My New Favorite Blog

It's such a shame that in all my days chasing around music boys in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I never ran into Bon Iver. He was probably busy hanging out with cool guys while we band geeks were lucky to mix with the "jazzers." 


Perhaps that allows me to like him more from afar, with the new discovery of Boniverotica. The humor blog was dreamt up by a trio of friends Alice Warren-Gregory, Anna Sawyer and Alex Finkel from Boulder, Colorado, and went viral within a couple days of launching. Here's what happens when hipster girls imagine the perfect dude with comedic genius.


Some of my faves:

 "I am out back by the shed, tending to our chickens - Clara and Jack, and little Myron, who is lame. Bon Iver is waiting patiently for my return. While he waits, he is darning my socks."

"Bon Iver is sitting cross-legged on the floor, his brow furrowed. It seems he and the jigsaw puzzle have come to an impasse. We’d bought it secondhand, and the box had been lost, so we were left to guess what shape the pieces would take. We weren’t even sure they were all there. I suggest he take a break for a bit and clear his head. ‘I can’t,’ he says, ‘I need to make something whole today.’"

"Our trip to Eagle River took twice as long as the map said: because Bon Iver begged me to pull over for the apricot stand, the Indian village, the typewriter museum."

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better than Feminist Ryan Gosling's Hey Girl Meme. 

Happy Easter!

Looking for five minutes of fun? Dye Easter eggs! This was literally the fastest, most low key egg dyeing session I've ever participated in, from my week with my bestie in the Midwest.

It's been a while since I did the classic egg dye kit- but it sure is a heck of a lot easier than the glittery, tie-dyed, kaleidoscope variations.

Happy Easter!

Just Jazz

I'll be the first to admit that my alma mater spoiled me with good music. After four years being surrounded by musicians in one of the best jazz programs in the country (at a time when there wasn't even a jazz studies major, per se), you would be, too.

The great thing about being a music dork is that there are always people around giving you the hookup  to the best gigs. So when I was in St. Paul, Mitch's hubby just happened to have a gig at the underground club, Jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis.

This tucked away, basement performance space was created as a co-op for musicians to get together for impromptu jam sessions and collaborating. With a bass, piano, drum set, and a surprise vocalist, this was the perfect venue for an intimate evening of great music.

Though I was literally surrounded by close friends, I am sure anyone there would have felt the same. When musicians have the perfect chemistry, it's only natural for the audience to be drawn into that circle of familiarity.

Like them on Facebook!

At the door, admission is by donation only.

The highlight was hearing Nichola Miller sing a couple torch songs from the deep end of the standard pool- I wish I learned their names, but they were new ones for me.

Her voice= soul, edge, and sass smoothed out with butter. This gal is going places.

As if I needed more incentive to plan my next trip here!

Summit Brewery

What trip to the Midwest would be complete without sampling some local brew? Ever the organization pro that she is, Mitch scheduled a tour of Summit brewery for her husband and me while she put in a few hours of work in the morning. We were sad to leave her behind, but happy to drink at 10:30 in the morning. To Summit Brewery we go!

These machines fill the kegs, a little over one per second.

This is the giant fridge where all the beer is stored. It's about the size of a large barn, and they trusted us enough to let us wander around for a few minutes.

Can I have just a few extra minutes? Check on me in an hour.

The conveyer belt that leads to labels and packaging.

They don't bottle during the tours, so we didn't get the chance to do our Laverne and Shirley bit.

Our terrific volunteer tour guide, who said he works for beer.

The copper vats where every batch begins.

In the fermentation room.

In front of the mash vats.

On to tasting! My fave was the oatmeal stout, of course. (Do check out their website, it's terrific! www.summitbrewing.com)

Prost!

Painting With Pizazz

This weekend in St. Paul, I got to enjoy celebrating with my best friend on the signing of her new home. She got her keys the day I arrived. 

That meant lots of errands to run, rolling up our sleeves and diving into sprucing things up before she and her hubby move in. But first, celebrating the big day by christening the ice machine on the new fridge! I'm not sure I've ever seen Mitch this happy.

After our first day bringing a load of boxes over, hitting up Menard's and the paint store, and prepping the neutral walls with tape and tarps, it was time to get painting.

Mitch chose a warm, buttery saffron for the dining room and a toned down dijon for the living room to enhance the natural light.

The first strokes quickly turned to a finished corner.

And before we knew it, two rooms were ready to soak up their first coat.

Happy housewarming! Nothing like spring to motivate projects and new beginnings.

Jucy Lucys

And what exactly is a Jucy Lucy? I'm glad you asked.

It's probably one of the most genius burgers I've encountered in a long time, a specialty of the Twin Cities.

 At Matt's Bar in Minneapolis, hundreds if not thousands of these juicy gems get churned out from a griddle the width of a kitchen sink. Two patties are sealed together around some kind of amazing cheese mixture that melts into a glorious liquid once it's grilled. (The "i" is deliberately omitted, since the veteran employee who posted the sign back in 1950 wasn't the greatest speller, if not in a huge hurry to get back to the griddle.

 Here, my friend's husband dresses his Lucy with the biggest helping of ketchup I've ever seen.

 Mitch enjoys her first, if not slightly painful bite. By the way, we were amazed to immediately get a table, since there's usually a line out the door for these babies.

 I approach mine gingerly so I don't destroy the roof of my mouth. The element of surprise is akin to Chicken Kiev, but it's best to anticipate it so no one gets hurt.

 An interior view of the splendor, adorned with pickles and grilled onions.

 Matt's has a friendly feud with another joint who also claims to have the best Lucy. Mitch is confident that Matt's is the champion.

 I found a recipe for it here, and will definitely be trying to recreate this Midwestern masterpiece when I return home.

Happiest gals in the Midwest? You betcha.