Rock the Green

Being green and sustainable is the right thing to do, right?  When I spent last summer in northern California, I became accustomed to a lifestyle where I frequently rode my bike and separated trash from food to be later composted.  When I got back to the Midwest, I realized how a good chunk of the country does not practice these simple ways to reduce one's carbon footprint.  That is, until today.

Earlier in the week, one of my RAs told me about a day long music festival called Rock the Green to be hosted on a Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee's Veteran's Park.  The festival not only focused on increasing awareness on how to be more sustainable, but featured artists like Michelle Branch, The Fray, and my personal favorite - Ben Folds.  

Although the day was a bit chilly and included a good bought of rain, it couldn't have been a more perfect end to my weekend.  Maybe it's a little lofty to think that having compost receptacles at a concert venue will turn the residents of Milwaukee into more mindful citizens.... nevertheless, I appreciated the idea of it.  

The weather itself was a bit 'under the weather' - but this allowed me to selfishly get close to the stage to view my favorite artist perform.  Once again, Ben Folds delivered an amazing show, even though the rain caused him to sing a few songs acapella as the piano had to be covered with a tarp.  Some would say a rainy show makes for a bad show - instead, my friends and I danced, enjoyed the rain, and rocked out on the green.

Since When Do Fortune Cookies Give Advice?

Tonight, a friend swung by my office and asked if I wanted a bite to eat.  Considering it was dinner time, I said OK.  After a few moments of debating where to eat, we decided to head to the East Side of town for what my friend claimed to be the best Thai food in Milwaukee.

The food indeed was delicious and I was very much impressed.  As the meal came to a close, we were given fortune cookies - which has become almost an expectation when dining in an Americanized Thai or Chinese restaurant.  I know that I personally look forward to the moment where my "dessert" tells me what to expect in the coming days, weeks, or years.  Side Note: I looked it up, and it seems that the history of the fortune cookie in the United States started around the 1890s in San Francisco, which makes total sense due to the large immigrant population coming from Asia.  These cookies were a slight modification to a traditional Japanese cookie.  

So, basically, what I'm trying to say is, the concept of a fortune cookie has been along for quite some time.  And the concept is simple: eat a cookie, read a fortune.  It's really self explanatory in the title.  I don't know if these companies have given up on thinking of fun fortunes to print for their cookies, or maybe they've just become complacent.  My cookie today did not give me a fortune, rather, it told me to consider dressing in a new style.  For those of you that know me well, I love hipsters.  So, I thought, maybe the cookie was hinting that my new style would be hipster-like.  But I consider that to be a slant fortune - not really a fortune, but kinda almost one.  I felt like it was more of an advice giver.  Or maybe a hint I need a new wardrobe - and no, Stacey and Clinton were not at this Thai restaurant to surprise me with $5,000 for a new wardrobe.

What I think would be great is if these cookie companies got really creative with their fortunes... like: "You will find $50 on the street and then can really end your story, 'And then I found $50.'", or "You will buy 7 hamsters in the next week and name them after the characters of Snow White."  Who knows.  The sky's the limit.  Seriously.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Although today's post title may make you think of the holiday season - I beg to differ.  The time of year I'm referring to is the start of a new school year.  And although I cherish summer... the reason I went into Higher Education was to work with college students, not just on a college campus.  

Today marked first-year student move-in at Marquette.  I've worked at multiple institutions and been present at various hall openings, but have found common themes woven throughout... Every first-year students is a bit nervous about their upcoming new chapter in life, parents are anxious about leaving their child, and campus administrators and student leaders are excited and enthusiastic, welcoming students with open arms.

So although I know this means I'm back to managing crisis and longer work days - I can't help but to think how the positives outweigh it all.  I had a student from a previous institution today mention how something I told him is serving as his backbone of belief.  What a powerful statement.  It's messages like these that make me remember why I went into this field, why I love my job, and why I just love this time of year.

Who Run the World (Girls)

I think this world is in some serious need of some strong independent women, or as a friend of mine puts it, an SIW.  Not saying they don't exist, but I think they need to come out of the woodwork or something.

One of my best friends called me a while back and told me to write a blog about being an independent woman.  At the time, I had no idea what that really meant or what I would write about.  I imagined that it would turn into a Carrie Bradshaw like column.  And although I can appreciate Sex and the City and often draw parallels to my own life, I didn't want to be unoriginal.

I guess as of late, I've been hearing or witnessing far too many stories about women who rely on men to create their happiness.  I recently heard of someone going on a first date and the woman telling him she loved him. Really?  On a first date?  Let's be serious - on a first date, you typically don't know the person well enough to make judgment about anything, especially love.  These women I think in some manner have not found total happiness in their own life and are looking for someone to fill in this void.  Ladies, you should be happy with you - and at the end of the day, you are you're own best friend.  Enjoy your life.  Don't settle for less than greatness.  And it's OK to be OK with being single.  It's crazy how much someone can learn about themselves.  Then, when you least expect it, you could find someone who you can be co-pendent with, not dependent.

And to give you some inspiration to be an SIW, who better than Beyonce'?

Hello... The Book of Mormon

I have mentioned it before and I will say it again.  I love musicals.  Like, really, really love them.  And with it being showtune Sunday (the best day of the week), I thought it would be appropriate to discuss my favorite topic.  

Can you imagine if life really were like a musical?  Breaking into song whenever you felt like explaining how you feel... Sounds pretty perfect to me.  But, alas, in real life, this is not possible - as they would put it in the show The Drowsy Chaperone, in real life, the only people that break out into song at any moment are the hopelessly deranged and Zac Efron. <Sigh>.

I don't know about you other musical lovers out there, but when I start listening to a new show, it gets put on repeat. For example, throughout a majority of the spring and summer, I was non-stop listening to Spring Awakening.  (Side note: It's a great music to listen to while at work.)  

My latest obsession: The Book of Mormon.  When the show opened, one of my closest friends was able to see it on Boradway.  He couldn't stop raving about it - I knew if he loved it, I would too.  And boy, do I love it.  And the critics love it too - at the 2011 Tony's, The Book of Mormon was an extremely popular show, winning numerous awards. And although I too appreciated the show, it wasn't until this past week that I really began to listen to it.  And I just can't stop.

For those who claim to not like musicals - consider this show.  Here's my thought process as to why you should consider: Many Americans love South Park.  The creators of this TV phenomenon wrote this musical.  Americans always say things about the Mormon religion.  This is an opportunity to learn more about it and poke fun at it at the same time.

The story line itself follows a man name Elder Price as he is sent to Uganda to convert people to Mormonism.  The songs are just brilliant.  I don't have to use my written word to convince you- watch the Tony Award performance.  It provides an amazing glimpse into the production.  Enjoy.

98 Degrees and Rising...

For those of you who think this post refers to the recent heat wave seen across the country, you are surely mistaken.  The title of this post actually is the name of former boy band 98 Degrees' album.  I felt like a shout out was in order.

Typically, when I get ready in the morning, I like to listen to music or sing.  Somehow, a memory came to me of when I was about 12 years old.  It was the grand opening of this mall called Mackey's World right in downtown Grand Rapids.  My mom, sister, and I headed down to the opening, and found out there would be a performance by a group called 98 Degrees.  I was so excited, even though I had no clue who they were.  The only hit they had out was Invisible Man.  After that moment, I was hooked on all things boy band. In the next year or two I saw both 98 Degrees and NSYNC twice on the stage.  (Side note: I wasn't a big BSB fan - although I could appreciate them.  And although this is way past the popular days of NKOTB, I had a pillow case with their faces on it that I can distinctly remember.)

So, in honor of 98 Degrees, I thought I'd dedicate this Thursday to their first single, Invisible Man.  Enjoy.

The Brew Crew

There is something about sporting events that really rally people together.  And I like it. 

I remember when I decided to head to Ohio State, I got a lot of flack from Michigan fans about football.  Before heading to Columbus, I would defend my soon-to-be graduate school, but didn't fully understand the Buckeye traditions until I stepped foot onto campus.  I instantly fell in love with Hang on Sloopy, Carmen Ohio and other football traditions like Script Ohio... I instantly became a Buckeye.

So, when I moved to Milwaukee (now a month ago), I was hoping to feel some sort of connection to the community.  I've done a decent job getting to know the city and attending various events, but hadn't ventured over to Miller Park to watch the Brewers play... until this past Friday.  Many of my co-workers and some friends had told me of the beauty and excitement that is Miller Park.  I will admit that maybe I was a little doubtful.  No offense to the sport, I've never been very good at baseball and watching it on TV just can't compare to being in the stadium.

Some friends came up this past weekend from Ohio and we ventured together to watch the Brewers.  We started our evening downtown and took a shuttle to the stadium - on the ride over, we met some Brits who were on their last leg of touring America.  They started in Chicago, made their way west to SF, LA, NOLA, Vegas, back to Chi, and ended in MKE.  For those of you who don't already know, MKE was recently rated in the top 5 most underrated cities in the US - these men must have gotten the memo and wanted to check it out!

So, we head to the game and it was an absolute blast!  I think my favorite part had to be Take Me Out to the Ballgame followed by Roll Out the Barrel.  What can I say? I love to polka!  And also, I love the mascot, Bernie.  He has a sweet handlebar mustache and it's kind of hipster - which makes my day.  After an exciting win, I couldn't help but want to head back to Miller Park again - and in the near future.  It just so happened that last evening, I got a 2nd opportunity to cheer on the team.  My work had some extra tickets and I thought, well, why not seize the day?  Once again, the game was epic - in one inning we scored 5 runs - I was jumping with excitement.  

So, even though I will always be a Detroit Tigers fan at heart (shout out to Pure Michigan!)... I can't help but love being a part of the Brew Crew.  Some may say I'm turning into a super-fan - this may be true, but I think what's really happening is I'm becoming a true resident of Milwaukee.