the accidental wisconsinite

31 by 32: WRAP UP!

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:00:00 +0000

I'm 32! Time to review my 31st year. Let's see how I did!

1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.

31 was the year of major changes. I uprooted my life in Milwaukee and set forth to my dream city of San Francisco. To do this I started a new job, changed living situations, changed EVERYTHING.

2) Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.

FAIL.

3) Get something published.

On a technicality, you could count my professional blog posts as "published." So I pass. But I'll amend this one for a future goal.

4) Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row.

FAIL. I really got off track with strength training this year. Something I need to carry forward.

5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).

Apparently I inspired a lot of people this year. Glad to give back to all those who inspired me! I'll stick with my original check off of this goal, which was encouraging Mary Ann to complete her first half marathon in March.

6) Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.

FAIL. But to be fair, I didn't get it back until July.

7) Digitize my CD collection.

Necessity.

8) Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.

Went home in July AND for Thanksgiving this year.

9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity.

This has pretty much been my whole year as well. My favorite was probably booking an Alcatraz tour with a Canadian while at Toronado. Showing a Portuguese tourist I met on the N-Judah around town is a close second. This paid forward when I traveled to Europe and was taken under the wing of locals. Here's the official complete though.

10) Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

BARELY made it, but I'm pleased to report that on Sunday I made Julia's Quiche w/ Leeks to take to The Stranger Dinner (which I still need to post on). It was a hit. I made an amended version, with spinach and onion for dinner tonight.

11) See six different local bands live.

COMPLETE. WAY more than this, but the ones that got me there by early August were Colossal Yes, Dominant Legs, Planet Booty, The Dwarves, Wallpaper., and Kelly Stoltz.

12) Read and review one non-fiction & one fiction book a month.
Failed at reviewing and getting 12 non-fictions (will amend this next year). But here's my reading list for 31 (* indicates I highly recommend):

FICTION

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
An Object of Beauty* by Steve Martin
Clara & Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor (Short Stories)
Hunger Games, Mockingjay and Catching Fire*** by Suzanne Collins
Modern Home by Eric Puelcher
Portraits of a Few of the People I've Made Cry by Christine Sneed (Short Stories)
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal
The False Friend by Myla Goldberg
The Fates will Find their Way* by Hannah Pittard
The Marriage Plot* by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Tiger's Wife* by Téa Obreht
Tinkers* by Paul Harding
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

NON-FICTION (to be fair, I think I'm missing some):

East of New York, West of Kabul* by Tamim Ansary
Farm City* by Novella Carpenter
Fortune Cookie Chronicles* by Jennifer 8. Lee
Zeitoun* by Dave Eggers (One of the best books I've EVER read)

13) Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me.

Passed by signing petitions mostly. Need to specify this for 32, if I do it again.

14) See and review at least one film per month.
Again with the review failure. Here's what I mentioned I saw during 31:

And for Nov 11-Dec 11, I saw The Muppets. In my last month I saw Shame & Weekend (new 35mm print)

15) Try one new recipe a month.
Even though I ate out way too much (and it's showing, yikes), I loved experimenting with so many new ingredients.

16) Try a new locally-owned restaurant each month.
Again, my new life! Here's my mentions:

For 11/11-12/11, would probably be Nihon and for 12/11-1/11 Sous Buerre

17) Go to an art show or gallery once a month.

Did a fairly good job of this. Helps that SF is constantly having art happen.

18) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.

Not dedicated, but oft mentioned.

19) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit.

Not dedicated, but oft mentioned.

20) Leave the county I live in at least once per month.

Success! And amazing where you can go with better regional transit connections.

21) Write one album and one concert review a month.

Fail at reviewing, but loads of new music for me during 31.

22) Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times.

Took a break from politics after the disastrous start to the year.

23) Attend games of at least four different sports.

On a technicality, I should be able to count half marathons, those aren't games, but... I did solidly get Roller Derby, Men's College Hoops & MLB.

24) Go to at least four theatre performances.

39 Steps, Genesis, Killing My Lobster: Technology, The Edenites

25) Go vegetarian for 31 days.

Success, horrid success.

26) Go for 31 days without consuming any soda.

Also in August.

27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.

Success!

28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.

Success, thanks to antibiotics

29) Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.

FAIL. Did not put in the effort, though I've significantly reduced.

30) Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.

FAIL. Did not put in the effort, though I've significantly increased.

31) Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week.

Overwhelming success!

In conclusion, even though I did not meet ALL of my goals, I'm pretty proud of what I accomplished in a year that completely turned me upside down. I look forward to posting new goals on Brew to Bay. I'll likely be hanging up my Accidental Wisconsinite hat for a good while, so follow me over there.

31 by 32: Autumn Achievements

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:24:00 +0000

My monthly 31 by 32 progress report returns after traveling abroad during the scheduled update last month. The minutia of my life is somewhat recorded at Brew to Bay, although not as frequent as in the past.

Here's my TEN months into 31 status report. I'm making peace with what I've tried my best to do and reupping commitments for next year already.

UPDATES

Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month.

Reviews STILL missing, but still regularly reading. Fiction - I am pretty sure I'm missing some, but I definitely read the first book of The Hunger Games (and loved it) and the new Jeffrey Eugenides book, The Marriage Plot. Apart from skimming through Rick Steve's Guide to Paris, my non-fiction has been lacking.

See and review at least one film per month. The Castro Theatre continues to wow me, and in October I headed to a screening of the fantastic documentary, Beyond This Place with a live score by Sufjan Stevens. Before my trip I saw the fantastic Drive with dreamy meme-master Ryan Gosling. I also went to a screening of the terrifying doc Malls R Us. And I saw movies while traveling. I ended up in Milwaukee during the Milwaukee Film Festival (catching Miss Tacuarembo and Give Up Tomorrow) and actually while abroad I took the opportunity to see the excellent and not-yet-US-released Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and ended up also seeing the godawful Three Musketeers in 3D.

Try one new recipe a month.

To be honest, September IS a blur, though I'm always tinkering. I made up a FABULOUS squash soup out of my head and from scratch on Halloween night though.

Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month.

I'm sure I did in September, but now it's lost to time. Boo. Not counting my travels, before my November cutoff though, I did get to dine at the excellent The Beast & The Hare. Rabbit and bacon stew over polenta? Yum.

Leave the county I live in at least once per month.

Milwaukee in September and then Paris in London in October? I think I blew this one out of the water.

Write one album and one concert review a month.

Reviews continue to lag (taking this part out next year), but I've continued to obsess over new music with Spotify. In September/October I rocked it up at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, seeing M. Ward, Bright Eyes, A.A. Bondy, Low Anthem, Devotchka, Fitz & The Tantrums, Over the Rhine & The Jayhawks in a weekend. In October I attended the aforementioned Sufjan livescore, but also the BEST concert of the year (and possibly one of my life), seeing Active Child at Old St. Pancras Church in London, lit primarily by candleliht. Ah-MAZE-ing.

Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week.

I consider myself a very lucky person that I've continue to match or exceed. I have to also give a special shoutout to Becky for visiting in October. Epic doesn't even begin to describe.

Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me

Petitions, petitions, BUT I'm also now a California voter. Woohoo!

Go to an art show or gallery once a month.
In September I went to the Artists Underfoot show at Workspace. In Paris I went to the wonderful Museé d'Orsay. In London I was mistaken for an art dealer and ushered into a special talk while simply trying to go to the Museum of Everything. Returning stateside, Becky and I checked out a show at Public Works while she was here.

Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times. Still at 2/4 because good lord, this has been impossible.

Attend games of at least four different sports. I'm at 3/4. This is actually retroactive, because I had forgotten to count going to the Brew City Bruisers Roller Derby before I moved. So there! I *almost* got to go to the Stanford/Oregon football game, but alas. Still waiting for a fourth sport to roll my way.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business. Again, still mentioning, but not dedicating.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit. Same deal of half-mentioning.

NO PROGRESS

Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.
Get something published.
Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row. (Although I think with some more yoga I may be up to this)
Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.
Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"
Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.
Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.

PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED:
1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.
5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).
7) Digitize my CD collection.
8) Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.
9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity
11) See six different local bands live.
24) Go to at least four theatre performances.
25) Go vegetarian for 31 days.
26) Go for 31 days without consuming any soda.
27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.
28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.

31 by 32: September Status

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 05:34:00 +0000

My monthly 31 by 32 progress report returns. The minutia of my life is somewhat recorded at Brew to Bay, although not as frequent as in the past.

Here's my eight months into 31 status report.

UPDATES

Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month.

Reviews STILL missing, but still regularly reading thanks SF Public Library. Fiction - I don't believe I completed a fiction book in August...bad Meghan. It was a month of Non-fiction: finished Fortune Cookie Chronicles; West of Kabul, East of New York: An Afghan American Story; and the heart-wrenching Zeitoun. I recommend EVERYONE read that latter one like now. I also want to back track and mention a book I read earlier this summer, which is vying for book of the year for me. I somehow forgot it on my last summary. Hannah Pittard's The Fates Will Find Their Way. Virgin Suicides meets Lovely Bones.

See and review at least one film per month.

I'm glad I didn't say "new film" or "new to me film" because I went to some kickass screenings in August at the Castro Theatre, including the 25th anniversary of Labyrinth, a TRIPLE FEATURE of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Hot Fuzz, and Shaun of the Dead and Edgar Wright in person, and a double-feature of Notorious and Suspicion

Try one new recipe a month.

Got pretty creative with vegetables during my vegetarian challenge. Made a couple eggplant dishes that were quite delicious.

Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month.

Been falling into a pattern of going to the same spots, but thanks to Jason's visit landed at 25 Lusk.

Leave the county I live in at least once per month.

Mary Ann and I got together with the East Bay ladies to enjoy some delicious dinner at Souley Vegan in Oakland. We also hit up The Trappist beforehand for some brews.

Write one album and one concert review a month.

Reviews continue to lag (taking this part out next year), but I'm starting to totally make my albums of the year list. St. Vincent is leading. I guess technically Outside Lands was on this side of the coin for timeline, which is good, since I failed at going to another show in August.

Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week.

Still on track with this. Especially with Mary Ann in the neighborhood, Ingrid working nearby me, and visitors continuing to show.

Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me

Same as last month. This a petition-crazy town. I've signed stuff. I need to actually take more effort though.

Go to an art show or gallery once a month.
I went to an art opening at D-Structure that I wasn't too excited about. But I did also go to the Steins Collect exhibit at SFMOMA.

Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times. No progress. Still at 2/4.

Attend games of at least four different sports. No progress. Still (2/4)

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business. Not dedicated, but been better at mentioning.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit. Same deal of half-mentioning.

31 by 32: End of Summer Edition

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 05:16:00 +0000

My monthly 31 by 32 progress report is back, after a little break there in July. The minutia of my life is somewhat recorded at Brew to Bay, although not as frequent as in the past.

Here's my seven months into 31 status report (up to August '11)

UPDATES

COMPLETE! See six different local bands live.
I know there's more, but as of last writing I'd had four down. I now have seen AT least three – Wallpaper. at Great American Music Hall (likely my concert of the year), Kelley Stoltz open for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and the incredible The Stone Foxes at Outside Lands.

Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month.
Reviews STILL missing, but still regularly reading thanks SF Public Library. Fiction - in the past two months I read the excellent Object of Beauty and deliciously trashy and nostalgic Sweet Vally Confidential. Unfortunately haven't completed two non-fictions, but I am almost done with the awesome Fortune Cookie Chronicles. Bonus! I did read a short story collection – Portraits of a Few People I've Made Cry.

See and review at least one film per month.
Yeah, so much for reviews. Except for Bridesmaids, you got that one. I also caught one more film at the Red Vic before it closed (SO SAD)...Circo, about Mexican circus workers. I also saw a couple social justice documentary screenings – God Grew Tired of Us (with John Dau present) through Groundwork Opportunities and Grow! (about young farmers in Georgia) through 18 Reasons.

Try one new recipe a month.
Still experimenting with various things from the farmers market. I have two near me now Upper Haight and Divisadero. I'm also doing my veg challenge (see below).

Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month.
Again, this is my life here. Winners for the past couple of months include Millennium, Little Chihuahua, The Pork Store Cafe, Mission Chinese, and Radius Cafe.

Leave the county I live in at least once per month.
I actually left the STATE by popping up to Portland for the 4th (and flying out of Oakland, I may add). Then later in July I ran the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon, popped back up to Sonoma County again for canoeing on the Russian River, and then stepped foot in Marin biking across the GGB with Monica & Bart when they visited. In August, I helped out my friend Sarah with the Jewish Film Festival in Berkeley and checked out Oakland Art Murmur.

Write one album and one concert review a month.
Reviews continue to lag (taking this part out next year), but albums keep flowing into my ears. Especially now that I have Spotify! Been rocking Tune-Yards, YACHT, Wallpaper and Vetiver most of the summer. I mentioned the local bands I've seen, but also just wrapped up Outside Lands – three days of rock and roll. This past week was Clap Your Hands Say Yeah with Kelley Stoltz at The Independent and I caught Cults at Bottom of the Hill in July. In the June/July timeframe I saw the always incredible Ms. Sharon Jones at the gorgeous Stern Grove Music Festival.

Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week.
Definitely doing a good job of this. Having two roommates increases the odds as well that somebody will be around during the week. Additionally, I had a TON of visitors in June/July so lots of one-on-one tour guiding.

Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me
This a petition-crazy town. I've signed stuff. I need to actually take more effort though.

Go to an art show or gallery once a month.
In early July I sort of went to BAN 6 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts...the Opening Party at least. I had better luck this month hitting up the Oakland Art Murmur, Lower Haight Art Walk, and Divisadero Art Walk. The latter was my fave (and also closest to my house!).

Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times. I'm moving this up to 2/4. I had a healthy discussion with some Mormon Republicans supporting them in backing Ron Paul. Mostly cuz Michelle Bachmann scares the bejesus out of me.

Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas. My brother and I had lots of sibling bonding when I was home over the 4th. Yeah!

Attend games of at least four different sports. (2/4) I've been rocking AT&T Park lately – Brewers game, Phillies & Pirates. And at all of them, the team I rooted for won (Brewers, Giants, Giants). I am hoping for a Brewers/Giants playoff series!

Go to at least four theatre performances. COMPLETE! This is at 4.5 actually. Caught The Edenites with Mary Ann and Kirstin back in June, but unfortunately got a sad news phone call during intermission of Tales of The City and didn't see the second act.

Go vegetarian for 31 days. (IN PROGRESS). I hate it. Am fantasizing about burgers. And now my most carnivorous friend is visiting on the 28th. Boo!

Go for 31 days without consuming any soda. (IN PROGRESS). Figured I may as well do a twofer with the whole no meat thing.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business. Not dedicated, but been better at mentioning.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit. Same deal of half-mentioning.

NO PROGRESS

Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.
Get something published.
Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row. (Although I think with some more yoga I may be up to this)
Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.
Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"
Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.
Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.

PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED:
1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.
5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).
7) Digitize my CD collection.
9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity
27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.
28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.

Funky Cold Mobdina: Segregation vs. Integration

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:29:00 +0000

Cross-posted from Brew to Bay:

Warning: I realize this blog is going to piss some people off. Please know I can write volumes about how awesome Milwaukee is. But if you don't address problems they'll never go away.

This morning I was greatly saddened to see this article posted on Facebook describing an alleged mob scene at the Wisconsin State Fair last night.

More upsetting to me than the news of alleged violence (which I do not condone), is the unbelievably racist tone of the article. Compare it to the one in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (oddly enough owned by the same media company) and the difference is stark.
Let's compare the ledes:

"Witnesses tell Newsradio 620 WTMJ and TODAY'S TMJ4 of a mob of young people attacking innocent fair-goers at the end of the opening night of State Fair, with some callers claiming a racially-charged scene."

versus

"Police from three jurisdictions - West Allis, Milwaukee and Wisconsin State Fair police - spent Friday morning piecing together a series of incidents late Thursday night at the Wisconsin State Fair in which large groups of youths rampaged through the Midway and outside the grounds after closing."

It doesn't take a journalism degree to label one as sensational and the other as a bit more balanced. However, both use the articles succeed in one thing — underscoring Milwaukee's issues being, what a friend on Twitter referred to as, "trapped in a 1960s timewarp, but not in a good way."

Yes, the fighting kids were absolutely in the wrong. But it doesn't help the situation at all to add fuel to the fire and make it sound like all black people are out to get all white people. That guy named "Norb" — I'm about as scared as him as he is of an MC Hammer and Tone Loc concert.

I refuse to look at the comments on either article, as I'm sure they'll cause my heart to break into a thousand pieces.

Of course the entire time I lived in Wisconsin I heard and read report after report of the segregation problems. I don't have a solution. I will tell you though, I didn't realize how bad they were until I moved back to somewhere integrated. I can also tell you that efforts are needed by both whites and people of color. But Jesus, white people, you really need to make an effort.

I used to work at 17th and Fond du Lac and white people would freak out that I'd walk a quarter mile to 21st and North to catch the bus. Guess what? I never got shot, mugged, harassed more than I would downtown, anything. The most I ever got was people looking at me like "What the hell is this white girl doing here?" I'd be confused too if a white person never came into my neighborhood except when there was traffic on the freeway. I also feel like many people don't realize there are middle class areas tucked in the "ghetto" in Wisconsin. All they see are black vs. white. There are amazing things in a lot of Milwaukee's vast land area. Go discover them.

I can tell you some of the stark differences I see in San Francisco:

Here, skin color does not equal socioeconomic status.
Here, chatting someone up at a bar/dating does not revolve around skin color.
Here, there don't appear to be a bunch of "diversity" efforts. Diversity just is.
If there's a mob beating or other act of violence, it's not a problem for "that neighborhood." It's everybody's problem. EVERYBODY wants to find a solution.

Yes, there are "bad neighborhoods." Yes, there is Oakland. But the dark cloud of racism isn't constantly hanging above our heads.

Before I sign off, I'll end with the best quote I saw from @svdodge this morning:

Lets also realize that the "dozens or hundreds" of "black youths" were outnumbered by "non-acting spectator citizens." Deep societal problem.

girl on film: yeah, so bridesmaids....

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:30:00 +0000

Posting here seems more appropriate somehow...

Thank goodness Ritu (former Milwaukeean) and Mary Ann (one of my childhood besties) were with me to watch way too many parallels to my life on screen. I really need to talk to my still-Milwaukee girls about that movie. I know lots of thirtysomething women are saying this right now.

Awesome Things

Totally spotted my old apartment in the opening pan of the city.
Helen was a perfect representation of a FIB. "Oh you live in Milwaukee? How sad."
For some odd reason, the pool wedding/lead couple reunion at the end reminded me of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead.
I think I have been in houses like the mom's with the 70s/80s celebrity caricatures. I'm surprised they didn't reference her selling them at the Shops of Grand Avenue.
Yes, every woman who was a teen in the 90s has had this sing-along.

Inaccuracies That Really Bugged Me

You could not go into a liquor store after 9 p.m.
An Asian couple in the jewelry store? What?
You can't get from Bay View to 38th St. in 5 minutes.
That was NOT a MCTS bus in the background.
It would be nice if you could get food poisoning from an out-of-the-way Brazilian restaurant. Alas, such a thing does not exist (not a lot of Brazilians in Milwaukee) and if it did, the waiters most certainly wouldn't speak Spanish.
Where was the snow? If the weather was like that for the length of time that passed in the film (in both Milwaukee and Chicago), I'd reconsider my decision!
Yeah, that bridal boutique doesn't exist in downtown Milwaukee.
Neither does that hookup's house.
Roommates in Milwaukee? What?
Flights from Milwaukee to Vegas aren't 3 rows across, nor do they have first class.

Things I Would Change to Be a Bit More Aligned With My Actual Life

I only WISH *that* character looked like Jon Hamm.
Instead of ending up with a cute state trooper, the heroine would've just moved to San Francisco.

31 by 32 - June Check In

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:23:00 +0000

My monthly 31 by 32 progress report. The minutia of my life is somewhat recorded at Brew to Bay, although not recently.

Here's my five months into 31 status report (up to June 11), although before I begin...

I am less than a month away Team Challenge training. I’m 50% to my $2700 goal, but whatever I don't hit by July 6 will be charged to my credit card. Can you help me in supporting this wonderful cause? Please consider donating $39.30 in honor of my third half marathon. Please donate here!

UPDATES

See six different local bands live.
4/6 down. Ended up totally randomly seeing hardcore punk band The Dwarves at Bottom of the Hill over Memorial Day Weekend. A Milwaukee friend told me that they have origins in 1980s Kenosha, so I suppose that could count as double-local!

Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month.
Reviews still missing, but thanks to joining the SF Public Library, I'm a regular reader again. Fiction - read the terribly disappointing Clara & Mr. Tiffany. Non-fiction - tackled the uproarious and awesome Farm City.

See and review at least one film per month.
Reviews still missing, but caught both Midnight In Paris at the Kabuki and Kuroneko at the incredible Red Vic Movie House up the street from my new apartment.

Try one new recipe a month.
I tackled the tough but rewarding crop of Fava Beans (no, not Hannibal Lector style) I picked up at the Farmer's Market. Sauteed with some olive oil, cilantro, and green onion -- yum. Also made a "forage" meal one night with morels and fiddleheads over pasta.

Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month.
Again, this is my life here. Winners for May include Easy Creole, Little Baobob, and Dynamo Donut.

Leave the county I live in at least once per month.
Not only did I return to Alameda County for a tour of St. George's Spirts, but I also biked 30 miles to / from Mill Valley in Marin County.

Write one album and one concert review a month.
Total review fails for albums acquired and concerts attended. In addition to The Dwarves, saw Mutaytor with my new roomies in the May 12-June 11 period. Digging the new Lady Gaga for album of that month, and on a more indie level, the Cults debut LP.

Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week.
Despite rotating through the same handful of friends, I am doing a good job of being a better friend this year and I'm glad of it.

Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me
Signed a couple petitions on Bike to Work Day this year!

Go to an art show or gallery once a month.
Joined Ingrid & Co. for their friend's thesis show at California College of the Arts.

NO PROGRESS

Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.
Get something published.
Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row. (Although I think with some more yoga I may be up to this)
Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.
Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.
Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"
Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times. (still at 1/4)
Attend games of at least four different sports. (still at 1/4)
Go to at least four theatre performances. (still at 3/4)
Go vegetarian for 31 days. (Have vegan roommates - perhaps it will happen?)
Go for 31 days without consuming any soda. (was doing well until I discovered a food truck with Limca)
Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.
Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.
Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business. (Bad blogger lately!)
Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit. (Bad blogger!)

PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED:
1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.
5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).
7) Digitize my CD collection.
9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity
27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.
28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.

31 by 32 - May Check In

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:02:00 +0000

My monthly 31 by 32 progress report. The minutia of my life is somewhat recorded at Brew to Bay.

Here's my four months into 31 status report:

UPDATES

See six different local bands live. 3/6 down. Local band Dominant Legs opened for Broken Social Scene at The Warfield Theatre when MAB and I caught them last month. I also discovered the AWESOMENESS that is Planet Booty opening for Movits! at Bottom of the Hill
Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month. I think I’m giving up on the non-fiction efforts (but not really, some month I’ll read like six I swear!), but I’m working my way through the Flannery O’Connor collection Everything That Rises Must Converge short story collection for this month’s book club for one.

See and review at least one film per month. I think 14 screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival covered me for the year?

Try one new recipe a month. Nothing too exciting, but during my recent bout of mystery illness, I did figure out make a tasty sweet potato and sage mash, accompanied by wilted swiss chard with lemon & garlic, which lasted me a couple of days.

Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month. Again, this is my life here. Winners for April include Isobune, Rosamunde Sausage, and Wexler’s (running out of time for links, you can use the Google).
Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.
I think I've done a good job giving shout outs at Brew to Bay, but could probably get more in-depth.
Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit. Lots of love for the film society this past month. Need to find a new project for May!
Leave the county I live in at least once per month.
Two trips for me to Alameda County. Once to Oakland to Marley's and then to the incredibleness that's the Alameda Flea Market!
Write one album and one concert review a month.
Total review fails for albums acquired. I mentioned Broken Social Scene and Movits!, but I need to get on the critical writing.
Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days. I totally have done this since I moved into my place in April. There's really no other way to GET to work. I'm really excited about having accomplished this goal.
Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol. Phew! This is DONE. Would've preferred to have done without the mystery illness/drug cocktail, but I managed.
Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week. Even as an invalid I was good at this :)

NO PROGRESS

Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.
Get something published.
Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row.
Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.
Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.
Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"
Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me (I can’t actively recall doing anything in April - BAD MEGHAN).
Go to an art show or gallery once a month. I’m spoiled by there being art EVERYWHERE, so I need to make a better effort!
Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times. (still at 1/4)
Attend games of at least four different sports. (still at 1/4)
Go to at least four theatre performances. (still at 3/4)
Go vegetarian for 31 days.
Go for 31 days without consuming any soda.
Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.
Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.

PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED:
1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.
5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).
7) Digitize my CD collection.
9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
I am hardcore fundraising for my Team Challenge training. I’m financially on the hook to raise $2700 to fight Crohn’s and Colitis and I’ve had friends believe in me $800 of the way. I have a goal of finding 150 people to support me with $13.10 by July 17. Any ideas of how to do that?

31 by 32 - April Check In

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:48:00 +0000

Still making progress on my 31 by 32, of course you can read most of my Day to Day over at Brew to Bay.

Here's my three months into 31 status report:

Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.

No progress made, sorry folks.

Get something published.

I should clarify that this would be something outside of the blogosphere. Because I've been getting shoutouts there.

Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row.

I'm failing miserably on strength training right now. I have plans to join a gym here once I'm back from my Wisconsin trip this weekend.

Change someone's life for the better (other than my own). - TANGIBLY COMPLETE!

I encouraged MAB to do her first half marathon and she DID. Yay!

Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.

Yeah, I'm not sure where this is. Possibly Portland?

Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.

Still figuring out work schedule to go to Portland or Seattle, but I did get to hang out with my dad in SF last month.

Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

Again, I think this one ended up in PDX.

See six different local bands live.

1/6 down. Caught part of Colossal Yes (Oakland) opening for Sharon Van Etten & Little Scream. An amendment to this is that I'm going to now count both San Francisco AND Milwaukee bands. So if a MKE band makes it out west, I'm going to make an effort to go.

Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month.

Again, totally slacked on the non-fiction, but picked up Water for Elephants at a used bookstore so I could get something read. I liked it in the sense that there's a better-written cute old people love story that will hopefully get people to STFU about The Notebook. And you know when I pull in The Notebook, I'm setting the bar very low.

Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me.

Actually at the strawberry lecture I went to, I signed a petition to Gov. Brown regarding rebanning methyl iodide. Yesterday I emailed the SF Entertainment Commission (appointed officials though) to express my concern about a new ID law they're trying to implement in the city.

See and review at least one film per month.

WOW. I completely FAILED at this. Good thing the San Francisco International Film Festival starts in a couple weeks so I can make up for it big time.

Try one new recipe a month.

My sauteed kale with shitake mushrooms *may* have been done before, but I know I've never made cheesy lemon asparagus.

Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month.

This has pretty much been my whole month of March. I think the new goal should be "don't go to a chain."

Go to an art show or gallery once a month.

First, I realized I didn't fail in February/March as I made it to the Olmec exhibit at the DeYoung. For this month I've seen lots of art here and there, but I will count my field trip to YBCA as my completion.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.

Again, I think I've done a good job covering this at Brew to Bay.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit.

No 100% dedicated posts, but plenty have come up in my Brew to Bay ramblings.

Leave the county I live in at least once per month.

Thank you Oakland Half Marathon for getting me to Alameda County.

Write one album and one concert review a month.

My reviewing still sucks (although I have a ton of albums, including Panda Bear, TV on the Radio, Battles, and more). I briefly talked about the Sharon Van Etten show. Need to improve on this!

Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times.

Thankfully I have 3 more times to do this throughout the year because I've been rather politically disengaged (at least for me!).

Attend games of at least four different sports.

Still have three to go. Supposed to get to a Giants game at some point soon.

Go to at least four theatre performances.

This may be my most successful! After seeing Killing My Lobster on Saturday, I only have one left!

Go vegetarian for 31 days.

Have yet to try, but perhaps this will be a project once I return from MKE.

Go for 31 days without consuming any soda.

I was doing fairly well, but a recent sore throat derailed. Also an appreciation for Root Beer. I will revisit once back in town.

Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.

Once I'm back from my brief trip to Milwaukee, I will tackle this one.

Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.

I REALLY need this one. Just need to plan.

Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.

Need to put on calendar and plan.

Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.

Need to plan.

Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week.

Still feel like I'm staying up on this well here!

PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED:

1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.

7) Digitize my CD collection.

9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity.

31 by 32 - March Check In

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:21:00 +0000

Well I completely failed at posting my check in for February, but I've been just a tad distracted. As you'll see below, I've not done the greatest at this, but I've made some progress.

Also, I've decided to continue posting these 31 by 32 updates here, as I started 'em here!

Anyway, here's my 2 months into 31 status report:

1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.
COMPLETE! I think moving to San Francisco and starting a new job on Monday count.

2) Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.
No progress made.

3) Get something published.
No progress made. Although I am debating writing a letter to the editor of the JS or Milwaukee Business Journal as to why I left Wisconsin.

4) Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row.
I need to restart my pushup streak. I was doing well in CORE class, but still unable to really get above 10.

5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).
Hopefully I've completed this one, although it's something I try to do on a daily basis.

6) Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.
Packed it, but haven't started :)

7) Digitize my CD collection.
COMPLETE!

8) Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.
Have to look into booking a flight in May, once I get my work schedule figured out.

9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity.
Like moving to California? How about going to protest in Madison and losing a day of packing?

10) Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"
Packed it. Waiting until I'm settled to attempt.

11) See six different local bands live.
No progress. An amendment to this is that I'm going to now count both San Francisco AND Milwaukee bands. So if a MKE band makes it out west, I'm going to make an effort to go.

12) Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month.
The reading of fiction has gone well, the reviewing and non-fiction not so much. For January I read "Tinkers" by Paul Harding and for February "A Visit From the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan. Really liked the former, it was like reading a painting. The latter I got sucked into, was definitely enjoying, but HATED the last chapter. So much that it just ruined the book for me.

13) Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me.
In January I let Chris Larson know that I hoped he'd fight for keeping the smoking ban, but obviously in February things got mega out of control. I contacted the Fab 14 and told them I supported them, and I also emailed Sen. Dale Schultz to thank him for being the one Republican in the Wisconsin Legislature with a soul.

14) See and review at least one film per month.
Again, reviews have been bad, I got January in with Rabbit Hole, but I have been terrible about others. In February, I finally watched The Social Network. I also caught a screening of Carlos, courtesy of Milwaukee Film. Other than that, I sucked at getting to the theater to catch anything since I've been busy with item #1. A huge regret is that I never made one final trip to the UWM Union Theatre before departing.

15) Try one new recipe a month.
In Jan/Feb, I made the arugula omelette I blogged about, and also a curry carrot & celeriac soup I sort of made up. In Feb/Mar I came up with a sweet potato mash with random pantry supplies I had to use up before moving.

16) Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month.
In January I failed in Milwaukee, but rocked in San Francisco on my scouting trip with memorable meals to RN74 (bone marrow with pork belly & tomato compote) and Gracias Madre (vegan Mexican). In Feb/Mar I finally made it to Maxie's Southern Comfort before moving from Milwaukee.

17) Go to an art show or gallery once a month.
In January I hit up both a Caggio opening and gallery night, but FAILED at making it to something in the past month.

18) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.
FAIL.

19) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit.
FAIL.

20) Leave the county I live in at least once per month.
Jan/Feb: San Francisco
Feb/Mar: Madison (protests!), Brookfield (wedding shower), San Francisco (move)

21) Write one album and one concert review a month.
FAILED at reviewing, but have snagged some awesome albums this year. Jan/Feb brought me The Decemberists - The King is Dead, The Smith Westerns -- Dye It Blonde, and Iron & Wine -- Kiss Each Other Clean and Feb/Mar Radiohead -- King of Limbs, Bright Eyes -- The People's Key. My friend Grant also hooked me up with the new Mogwai, Cut Copy and Toro y Moi, all of which I'm digging, especially for running.

As for concerts, I included the 2/12 Robyn show for Jan/Feb and caught Mucca Pazza on Tuesday for Feb/Mar....still, sucked on reviewing.

22) Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times.
I have been giving massive props to Sen. Dale Schultz (see above).

23) Attend games of at least four different sports.
Hit up a Marquette men's basketball game in Jan/Feb (vs. DePaul), but need to stay on this.

24) Go to at least four theatre performances.
Saw the excellent The 39 Steps at the Milwaukee Rep and the experimental Genesis at the Milwaukee Ballet (if ballet counts as theater - I make the rules, so yes)

25) Go vegetarian for 31 days.
Will be easier in CA.

26) Go for 31 days without consuming any soda.
Hmmm, need to plan when.

27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.
We'll see when my bike gets here and where I land!

28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.
Need to plan.

29) Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.
Need to plan, but again, will be easier in CA.

30) Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.
Again, feel like I'm cheating...

31) Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week.
Moving made this very, very easy, but I need to get on it here.

** PROMISE THAT I'LL LINK THIS POST EVENTUALLY **

last day as a wisconsinite

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:27:00 +0000

I owe so much posting, but I have been just a tad busy in the last few weeks, purging my life and getting ready to begin anew.

Thank you all for your messages of love and support. Part of my heart will stay in Milwaukee for sure.

I will begin my new blog when I land tonight in San Francisco, but will post some stuff here still as well.

Gotta sign off and take my modem back to Time Warner.

Until I reach the other side...

in defense of teaching

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:39:00 +0000

My facebook post on the events in Wisconsin has generated over 50 comments today. Phew.

I applaud my friends and family who stood up for teachers.

First, my friend Tiffany, linked me to this diatribe on teacher pay.

Then, after watching her profession come under attack all day by her daughter's "friends," my mom weighed in and blew all of our socks off. I almost cried when I read this and I have to say how PROUD I am to have been raised by this woman. We've had MANY differences and disagreements over the years, but this is truly amazing. If my facebook wall had a "slow clap" feature, Mom would've totally set it off:

When you say things like "... the average teacher makes $50k per year, with three months of vacation time, during which time they can make more money. It doesn't even mention the fact that most teachers retire comfortably in their mid- to late 50s, a good decade before the general public," it's clear that you have no idea what really goes on with educators.

Yes, it's easy to simplify with a statement like that, but the reality is that salary is based on an 8 hour/185 day a year contract. I challenge you to find any teacher that works an 8 hour day, 185 days a year. Most of my colleagues show up at school around 6:30 a.m., work a full day with the students, stay 'til around 5 or 6 p.m., at which time they take work home with them, unless they have to stay late for school programs or a parent conference.

Oftentimes, phone calls to parents and home visits are made in the evenings. If the parents are divorced, those calls/visits must be made twice - one to each parent. Staff work days are spent in professional development classes, often paid for out of pocket. Materials for things such as bulletin boards, snacks for the kids who come to school without having had breakfast, personal hygiene items for those who go without, and clothing and shoes for kids who's parents can't afford them are paid for by teachers.

I myself have driven kids to the eye doctor, taken sick children home, paid for field trips, bought winter coats and boots, backpacks and pencils, contributed to Thanksgiving baskets...the list goes on and on. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn - in fact, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a teacher who DOESN'T do these things.

Our "three month vacation" is actually MUCH LESS, when you consider the fact that most teachers are paid for ONE day to clean up their classrooms before (as I would imagine you think) dancing out the door to enjoy doing nothing - or god forbid trying to make ends meet by taking a second job - all summer long. The reality is, most work for at least a week afterward because custodial staff has been cut and things like scraping hardened snot off the bottoms of desks and chairs, or shampooing the puke stains out of the carpet are left up to us. It's not unusual to see teachers return to prepare their rooms for the upcoming school year in early to mid-August. And the "vacation time" you talk about? Not really - professional development is required by many states for recertification. Classes must be taken, papers written, homework done, materials bought, again out-of-pocket.

As for the "I pay your salary" argument? Are you kidding me? Keep in mind that WE PAY TAXES, TOO! People seem to forget that. I also pay for YOU to use the highways, get your drivers' license, take the bus. You do not belong to an exclusive taxpayers' club. We ALL belong!

I am NOT your servant - I am a public employee, I work WITH you. Without me, and others like me, we would all be much worse off than you can even begin to imagine.

war in wisconsin: why i care

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:27:00 +0000

I know I should be focusing all my time and energy packing right now since I'm able to flee the state and not seek political asylum, but I can't help but be caught up in following one of the most amazing civil rights demonstrations I've witnessed in my life time.

I posted yesterday about why I'm upset about Walker's actions (although I was corrected that the National Guard thing was sensationalized).

I thought I'd just post real briefly why I am standing with the teachers and the unions:

My mother has been a hard-working public school employee for the bulk of my lifetime.
Several of my friends have left their previous careers to go back to school for education degrees, almost with the same devotion that people used to do this to join the clergy -- it truly is a VOCATION. No offense to my corporate friends out there (heck, I'm one of them again, very soon), but I've never heard anyone utter words "I have this strong calling to go be a corporate actuary/marketing/HR person to fulfill my dreams AND make the world a better place." I admire and support those who give their lives to others and are SO UNDERAPPRECIATED FOR IT.
The democratic process is NOT a sneaky bill introduced to pass in four days and things like teacher walkouts are a valuable lesson. A couple of days off school are not going to damage our children for life. And if I had children I'd personally LIKE them to learn about civil disobedience and peaceful protests. In fact, as a student at a Jesuit High School (yes, I split my education between public and private schools), I was required to take a whole semester on Peace & Justice.
For those using terms like "Union Overlords," do you really not take advantage of any rights that unions have fought for that now apply to everyone? 8 hour workdays, weekends, child labor laws, health and safety laws. Really, I'd, REALLY like to know.

I understand the frustration of folks that are in private jobs that don't have "Cadillac" benefits, and to close I offer two discussion points:

If we all stood behind universal healthcare, wouldn't some of the issues at stake here, simply be NON-ISSUES
I do agree that Unions do need to make SOME concessions. If you are strongly pro-Union or a Union member, I'd like to hear your thoughts on that. What ARE you willing to give up?

wtfisconsin: collective bargaining battle

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 02:17:00 +0000

I knew after the November elections that it was going to get bad.

But readying the National Guard against peaceful protesters?

I thought we elected Walker, not Wallace.

And giving throwbacks to the Unions that supported you in the Election? Despicable.

Yes, I am leaving the state. But this an issue that should be watched from an international level. You can't just assault the rights of workers and get away with it. There should be a fair and public discourse, not a hasty bill that opens up holes into larger funding issues.

Private sector employees are allowed to negotiate benefits. Why shouldn't public sector ones as well? Why should people that want to serve the public be punished because elected officials can't properly manage spending?

Want to know more? My friend Mandi offers a nice examination and balanced viewpoint here.

As the Catholic Church points out 'there is a "moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.”'

I only hope that one Republican in the Wisconsin legislature can step up and stand up for human rights.

endorsement: jim sullivan for milwaukee county executive

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:14:00 +0000

Realizing I have nothing to lose now by being overtly political, I'd like to announce that I'm off to vote for Jim Sullivan for Milwaukee County Executive in the primary. While I had high hopes for Chris Abele to bring fresh blood and ideas to the office, Sullivan seems to be the only one who grasps the dire straits of parks and transit. If Abele makes it to the general, I can only hope he will educate himself on these issues and come up with more original solutions that the retread "cuts, cuts, cuts."

Also, would one of these candidates get on a bus one day themselves. Milwaukee, please realize that transit is an economic development tool, not a social service. Keep that in mind when you vote today.

brew to bay

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 01:54:00 +0000

The following is an amended version of what I emailed to my close friends and associates over the weekend:

In short: I have really big news.

Many of you know this already, but how big? Life uprooting big.

In just a few short weeks I will be living and working in San Francisco, California -- realizing a goal that I’ve had since I was 10 years old. (I'm not joking, I fell in love the second I set foot in that city).

I gave my notice at my current employer on Friday, and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. Even though my industry in Milwaukee faces COUNTLESS challenges (don't forget to vote tomorrow!), it truly has been an incredible experience working there. It's only been slightly over three years, but I feel like I've learned about twice that. My last day will be Thursday, March 3.

I begin my new job, setting marketing and communications strategy and implementation for a company a new industry for me on March 14. I will post more about my new job and employer when I am settled and started, but I'm very excited to work in a very creative industry, but with still a technical edge.

I will fly out at 8 PM on March 10 to make my triumphant return to the West Coast.

It was not an easy decision for me to make. Yes, I have been increasingly disgruntled with the political climate here, and that was, admittedly, the catalyst for me to investigate living elsewhere. However, once I began looking, I found that the opportunity for me to grow personally and professionally is really elsewhere at this time in my life.

Will I miss Wisconsin? HELL YES.

What I will I miss about Milwaukee?

THE PEOPLE!!! Some of my best friends are here. I’ve spent my entire adult life here and it’s going to be really hard to leave amazing people behind.
Summer.
Things just being super awesome and cool, and not knowing or trying to be that way.
A ton of things, which I will write about, in due time, when I don't have an agenda 3,040,108 items long.

Why I am I moving to San Francisco then?

My family (in Portland and Seattle) will be much, much closer.
Outside of Milwaukee, my highest concentration of close friends is located in SF (including some ex-Milwaukeeans).
I’ve mentally exhausted myself in the past few years trying to defend even minimally progressive programs in Milwaukee, I need a break and also to test and see how these programs work in practice.
With my change to an active lifestyle over the past 18 months, I’ve had an increasingly difficult time dealing with winter here. I need to try at least one in a moderate climate again.
The type of workplace I’m looking for is commonplace. Flexible hours, telecommute options, casual dress, Macs (!!), social media engagement, collaborative / “flat” office structure, encouragement of creativity. I realize this stuff isn’t for everybody, but for me, it will contribute to my overall happiness and ability to succeed.

What am I doing before I leave?

I’ll be spending the next few short weeks packing like a madwoman and purging my apartment of 13 years of Wisconsin collectibles. Watch my social media feeds for information on my EVERYTHING MUST GO FURNITURE BLITZ. If you need shelves, storage units, kitchen islands, a bed, dresser, dining room set, etc. let me know!
Throwing going away bashes on February 25 (late night) and March 4 (happy hour). I also will be celebrating one of my final nights here at the Mucca Pazza concert on March 8.

Will you ever see me after I leave The Island?

As long as Wisconsin people keep getting married and having babies, I can’t yank myself out of their lives. I’ll be back the weekend of April 15 for a wedding (negotiated that into my job offer) and I’m sure for others down the line.
You can virtually track me, as I will be blogging at my new blog, Brew to Bay, so you can track me there or on Twitter. I'll probably still update here occasionally as well.

Recommendations are welcome for San Francisco, in regards to excellent people to know or places to go.

I owe a post on my all my updates as well, but I think we can safely say I've accomplished #1 of my 31 by 32 list!

31 by 32

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:56:00 +0000

Inspired by my lovely friend Catherine, I've decided to set 31 goals for myself to accomplish by my next birthday - January 11, 2012. Some are abstract, others are quite clear. With the exception of one, I've given myself no less than a monthly timeline on most. I'll dedicate around the 11th of each month to "check in" and see where I'm at.

1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.

2) Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.

3) Get something published.

4) Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row.

5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).

6) Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.

7) Digitize my CD collection.

8) Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.

9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity.

10) Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

11) See six different local bands live.

12) Read and review one non-fiction & one fiction book a month.

13) Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me.

14) See and review at least one film per month.

15) Try one new recipe a month.

16) Try a new locally-owned restaurant each month.

17) Go to an art show or gallery once a month.

18) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.

19) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit.

20) Leave the county I live in at least once per month.

21) Write one album and one concert review a month.

22) Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times.

23) Attend games of at least four different sports.

24) Go to at least four theatre performances.

25) Go vegetarian for 31 days.

26) Go for 31 days without consuming any soda.

27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.

28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.

29) Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.

30) Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.

31) Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week.

girl on film: screen vs stage rabbits

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:09:00 +0000

Yesterday I was über-productive all afternoon while camped out at Alterra Prospect. I decided I would reward myself by catching a movie. In my recent trips to the cinema, I've seen like 1,000 previews for Rabbit Hole so I got it in my head that I'd go check it out. Plus, I've really enjoyed John Cameron Mitchell's two other films, so it would be worth a shot.

I had thought it was playing just around the corner at the Oriental, so was a little bummed I had to trek up in the cold to the Downer, but it's always nice to take myself out, so why not. I made it to the theater in just the nick of time, already convinced I'd missed some of the start. Previews were still rolling, so I settled in.

To be honest, this one just didn't do it for me. And the main reason? It happens every once in awhile, but sometimes it's just too obvious that a film was adapted from a play. I actually felt the same way about Closer a few years ago, even though many people really loved that it just didn't make the jump from stage to screen for me, and it made it about 10x better than Rabbit Hole did.

I suppose what made it more noticeable was that some scenes seemed really cinematic, but then the next one you'd get into these really intimate ones where you could just sense the theatricality overpowering the celluloid. Then it just seemed awkward. Also, like a play, it was a very "scene" based film, if that makes sense. The director did make an effort to transition with some lovely, simple cinematography, but it didn't have the right effect for me.

The performances were strong, but again, more for the stage than the screen.

The one takeaway I did get though was that I'd very much like to see this on stage. I can't even imagine how intense it would be live. The relationships between characters are so complex and some of the scenes would just have me squirming I'm sure. On screen, not so much.

meghan's munchies: saturday shut-in yummies

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:11:00 +0000

So I used to do this blog series called "Monday Munchies" and it kinda got me in the local food blogger scene. But then I started focusing on other things, and it was abandoned. My kitchen isn't fully abandoned though, and while I haven't recently undertaken any monumental tasks, sometimes I do make things that are just darn tasty.

Yesterday morning was one such occasion. I had decided that I was going to have an alarm free Saturday, and then do nothing but get my apartment in order until the Packers game. I was hungry, however, and since there's no breakfast delivery, decided to scrape together something.

I had local eggs and butter and some veggies from the new Glorioso's, plus other odds & ends...there's a start...

Luckily, my something turned out to be delicious. And simple.

Tomato & Arugula Omelette (for one)
2 eggs
splash of milk
1 tsp local, Amish butter available at Milwaukee County Winter Farmer's Market (to grease pan)
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup chopped arugula
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese

Scramble eggs & milk in a bowl. Add mixture to greased frying pan on medium heat. Wait until bottom is firm, add veggies and cheese. Cook another minute or two. Flip omelette. Wait until it's cooked through. Eat.

On the side I had toast made from Natural Ovens multigrain, topped with the aforementioned Amish butter and Heizenrader Estates Honey (my brother's girlfriend's mom has an apiary in their backyard in Tacoma, Washington).

Yum.

Oh, and for lunch I dug some kale out of the freezer and enjoyed in over some pasta after sauteeing in butter and garlic.

AND I got my apartment in presentable order.

THEN the Packers handily won.

Saturday was a pretty good day.

My 500th Post: 30 Great Things About 30

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 03:20:00 +0000

It's fairly appropriate that this is my 500th post here at ye olde blog. It's also fairly appropriate that the title of my favorite album of Year 30 was "This Is Happening." Because 30 for me, was the year I, for the most part, finally learned to go with the flow and stop freaking out about what others would think, preferring just to remove myself from the drama.

After most of my crazy exploits, bizarre injuries, missed trains to Freiburg...I pretty much just shrugged and thought "well, that happened."

On a more somber note, perhaps it was easier to remove myself from drama in a year that was bookended by massive tragedies (Haitian Earthquake - 1/12/10 & Tuscon Terrorism - 1/8/11). Perhaps my contempt at Wisconsin's beyond broken political environment replaced any energy I'd have previously focused on petty personal issues. Or maybe I really am getting older and wiser.

At any rate, looking back, 30 was surely my most memorable year since 23, and that's saying a lot.

Although many of these are coded (my mother reads this blog), here are 30 things that I don't want to forget about Year 30 (in no particular order):

1. Running my first 5k and first half marathon within 10 months, thanks to the encouragement of awesome running buddies like Becky, Tony and Jason and of course the Daily Mile crew. Special thanks to my "top three motivators" - Anne, Amy, and Augie. All in all I logged over 1,000 miles of fitness activities - and that counts barely a fraction of my bike commutes!

2. Memorable nights out abroad with random Germans and Brits. Counting up conquering the
Allied and Axis powers.

3. Rediscovering my love for film with continued involvement with Milwaukee Film, dipping my toe further into the local film community, and becoming a semi-regular at the UWM Union Theatre.

4. Connecting through both family and social media to wonderful hosts while I traveled solo in Belgium and Germany - thanks Bernie, Kyle, and Bridgit!

5. Witnessing four great couples commit to each other -- congrats Jane & Ralf, Beth & Fred, Jessica & Ben, and Jackie & Mike.

I vote to balance out people who dress their children like this.

6. Exercising my right to vote in each election and making efforts to write or call my representatives on issues that matter to me.

7. Santa Cycle Rampage and Aftermath.

Siblings!

8. Visiting my hometown of Portland twice and really, really liking it. Especially the running, the beer, the transit, the music, the donuts, and the random evenings. Oh and the whole family and lifelong friends thing too.

9. Jason losing a bet. It makes for a good story for those who are privileged to know.

10. Extending my "Cool Auntie" love to Joey D., Joey S., Oliver S., and A.J. Q.

Good friends take nerdy pictures with you.

11. Maintaining my priceless existing friendships, becoming closer with people that once were just acquaintances, and making new wonderful friends.

12. Scaling back my involvement in organizations when my heart wasn't with them and learning to relax a bit more.

13. Breathtaking hikes both at home (Devil's Lake) and abroad (the Calvert in Malmedy, The Black Forest, Philosophersweg in Heidelberg)

Wren & I not smelling like ass.

14. The smoking ban. Rediscovering loveable dive bars.

15. Realizing how much I truly love being #carfree and the different advantages of the bike/walk/bus mix.

16. Raising over $1500 for the performing arts (I still can't thank AJ Bombers enough for letting me fundraise there). Then biking 75 freaking miles (not on this bike, but my photos are limited).

17. Reading more and utilizing the stellar Milwaukee Public Library system.

18. Having my music snobbery parlay itself into a blogging opportunity. Feeling proud of Milwaukee's music scene for both national touring acts and #mkemusic and the accessibility of movers and shakers in the local scene via social media.

19. Getting hooked into the #fitmke and #mkefoodies communities via twitter - and making some wonderful IRL friends because of it.

I'm in the blue floaty thing

20. Appearing in public in a swim suit - a two piece for that matter!

One of the photos I used for online, unsuccessfully.

21. Getting asked out by someone I didn't meet at a bar or through a set up or dating service. Giving online dating a legitimate shot and realizing it wasn't for me.

Watch out boys, she'll chew you up.

22. Being secure in my singleness. More than that - ROCKING my singleness.

23. Meeting and exceeding my fitness goals of doing at least one paid community event a month.

24. Getting through another crazy year at work, including handling the floodpocolypse of 2010.

All hotels should have lovely floral arrangements.

25. Reopening "Hotel Meghan" and hosting Ryan, Kat, the whole Lepene Family (a child was in my apartment!), and Ellen as they came through town.

26. Indulging my fashion fetishes and buying nicer clothes for my new bod.

Reentering the Meat Zone.

27. Remaining aware of what I put in my mouth, and making concerted efforts to stay local and natural or organic. Reintroducing red meat to my diet after 15 years.

28. Watching several of my talented friends reinvent themselves or relaunch themselves career-wise. Special props to the talented Ellen Winters for booking more jazz gigs and hitting the studio, to the gourmet guru and Globaco Queen Jackie Valent Lucca for delighting Milwaukee's tastebuds with her food cart the Fast Foodie, and my dear friend Maribeth for embracing the opportunity to become an incredible teacher in the near future.

29. Having both parents visit me in Milwaukee and spending a whole day in the Seattle-area hanging out with my awesome grandma.

30. Strengthening my relationship with Kathleen, my best friend, to new levels and watching her, in the face of fear, begin to share her unbelievable (but true!) life story with the greater world. I could not be more proud.

***

The night I turned 30, Wren took me to Bryant's and basically played the role of "30 coach" assuring me this would be the most amazing decade. She hasn't been wrong so far. I look forward to what 31 brings on.

Can I Have a Clone Please?

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:34:00 +0000

I'm really trying to be a better blogger in 2011, but let me tell you, being a single lady is tough sometimes. I didn't get home until 8 p.m. after going to the gym and running errands afterward. I then had to do laundry and put away my previous load of laundry AND my suitcase from Portland (I got back December 28).

Fortunately the holidays and my birthday are over, so hopefully I will have a little Meghan-time to catch up. I have so much follow up on emails to do, but I need to sleep and finish the 47 overdue books from the library. (I'm also trying to be a better reader in 2011).

Do you "do it all"? What are your tricks for a balanced life AND a clean domicile?

31nderful

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:57:00 +0000

I have to reflect on Year 30 yet, but I couldn't have spent a last better 3 hours of my first day as 31. I had the privilege of enjoying a meal with three wonderful friends (and running into a bonus friend!) and talking to my best friend, grandma, brother, and parents all on the phone. I laughed, giggled, snickered. I can only hope 31 to be as silly, absurd, and random as 30.

girl on film: "fighting" back overcriticizing

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:05:00 +0000

Continuing my quest to get back in my old habit of catching the "buzz" movies, I went with my friend Mark to see The Fighter tonight.

Now keep in mind that the two of us generally go see the most messed up movies possible together. The last one we caught was 127 Hours and that was almost too tame.

It's a true story, so I guess there's no spoilers, but although this movie had all the elements to be really dark -- crazy family, drug addiction, infamous freakouters David O. Russell AND Christian Bale -- it was surprisingly feel good and triumphant.

There's nothing wrong with that every once in awhile, but I don't know, the grit, was just missing. Just because you have crack, prison, and bloodsport doesn't mean you have grit.

Oh don't get me wrong, despite wanting more grit, I was cheering and feeling good. I wanted to clap for both of the main characters when they had separately triumphant moments. I'm not a cold-hearted human being.

And if we're talking true stories, a crackhead overcoming an addiction, I'm sorry, but it's a lot more inspiring to me than a King shaking his speech impediment (good movie too, don't get me wrong).

I just prefer when achieving these goals results in complete self-annihilation (hence Black Swan being my front runner still).

Bale's performance makes the film really worth seeing. His physical transformation is so incredible, you completely forget that he's a Hollywood hunk. His portrayal as an addict, well, although I've never known any crackheads, he did a perfect job of capturing exactly what I described last week:

The misconception about junkies is that they're constantly zombies, ready to eat your brains or steal your wallet. However, in moments of clarity, you still can converse with the friends you knew before the drugs. You have to shift through the haze, the fog, and find them in there, but their light is there -- the connection between the two of you.

Unfortunately a couple technical issues with the film really caused me to lose my focus and make it hard to get behind it 100%. These had to do with keeping track of the timeline. Apparently this was a 7 year period, but Bale's son in the film DID NOT AGE. So I was extremely thrown off when the movie started in 1993, but then there was a website advertisement on the mat in the big fight scene. However, researching that later, it happened in 2000, so plausible (although I'm fairly sure in 2000 people were still listing "http://" in front of their web promos). There was also a Greek Chorus of sorts of whacked out sisters to provide comic relief during the film, but one looked about 10 years older than the mother.

I know I'm probably weird for letting things like this derail movies for me, but I really think it's the line between good and great. Continuity issues are just sloppy. Uh oh, now David O. Russell is going to come scream at me.

Have you seen The Fighter? What did you think? Am I being overly critical? What's your film of the year so far?

girl on film: i don't hate all rock docs!

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:50:00 +0000

I caught a lot of flak last fall when I posted a scathing review of Who Is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talking About Him).

While I still stand by it, it did sting when people I respected actually questioned my ability to opine on music or film after that post. Harsh.

Rock docs and I took a little break, but on Friday I had the unexpected opportunity to head out to The Times Cinema (new resolution: go there more!) with Larissa and Jason to catch The Agony and The Ecstasy of Phil Spector.

Perhaps it's because I love dark movies (Black Swan is likely my movie of the year (list coming after I catch up this month on 2010 releases)), but THIS was a rock documentary I enjoyed. Why? Well, I can only compare watching Phil Spector narrate his own history to Hannibal Lector chatting with Clarice Starling (and I just realized that their names rhyme...weird).

The narrative structure of film was stripped, providing a stark contrast to the "wall of sound" pieces that provided the soundtrack during disturbing footage of Spector's murder trial. Also, instead of having a bunch of talking heads discuss the cultural and musical impact of his work, the critique was printed in subtitles over the footage.

The filmmakers did a fantastically creepy job of letting the music move the story forward and leave the audience to make their own conclusions about Spector's guilt or innocence (the movie starts off with "He Hit Me (But It Felt Like a Kiss)"). Like Lector, Spector is an intriguing multi-faceted subject. The man's a convicted murderer, but he was bitingly amusing and you get drawn into his tirades and reminiscences. You also get a clear picture of his misanthropy and deep paranoia.

I was also happy to learn that according to music criticism I'm supposed to be unsettled by Tina Turner's "River Deep Mountain High." That song just has never sat right with me.

Overall, the film is a fascinating treatment of a controversial subject that keeps the viewer engaged for its entire run. Even knowing the outcome, I did not find myself bored or with a wandering mind at all.

Spector tunes were an integral part of my childhood, so maybe on some level my subsconscious just enjoyed this more based on the soundtrack. Or maybe I've just got a penchant for evil geniuses.

At any rate, if you're in Milwaukee, it's at the Times all week. The folks over at Radio Milwaukee are presenting a "musically noteworthy" film series this year so I'm excited to see more. Next up is Lemmy, which I missed during the Milwaukee Film Festival, so I'll have to catch it there.

What's your favorite "rock doc"? Will you be checking out this series at The Times?

listomania: top 10 concerts of 2010

noreply@blogger.com (meghan) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:22:00 +0000

Once again a year where I saw a LOT of great shows. I don't even remember them all. 2011 should be interesting as I'm not allowed to pay to see bands I've already seen (local bands excepted).

Honorable Mentions:
Concert that would have been #2-3 if that dude hadn't fallen on us: Hold Steady, Riverside, December

Seriously. Bummer. They were rocking all the hits!!

Concert I was Most Surprised I Loved: Muse, Bradley Center, October

I was mildly interested and went as a concert buddy to my friend Kristen. Came away a definite fan.

Most Disappointing Concert: Free Energy, Turner Hall, April

LOVED the album, but was really turned off by the live show. The good thing is it was part of the Daytrotter Tour, and I got introduced to the AMAZING Delta Spirit this way (even though I had to leave mid-set thanks to the unfortunate closing of Hegarty's).

Most Sad I Slept Through Half of It: Dirty Projectors, The Pabst, Milwaukee, September

Was totally amazing. Really wish I hadn't passed out after Bloody Mary Festing and Tomato Romping. Glad I made the last 45 minutes after sleeping through my nap alarm. Definitely one where I wish I'd had a concert buddy.

Best Concert that turned from Suck to Awesome Midway: Girls with Dum Dum Girls, The Pabst, Milwaukee, April (even if the AV Club Milwaukee Disagrees)

Best New Festival: Verge - hopefully it won't monsoon in 2011

Without further honorable mentions, here's my Top 10:

10. Avett Brothers with Low Anthem, Riverside, Milwaukee, March

Probably would have made it higher up the list if my back injury incurred after a bike vs. ice fall that day hadn't prevented me from making it to the Low Anthem. Also, I went solo, having bought my ticket when it was scheduled at Turner, but had to awkwardly squeeze into the Riverside single seats. The Avetts made up for it with an incredible show though. Wow.

9. LCD Soundsystem with Hot Chip, The Rave, Milwaukee, October

This show should be in the upper half of my "of the year" list. Not just LCD, but HOT CHIP too?!? Too bad the venue had to fuck this up in every way possible. I'd really been trying to give them a second chance in 2010 after taking an over two year hiatus from seeing shows there. But when we missed half of Hot Chip while they dug will call tickets out of SHOEBOXES, left early because we knew it would take an hour to get out (FIRE HAZARD), and brushed the CIGARETTE SMOKE out of our airspace (this was October - post smoking ban), the venue pretty much ruined this for me. I was also a bit disappointed with how long it took for the Milwaukee audience to get into it. C'mon! Who doesn't do call and response to "Yr City's a Sucker." My city is a sucker :( Good thing I had wonderful company and danced my butt off.

8. Flaming Lips, The Riverside, Milwaukee, April

Uh, Flaming Lips. Enough said.

7. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings with The Heavy, The Pabst, Milwaukee, May

I want to be Sharon Jones, so this was a no-brainer. You can always expect a killer show from her. The great surprise here (besides actually getting asked out as a result of this show), was The Heavy. They super kick-ass'd and it was excellent to catch them again at Summerfest in July. A huge thanks to Wren who was my last minute date to the show. After about 5 minutes she realized she'd made the right decision.

6. Movits! with Fresh Cut Collective, Stonefly, Milwaukee, January

Do you ever have those concerts that you go to on a total whim and they turn out being freaking awesome? This was that. We'd caught a pretty forgettable Jay Farrar/Ben Gibbard show and were persuaded to make it up to Riverwest. Well worth it, I got to finally catch some Milwaukee hip hop and then dance dance dance to Swedish insanity.

5. Scissor Sisters, The Rave, Milwaukee, September

More dancing. And band that made me most wish I was a gay man. Damn, Jake Shears is HAWT.

4. Dr. Dog with Growlers, Turner Hall, Milwaukee, February

Hippie goodness. Growlers were another surprise killer opening act of the year. They had a dude in a coonskin hat who just sat on the ground and played a tambourine or something. And Dr. Dog always brings it.

3. Lady Gaga, Bradley Center, Milwaukee, September

Look what I got to wear! Of course this show is in the top three. Also, Lady Gaga is fucking amazing and I love her. Count me in as a little monster.

2. Pavement with No Age, Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, September

Uh, Pavement. Kinda like when I saw The Pixies reunion. All is right with the world. Enough said. Related: Megan B. and I may one day create a shrine to Stephen Malkmus.

Also, No Age is brilliant as well.

1. LCD Soundsystem, Roseland Theater, Portland, OR, May

Went with my best friend in the universe. We ended up in incredible balcony seats. I had my own dance party while Kat clapped for me. Then I ended up in a dance party with these two awesome flamboyant dudes who actually did the interlaced finger jump up and down screaming like a little girl before the encore. Portland's audience was TOTALLY into it. I also may have lost 20 pounds in sweat. A perfect show.