Fun Evening

My friend from work, Kori (love her), and I spontaneously decided to go out after work today. We started at a dive bar called Alt'n Bachs. We shared a pitcher of beer--it's that kind of place-- and then made our way to Willy Street. Kori knows all the cool spots. Willy Street, short for Williamson Street, is a very hip, tree-hugging, granola-eating, patchouli-wearing part of town. We went to a charming Jamaican restaurant called Jolly Bob's. It's the kind of place that if you passed it on the street and didn't know anything about it, you wouldn't dare venture in. It looks a little dodgy from the outside, but this is a great place. I loved it. Inside it had an island feel and the food was authentic and very tasty.




We shared a couple appetizers: conch fritters and crab cakes. They were both so good. I love the complexity of the flavors of most ethnic foods, including Jamaican fare. The dipping sauces were soooo good.



Kori recommended a cocktail that I, for the life of me, can't remember what it was called. It had coconut milk in it, some kind of liquor and some other stuff, and nutmeg on top. Yum.



Kori is silly. She always says she is worried she is getting rosacia. She ain't gettin' no damn rosacia. Her cheeks just flush a little when she has had a drink or two. I wanted to take her picture, but since she is worried about rosacia here is what I got:



After we ate at Jolly Bob's, we drove by the fancy houses in Monona that sit on the lake. Lake Monona was enchanting tonight; very choppy waves breaking in the strong wind. I love being near water. There is a bike path that goes around the perimeter of Lake Monona- it's 12 miles around, which is a big lake. Those people who live on Wanniquah (sp?) Street along Lake Monona are living large. There are some amazing houses with incredible views of the lake and some can even see the Capital Building across the water. Beautiful.

So, it was an unexpected, spontaneous evening. Enjoyable and a mini-showcase of the intriguing things Madison has to offer.

American Idol

So, I'm watching American Idol tonight with Miley Cyrus as the celebrity mentor. Her talking voice is beyond annoying. She sounds like she smokes a couple packs of cigarettes a day. When she talks, I literally cringe. Imagine what she will sound like when she's, like, 50. Did she offer any helpful comments to the contestants? Not that I could tell.

Tonight's performances:

Lee: I like his voice. A decent performance tonight. Nothing outstanding, but good enough to move on to next week.

Paige: She seems sweet and she is a cute girl, but whew! she sounded bad tonight. Unfortunate. I actually think she has a decent voice but she just doesn't seem to be able to pull it off on stage. It seems like she is nervous and then she doesn't breathe right to support her voice or something. Not good tonight.

Tim: Poor guy. He looks like such a nerd when he performs. It's like a lounge singer version of a Queen song. No.

Aaron: Before he even starts singing, I'm asking myself why, why, why do any American Idol contestants chose to sing Aerosmith songs? No one but Steven Tyler should ever sing Aerosmith songs. OK. Blame it on the tonsilitis; he sounds horrible. The judges like it? Oh come on. No way.

Crystal: A Janice Joplin song- kind of an obvious choice for her. She has a hard time looking at the camera when she sings. Bless her heart; she seems like she is self-conscious about her teeth or her smile. I like her voice but this was not my favorite performance of hers. I would have like to hear her sing some Tracy Chapman. She might even be able to pull off some Creed.

Big Mike: Can we not just call him Mike? He sang the song well. Good high notes. He does sing with feeling and he's decent to watch perform. I thought he did very well. He definitely deserves to move on.

Andrew Garcia: I like this guy. I like his persona. Or, as we used to say back in the day: I like his stilo. I also like his voice but "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" would NOT have been the song I would have chosen for him. Overall a boring performance and disappointing. The good news for Andrew is there have been at least 3 performers tonight who have been much, much worse. He will get through this week but he's going to have to bring it next week.

Katie: She thinks she's cute. She always does a little snarl of the lip and some neck rolling during her performances. I could pass on that, especially from a 17 year old. She has a decent voice but, OUCH, as I'm listening she is super pitchy. Not nearly as good as I thought it would be. I thought this Fergie song would be a good fit for her but she didn't sing it very well.

Casey: I don't really get the appeal. He doesn't do anything for me. Singing Huey Lewis and the News? Really?? He actually sounded pretty good singing it, though. Not exciting. Not a great song. But good enough to get through. It had moments where it was kind of like a George Thoroughgood version of Huey Lewis. Kara said he is ready to make an album? No way. He isn't all that. I think Kara is an idiot. She has a waaaay over-inflated view of herself and some bizarre affinity for this Casey guy.

Didi: Her voice is different. I like it. She won't win the competition though. She should move to next week. There were some performances tonight much worse than hers, but hers definitely wasn't great.

Siobhan: She has one hell of a powerful voice but I don't like her personality at all. What's up with the glasses? And that was a serious 80's outfit she pulled together. I love me some Stevie Wonder. I thought she did pretty well singing the song, but I agree with Simon. I'm kind of over the big screetchy end notes.

So, that's it. Who will get eliminated this week? My guess is Paige.

Getting Older

I know a person (from work) who is dreading turning 40. I turned 40 last year. It was kind of strange cognitively to think about being 40, but it didn't really bother me emotionally. I don't like it when people dread their birthdays or complain about birthdays or their age. Whenever I hear people doing that, I'm reminded of a saying:

Growing old is a privilege denied to many.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

1. I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost...I am hopeless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

2. I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

3. I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in...it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

4. I walk down the same street.
There's a hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

5. I walk down another street.

by Portia Nelson

Sign of Spring

I am sitting here this morning at 6:30 AM central time listening to birds chirp outside my apartment window. What a glorious sound! Something so small, but what it represents is much bigger-- the arrival of spring. It instantly uplifts my spirits.

A Buddhist Tale

There was once A Family who lived in The Village of You Never Know.

One day, The Only Son slipped on an orange while tilling soil- and broke his arm. His Mother and Father were distraught. How could this happen? How unlucky!

The next day...The Father slipped on an orange- and broke both his legs. This A Family felt hexed. They wondered: Why all the punishment?

Then within the week...A big, bad war broke out in The Village of You Never Know, and all the able bodied men were called to fight.

The Only Son and Father were deemed unsuitable soldiers due to their injuries and were left back at home.

It was a doozy of a war. Nobody came home. Not a single soldier.

Suddenly, A Family didn't feel so put upon.

After getting a good eyeful of the Big Picture of Life, they even felt pretty lucky.

Moral of the story? What looks bad close up might look pretty damn good from a distance.