Labor Day 2011

This was the first Labor Day in recent memory that I did not travel to a different Midwest locale. A few years back I spent the weekend with my great friends Brian, Amber, and Ajay, in southwest Wisconsin, camping/hiking/canoeing at Devil's Head Lake and Governor's State Park. Last year my girlfriend Cristin and I traveled across the state to visit friends (Alex and Nick) in St. Louis. We toured the Schlafly Brewery, bar crawled the Blues Festival, tailgated at the Gateway Cup final circuit stage in The Hill neighborhood, and wasted away in Lafayette Square. Those were some great times! This is also the first year that I'm working as an emergency department nurse in a Level 1 trauma center. My schedule did not allow for me to skip town for the long weekend… so I made the most of my one day off.

Cristin and I began the morning with home-ground, freshly pressed coffee from Broadway and B.E.L.T.s on the porch, immersing ourselves in the glorious sub-80-degree weather. Shortly thereafter, unfortunately, Cristin had to work at her studio in the West Bottoms to produce fabulous textiles. What else was there for me to do than grease down my bike chain and explore Midtown. This was my route. I began by going south on Troost to Wild Child's Custom Shop to pay a visit to my neighbors Justin and Wayne. Next I found myself in the Volker neighborhood, cruising up and down 39th Street. At this point, riding 5+ miles on a single speed bike through varying elevations, I desperately needed to hydrate.

From the canopied Roanoke Parkway, through the Plaza, up the giant hill going south on Broadway, I finally sought refuge at The Kauffman Garden.





This place is like a bountiful oasis in the middle of the city. I'm not a botanist, but I can definitely appreciate the abundance of foliage the garden has to offer. After a few minutes' break I was back on the saddle heading towards the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.






(Picture of my Timbuk2 bag, as promised)...


Back to business… We needed a few groceries for tonight, so a run to Sun Fresh was in order. Of course I had to pick up some essentials.



The quick two mile sprint home culminated a near 10-mile adventure.

At the homestead things started to relax further. In lieu of our trip to Chicago this weekend for the Renegade Craft Fair, I wanted to use as many leftover items as possible. I decided on a vegetable hodgepodge stew topped with feta and arugula/asparagus/mozzarella sliders. The end result was magical.



What's more is that we have lavender bushes growing in our front yard. Naturally, we harvested them, dried them, and made all sorts of things… most notably tea and syrup. So when life gives you lavender syrup, make lavender gin fizzes.





Despite the fact that I was not able to enjoy a Labor away, I was much happier spending it on two wheels and with the woman I love. That's all that matters...

My Review of Custom Lex Backpack

Originally submitted at Timbuk2

Create your own Lex Pack

Custom Lex Backpack

My custom colors stun others

By Chris from Kansas City, MO on 7/16/2011

 

5out of 5

Pros: Durable, Roomy, Attractive Design, Comfortable, Great Features

Cons: Too easy to fill

Best Uses: Computer, Books, Commuting, Cycling, Travel

Describe Yourself: Modern, Practical, Stylish

Primary use: Personal

Was this a gift?: No

I use my bag every day when I ride to and from the hospital where I work. I leave rather early in the morning, so I wanted something a little more eye-grabbing than my lights. I the large bag- which seems to perfectly mold to my back- with two dayGlo tabs and one white vinyl tab. This bag just radiates color as I rip up the street. Furthermore, I've been stopped in public to ask where I've gotten my bag and that my bag is "soooo cool!" I use my bag to haul my scrubs, toiletries, shoes, equipment, computers, books, all to and from the hospital, liquor store, grocery store, wherever. The only con about this bag is that it's too easy to fill! Anyways, I've been a long time customer of Timbuk2, previous having two different messenger bags (small and medium). Tb2 is an amazing company, and it's great to have it built stateside. Keep it up, guys!



[please stay tuned for pictures]

James Blake

I just wanted to share a track/video from a British electronic producer named James Blake. This popped on in the midst of me drafting my new and improved resume. "Lindisfarne" swept me away to a place I have never been. Although this is a scoatch out of my comfort zone, his music is extremely comfortable. Turntable, beware!


[James Blake- Lindisfarne]

Bacon, a man's best friend.

So, lately I've been consuming inordinate amounts of bacon; and keeping with my reduce/reuse/recycle ethos I harvest the grease and reuse it for a myriad of recipes. Aside from frying eggs and various meats, I've come to learn that my favorite bacon fat recipe has to be popcorn. Who doesn't like popcorn? Next to Cracker Jacks, it's the all-American treat. Here's how it's done:

I pour the hot grease into a glass jar immediately following the removal of the bacon from the skillet:


[I left this grease to set overnight]


Next I heat the skillet to medium and throw in a heaping dollop of bacon fat:



Thirdly, I add a murder of kernel, making certain they are coated entirely by the beautifully melting fat:



In no time (roughly 5-10 minutes)- making certain to NOT burn your crop- you are able to remove your rookery of popcorn, splash with sea salt, and indulge. Not that it's saying much, but this will be the BEST popcorn to ever grace your mouth.



PS- A friend of mine mentioned adding Sriracha to the raw kernels while in the skillet. I've tested this method and have been pleasently surprised. VERY pleasantly surprised!

Just Another Day at the Office

Like most people I work in an office filled with cubicles, and inside those cubicles are a sea of polo shirts and pleated pants. So in an effort to remind myself that there is a world outside of gray cubicles I have made a concerted effort to dress for success. So I thought I would share a few photos of me in my just another day at the office attire. Sometimes you just gotta be the one in a suit...







H&M pants (bought in 2008 so the details are a little foggy).  Suit jacket in Navy H&M $49.99, Dot slim fit shirt from Gap, currently on sale for $24.99, Bow tie and pocket square are Dandy Andie and Freshly Squozen, so I may have had a hand in making those. D&G by Dolce & Gabbana Glasses from Lens Crafters.  Book- The United States Constitution. 

Thrifted

Scored these caramel-colored steel toe shoes at a thrift store this weekend. The complimented the Easter Sunday outfit nicely (shirt: Penguin, $1 thrifted… pants: Levis 511 kakhi denim, traded at Arizona Trading Co… sunglasses: Blublockers… belt: canvas with leather, $1 thrifted… dog: Pendleton Woodsbury III, found on the street).




Steel toe buckle shoes [$5]

Weekend of Music, Part 2

"Weekend of Music, Part 1" came of age during the Summer of 2007, when I still lived in Chicago. That was one CRAZY weekend: three days of Pitchfork Music Festival; Wynton Marsalis (at Ravinia); and a Rebirth Brass Band double set at the end of each day. It's a blessing I made it out alive, as my buddies Matt and Nick could attest to the debauchery. I miss those days, but growing up and attaining responsibilities definitely takes precedence to spending copious amounts of money on concert tickets and booze. Or does it… Anyways, this week landed pretty close to WOM1.

It began Wednesday at the Starlight Theatre with The National opening for Arcade Fire. I'll be honest; despite having their 2007 release, "Boxer," I wasn't privy to The National's music. My girlfriend, Cristin, quickly turned me on to them; I purchased their latest record; and I was blown away. Their live set in support for Arcade Fire was no less surprising. Aside from the fact that playing outdoors is not The National's forte, they did an outstanding job in the brisk Kansas City weather. I knew they were having a good time when Matt Berninger was screaming out the lyrics to their final few songs. After their set, I promised my girlfriend, and myself, that I will be more attuned to what they have to say.


Once The National left the stage, my girlfriend and I walked to the concourse to enjoy our Boulevard Pale Ales and Kristoff cigar. Shortly after staking our claim to a nice concrete planter a women half in tears approached us and offered up her VIP wristband. Being the true gentleman that I am I cordially accepted, and she stormed off. We took the golden ticket back to our already stellar seats and plotted… and stalked. Moments later I finally put the wristband to the test and sauntered down past security. ALAS! It was a success! The only problem was that I only had one. Now, I never was a Boy Scout (my parents thought it was too dangerous), but I devised an ingenious plan. I went to the mens' lavatory and fashioned a seemingly idenitical white wristband out of toilet paper. Again, being the true gentleman that I am, I gave the legit wristband to my girlfriend, and I confidently donned the toilet paper look-alike. We got into the VIP section no problem, mere minutes before Arcade Fire took the stage. I snapped this photo on my iPhone at 10 rows back:


Their next song had Win Butler gallivanting into our section where I snapped this photo:


Needless to say, counterfeiting a VIP wristband out of toilet paper was a terrific idea!

Two days after that fateful night, Cristin and me found ourselves at the Foals show at the Beaumont Club. Not only have I been wanting to see Foals since 2007, but the Freelance Whales opened for them. This marked the third time I've seen the Freelance Whales live: in an alley during SXSW 2010; in support of Tokyo Police Club; and now in support of Foals.


Freelance Whales via iPhone
The moment Foals hit the stage, their spastic clicks and picks whisked me away. I am not a music reviewer, so I'll save that for the professionals. I'll just simply post to mediocre photos taken from my iPhone [a big "thank you" to my Olympus e500 for malfunctioning].