Play in the City

Body Worlds

Hi, we're back!

We had an awesome – albeit fast – weekend in St. Paul with Amanda and Mark.



Friday night we drank and talked and played a tipsy game of Trivial Pursuit. Saturday morning we spent a good hour and a half swimming in the pool in their building; we saw the Body Worlds exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota in the afternoon; and that evening we had a fantastic dinner out at a place called Duplex in Minneapolis. Today we went out for a long, leisurely breakfast before Dave and I hit the road again.

I wasn't planning to delve into my weekend on here, but The Body Worlds exhibit I saw warrants a post.

I assume that most have heard of the exhibit … these people agreed to donate their bodies to science upon their death and are now on display and traveling the world. The exhibit was even more amazing and shocking than I expected it to be. Seeing real human bodies right in front of you – it's surreal!

We had purchased advanced tickets and on Saturday afternoon, we were let into the exhibit at our scheduled time with a big group of people. Even though they only let so many people in at a time, it was still really crowded in there. Walking into the dim room was a little like walking into a funeral – everyone was pretty quiet. Photography wasn't allowed, and while I considered trying to sneak a few, it just didn't seem right.

The full bodies were displayed around the outside walls of the various rooms and lit from above, and they were contorted into various positions to illustrate the different bone structures, muscle groups and internal organs. The accompanying signs named them (The Dancer, The Basketball Player, The Gymnast, etc.) and under the name was a year – the year they died. They ranged from 1999 all the way to 2006. To see the latter ones was especially insane – these bodies were living just months ago!

My feelings ranged from awe and wonder to trepidation and queasiness. The skeletons weren't your high-school-science-class smooth skeletons – they were skeletons that had been inside someone, all imperfect and raw. The muscles looked very much like the muscles of an animal – the muscles we carnivores eat every day. The organs were varying sizes and colors, and we even got to hold a lung and a liver. We saw the lungs of a smoker compared to those of a non-smoker – holy crap, I can't imagine any smoker not deciding to quit after seeing that.

We saw a slice of a human who'd been obese – and to see the strain on the organs, the enlarged organs, the excessive amount of skin and fat tissue – it was just incredible. And gross.

In the middle of each room were glass cases displaying smaller muscle groups, internal organs, and bones. Different deformities and tumors and diseases were illustrated through some different body parts, and those were a bit hard to take, but completely fascinating, too. 

Finally, the most remarkable part of the exhibit was a room we had to wait in a 20-minute line to enter: The Embryonic & Fetal Development room. A sign outside told us that many of these fetuses were from historic collections, and that some of them were as much as 80 years old.

The fetuses started around 12 weeks and went on through to 34 weeks. It was astonishing, especially being a woman of child-bearing age, to see these fetuses close up – to see their fingers and toes and features. It was very disturbing, too, because let's face it – we were walking through a room filled with dead babies.

At the back of the room was the main feature of this part of the exhibit: The Pregnant Woman. This was a woman who had an illness and who wasn't sure she'd make it through her pregnancy. She died when she was eight months pregnant, and the baby didn't survive, either. Her whole body was on display and her uterus was cut open to reveal the baby inside. It was unbelievable. I stared and stared, trying to get a grip on what I was feeling – disgust, sadness, excitement, wonder, and even joy at seeing right in front of me what a baby looks like inside the body; how the organs must shift to allow the baby to grow; how it's all curled up in there. It was amazing. (You can click here to see the photo of her from Wikipedia.)

The other side of the room was more babies, these with different defects and deformities. Conjoined twins, cleft palette, and a few others. Finally, in the middle of the room were about eight glass cylinders with embryos inside at different stages of development, from right after conception to about eight weeks. The last couple were so neat – you could already see the teeny tiny fingers and toes.

After that exhibit, we zipped through the last two rooms. Once you've seen ten or twelve entire bodies, they start to look alike. Plus, we were all feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsettled.

As I've said, I was disappointed that I missed the exhibit when it was in Chicago, so I'm really glad I got to see it in Minnesota. It was a very unique and moving experience, and I'm sure those images will not leave my mind any time soon. It really makes you think a little more about what your body can do and how complex it is in there.

The exhibit will be in St. Paul until September 4, so if you'll be up that way, I recommend it! 

A Weekend Away

Wanted to let you know I won't be around for a few days ...

Dave and I are heading up to the Twin Cities to visit Amanda and Mark for the weekend – and I'm really excited! We always have tons of fun with them. On Saturday, we're going to see the Body Worlds exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. I missed the exhibit when it was in Chicago, so I'm psyched that I get to see it now. Besides that, the weekend will probably include quite a bit of eating out, drinking wine and visiting – with maybe some swimming and shopping thrown in there. I love weekend getaways!

I leave you with a couple things …

There was a great write-up of Milwaukee on Celebrity Cafe today. And check this out – Wisconsin is the most representative (average, run-of-the-mill) state in the country. Interesting, yes?

This weekend is Germanfest in Milwaukee, and Sunday is the Brady Street Artisan Food Festival.

And, if you're keeping track, it's now three months til the wedding. Well, tomorrow it's three months. Close enough. Click below to see the lovely surprise that came in the mail for me today. God, I love weddings. Namely, my wedding. J

Have a great weekend all!

(Sort of) Learning how to cook at the Public Market

When I was offered the chance to come for a cooking class at the Milwaukee Public Market last week, I was psyched for a lot of reasons.

First, I love food. I think it's one of the greatest pleasures in life, and I really want to learn how to cook food well.

Secondly, I love the Public Market. And on many a visit (here, here, among many others!), I've gazed longingly at the upstairs demonstration area, wondering if I'd ever get around to signing up for a class. Plus, I've always wanted to take a cooking class. To take one at the Public Market, I thought, would be especially cool.

And thirdly, I've become a bit addicted to The Food Network. I don't watch much TV, and when I do, one of the channels I automatically check on is The Food Network. The Secret Life Of …, Good Eats, Unwrapped, $40 A Day … it's some great programming!

I'm fascinated by the personalities on that channel, and with the scrumptious things they cook and eat and describe. So when a coworker told me that she'd been to a class at the Public Market and that it was "like watching The Food Network – only in person" - I was so there.

It's for all these reasons that I'm extremely bummed to report that the class did not meet my expectations.

Let me back up …

Tuesday night, Dave and I both cut out of work a bit early so that we could make it downtown to the Public Market in time for our class, which was scheduled to run from 5:30 until 7:00 p.m. The class we chose was a Spanish tapas class taught by John Reiss, a chef and instructor from the culinary program at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).

After we found street parking, we scurried into the Market, fearing we'd be late. (Ok, I feared we'd be late. Dave was cool as a cucumber.) We slid into two chairs near the back at 5:28 p.m. – cutting it pretty close, in my opinion.

However, the class didn't actually start for probably 10 or 15 more minutes. The instructor and his assistant, plus two Public Market employees, were preparing things and waiting for everyone to arrive. When the class finally did start, I counted 35 attendees, which was way more than I expected to be there.

The instructor's assistant came around almost immediately with a tray filled with small glasses of white sangria for everyone. It was cool and refreshing and had peaches and pineapple floating in it. I thought, hey, I like this already.

I sat upright in my chair, ready to be dazzled by the sautéing and frying and flipping and sizzling. I expected the instructor to explain everything he was doing, and make some friendly banter in between, the way that chefs do on cooking shows.

(I snapped pictures when I could, but I didn't use the flash - so they turned out a bit blurry. Better than nothing though, right?)

John Reiss was a very nice guy and really seemed to know what he was talking about – when he actually talked. There was a lot going on but not a lot of description – and as I looked around the room, I realized that people were chit-chatting in small groups, flipping the pages of their handouts, and generally just not paying attention to what was going on in front of them.

Then there were the technical difficulties. First the microphone didn't work. Then the food processor didn't work. Then it took three people to figure out the oven. A half hour into the class, Dave and I started to look at each other like "are you seeing what I'm seeing?" and "does anyone else here care that we're not really learning anything?"

We learned several recipes – and they were detailed in the handout we received – but we only saw bits and pieces of each one. The instructor jumped around from recipe to recipe, and it got confusing. Everything just seemed …  a bit disorganized.

What got to me most was that this class cost $40 per person. For an hour and a half. And for a class that was just a demonstration rather than a hands-on class. A couple could go out to a fairly good dinner for $80.

The audience was a lot of middle-aged woman whom I'd venture to guess were stay-at-home rich women who have a lot of time on their hands. So fine – they can afford it. But had I actually paid for this class, I dare say I may have demanded my money back!

It pains me to have to review it badly, but it was just a very big disappointment, and when 7:15 rolled around and it was time to go, we were relieved, to say the least. We had waited until the end where we got to sample the appetizers that had been made – and that was certainly the highlight of the night.



We sampled sautéed shrimp dipped in a Romesco vegetable sauce and avocado vinaigrette. We had a few spicy meat empanadas, and we had some coca (flatbread) with caramelized onions, anchovies and Manchego cheese. The flatbread was definitely the best – it was awesome, and we might even try to make it in the near future.

We did come away with some valuable tips – how to score an avocado so it comes out of its skin easily, how to roast and puree vegetables, and why lard makes empanada dough taste so good.

Dave and I made the most of our experience and learned what we could. We goofed off a bit but did so respectfully – unlike the gaggle of ladies next to us who were talking almost the entire time, or the woman on the other side of us who actually answered her cell phone in the middle of the class.

I'm glad I got to take the class and I would definitely still go back and take another. Why, you ask? Because EVEN THOUGH this one was disappointing, each class the Market offers covers different food and is taught by different instructors. I have a very strong feeling that I caught them on a bad night, when they were having power issues, and when they had an instructor who wasn't exactly the talkative type.

In my humble (very humble) opinion, the class would have been more effective had they stuck to one or two recipes and explained them in more detail, and had the instructor talked the whole time (or at least a good part of it) and demanded the audience's attention a little better.

A food critic visits a restaurant more than once before he reviews it. Perhaps I should have waited to post this until I tried another class … but God only knows how long that could be. Honestly, I'd like to go back, and I have the utmost confidence that if and when I do, it'll be more like what I was expecting all along. 

Festa Italiana!

My experience at Festa Italiana last night drove home the fact that summertime in Milwaukee simply rocks. In fact, it was one of the most fun nights I've had this summer!

The night was clear and cool and after our afternoon off, Dave and I were relaxed and in a great mood as we found parking downtown and walked the half-mile or so down to the festival grounds.



The crowd at Festa was pretty substantial, but not unmanageable like it can sometimes get at Summerfest. Plenty of people were sporting their Italy gear and I was glad I told Dave he should wear his "Italians Do It Better" shirt.

We walked up and down (and up and down) the grounds and commented on how random these events are. Here's some corn on the cob ("Festa Corn"), here's some gold jewelry for sale, here's a live cooking show, and here's a church exhibit. Would you like to get your face painted? Sing karaoke? How about listen to a corny cover band? Take your pick! There's certainly something for everyone.



One thing I just loved was the displays going on that we just happened upon now and then. First there was a small parade going by with drummers and flag throwers in leotards (I told Dave, there's something sexy about a man who can pull off leotards!), then there was a group of older Italian men and women dancing in a circle and singing songs. They were so lively and excited, inviting spectators to join their circle. Finally, there was a troupe of dancers wearing pretty dresses and crowns of flowers in their hair doing their own chants and dancing. I commented that it all reminded me of Epcot Center at Disney World where you go around to all the different countries and see stuff like this. It really got me in the spirit!



Then there was the food. Options were aplenty! Not willing to commit to anything until we knew what all our choices were, we didn't get food until we'd been there almost an hour and felt confident that we'd seen all the vendors.

It was a tough decision to make – fried eggplant, paninnis, cannolis, mostaccoli, lasagna, Italian sausage – and that was just entrees. Snacks included bruschetta, roasted nuts, roasted corn, stuffed pretzels. Desserts were abundant – éclairs, cream puffs, tiramisu, gelato, brownies, ice cream. Food is definitely number one at Festa Italiana. You didn't see many people without some sort of food in their hands (and faces) – ah, we Americans enjoy our food, don't we?




Rather than committing to just one item, we really indulged, pacing ourselves over three hours with three different food stops. Stop number one included bruschetta and deep fried ravioli. Stop number two was mostaccoli and meatballs for me and a chicken pannini for Dave. And stop number three was roasted pecans for Dave and Cedar Crest ice cream for me. This dish I had was the SMALL! Add all that to my giant margarita and Dave's three beers and, needless to say, we were quite full by the end of the night!

We'd seen it all and truly gorged ourselves, but we still had to wait for the fireworks, which were scheduled to start at 10:15. We found a good spot on the rocks near the lake and there we sat, a bit chilly, for the next 25 minutes. When it was still only 9:50 and we were getting pretty antsy, we decided to start heading back to the car and would watch them from outside the grounds. After being so far away for the July 3 fireworks, however, I certainly wasn't going to miss these!

We ended up in the small park in front of Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin. We spotted a bench and walked over, relieved to have that available to us instead of the pointy rock we'd just spent our time on. As we rounded the bench, I noticed something lying there. "Drum sticks!" I said and picked them up. My thoughts were that someone had forgotten them there.

But then - hey, wait – they're attached – oh – you're supposed to use them to play – the bench! So cool! I immediately dropped my purse in the grass and pounded that bench with the sticks, doing a little dance and laughing away.

When I'd had my fill, we took a seat – until I saw two kids turning something a few feet away at the base of one of those neat-looking, leaf-shaped, shiny things in front of Discovery World – they make tinkling sounds in the breeze, and they can be moved with little steering wheels below them. I ran over and tried it for myself – and it was tough!!

I loved that there were these random, hands-on things to do there – that is what Discovery World will be– a hands-on museum where adults and kids alike can play and learn.

As exactly 10:15, the first firework burst in the sky above us. We had the perfect spot – and they were spectacular. So loud, so bright, and constant – no lulls or single pops – just blast after bright blast. Fifteen minutes later, the grand finale included those LOUD, bright white booms that sound like canons being shot off one right after another. They were AWE-SOME and I couldn’t help but cheer when it was all over!



We took the scenic route back to our car – over the art museum bridge – and drove the few minutes home, completely satisfied with our evening. Summer rocks.

P.S. This is my 200th post. I debated doing another "100 Things" post – but decided against it. Dude, I've got things to do. Plus, I just don't think I'm interesting enough to have ANOTHER 100 things to list! But happy 200th post to me. J 

Derek!

Well, I'm just meeting my pals from cyberspace left and right these days! First Andre, then the knotties, and now … Derek!

When I pondered several weeks ago "I wonder which reader I'll meet next?" I was hoping it'd be Derek, since he's been reading for a very long time now and I've really been wanting to meet him face-to-face.

If my calculations are correct, Derek first showed up here and has been reading and commenting every since.

I was down at Jazz in the Park last night and up he walked to my table. I was about to offer him a travel corkscrew but then decided that he looked very familiar.

"Derek!" I said with a big old smile and got up to shake his hand.

We chatted for about 15 minutes about blogging and weddings – he and his wife got married last year the same weekend that we're getting married this year – and the puppy that he and his wife are going to be getting tonight.

I wish I'd snapped a picture but didn't think of it til after he'd gone.  Hopefully we'll run into each other again, though! It's bound to happen.

It was nice to meet you, Derek. J Thank you for reading!

In other news - this weekend is going to be SO much better than last weekend was. I was supposed to work an event Pier Wisconsin tomorrow night but I called to see if I could get off – and they said sure, they have enough people. So whoo hoo! Sure, I could use the extra cash, but a whole weekend off is way more valuable to me!

We're heading to Festa Italiana in a couple of hours, where we're going to get something delicious to eat and watch the fireworks that go off at 10:15. Right now I have to do Ultimate Boot Camp and then shower and get ready. I figure if I’m going to let myself eat some yummy Italian food tonight, I should really work out so I don't do *as much* damage!

Have a great weekend – talk to you soon!

Productive Day

Why must days off go by so quickly?

It's almost time for bed and my day off is over. But boy, was I ever productive today. I spent about five hours on invitation envelopes and I'm proud to report that I completed 55 inner and 55 outer envelopes - which means I'm almost halfway through! See the fruits of my labor here, here and here. (That calligraphy course paid off!)

I also figured out my options with my videographer and made an appointment for dress alterations, and I cleaned, cooked dinner and did yoga.

If I had my way, the day would just be getting started and I'd do some reading, go for a walk, do some more blogging and of course some more wedding planning. But alas - and didn't I say this just yesterday? - there are never enough hours. I'll have to wait until my next day off.

Tomorrow night after work I'll be at Jazz in the Park handing out Blatz corkscrews - if you see my table, stop by and say hi. Festa Italiana is this weekend and I think we'll check it out on Friday night. And of course, I still owe posts on Pier Wisconsin and on the cooking class we took last night at the Milwaukee Public Market. I'm getting to it, I promise.

For now - good night!

Christy's Bridal Anniversary Event

We're onto Friday in the game of blog catch up … !

So are you folks getting tired of wedding stuff being mixed in around here yet? Come on, you know it's fun! 

Less than four months and I will be well out of wedding land. Until then, I'm going to enjoy every minute of my stay, and continue to include you in parts of it!

This post doesn't have to do with my own wedding, though, but rather weddings of the past.

Christy's Bridal, the gorgeous Burlington bridal shop owned by my best friend Christi's mom, Carol, celebrated its first anniversary this past weekend. In honor of the celebration, Christi and Carol put on a "Then and Now" fashion show in a tent outside the store on Friday evening. Women from around Burlington pulled their wedding dresses out of storage to be displayed in the show, and the oldest ones dated back to the 1940's.

Alley Faith from Kiss FM emceed and did a great job. Christi asked me to take pictures of the show so I sat in the front row with my mom and Tara and happily obliged in between sips of champagne and bites of wedding cake.

I took almost 150 pictures for them, but wanted to share just a few here. It was fascinating to watch the styles change from decade to decade. Some of the dresses were just hideous, but others were fabulous and could certainly still be worn today.

You'll notice that all of the models are 14, 15, 16 years old – that's because all the dresses were so small! How sad is it that women have gotten so much bigger over the years? I couldn't be a model for the show since hardly any of them would have fit me! Christi was the oldest model in the show – of course her skinny little frame could fit in them. The bag. J

Here are some of the more unique and interesting dresses ... (I think the ruffly one in the middle is awesome - and the second to last one is Christi wearing her mom's dress - love that one, too!)



Congratulations on your first successful year, Christy's Bridal!

In other news … I get the day off tomorrow since I went down to Chicago on Sunday. (and missed my air show boat cruise – have I mentioned that?) Besides blog catch up, I also have to catch up on house work and wedding stuff. I have 125 inner and 125 outer envelopes to do in calligraphy in the next few weeks. (And I'm getting good! I'll post some pics soon.)

I have a ceremony to figure out and I have projects up the wazoo –programs, table numbers, menu cards, a seating chart, a unity candle, a card box, favors, etc. – so I'm going to try to put a dent in some of that tomorrow. Not that I'm complaining – I'm eating this wedding planning stuff right up (as if you couldn't tell?) and I'm excited to have a whole day to devote to it!

Bastille Days - A bit belated

I do realize that last Thursday was a pretty long time ago already. I'm usually better about posting in a timely manner but what can I say? I've been in pretty high demand this past week!

Thursday night Dave and I went down to Bastille Days to mosey around and catch the 5K. Yes, for months I'd anticipated storming the Bastille again this year, but in the end, I was simply a spectator. My reason for you is that since I ran it last year and blogged it, I thought it was my journalistic duty to get the opposite perspective this year. My actual reason is that I'm just not in very good running shape at the moment. Sure, I could have done it – but I wouldn't have enjoyed it one bit.

As we walked around, I marveled at how much more attractive and diverse the crowd was than it had been at Riversplash, and I salivated over all of the food vendors that I successfully deprived myself of. (Audra from Taste of the Town sampled some of the fare down there – check out her post here.)



While we waited for the 5K to start, we caught the end of Jazz in the Park and watched a very dopey man on a diving board do a little act above a trampoline. It went on for much too long, but it was kind of amusing. The actual park was much more sparsely populated than it normally is for Jazz – I could actually see grass and open space!

We grabbed a drink and stood around waiting for 9:00. When the 5K started, I felt a momentary pang of regret that I didn't just bite the bullet and run it. Twenty minutes later when they were finishing up, however, I felt better about my decision. Dave and I walked through the crowd to try to get some pictures and were promptly slathered in other people's sweat and overcome by the smell of hot bodies. Running in 80+ degree will do that to a person!



Dave was getting over a week-long sickness that night so he wasn't in much of a festival mood. After one lap around the grounds, one drink, and a little lovers' quarrel, we were back in the car heading home.

I'm sorry to say I never made it back down to Bastille Days the remaining three days. It's a bummer, but there just aren't enough hours in the day, ya know?

Sunday

Despite our best efforts, the media opportunity that should have been this morning … wasn't.

The Gay Games were more spread out than what we'd expected, and the media worthy event didn't really happen. So while my little jaunt to Chicago today probably (hopefully) earned me some brownie points at the office, it was pretty much a waste of time. Darn!! But oh well – we tried.

Dave and I were up by 6:30 this morning and on the road by 7:15. We made good time down to Chicago (below you can see how we each spent the drive: I made media calls and listened to music, he played with his new Nintendo DS), but then we missed our exit and got a bit lost in Chinatown before finally making it down to the lakefront. It was a gorgeous, HOT summer day and the breeze from Lake Michigan was divine.

We spent a couple of hours helping where we could and then drove home and were back by about 3:00. Dave continued with his DS while I rode my bike down to Atwater Park to catch some of the air show. I couldn't see much, and after a half hour in the blazing sun I rode back home. I did watch the Thunderbirds from our porch, though, and they were AWESOME.



Temperatures reached almost 100 today and our little one-room air conditioner isn't doing much to offer us relief. We walked down to Baskin Robbins a little bit ago – and my cone melted all over me so fast! – and then spent about a half hour in a freezing cold shower trying to get our body temperatures down. It is HOT!! I won't complain, though – we get so little of this in Wisconsin – we have to enjoy every minute!

Part of me wants to lie in front of the air conditioner and relax for the rest of the evening, and the other part of me wants to blog and address wedding invitations … Not sure yet which part will win out!

Great. Juuuust great.

So I wake up today feeling a bit sorry for myself that I have to work the next two days rather than relax the way normal people are able to on weekends. Dave leaves for Whitewater to go see his parents and pick up our wedding invitation envelopes. I spend the afternoon lollygagging around, not feeling like doing anything strenuous or productive since, damn it, I have to work on Saturday.

I leave by 3:10 for Boerner Botanical Gardens so that I have plenty of time in case I get lost. I drive the half hour out there and go inside. I'm directed to a downstairs office where I'm handed a time card and told that Tommy will be training me today.

What? I'm not here as a new employee, people. I'm here to help out for an event.

Long story short, I was there another 15 minutes before it was decided that I was really, really not needed ("I'm staffed up the wazoo - people are begging for hours - I'm not quite sure why you were told we needed you.") They asked if I was alright with leaving - um, yeah!

So I went back out to my car and drove the half hour home, feeling relieved that I was free for the evening, a little disappointed that the $130 or so I would have made would no longer be coming to me, and pretty peeved that my entire day had been spoiled due to my thinking I had to work. I could have gone to the air show, I could have gone with Dave to his parents' - I could have done a lot of things!

I had never been to the Botanical Gardens, and that's something I'll definitely blog soon - it's incredibly beautiful out there. I did get to see my mom for a bit just now since she was here for the air show, and I did get to talk to Amanda, who completed the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon today in Minneapolis - in this tremendous heat!! I'm totally proud of her - great job, Amanda!!

Now I'm back and I'm not sure what we'll do tonight. Head down to Bastille Days again? Maybe. See a movie? Maybe. Go get some ice cream? Probably. I'm glad I have the evening free but I sure wish I'd known that all along!!

Heading to Chicago tomorrow by about 7:30 a.m. for the Gay Games. I think my assignment will be a very tough one (it involves getting a client some media coverage), but I'm feeling a lot better about going since my wonderful, awesome fiance has agreed to come along with me.

Talk to you soon.