Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Milwaukee's alright.

Oh, jeez.
First day of class tomorrow, and although I didn't make it to the going-away party I should have attended (he probably got too drunk to notice I wasn't there), I also didn't manage to sleep like a normal person last night, staying up until dawn reading the ridiculous Playboy Bartender's Guide and smoking the rest of that terrible tobacco Dan got me last Christmas. And now it's quarter to three and I have so much to do!

Coming soon for your viewing pleasure:
-pictures of the new pad (I have to clean first)
-a new essay on feminism
-updates on the photoshoot (it's taking a lot longer than we'd expected)

Anyway. Last Friday evening, Erica and Chris and I crammed our bikes into the back seat of his old 'Rolla, all three of ourselves into the front seat, and set out on impromptu adventure in Milwaukee. Our first stop was the Milwaukee Art Museum, where there was some kind of event with a band and a $10 cover that allowed you to do arts and crafts and sample homebrew. Unfortunately, the beer was gone, we we hopped on our vélos and rode off in the rain to Riverwest, where we saw a friend of a friend's band play at Live on North, then a place called Nomad on Brady Street, where what they call the "Prix Fixe" special gets you a can of PBR, a shot of Jameson, and a cigarette, all for five dollars. Best ever. And yes, you can still smoke in bars in Milwaukee.

Before passing out for the night, we picked up some Chicago dogs at the Dog Haus off Brady Street. I swear to god I couldn't tell you the last time I had a hot dog, but it did remind me of that old place down Irving Park Road called Bowser Dog I used to go to all the time as a kid, which I guess makes it authentic enough despite the fact that hot dogs are still kind of gross. The guy who sits outside is quite friendly and entertaining, and prevented Chris from leaving behind his "purse" and the camera within it. Nice place.

The next morning (well, noon), we all met back up at a place called Comet on Farwell (their menus described themselves as a 'slow-food' establishment. One of those), where we waited forever to be seated, but were rewarded with stellar coffee, fabulous breakfast sandwiches (fried egg, mayo, lettuce, tomato, bacon, on fresh bread with hand-cut fries) and even better Bloody Marys. Because they were made with Guinness, and were garnished. . .with bacon.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Coming soon!

Tomorrow afternoon, my friend Chris Guess (see his work here-- he mostly does documentary and photojournalism) is coming to Madison, and we're doing a photo shoot that will feature my roommate Erica and myself dressed as 1950's housewives. All I'll say right now is that it will be suggestive, subversive, and all the booze on set will be real. And I am incredibly excited.

Stay tuned. . .

Saturday, August 22, 2009

The law won.

Remember when I mentioned the bike cops in Madison were starting to crack down on naughty cyclists? Yeah. Blew through a stop sign at State and Lake with two other people today, and we totally all got ticketed. The citation will either cost me $63 or an evening at Bike School.

I guess I could afford to be less of an asshole on the road, but what really kills me is the fact that I got pulled over today, in the middle of the afternoon, sober as a goddamn Mormon. There is an astounding amount of overlap between time spent under the influence and time spent on my bicycle, and this is when they got me?

Suppose it's for the best, huh?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Update

I have moved. I will put up pictures when I have the Intertubes again.
I have no Intertubes until tomorrow. Finally.
The employment situation is a bit shaky.
My school situation is a bit shaky. . .but what else is new. I think I'll be able to pull through this time.
I swear to god, I've been drunk for the entire past month. I shouldn't be alive right now.

Also, I'm finally changing my much-beloved Trek 420 (no, seriously, I can't believe it hasn't been stolen yet) frame from a three-speed to a fixie. Everyone is going to make fun of me, but I'm done with all this jingly-jangly heavy shit I don't use. And those fucking brakes that don't work in the rain. And I have finally accumulated enough Bike Culture friends to help me do this, because I don't know shit about anything except that riding my roommate's new bike is an absolute dream and I want that.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Rabble Rabble

I haven't felt like writing lately. I've been social, I've been biking around town, I've been drunk. So many people I know are moving away, so I've been attending going-away events, which have led to the aforementioned.

I should be packing, since I move in two days. Haven't done a goddamn thing. Read over some old journals tonight, though, and I present you two wicked truisms I at some point recorded by girls with whom I have lived:

'Wouldn't you give anything to be vegetation in a rainstorm?'

-B. Baumgartner

'Regardless of whether my hair looks greasy or not, there are still no good-looking men at The Plaza.'

-A. Marek

Monday, August 3, 2009

Knickers in a twist

Oh, and here's some news: having solved the Brittany Zimmerman case and eradicated all violent crime besides, Madison's Finest decides to crack down on cyclists.

Now, I'm usually okay with the police. As I am past the age of twenty-one, any illegal activities I may pursue tend to be fairly innocuous, and I'm happy to pay the taxes that pay their salaries so they can keep us all safe (insofar as anyone is happy to pay taxes), and there is one very nice lady Sergeant down on Carroll Street who was very generous in helping me out with some costumes I needed for a film this spring.

But seriously? Check out the little sidebar on the Cap Times website listing 'other stories'. Such as:

-Woman needs 4 stitches after being mugged downtown
-Man arrested for fifth OWI after allegedly driving in wrong lane at cop
-Man beaten by two men on Frances Street
-Three teens arrested fleeing scene of alleged burglary
-Teen allegedly mugs student, UW cops make arrest
-Panty Raid at East Towne: 500 panties stolen from Victoria's Secret


Can we please prioritize for just like a goddamn second here? We've got some serious problems out on the mean streets of Madison, and I leave you with the Cap Times' warning (which works on levels both literal and, perhaps, deeply metaphorical): "If someone offers to sell you women's panties at a deep discount, there's a good chance the undies are hot."

Saturday, August 1, 2009