joining Chow, and so if I'm successful in booking a sitter, perhaps I'll be going back and forth between clubs and hopefully catching plenty of each set. That's if I get a sitter.
In the meantime, we go up to some high school in Mequon to see my beautiful girl (you know, the instigator of the "party tent") dance in her ballet recital. I won't even try to be at all fair: she will be beautiful and amazing, and blow me away with her grace.
And looking ahead, the summer concerts in the parks schedules are starting to get released. I'll have my picks next week, but it looks to be an especially good lineup at Humboldt Park, and we'll see what Jazz in the Park and the Concerts in the Gardens has for a lineup. Bands are already peppering their schedules with their Summerfest bookings, and I'm already having to choose which fests to hit on the upcoming weekends.
Finally, one more indication that the winter is over: my tulips are in full bloom! I planted my entire front yard with tulips, and this is the week they're peaking. The neighbors are all walking past, and its cheering me up to get up in the morning and see the blooms. Plus, I got my first major bike injury! This year I gashed out my calf with my front chainring. It looks so awful, that I know that winter's over. And I didn't even notice it until a couple of hours later (I'd thought it was just a grease mark, but grease isn't blood red.). I'm missing a lot, clearly, which means maybe it's time to slow down.
Of course, my kid was the instigator of the "party tent." Every troop has one, and of course, it's my kid that has to stay up the latest. I have to admit, I tended to be in the party tent when I was a kid, too. Well, on the first night of camp, that is. The second night of camp everybody passed out good and early.
Still, there wasn't a lot of whining despite the rain. We were treated to spectacular views of a moon-less sky. A lot of the girls were strictly city folk, and don't often get to see such a big starry sky. Actually, that goes for me too. So instead of rocking out in a smoke filled club like I tend to do on Saturday nights, after the girls crashed, I spent some time silently taking in the starry sky, and just letting my mind wander.
This weekend is a different story. Saturday night is going to be a hard pick. Dr Chow and the rest of my posse are at Linneman's, and normally I'd say, "Gee, I NEVER get to seee Chow" and so I'd head over to the Stonefly to see Guido's Racecar and the return of the fabulous Barrettes, back from hiatus after drummer Joolz' hand surgery. But here's the thing: Rory Lake and the amazing Cooler By the Lake are joining Chow, and so if I'm successful in booking a sitter, perhaps I'll be going back and forth between clubs and hopefully catching plenty of each set. That's if I get a sitter.
In the meantime, we go up to some high school in Mequon to see my beautiful girl (you know, the instigator of the "party tent") dance in her ballet recital. I won't even try to be at all fair: she will be beautiful and amazing, and blow me away with her grace.
And looking ahead, the summer concerts in the parks schedules are starting to get released. I'll have my picks next week, but it looks to be an especially good lineup at Humboldt Park, and we'll see what Jazz in the Park and the Concerts in the Gardens has for a lineup. Bands are already peppering their schedules with their Summerfest bookings, and I'm already having to choose which fests to hit on the upcoming weekends.
Finally, one more indication that the winter is over: my tulips are in full bloom! I planted my entire front yard with tulips, and this is the week they're peaking. The neighbors are all walking past, and its cheering me up to get up in the morning and see the blooms. Plus, I got my first major bike injury! This year I gashed out my calf with my front chainring. It looks so awful, that I know that winter's over. And I didn't even notice it until a couple of hours later (I'd thought it was just a grease mark, but grease isn't blood red.). I'm missing a lot, clearly, which means maybe it's time to slow down.
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