My Birthday - July 11th

My birthday is tomorrow - Friday, July 11th.

I've started using the line that I'm "25... again". Of course, I'm just trying to be funny when I say things like that, but part of me is still in some form of denial. I mean, I was 17 years old a week ago. How I got this far so quickly is beyond me. And you know... I imagine that everyone experiences these types of feelings at some point, even if it's just a fleeting thought.

I plan on making the most of the day, engaging in a lot of different activities. This past Wednesday, I did end up booking a last minute small set on my birthday, at the East side's Hotch-A-Do, opening for Betsy Ade. Initially, I was going go turn it down - just because it would really require me to just stop what I'm doing in the middle of the celebration. I ended up agreeing to play and simply inviting folks to it - making it a part of the fesivities!

Stay tuned for the follow-up posting...

[Upcoming Show] Women In Music 9

Flyer for the upcoming Women In Music show. This will be my first time holding the series at Conway's. I'm hoping for a nice turnout and that people will appreciate the atmosphere, the sounds, and the fabulous BBQ!

www.myspace.com/melissaczarnik
www.judekinner.com

Photos: Art Bar - 06.06.09

(Courtesy of Melissa Czarnik)

(Courtesy of Spatts Bueller)

[Upcoming Show] Papa's Social Club - 05.29.09

Below is the flyer for this Friday's show at Papa's Social Club (http://www.papassocialclub.com/). A great dinner/date night with acoustic performances by Roxie Beane, Kyle Feerick (ft. Ted Fleming), and The Dots.

www.myspace.com/kylefeerick
www.rockwiththedots.com

Bella Caffe Show

Just wanted to take the time to document the Bella Caffe show I had last Friday (May 22nd).

Bella Caffe is a very cozy, yet moderately upscale coffee shop - located in Milwaukee's Third Ward. www.bellacaffe.com

I had a nice group of friends show up to support me (Stephanie & Barb, Caleb, Judy, Lisa Gatewood, Tristana & Tom, Pie.)

The highlight of the evening, of course, was the moment when I glanced to the left of me, to see my mother walking up the outside steps while I belted out a tune in the beginning of my set. Now, what you should understand about this happening is that my mother is the ultimate homebody; a 60 year old baby boomer in 2009. What this means for her, is that she doesn't get out much socially, which would also mean that she doesn't make it to very many of my shows. But I get that, you know - no sweat.

So, when I see her walking up the steps to the Bella Caffe, you gotta imagine that my initial reaction was confusion... then 'oh'... then utter shock. This is when the tears came. Mid-song, even.

I stopped singing... threw my hand up over my eyes, and let out a big silent/shoulder bouncing sob. I looked up to the confused audience and ny mom standing there, and blurted into the mic "What's my mom doing here?"

Everyone let out a huge due "Awww", followed by applause, lol. It was pretty crazy, and great. The nerves were laid on pretty quickly after that!

Oh, mom. =) Thanks for making it such a special night.

Pie's Birthday

Last Friday (May 8th) was Pie's birthday. She turned 25. I'd spent the last couple of weeks planning a little surprise get-together at Good Life (carribbean restaurant/bar on Milwaukee's east side) with close friends after work that day.

While I won't get into great detail, I can honestly say that the elements were so determined to make this day a complete disaster, before it was gonna let me reap the benefits of the planning. Everything that could have gone wrong, did. But seeing her little face light up when she walked in and saw everyone sitting there - made the day's nuisances completely worthwhile. Attendees: Bob, Sue, Tanya, Angela, Kristal, Linda, Grace, Caleb, Tristana, Tray, and KT - who rode with us as a decoy.

She received wonderful gifts, very personal and thoughtful - some even handmade. She's very loved. After a few rounds of drinks and appetizers, we left Good Life and went back to our place for a chill with a few folks from Good Life before our next stop. Within an hour, we all left to go see KatieBeth's show at JRiley's in Menomonee Falls. I had a great time, that girl embodies the definition of a performer.

Our next stop was Silk Exotic. This was my first trip to a 'gentlemen's club'... and based on my time spent there, I'm determined to make sure that it's not my last! I had an insanely good time, and that's really all... I'll say, lol.

Happy birthday, Pie!

Busy Week/Florida Booked

This week is pretty damn busy, in the sense that there's something going on with us each day, after what was already a full day of work.

Monday we helped my mother unpack from the big weekend move. Tuesday was my hair appointment. Today/Wednesday is KT's birthday, so we'll be doing something with her Green Bay friends in the evening (so far, dinner at The Seven Seas is planned... I'd still like to see Debbie Auman later in the MASA Showcase at Art Bar). In addition to tonight's plans, KT and I will need to get in a little practice for tomorrow/Thursday's show at Walker's Pint. Friday is Ladies First at Quarters. Saturday is Spoof Fest at Liquor Sweets.

And then there's Sunday. The first day for Roxie. Lounging on the couch has never looked so promising!

On the brighter side, we were able to fully book both hotel and flight for a Disney vacation in September. I'm super excited to have something further in the year to look forward to. We steal on the hotel through TravelZoo.

M-I-C-K-E-Y. Here we come!

[Upcoming Show] Walker's Pint - 04.30.09

I have an awesome show coming up next Thursday, April 30th at Walker's Pint. (http://www.walkerspint.com/). The show will feature acoustic sets by myself, Kate Scovell, and Jude Kinnear.

Below is the flier I recently created for the show:

Six Flags and RockBand Eve

There's something really satisfying about having a really engaged weekend. Having the time off to simply relax is nice enough, but returning to work knowing that your days were filled with activities and well spent...

This past Saturday (the 18th) Ashley, Myself, and 6 other friends went to Six Flags: Great America. We only payed $15 to go and had the best possible weather. The park wasn't packed at all, because it's only April. We rode hard and often.

Upon our return to Milwaukee, we immediately embarked upon an amazing RockBand party, with over 15 friends & friends of friends attending (including the Six Flags gang). Did I mention there was a dog there? Yeah... a pit bull, actually. Hi Tommy. =)

We had numerous diverse personalities, plenty of food (taco night!), plenty of tunes, plenty of booze. Chairs seemed to be the only thing... we didn't have plenty of, lol. (Thanks Target for the $9.99 last minute blue lawn chairs!)

It was just... an amazing time. I just remember looking around thinking "omg, there's a party going on... and it's at my house!"

We stayed up to nearly 3am. What's interesting to me is that the folks who remained til the end of the night, consisted mostly of the individuals who were up with us at 8:30am for our Six Flags adventure. Soldiers!

Staying up and being with friends for nearly 20 hours straight never felt so good.

Festivals, Festivals, and more Festivals

So, I wanted to make it a point to try and visit all of the Milwaukee festivals (primarily cultural) this summer/fall. I was checking out a city guide, and came up with this list of events and dates. Here's the goal:

June
+ Riversplash: June 5th - 7th
+ PrideFest: June 12th - 14th
+ Polish Fest: June 19th - 21st
+ Summerfest: June 25th - July 4th

July
+ Great Circus Parade Festival: July 8th - 11th (parade on 12th)
+ Bastille Days: July 9th - 12th
+ Greek Fest: TBA
+ Festa Italiana: July 16th - 19th
+ German Fest: July 24th - 26th

August
+ Wisconsin State Fair: August 6th - 16th
+ Arab World Fest: August 7th - 9th
+ Irish Fest: August 13th - 16th
+ Mexican Fiesta: August 21st - 23rd

September
+ Indian Summer Festival: September 11th - 13th

You should join me in my endeavors - this could be a blast.

Daily Cancer - 04/16/09

This is my horoscope for today.

It's interesting to me, so I thought I'd document it.

Trivial small talk could evolve into philosophical conversations today -- but only if you give it a chance to. Just because you're laughing and having a good time chatting with someone doesn't mean that you two aren't capable of having a much deeper connection. Start increasing the expectations you have of other people, and they will rise to them every single time. You are on the verge of starting a new relationship that is probably going to change your life.

Case of the Mondays... on a Tuesday?

It's true. Today feels miserable, and the conditions outside match.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I had 5 whole days away from this cubicle... returning to this desk would put a chip on anyone's shoulder, lol. Or it could have something to do with how poorly I slept last night.

I'm not nice today. I only half care. I'm just not always a good person.

Pie's Return

Ashley comes home from Kansas today. She's been there visiting her family since Tuesday.

I haven't worked since Tuesday, decided to take off the same days to coincide with her KS trip, taking advantage of some much needed 'me' time.

I feel like I took pretty good advantage of my days off, and tried to fill them up with a lot of little fun happenings to keep myself busy.

We're all going to Six Flags on Saturday (18th) - I'm really looking foward to that. Possibly more than any human adult should, lol. Now if I can just get through a full work week...

Hello, Blogspot.

I'm excited to document myself. It's not something I've ever really been able to consistently do. It always seems interesting and fun to do, but has that major burnout factor.

So, hello blogspot.

I've backdated some end of the year music/media highlights to reflect the time in which they occurred. Other than that, I'm just going forward.

Roger and Mimi says: Here goes...