Signing Off

With tons of help from Craig, I survived the move from South Bend to Milwaukee. I have started a new blog, Beer Goggles, which focuses on life in Milwaukee. Thanks for reading, and if you're ever in Milwaukee, let's have a beer.

Time for a New Signal

I'm sure most of you already know that I'm moving to Milwaukee at the end of the month. I couldn't be more excited! Despite my attempts to find fun and fascinating things to do in Michiana, I just plain don't like it here. I'm excited to be moving to a city with so much to offer, and of course, I'm even more excited to be joining my wonderful fiance there.

I have been debating whether I should continue the blog after The Big Move, as I'm calling it. There are already several good blogs about Milwaukee - namely Play in the City for general about-town things, Taste of the Town for restaurant reviews and food news, and Muzzle of Bees for all things music. In light of those, I wondered whether it would even be worth it to continue putting my two cents out there online. I'm inclined to think that it is worth it, if for no other reason than it encourages me to seek out new stuff to try so that I have something to report. But I'm looking for opinions - or perhaps, more accurately, I'm looking for validation - from anyone who currently reads this blog. Would you actually have any interest in reading an arts-entertainment-food-music-general-urban-life type of blog about Milwaukee?

If you are, I am looking for title suggestions. Bonus points for references to Milwaukee's history of beer. Also, I'm wondering if I should continue using Blogger, or perhaps look for a more streamlined blog template. And finally, should I continue posting under the name IrishBrooke, or does a new city require a new name, like BrewCityBrooke? Please leave thoughts and suggestions in the comments. Thanks!

Note: Actually posted July 14. Time stamp changed to bump to top of page.

Bar Exam lolcats: Kaluha Edition

Perhaps my roommate's cat can help you study for the bar exam.

Law & Order IS educational!

I was reviewing Constitutional Law, and Law & Order just reinforced the lesson on full faith & credit! It's a crossover with Homicide: Life on the Street. Pembleton & Bayliss came up to New York and bungled an interrogation. As a result, the New York judge excluded the statement. McCoy was dressing Pembleton down about this, and Pembleton suggested taking the defendant back to Baltimore to try him there. McCoy then explained that because a court of competent jurisdiction had just ruled that the Constitution had been violated, the Full Faith and Credit Clause required a Maryland court to uphold the ruling. Oh, how I love Jack McCoy!

Summerfest All-Star Freak Show

I stole the post title from the friend who took these pictures. These are just a few of the freaks that we saw. (It should be noted that the freak in the black tank top was with us. She's just one of those people who will go up to these crazies and get a picture with them. Love it!)


This picture requires a special note. This guy had layered bangs and a long ponytail with four rubberbands in it, a la 1983. And that shirt with the pot leaf GLOWED! You can't tell from this picture, but it lit up one leaf at a time, with the light rotating. It was possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen.

Sweating to death at Summerfest

Last night, Craig and I headed to downtown Milwaukee for Summerfest, the world's largest music festival. Summerfest is always hot, exhausting, and crowded, but it's still fun to go - once or twice. Craig, however, had already been three times before last night, so he was not quite as enthusiastic as I was.

Two of our friends had scored extra free tickets, so we were saved the $15 entrance fee. Upon arrival, we headed straight for the greasy goodness of a Saz's sampler platter - sour cream & chive fries, cheese curds, and the famous mozzarella marinara (giant mozzarella sticks wrapped like an eggroll and fried). This was followed up with ample helpings of Leinie's Summer Shandy, which was nice and light for the hot evening.

For those of you not aware, it's hot out. Really freaking hot. Last night was no different. Once the sun went down, there was actually a decent breeze off the lake, but we were not fortunate enough to feel it. The bands we went to see were playing at the Potawatomi Stage, which is covered and has walls on either side, preventing any air from getting in.

Anyway, on to the music. The Old 97's played at 8, and the area was packed to the gills, making it nearly impossible to move. The band basically played a greatest hits set, which is honestly the best type of set to play at a large, outdoor, summer festival. Earlier in the day, Craig said to me that the two songs he wanted to hear the most were "Melt Show" and "Wish the Worst." So when they moved straight from "Melt Show" right into "Wish the Worst," I was very happy for him. The band seemed to be having a really good time. One of my favorite moments was when the lead singer, Rhett Miller, said that it was great to be in Milwaukee playing on the Pokie-Wokie stage. Ha! They ended with "Timebomb," their standard closer, and the crowd was audibly upset that they didn't come back for an encore.

After hanging around for an hour (drinking more Summer Shandy, of course), Son Volt - or as we like to call them, One Volt - took the stage. I know that Son Volt released a new album fairly recently, but I was hoping Jay would decide to do a greatest hits set. No such luck. They started with a new song that I didn't even recognize. Things just went downhill from there. They played a lot of new stuff. None of it was bad, but none of it was terribly compelling, either. I'm sure that Jay Farrar is passionate about his music because I can't imagine he would keep making it if he didn't care, but none of that passion is coming across on stage. They did finally play "Tear Stained Eye" and "Windfall," which was nice, but it didn't seem like nearly enough. They ended with "Chickamauga," but it was the lamest version ever - I was singing along like a goofy fangirl, and about halfway through, it occurred to me that I was singing with more feeling and emotion than Jay was. The most noteworthy part of the show was certainly the atrocious version of an Uncle Tupelo song we were subjected to. Apparently, Jay decided that even though "Life Worth Living" was a great song on its own, it really needed to be completely rearranged and screwed up. It was un-freaking-believably terrible. It's a sad day when you wake up and realize that one of your favorite, most inspiring bands has turned into something bland and mediocre.

Despite the lackluster Son Volt show, the night was a ton of fun. There's just nothing like friends, beer, food, beer, music, and beer on a sweltering Wisconsin night. I hope to have some sweet people-watching pictures up soon!

SUMMERFEST!

It's that time of year again, kids - Summerfest! Woot! For the uninitiated, Summerfest is a giant festival in downtown Milwaukee. It lasts 10 days and has multiple stages that host several acts each day. It's really a mixed bag - there are always a bunch of crappy no-name bands and washed-up has-beens, but there are also usually a few great bands. And of course, let's not forget the most important part - beer and food. People complain about the beer prices, but you've already seen my comparison of the prices to one local bar. Honestly, a $4 16-ounce draft of HoneyWeiss is a good price. I wish the haterzz would just stop and think about the prices they pay for beer elsewhere. Lots of great food is available on the grounds, but the highlight is definitely Saz's mozzarella marinara - giant mozzarella sticks wrapped in an eggroll wrapper, fried, and served with marinara sauce. They are heaven in a paper boat.

Built to Spill played on Sunday, but I was stuck in Indiana. I have been wanting to see BTS since I was 16, but alas, I was stuck in Indiana. Clearly, the concert gods hate me. Boo.











Tomorrow night is Spoon, which I'm sure will draw all the indie hipsters, and I would love to go. Again with the stuck in Indiana.







Saturday, Craig and I are going to see the Old 97s. It's bound to be a greatest hits show, but I'm sure it will be fun.









Son Volt is playing on the same stage immediately after the 97s.
I haven't heard great things about this Son Volt tour, so if it sucks, I'm dragging Craig over to see Guster.






Wendi and I went to see Guster for free at Cornell's campus at the very beginning of college, so they have sentimental value for me.










Summerfest can be a pain, with the crowds and the parking and the heat and the sheer expense of it all, but it's fun and definitely worth going once each summer.

I'd also like to point out that I have madd skilzz using Google's image search.

I forgot to brag about my present

Remember this post where I said I wanted a pink gee-tar? Well, I got one! Craig gave it to me as a graduation/birthday present, and I totally forgot to brag about how awesome he is. I am still learning to play it - it's really hard! I have trouble pressing down as hard as I need to, and I have difficulty hearing strumming patterns in songs. And changing chords...well, let's just say it's going to take a while. But still, I'm very happy with my Daisy Rock 3/4-size pink acoustic guitar. It came with a gig bag, tuner, picks, polishing cloth, instruction book, and CD. Craig also made me (matching pink) binder that includes instructions on making all the chords, plus some beginner-friendly tunes. This previous years' presents, which were a collection of classic records, a trip to Twangfest 9 in St. Louis, and tickets to Bruce Springsteen. Seriously, the man is good at giving gifts. He's definitely a keeper.

Kitty Jail!

Bad Kitty, trapped in a laundry basket!













Yea, they let me out!













That's some funny-tasting water!















I'm going to miss the kitties when I move out. Both of the kitties are cute, but there's no denying that Kaluha takes some fantastic pictures. So cute!