Sunday Brunch: Puppy!

Yesterday, me and my fella hopped on our bikes and pedaled our way downtown to enjoy the first outdoor farmer's market of the season. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day, too! I remember first outdoor market days of years past that were dreary and cold and rainy, so the 70 degree and mostly sunny weather was a most welcome change.

As we rolled up to the square and went to lock up our bikes, we caught a glimpse of this sleepy little boxer pup, who was so thoroughly zonked out in her mother's lap that I had to wonder if there was even a small trace of wild animal left in her bones. Anyway, the image was too friggen adorable not to share, so here it is, your moment of zen:
And a close-up:

And a happy Guy Fawkes Night to you

Every year, on the evening of 5 November, the good citizens of the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador celebrate what is known as Guy Fawkes Night (also Bonfire Night).

Celebrated to commemorate the failure of a plot by English Catholics to assassinate King James I, the tradition is to light bonfires and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes, one of the plots central conspirators. If you've seen or read "V for Vendetta," you may already be somewhat familiar with this little slice of history. It may be of interest to note that the use of the word "guy" to mean any ol' bloke comes from this tradition, having first been the name of the person, then the name of the oddly dressed effigies, and finally a way of referring to any man.

I'm somewhat amused that this continues to be a celebrated holiday, seeing as the thing happened back in 1605 and, I'd like to think, relations between Protestants and Catholics in the UK have improved somewhat since then. Still, I'm all for any excuse to light (safe, contained) bonfires and celebrate.

On an unrelated note, I made a point to head down to the square this last Saturday to partake of the final outdoor farmer's market of the year. The fall colors were in full bloom, the sky was a beautiful shade of hard blue, and the smell of late autumn was in the air. I snapped a few pictures to commemorate the occasion, bought some of the delicious fried cheese ("juusto") from Brunkow's and did my best to enjoy what was likely one of the final fair-weather days of the year.


This weekend sees the return of the Madison Pop Festival, which Pitchfork was kind enough to write up on their website:

Andrew W.K. kicks off the festival on November 8 at UW's Great Hall. Then, November 9 brings showings of Daft Punk's Electroma and The Hip Hop Project as well as performances by Baby Teeth, Pale Young Gentlemen, Billy Harvey, La Bruja, Vid Libert, and Kazi. And finally, the November 10 events include a showing of Sigur Rós' Heima and performances by Bon Iver, Malajube, Murder by Death, the Selfish Gene, Common Loon, and Them, Roaringtwenties.

The festival is free, but even if it weren't it would still be worth checking out. I'll be there with bells on for some of it at least.

Keep your balls to yourself

OK, this just isn't cool. Drive-by paintballings? Seriously? Oh yeah, hilarious. Especially since, as anyone who's ever been paintballing will tell you, those things fucking hurt! And, when hit in a sensitive spot, they can be downright dangerous. Like the incident report mentions, a few inches lower on that girl's face and she could have literally lost an eye. Yeesh.

To the drive-by paintball guys: keep 'em to yourself. I know you think you're hot shit and all, but there is a time and a place for that, and it ain't in the wee hours of the morning from the backseat of your friend's fly ride. I hope all your toys are confiscated. It's just silly. We have enough real crime to deal with these days anyway. Now go, find a paintball facility and get your wannabe machismo rocks off there by getting owned by a bunch of kids out for their friends bar-mitzvah.

Griping aside, don't forget that tomorrow is the last outdoor market of the year! It makes me a little misty eyed. I can't believe it's already November. It seems like just yesterday I was peddling my butt off, up and down hills, through long hot stretches of cornfields and sleeping on gym floors. But here we are, Halloween passed and staring down the barrel of winter. Gotta enjoy the milder weather while it lasts! I'll see you tomorrow morning on the square....

(photo credit: toxicpaintball.com)

Turn, turn, turn

The changing leaves, increase in the doorstep pumpkin population and the cooling air should all be plenty to remind me that the season is changing and that winter will soon be nipping at our noses. And yet, for me, it is only the arrival of the last outdoor farmers' market of the year that really brings home the end of the milder months.

Be sure to gather your canvas bags, wagons and walking shoes for one last go-round the capitol this Saturday at the final outdoor Dane County Farmers' Market until next spring.

Thankfully, we have a very nice indoor market to get us through the winter, but we all know that it's just not quite the same. This year, however, I'm vowing to do more with the snowy months (provided we get a decent amount of the stuff, anyway). My goal for this winter is to get back onto a snowboard for a little downhill adventuring at places like Tyrol Basin and Cascade Mountain. Maybe do some snowshoeing, too. Definitely sledding. I have fond memories of sledding down a huge hill behind St. Mary's College in Winona, MN, when I was a kid. It's where we "invented" the practice of "butt-bombing," which basically involved a narrow, slick-as-hell ice hill and sledding without a sled. Ah, the many uses of snow pants. Speaking of, anyone know where I could get a nice pair of adult sized snow pants? It's been way too long....

In the meantime, though, it's still light jacket weather and the lakes are not yet frozen over. I think there's still time for some regular ol' hiking, biking and general outdoor lallygagging. Plus, despite all the hoopla from this past weekend, there's still a proper Halloween to be had! Be sure to swing by the High Noon Saloon for dane101's Hallow-Rockin-Ween, a fundraiser for Second Harvest Foodbank with a whole bunch of great bands, costume contests, prizes and good times. I'll be there, dressed to the nines and taking pictures as usual.

Autumnal Bliss

Pumpkins [1]
Originally uploaded by Lost Albatross.

I took this photo last Saturday at the Dane County Farmers Market. It was bizarrely hot that day, but we still had a great time hunting for seasonal goodies. The outdoor market runs until November 3rd, so be sure to get out for it while the schedule and the (now much cooler) weather allows.

I was accompanied on this most recent trek by my sister and two of her friends, all of whom had come into town from Chicago for the weekend. They make a point of coming to the farmers market whenever they're here, a sort of pilgrimage for cheese curds, jam and honey. They also usually buy a few packs of New Glarus beer to take home with them, too. And who could blame them? Every time I travel out of state and go to get a beer, I'm faced with the harsh reality of Spotted Cow only being available in Wisconsin. Perhaps that's what adds to its appeal and mystique?

With the hot snap out of the way (hopefully), we can now get on with a proper autumn. According to the Wisconsin Tourism Board, the trees should be reaching the peak of their colors some time in the next two weeks. Pumpkins, squash and gourds are all in season at the various u-pick locations in the area. That one house on Spaight St. is well and thoroughly decked out with Halloween decorations, and a whole slew of parties, concerts and other events are planned for the week around the holiday (for a good rundown, check out dane101.com's "31 Days of Halloween").

Tomorrow, I'll be diving head-first into Wis-Kino's annual rite of film making passage, the 48-hour Kabaret, which lasts until the screening on Saturday night. If you've never been to one, it's definitely worth attending. Whether you're an aspiring film maker, a complete novice or just like watching movies, it's one hell of a good time.