When Irish Eyes are Blogging

Part III: Paris on a Budget

2011-11-13T18:05:00.000-06:00

That video was taken at the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. We did go all the way to the top, but it has a kind of fencing that obstructs photos and video, so this is a clearer viewpoint. It is well worth the extra cost and time to get to the top. You can't put it into words, just do it.

I love this photo because it summarizes the Parisian lifestyle:

Luxembourg Gardens

The weather was unusually warm for the end of September, so the entire city was out in the park, laying out on the grass, playing some sort of hot French strip kickball*, shopping, or just wondering around. See, I did it too:

Paris is a challenge on a budget. Our hotel provided breakfast of crusty bread, croissants, fruit, little cakes, coffee and juice. For lunch we grabbed something cheap and quick, like a ham sandwich on the delicious bread I was eating above. Dinner was out "fancy" meal out at a cafe. We brought our translation guides so we could navigate our way through the menu. The wait staff usually spoke some English or understood us pointing at different items. This was dinner one of our first nights:

Cafe near our hotel

My pasta with asparagus, cheese plate and Jason's roast beef carpaccio

Delicious salad with poached egg, bacon

Jason's beef at same cafe near Canal St. Martin

Salad, Kir (fruit flavored white wine) and pizza at Monmartre Italian cafe

Now, what about the beer? For being so close to the possibilities of German and Belgian beers, the cafes we went to did not have much of a selection at all. Leffe was everywhere. I assumed it was German, then found out it was an evil InBev product.

Leffe in St. German cafe (paired with an omelette)

Jason drinks fresh Heineken which is slightly less skunky

Pelforth Blonde at Canal St. Martin cafe

All in all, we played it pretty safe with food. I thought the salads were so fantastic I didn't mind making a meal that way, especially with bread. We splurged on one creme brulee for dessert.

Travel Tips: get a Museum Pass and a Visite Pass. Our travel agent recommended these. They saved time, most importantly. Paris wore me out just waiting in lines for everything. The standing still bothered me more than walking. So the more you can save yourself in waiting, the better. We used the museum pass to skip the line in the Louvre and the Centre de Pompideau. It also would have applied to most any museum and the Arc de Triomphe. See what it includes here. Note that many museums are closed on Tuesdays, so that dictated how we divided our time. The Visite Pass is unlimited use on the metro, bus lines, and even the funicular (tram) that takes you up to Sacre Coeur. It is much simpler to buy it by the day instead of figuring out the machines every time you take the metro. Loved the metro, except when it is a heat wave and you are crowded into an older car that is not air conditioned. Enough said.

*Here you go ladies. You're welcome.

Before

And After. Yes, the loser of whatever this was had to strip.

Snapshots of Europe: Galway & the West Coast

2011-11-06T17:08:00.007-06:00

Emo: the saddest gas station in the West

Jason gets fresh with the locals

Galway will always be my favorite Irish city, because I spent from January through June there in the year 2000 on an exchange program between National University of Ireland-Galway and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. The city was mostly like I remembered it: alive, vital, artsy, diverse, but now I was much older. Almost too old for the party atmosphere that takes over the city at night. How do the girls teeter on their heels on the cobblestone streets? How do they stay warm in the tight minidresses? Why is it so crowded in this bar? Ugh, I'm old(er).

We stayed at Jury's Inn right the heart of the city.The weekend we arrived from Dublin, there was a Culture Night going on, the Oyster Festival, and a Guinness Live, which was free music in bars around the Latin Quarter area. The Culture Night events were free, and offered art gallery openings, poetry readings and performances.

Highlights:

Guiness Live weekend, with free music: included a local band at the King's Head called Riptide Movement. (Jason bought their CD) and trad music at the Tigh Coili pub
Trip up the coast to the Burren, including a bird sanctuary, Ailwee Cafe, and the Cliffs of Moher

live trad music

Great Pub

Riptide Movement

Best Beer Bar Evah!

Food and drink highlights:lunch at the Oslo Bar in Salt Hill, a town on Galway Bay. Jason had a strawberry lime cider there that was outstanding. (Ciders are served poured in a glass over ice there. I had wondered why so many lads in the bars had glasses with ice--surely they weren't drinking mixed drinks!) I had the Belfast Blonde and also their house ale. Next to come was their house stout, but it wasn't ready yet. Crikey! I so wanted to try it. I had enough ales and lagers. They are part of a family of related bars that have locations in Galway and Dublin.

Awesome cider

Blonde with a Blonde

The sister pub in Galway was called the Salt House. And, it was right across the bridge from our hotel! We tried it that night after eating some Thai food. It was crowded, and there was going to be live music. A bluegrass band! We got into a conversation at the bar with one of the bartenders there who was there on his night off. From Mayo. Hates the Guinness. He was only drinking it because it was cheap and went down easy. Yes, there are beer snobs in Ireland, too, folks. He got us to try this and that and had we tried this and look at that. They had 5AM Saint by Brew Dog on tap that I had, plus a special amazing O'Haras Stout he suggested called Leann Follain, Trouble Brewing Stout, and I think Jason had a Belgian or two. They had Brew Dog's Sink the Bismarck in bottles, but it was so expensive. We liked it so much we went back the next night again.

Brew Dog 5AM Saint on tap

I did end up trying fresh oysters for the first time at a pub called Sonny's. They were served with lemon wedges and tabasco sauce. I actually liked the flavor combo. Jason couldn't hardly look at them.

fish and chips at McDonnagh's next to our hotel. It's an institution there. You haven't had fish and chips unless they are served takeaway style in a greasy mound that soaks through the paper they serve it in.

Finally, here is a glimpse into Galway's coolest beer bar, the Salt House:

Snapshots of Europe: Dublin

2011-11-05T15:39:00.001-05:00

Elwess European Vacation
We left Sept. 19th from St. Louis to Charlotte to Dublin, arriving on the 20th. We stayed at the Academy Plaza (Best Western) off of O'Connell Street. A bit quieter than Temple Bar, but a farther walk across the river, too. We walked so much Jason got blisters from his new Doc Martins and had to get new shoes. He got a cold, too.

Sightseeing highlights:

"Freshers" week at Trinity College, so the quad was full of a student club fair.
St. Stephens Green: So beautiful, as I remembered. Swans live in the water, and there was a "swan whisperer" who made a friend with one. Sorta creepy and magical at the same time.
Literary Pub Crawl: two actors combined performances of Irish plays, poems and stories and added historical and cultural information. It went around Temple Bar and Trinity College area.
Not new to me: Trinity College, Book of Kells tour, St. Patrick's Cathedral, National Art Gallery, Dublin Castle, the Changeable Weather
Sandycove: we took the DART down to the James Joyce Martello Tower Museum that had a 1st edition Ulysses and Joyce's death mask. Not that I needed another Joyce book, but I got Ulysses and Us by Declan Kiberd, an author I was familiar with. I got the official museum stamp in the book (book nerd swoon).

In fact, here is a view from the windy top of the tower:

What was new since I'd been there in 2000: a new bridge over the River Liffey that looked like a harp, gigantic ferris wheel at the O2, an enormous music venue, the fast and efficient tram (Luas) system we had to use to get to the train station for Galway.

Food/beverage highlights:
Porterhouse Brewing: craft brewery with a couple of Dublin locations. We went to the main one in Temple Bar, where i got a coddle with the Wrassler's XXXX Stout and Jason had Geuze Boon and a sampler with their stout, red and a strong ale.
Bull and Castle: a gastropub specializing in local Irish breweries. I had Curim Celtic Wheat with a fisherman's pie and Jason had a sampler with Galway Hooker, O'Hara's Red and a lager.

O'Neill's on the Pub Crawl in Temple Bar

Bull and Castle Gastropub

Kehoe's Pub: First Guinness

On the pub crawl, Duke's Pub I had Kilkenny Irish Red, Trouble Brewing Ale at O'Neill's, Smithwicks at Old Stand and finally Guinness at Davy Byrne's.

Northern Ireland: we took an all day rail/bus tour by Rail Tours Ireland. Dublin to Belfast Train, bus around the northern causeway and back, train back to Dublin that night. It happened to be Arthur Guinness day, where we were supposed to toast a Guinness at 5:50 and we were on an older train with no bar.
Highlights were of course Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede Bridge (my 2nd time both places)

Taste of Giant's Causeway:

Didn't remember: how long the damn walk was down to both places. Causeway had a shuttle but the bridge didn't, and it was uphill, up stairs and then walking. So worth it, though. They are building a huge visitor's center at the causeway set to open in a year or two.

Me on the Carrick-a-Rede bridge

Food highlights: Guinness stew at the Giant's Causeway hotel, Irish Coffee at Bushmill's Distillery

Real Irish Coffee

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

2011-04-24T15:50:00.001-05:00

beer going into the bottling bucket mixed with priming sugar

bottles prepped and ready

filling bottles

quality control: sampling the product

Follow up on first batch: Success! No complaints. I made bottlecap labels:

Brew Day

2011-04-02T14:52:00.020-05:00

This brew day is sponsored by Intelligencia Coffee.

It was a long and arduous process. If anything goes wrong, I suspect the yeast. I pitched it and not as much came out of the pack as one might expect. It was activated, obviously. Forget about the original gravity reading, because that got all screwed up. It was taken at the wrong time (Jason!).

Also I didn't exactly stick with Northern Brewer's directions. Steeped the grains (Chocolate/Dark crystal) for 30 minutes.

Added dark malt syrup and dark DME.

1st hop addition at 60 minutes (2 oz. Cluster), then at one minute (1 oz. Cascade). Also added Whirlfloc tablet at the last 15 mins.

I used Jason's "cold water" method of chilling the wort along with the ice water bath until cooled about 70 degrees. Aerated with drill attachment.

Here's to a decent, drinkable porter! I don't know what I'm calling it yet...

Update:
We have activity in the airlock! Sunday morning I noticed some bubbling.

Here's how it looked after a few days:

First Brew: Initial Prep

2011-03-26T14:51:00.011-05:00

My first extract batch is a kit called St. Paul Porter from Northern Brewer. It came in last week and the yeast is in the fridge awaiting the brew day (TBA). I had my eye on the breakfast stout, since I love Founders' BS, but the reviews were very inconsistant. Thin, watery, etc. The porter sounded like it produced better results overall. Coffee, chocolate notes, how can you go wrong?
What have I done to get ready? Well, I didn't need to order any equipment. I'm using Jason's, before he jumps into another batch of his DIPA. I have watched him and several others from the Columbia Beer Enthustiasts brew, both extract and all-grain. I have been reading How to Brew (also Jason's, but I think I bought it for him). The AHA has many free short instructional videos, too.
What am I not going to do? Drink while brewing. I know that seems counterintuitive, but I'm trying to get the process down for now, and that leaves room for error and sloppy mistakes. The plan is to keep the same recipe going and try to improve on it each time. There will be plenty of time to drink as my reward for all the hard work.
I fully expect to be razzed for using a kit by folks who have moved on past kits, but I listened to a podcast called Brew Strong on the Brewing Network that made me feel okay about it. Everyone needs a gateway beer to get into craft beer, so this is my gateway brew.

St. Paul Porter

OG: 1.052

Wyeast Ringworm Ale

Grain: Simpson's Chocolate and Dark Crystal

Dark Malt syrup, Dark DME

Cluster & Cascade hops

1-2 weeks primary, 2-4 weeks secondary, 1-2 weeks bottle condition

I'll post the results of the actual brew day next!

Cheers.

Stuff White People Like: #128 Camping

2009-09-07T19:00:00.004-05:00

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2009/08/14/128-camping/

"If you find yourself trapped in the middle of the woods without electricity, running water, or a car you would likely describe that situation as a “nightmare” or “a worse case scenario like after plane crash or something.” White people refer to it as “camping.”"

Well, this camping trip was definitely not a worse case scenario without electricity or running water. We stayed at the River Ranch Resort near Noel, which was really the Hilton of campsites. There was a nice store in case your forget anything, like beer, a cooler, supplies, etc. The restaurant offered BBQ, pizza they will deliver to your site, ice cream, and a breakfast buffet. Our group was split into two campsites, the larger one on the "late night loop," and the last 3 of us in the quiet zone, with smaller sites right on the creek/swamp. The bathrooms, not really in walking distance from my site, but closer to the party site, had several unisex bathrooms (with toilet paper aplenty), hot showers (50 cents), and a central sink area with electricity.

I should also mention we were right next to a Tyson Chicken plant, so the sky was lit up with what Sean dubbed the "Eternal Chicken Flame," most likely fanned with chicken fat renderings.

Jason and I headed out about 2:30 after he got off work and we loaded up the car. It was a long and painful drive for us. It rained (nay, poured) all the way to Springfield. We had to drive through the Lake, where the traffic is always awful. At Camdenton, a tricky detour sign lead us astray in the wrong direction. It was almost worth it, because we came upon a facility in the middle of nowhere called "The Glory Hole." There were no windows, nothing to indicate what it was, just a sign saying, "OPEN." Let your imagination take over from there...

Anyway, we reached Noel, MO and the campground about 7:30 and checked in. We set up the new tent and went to find everyone else in our group. About half of them were there, and the rest came later. Oh, and it was sprinkling as we set up camp, I must mention. So there was an attempt to string a tarp up over the common area so we could all hang out and not get wet. Tarp was stretched between 2 trees and a car that was carefully angled to hold the other end over the picnic table. Beers were passed around, faces were made over Jason's high alcohol offerings. Sean showed up later and set up over at our site and came over to join the group. We finally got to bed around 3 or so. We had to meet a quarter to 9 for the float trip. I slept reasonably well due to an air mattress and since it was cool enough to not be humid.

We woke up and got ready for the river. Cooking breakfast ended up being time-consuming, but Sean had a propane grill that sped up the process. We had onion bagels with bacon, sausage, eggs and provolone. Finally met up with the group, and got cooler and wet bags loaded up on the bus. They drove us to the farthest point, so our float lead us back to the campground. It was an 8 mile float on the Elk. Jason and I got set up in our canoe. Sean had a kayak, and everyone else was paired up on canoes.

Teri and I were both newbs to the kayaking. I am proud to say neither of us tipped or were tipped. Laura, who swore she'd done this plenty of time, tipped/got tipped 3 or 4 times before we were even a mile down the river. Some of it was due to clowning around, some of it not anticipating trees or branches in the way and getting out of the way. We really thought their canoe was ruined at one point, cause it got dented on a big log. Nobody wanted to be behind her or tie to her the rest of the trip.

The weather was perfect. Not too hot, especially on the first leg of the float where there was lots of shade. In fact, it started out cloudy, which was nice for us pale Irish types. On top of that, I had a big assed sun hat that covered my entire face/neck, plus 70 SPF on every inch of my body/face. It really didn't seem like a long distance until the end, when it got hot and I got tired. The river was easy, but pretty damn low, and we hit bottom some places. It wasn't even that crowded for a holiday weekend. We hit a bottleneck at one point with all the partyers on rafts just sitting there clogging up the river doing beer bongs. I can't say I felt too bad about hitting some idiot just dangling from a raft in the water not aware of a canoe coming straight for him and me yelling, look out!

The strangest sight (aside from the pair of Asian girls who managed to knock into each and every canoe in the river as they zigged and zagged their way down) was a sign offering "Free hotdogs and drinks." Jason wondered, what's the catch? We soon found out. We went right by it, since we recently ate our ham sandwiches. But, standing scattered in the middle of the river were members of this church trying to stop people and asking if they were "full of Jesus." This happened at two different spots. The second time, the man had literature he was passing out and asked if I needed something to read. I guess he missed the fact I was paddling, so I replied, I have my hands full (but not of Jesus). I guess the ones who did stop were asked to prey for their hotdogs. Don't get me wrong, it's their right to try to recruit people to their flock, but I truly don't think they are going to save many people doing beer bongs and jello shots down the river.

I have no idea when we got back, but it was pretty late in the day. We stopped a lot and ate, people smoked, dawdled, plus Aaron and Sean invented a game with the canoe paddles called "paddle ball." Laura was 2 and 0 on that game. We split into two groups, so at the end it was Jason, me Sean, Aaron and Teri. We left the rest behind (Aaron's sisters, Kelly/Laura, Laura's boyfriend, Kelly's boyfriend, Kayla and Tammy, Tammy's husband), and found out about their drama when we were headed to dinner.

There was a skirmish. The group was stopped to play on a rope swing and some morons created this elaborate scheme to try to steal their canoe. They pretended to tip, so these nice people went to check on them and help, while another malfeasant took the unattended canoe. By the time they realized what was going on, it was too late to grab it. So I guess they all piled into the remaining canoes and went after the youths. They somehow found them. Bob, Kelly's boyfriend, who is a guy you don't want to mess with, confronted the guy holding a paddle. The other guy grabbed the paddle and Bob ended up face down in the rocks, bleeding. So, the police got involved and the dude got arrested and they took Bob and the others back to site so he could get cleaned up. By the time I saw him that night, he had one black eye and one swollen protruding eye socket on the other side. Nasty. Oh, and Kelly chased after them and yelled profanities at them, too.

Anyway, Sean, Jason and I had BBQ at the restaurant for dinner and rejoined the group around the campfire. It was a lot more sedated, since everyone was either, tired, sun burnt, or injured. I think we were in bed around 11. I did not sleep well that night, and we even woke up before the alarm. We packed up and went to inspect the breakfast buffet (not impressive). So, we drove on to Neosho and found a Shoney's with a kickass breakfast buffet. We pretty much drove straight through from there, and since I slept, it seemed like a faster drive. The greatest thing was having Monday to recoup and sleep in. I got caught up on laundry and watched a marathon of the Office. I shouldn't have even unpacked, because I am off to the Lake again tomorrow for a work conference all day Wednesday. So much for getting caught up at work.

Beers had: Jason's Red-Headed Stepchild, Southern Tier Gemini, Avery's The Beast, Bell's Oktoberfest, New Belgium Fat Tire, a Belgian beer I forgot the name of, plus Miller Lite cans (on the river).

"Conversely, any camping trip that ends in death at the hands of nature or requires the use of valuable government resources for a rescue is seen as relatively positive in white culture. This is because both situations might eventually lead to a book deal or documentary film about the experience."

Perhaps Bob should sell the rights to his story, because local resources (police, campsite security) were used and the other guy is lucky he didn't die.

This Week's Likes

2009-07-29T14:11:00.012-05:00

What I like this week:

Stocking up on Dogfish Head beer from a fellow Columbia Beer Enthusiast's roadtrip

Seeing "Moon" at Ragtag with a Dandelion Ale

The Decemberists are playing outside the Blue Note in October.

Taste of the Market is coming Saturday

Eating fried pig's head at Sycamore with a Sierra Nevada Kellerweis

Tomorrow is payday!!

Pearl Jam's making people do some work to view their new album art by political cartoonist Tom Tomorrow in its entirety.

Stuff White People Like

People are actually critical of what kind of beer the president drinks.

LR Wedding Reception Pictures Part II

2009-07-02T13:48:00.004-05:00

My mom displayed my (our) wedding dress on a dummy since I wasn't wearing it this time. The veil was on a dummy head behind it on the table.

Me dancing with my dad, Jason dancing with my mom. Our wedding photo DVD was being shown on the screen behind the stage.

The beautiful buffet table with appetizers inside Hillcrest Hall

This is my Springfield clan of cousins. Our reunions introduced me to Sanford Wine!

My dad presenting a beautiful toast to our wedding and all the friends and family that joined us. This was out in the gazebo outside the Hillcrest Hall.

More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jade_elwess/.

Columbia Beer Enthusiasts Blind Stout Tasting

2009-06-28T22:38:00.007-05:00

Today, the Columbia Beer Enthisiasts met at Sycamore for a blind tasting of both imperial (>8%) and non-imperial stouts. This was a really interesting way to taste beer without any preconceived notions, like brand, label, name, whether you've had it before, and other factors that go out the window. My results were surprising (I rated my own beer low!), but there are many interferences, like the quick pace of the passing of the beers, which made it hard to distinguish between some of the non-imperials.

We all brought beer that Jamie put in paper sacks and each one got a number. We had scorecards where we rated appearance, aroma, mouthfeel, flavor, and those added up for the overall score. Jamie tallied them all and announced the ones that "placed." Jason's Goose Island Bourbon County Stout placed second in the imperial category, so he won. The prize? More beer. Josh's homebrew won in the non-imperial category, and Jamie's and Jeff's homebrews placed for imperials. There was an accidental duplicate, Red Hook Double Black Stout. By duplicate, I mean it was labelled and passed around as two different beers. Jason and I both rated this same beer different numbers! Mine weren't that far off, but Jason's ratings were drastically different for the same beer. My best guess is that one went around much later in the tasting when our taste buds were getting deader and the beers were going around much faster. The scoring is harder than you'd think! It is so subjective that it is hard to assign a number to some aspects of the experience. I kind of wish I'd brought Guinness to see how it was rated. I can tell it is sneezed upon as a stout, but I will always contend that we do not get the "real" stout here in the USA.

Another way to approach a blind tasting that I thought of was to give everyone a few samples to take home as an assignment. Taste them on your own, not under the pressure of time (Sycamore had a cleaning crew coming in, so we had to get out...), or distracted by conversation or biased by what the person before you said about the beer. I'd hear comments down the table like, "This tastes like mothballs" or "This smells like bandaids..." Tell me that doesn't affect how you enjoy a beer! Now that would be a fair test!

Update: the official scores are now posted in chart format on our CBE Discussion Board.

Little Rock Reception: June 13

2009-06-15T22:27:00.005-05:00

I don't have any photos yet, but we're in recovery mode from the final soiree of our trifecta of wedding-related events. We drove straight through to LR Friday, which takes all of 8 hours due to 2-lane roads that don't allow passing or speeding. We drove through a torrential downpour and got to LR at rush hour. My mom put us up at the Comfort Inn on West Markham, so we checked into that and met them for dinner. We met at the US Pizza in Hillcrest, the 'hood where I grew up. I drove by my old childhood home on Woodlawn to show Jason. It always looks so different. My mom and dad had staked out some tables on the patio. Meeting us there were Jim and Carolyn Lyons, Matt Lyons, Amy and Aaron and Briggs Lyons from Springfield and Mervyn Michael and his sister from Alabama. Briggs entertained himself with army men fighting Trojan soldiers.

Jason and I headed to Vino's by ourselves after that. Vino's was a hole in the wall where I saw Superchunk, local punk bands I can't even remember in high school. Now, they are a brewpub and have improved things quite a bit (except the restrooms). I had their Lazyboy Stout and Jason had the Pinnacle Imperial IPA. Both were quite nice and reasonably priced. They also have an outdoor deck/patio where we drank.

Saturday the group met early for breakfast at the hotel and everyone went their separate ways to sightsee. My parents, of course, had to be at the Hillcrest Hall to make sure everything was delivered and set up. I took Jason to LR Central High, where I went to school, plus the museum that was built after I graduated that I had not yet seen. Then we went downtown to the River Market, the new trendy downtown area. There was a farmer's market going on in the outdoor pavilion and the indoor market has permanent restaurants and coffee shops of all kinds. We did not hit the Clinton library/museum but the gift shop was right down where we already were. I actually found a cool purse there made from recycled vinyl billboard ads from old highway billboards that were going to be thrown away.

We ate lunch at Boscos, the "restaurant for beer lovers." Of Course. Jason had their beer sampler and I had their infamous Flaming Stone beer. Kind of a disappointment. I expected it to taste like a bigger beer.

Then we headed to the Diamond Bear Brewery, the only true brewery in Arkansas. They changed their tour time to 3, so we were an hour early. Because of a change to the prudish liquor law in the state, they can sell and serve beer on Sundays now, so the tour is both Sat. and Sun. at 3 now. You get 2 tokens and choose from what they have on tap for your free samples. They also make their own root beer, and man was it amazing. I'm not even root beer drinking fool. For the samples, I had the Presidential IPA (recommended by the local site, Ebeersnob) and I had the Irish Red (my fave), Southern Blonde, but the Pale Ale is the 3-time gold medal GABF winner. We had a tour given by a first-timer, who was strictly a volunteer doing it for a case of beer. They only had a handful of real employees, and the tours and bottling are done by volunteers. Wow! Distribution in 4 states, not counting Missouri. I came away with a shirt and sampler pack with a little of everything.

We headed back to the hotel for shower #2 due to the humidity and changed into our goin' dancing clothes. I could not do anything with my hair and it was a frizzy hot mess. Great start. We got there a bit early, and were instructed to start greeting people. My cousins Babel and Casey were there to receive gifts. We stood out in the gazebo for the wine reception and greeting. It was so sticky and humid. My dad toasted us and all the nice family and friends who came from all over. California, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas....total of 80 friends! It was a great turnout. The pastor from the church I grew up in was asked to give the blessing, which was very sweet. We finally moved inside and started the buffet of finger foods, like shrimp, dips, cheeses, fruit, ribs (I avoided that in my dress), and a cupcake tier. We did group photos out on the steps in different combos and then the dancing. The first dance that my mom picked was "Wild Irish Rose." I hadn't heard it before, but it was very very slow to dance to on a stage with all eyes on us! Gulp. Then they did "Missouri Waltz"and I danced with my dad and Jason with my mom. Nobody really got into the dancing except a few couples (and Briggs!).

One surprise was that an old friend of mine who is a daughter of my parents' friends they knew living in Alabama, came with her new husband, so we went out to Cregeen's Irish pub in North Little Rock. It was actually made in Ireland and moved over here. Really good atmosphere, good beer menu. I think I had O'Hara's Irish Stout, which was really good. We got back to the hotel just after midnight, and apparently my parents' after party there had just broken up.
Sunday, we had breakfast and the Springfield cousins and us caravaned to Edgewood cemetery in Levy, where my grandparents are buried. My mom saved the centerpiece from the party and I placed it on their headstone. Everyone said their goodbyes and we got on the road.

What We Did Last Weekend

2009-06-08T13:43:00.001-05:00

Zombie Parade from Judy-Anne Goldman on Vimeo.

Kansas City Wedding Reception

2009-06-08T11:10:00.014-05:00

I'm playing catch-up now before I get too behind. We're such 'socialites" lately that we haven't been home for a weekend in a while. Jean did a great job putting her reception at Weatherby Lake clubhouse together. She had a friend take photographs, a friend bartend, and reused the flowers and centerpieces from our wedding reception. This place lets you bring in your own liquor, which saves a ton of money. There was wine, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Boulevard, rum, vodka and bourbon, plus sodas for mixing. None is wasted, because the leftovers came back in a cooler! The caterer she hired was called Sugar and Spice, which did a great job. It was a buffet with ham and roast beef, the best garlic mashed potatoes ever, green beans, corn, salad and rolls. I'm not sure who did the cake, but it was very simple and pretty, with one layer vanilla and one chocolate like ours. About 50 people attended.

We helped set up the tables and chairs and get them decorated, which went pretty smoothly. Jean brought fresh honeysuckle and flowers from her yard. The submerged roses weren't green this time, but yellow with an orangeish tint around the petals. There were votives set up around the fireplace and in the windowsills. The only snag was there wasn't going to be enough beer, so Jason and I picked more up after we went home and got dolled up. There was a guest book table with the scrapbook, and the albums from the disposable cameras displayed. The DVD was also an issue, since the DVD player they had was temperamental. We just brought in Jean's from home and it played fine after that.

After dinner, Jean started giving the toast and announced that Jason's friends were asked to give a roast of him, a fact he only found out minutes before this. So Aaron, Dan and Sean all told some stories on Jason, nothing new to most of us. Luckily, they were very kind to me. We did the cake cutting and toasting with the flutes from our wedding and the first dance. We had the DJ invite everyone to come join us fairly quickly, since we can't slow dance. After that, it was a free-for-all. Heather and Donny's youngest, Amina, really cut a rug, and we took notes from her. Jean's friends dance in couples to the swing music and I got pulled into one song where it was way too fast for me!

Carolyn took us aside and gave us her presents in person. She gave Jason his dad's pocketwatch he used to wear to the local Republican meetings. It still works! She gave me a $5 1900 gold coin made into a necklace her Aunt Carolyn had stowed away when FDR was recalling all the gold. Very beautiful and unique.

Clean-up was up to us, and thankfully some of Jean's friends and Jason's crowd stayed and help pack up, put up the tables and chairs and clean the floors before we left. It was fun meeting people for the first time, especially those who knew Jason's dad and continued his legacy by saying, "Congratulations, Pencil neck!"

True to form, this is how the night ended:

He Rocked the Suburbs

2009-05-28T08:54:00.004-05:00

So, because we're paying off both a wedding and honeymoon right now, I figured this would be the Summer of Concert Blight. It seems like nothing is under $25-30 these days, and on top of that, many acts skip mid-Mo completely. We did shell out the money to see Gogol Bordello in KC, because we were already going up there this weekend for Post-Wedding Reception #1, and it is on a weekend, rather than weekday.

Last night, we got a bonus concert in that I wasn't planning on. Jason came home with free tickets and VIP passes to Ben Folds playing at the Summerfest on 9th Street downtown. Score! We headed down there and flashed our VIP badges. It gets you in this roped off area with chairs under tents, which are kind of pointless, because you couldn't see the stage at all from them. They were positioned awkwardly around the corner of a building from the stage. So we ended up standing, like everyone else, except it was slightly less crowded. Plus, free beer. And sandwiches.

It was a good show. He mostly did solo songs, but threw in a few Ben Folds Five at the end, like "One Angry Dwarf."and "Narcolepsy." "Army" was the encore. Other highlights were "Landed" and "Rockin the Suburbs." Oh, and a cover of "Bad Boys."

Because this is also the Summer of Jason (think Summer of George), we have agreed to do this the following weekend:
www.myspace.com/kczombies

Last Full Day: Sanford Winery, Road Rage in LA

2009-05-20T10:42:00.008-05:00

It was sad to leave Santa Barbara, but the fire was not getting contained and we were afraid of getting trapped if they had to close the 101. I was determined to visit Sanford Winery, but it was about an hour out of our way headed north. The wine country around Buellton (featured in the movie, "Sideways") was worth the drive. We got there shortly before they opened at 11, so we walked around and got photos of the vineyard and wildflowers growing on the ground. The tasting room is fairly new, so it is not the one seen in the movie. Their original location is down the road, which is now home to Alma Rosa Winery. We tasted their current offerings and I got a Mother's Day present for my mom-a trivet with one of their wine labels on it. I got myself a different label--they all have different wildflowers. With the suitcases full of beer, I had the wine I ordered shipped back to Columbia: one white, one red, and a Pinot Noir chocolate sauce. Can't wait for that!

We got on the road, doubling back to Santa Barbara and the 101 south to LA. Again, beautiful drive. We went by Ventura Beach, which was a popular surfer hangout. We had a quick lunch at In and Out Burger. To get to LAX, we had to get on the 405 and this is where traffic was God-awful. Five lanes of traffic going 15 mph. It took us about an hour to move 15 miles. Nobody has heard of turn signals or any kind of etiquette on the art of merging. Jason kept his cool, thanks to the fact that he bought an ipod cable at Target to hook up to the radio so we didn't have to search for radio stations (mostly Spanish at this point anyway).

We followed the signs to find the Hertz drop-off lot by the airport. We had to do some juggling of the suitcases now, because some of the beer was still sitting in a box in the trunk. They had a shuttle that took us to the Crowne Plaza LAX. It was nice for an $85/night! Jason scouted luggage in their gift shop to buy for the overflow beer/clothes. They only had small ones, but better than nothing.

We changed and looked into a trolley that runs back and forth from the hotels to Manhattan Beach. Round trip tickets were only 3$, so we bought some and waited at the stop. It runs to the outlet mall shopping area and also all the way to the beach. We got off at the beach and walked around. Not much shopping, except specialty boutiques (gourmet chocolate AND shoes), but the beachfront houses were beautiful to look at (or, if you want a rental, a mere $2100 a month will get you a one bedroom.) We walked down the pier, where people were fishing and we watched surfers and dolphins.

Oh, and we saw what we thought was a movie set filming the front yard of one of the houses (pictured). Turned out to be the Showtime show, "Weeds." Too bad I haven't ever seen it to know the actors. The scene we saw had some teenagers in it.

We had dinner at a fusion/sushi restaurant. I had a sampler of a "sushi bomb," with no rice. It was avocado and crabmeat rolled into the sashimi itself, baked lightly with Parmesan cheese. It was very tasty. We caught the trolley back to the hotel, where Jason bought the expensive luggage. We attempted the hot tub on the roof of the 2nd floor. We met a group of women on a ladies' weekend trip from Arizona. We stayed until we were steamed thoroughly and went to bed.

The next morning, we got a quick coffee at the hotel and caught the LAX shuttle. The airport was surprisingly easy to navigate through, because the security people yelled at you to tell you which line to get in. I was yelled at a lot. We had plenty of time for our flight back, and I bought a few t-shirts in the gift shop. The flight back was 2 and a half hours, and we actually arrived in KC a few minutes early. It was a great trip and not a bottle of beer was lost or broken. Epic Win!

The Honeymoon: Santa Barbara

2009-05-19T13:18:00.009-05:00

Well, there were no sudden evacuations, thankfully. We enjoyed our free breakfast and free internet in the hotel lobby on their nice patio. Then we were picked up by Captain Jack's for our beer tasting tour. As it happened, we got a personal tour! Our guide, Louis, was just awesome and he knew a lot about the area.

First stop, Downtown Brewing in Santa Barbara. Beers Had: a sampler of Honey Blonde, Wheat, IPA, Reggae Red, and Porter. The only one not available was Blueberry Ale, so we got an extra sample of Honey Blonde, very delicious. The picture above is us in front of pictures of their beer labels.

Next Stop, Hollister Brewing in a stripmall in Goleta, outside of SB. Beers Had: choose your own sampler from the menu. I had Orange Blossom, Pigman Pale Ale, Pope IPA, Anniversary Ale (8.2% black double IPA), Blown Out Stout, and I believe Dopplebock. I liked the Orange blossom, IPA, and Anniversary Ale--Jason wasn't crazy about any of them. I liked their logo with a crest, so I got a t-shirt before we left.

Then, Island Brewing in Carpinteria. Beautiful view of the beach (and the fire, from a safer distance). Again, choose your own sampler. I got the Blonde, Paradise Pale Ale, Brown Nut Ale, Jubilee Ale (7.3%) and Starry Night Stout. The Brown Nut and Stout were my faves, if I remember correctly. It was all good. I got a glass to take home.

Then, we went back to Captain Jack's HQ to switch vehicles for the Evening Champagne kayaking Tour. This was a new venture for me, having never even laid a foot in a kayak before. Jason has a single person for his Man Camp river treks, but hadn't been out in an ocean. We shared a kayak, which made me feel better with him steering in back. Our guide had said the water was very cold, and the splashes from the paddles confirmed this. We went around the harbor, in (and under) some boats and rested to take a few photos. I picked up a single use waterproof camera at a Target so no fears of dropping our cameras in the water. We went under a pier and took another break. We could have gone out a bit farther, but the wind was making it very choppy out there. We opened the champagne from the cooler and just hung out a bit, looking at the fire from out there. Then we came back and dried off our wet butts to return to the hotel. Louis recommended the Brewhouse for dinner, so we changed and walked a couple blocks from our hotel. Jason had their IPA and I had the Wit beer--not really memorable. The food was outstanding, though. for an appetizer, we had their homemade chips and Gorgonzola cheese "nachos." I had macadamia nut encrusted halibut and Jason had grilled ahi tuna. We totally stuffed ourselves. Came back to the hotel and watched more news, all on the fire. Gov. "Ahh-nold" was going to come to give a press conference the next day. The shut down the 154 highway we came in on, because the fire was going to cross it.

This photo shows the smoke combining with dusk.

Check back on Captain Jack's site--some photos taken of us may be added to advertise the tour!

San Fran Day 3, Driving to Santa Barbara

2009-05-16T16:00:00.007-05:00

On our last full day, the morning was spend doing the Wok Wiz Chinatown Tour. We met our guide at the Hilton in the Financial District, and it rained on us on some of the tour. The guide took us around to look at architecture, art at the Y.K. Lau Picture Framing Company, an apothecary shop with all kinds of interesting smells and herbs, the Ma-Tsu Temple, a fortune cookie factory (free samples!), and an intro to different kinds of teas at Red Blossom Tea Company. The tour ended at Four Seas Restaurant for a pseudo dim sum experience with the group, sampling noodles, dumplings, wings, egg rolls, etc.

From there, we walked a lot with our eyes peeled for either a beer store or 21st Amendment Brewery, which should have been in the general area of the financial district. In the meantime, we found the Modern Art Museum and toured it. Highlights were the Rothko from a recent "Mad Men" episode, and a Dali sculpture. There were some very odd multi media exhibits going on, like one that duplicated the opening scenes of "Roseanne" and "Cosby" with actors all in masks. Finally finding 21st Amendment, we desperately needed a drink by then. Beers Had: South Park Blonde and the Watermelon Wheat and Jason had the Double Trouble Imperial IPA, which was quite impressive. Thought about buying a six pack of cans to go, but thought it would be better to leave the room for the bombers in the suitcase. We took the cable car back to the Fisherman's Wharf area and stopped in Tiernan's Irish Pub for a drink and bathroom break. Beers Had: Tiernan's Ale (eh...) and I had Murphy's Stout, a more consist ant Guinness alternative. Stopped by the In & Out Burger (I don't get what all the fuss is about?) and called it a night.

Wednesday was driving day, so we had a quick bite at the hotel and attempted to pick up the rental car at Hertz. For one thing, we were early, not really realizing we had an appointment to get the car, which would have been too late to get on the road. Next, Jason forgot his insurance card and we had to buy theirs so he could drive Next, they needed my AAA card to get the discount, so I had to meet him down there to show it to them.

We finally got on the road to to San Jose for the Winchester Mystery House. This is a gingerbread version, so you get the idea of the enormity of it. There are 160 rooms. Sarah Winchester, the heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune, basically went coo coo after losing both her newborn and then her husband. She was very superstitious and into seances and believed it would be bad luck to ever finish construction of the mansion. So, before a room was done, she would order the builders to move onto another, no blueprints or anything. There are stairs and doors that go nowhere, widows inside the house, beautiful Tiffany art glass windows and doors, and widows to spy on her servants to see if they're talking about her (probably were).

From there, it was a couple hours to Monterey, where we stopped at Cannery Row for food. I had a crazy fisherman's platter with fried everything, like calamari, shrimp, whatever else they threw in. Jason made a friend with a seagull, too. This photo was the view from our restaurant. We scored a great beer store there, too, which had Stones and Laguintas and a ton of Belgians. The guy who checked us out was so impressed I was a girl really into beer.

So, we drove and drove forever on the 101. Jason drove the whole way so he wouldn't fall asleep and miss the scenery. There was a lot of it. No billboards, no McDonald's. Just strawberry and avocado fields and migrant workers everywhere. I was starting to get nervous about Santa Barbara, because we had been away from the news and just heard a CNN blurb about the wildfires. I saw a sign that some other road was closed, so I started to get paranoid the town would be shut down. We got off on 154 based on our AAA directions, which was a windy mountain road. As we went up, we could start to see the fires and smoke. Really eerie at night, like lava from a volcano.

We drug into the Inn by the Harbor around 9 that night. They informed us that the evacuation warning (similar to tornado watch area) was as close as a couple blocks, so we should watch the news and keep our cell phones on in case they have to evacuate us. What the hell would we do if that were the case? Anyway, we checked in had had this great room with full kitchen and semi-private patio overlooking the pool and hot tub. We walked a couple of blocks down the the harbor and found a restaurant that was closing early due to the fire. The one upstairs may still be serving, we were told, so we got up there and found out the kitchen was starting to close. But they let us order anyway. I had a melon margarita and Jason had a syrupy mojito. We just had sandwiches to not be too much trouble. Talking to the staff, it sounded like locals take it in stride. They have had 3 major fires in the last couple of years, so they said they may lose power. Walking back to the hotel, the wind picked up and Jason kept getting cinders in his eyes. Welcome to California!

The Honeymoon: San Francisco, Days 1-2

2009-05-13T09:16:00.008-05:00

We flew from KCI non-stop to San Francisco Sunday after a delay of about an hour due to fog at the destination. We arrived and found our shuttle that flew us through traffic and nearly made me carsick. We stayed at Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf, which was pretty nice and modern. There was a coffee bar/martini bar/tapas lounge called "Spressi" in the lobby. They had firepits you could sit and lounge by outside. The bad part was they charge $1/minute for internet access in the lobby. It was very slow, too, so you paid to sit and watch your page load.

Since we got in a bit late, we got gussied up for Teatro Zinzanni, a cabaret/circus/dinner theater we were going to see that night. It was the last night of their latest show, License to Kiss. We walked there to the pier where the show was inside of tent. It was actually very nice inside, like a Moulan Rouge show set. We immediately checked out their beer selections at the bar. I had Lagunitas Maximus IPA and Jason had Speakeasy Ale. We checked in to find out where we were seating. It paid off that I inserted "honeymoon" in the "reason for visiting" section when I got online tickets. They upgraded us to front row, rather than general admission! We were literally right in front of the stage. It was seating in the round, with a hydraulic lift stage in the middle.

The show was amazing--there was an MC who did juggling, a French singer, acrobats who tangoed around a pole, balancing act, improv drag singer, crowd participation, a little of everything. The servers were part of the show, too, and there was a song/dance to introduce each course. The food was excellent-our entrees were pork. More drinks were had: I had Bear Republic Racer IPA and a drink, "Original Sin" that was out of this world. It ended with and Irish Coffee and photos with the German drag host (hostess?).

Monday: This was our Fishermans Wharf/North Beach Day. We walked along the pier to see the beached sea lions sleeping/fighting/snorting. First, we had an excellent breakfast at some local cafe by the hotel. I had a "California" omelet, which had avocado, bacon, tomatoes and cheese. The Italian owner came over to fill coffees and reminded us that a good breakfast is necessary to give you a good foundation for your day.

We walked around the piers and got photos of Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz when the fog lifted. We found a Dali exhibit at a local gallery. Oh, dear. It was a series of prints based on Dante's Inferno. They were from original woodcuttings, which were deconstructed into layers in a book the salesman showed us. Really impressive when you see it in "flip book" style. The prices were not outrageous, and they offered free boxing/shipping for new customers plus authentication of the prints. Jason had some thinking to do.

Next, we had beers at Jack's Cannery, with 68 beers on tap. Speaking of taps, they were hanging upside down from the ceiling. Beers Had: Stone IPA, Dogfish Head 90 Minute. I had the obligatory clam chowder in a sourdough breadbowl.

That evening, we headed up to North Beach to check out that area. We passed the Rogue restaurant, intending to come back to it later. We passed the Coit Liquor store that Make Mine Potato visited for beer on his trip. We were sadly greeted by a note on the door, "Closed until further notice." There was a pile of mail on the floor and we could still see inventory in the store. What's the story there?

Anyway, found the recommended beat poet bookstore, City Lights, owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Yes I had to make a purchase. I got My Brother's Keeper, a biography of James Joyce written by his brother. Next was ambled to Vesuvio, a bar where the beats hung out. It was a cool little cafe that had a projection screen occasionally showing an old fashioned viewfinder slide show movie. Not wonderful beer selection. Beers Had: Mendocino Red Tale Ale, Anchor Steam (didn't visit them--tours were booked up).

Got hungry for Italian, stumbled upon Stinking Rose, a restaurant emphasizing garlic. Their slogan was "We season our garlic with food." In everything. We shared a concoction of oil, anchovies, herbs, and cooked garlic to dip bread in. I had the neon ravioli and Jason had their 40-clove chicken. We shared a bottle of Jeckel Pinot Noir from Sonoma. By now, we were stuffed and miserable, so no more beers were had that night. We slowly made our way back to the hotel.

The Wedding

2009-05-11T18:41:00.005-05:00

Since there was no time for recap before we left town (and I dealt with a dead car), I wanted to get a few recollections down before they escape me.

No, the weather did not cooperate. At first. It waffled between misty/rainy/looks rainy, so Jason and his mom decided to set up inside of Les Bourgeois to prevent a hasty take-down in the good clothes.

In the meantime, my mom and I were getting "gussied up" at Salon Rouge, with hair and manicures and I got makeup-ed. It is fun to be pampered, but longer nails are not practical. Especially when trying to type. Of course, it continued to rain, so we carefully transported my hairdo/veil under an umbrella and my mom drove us back to the Holiday Inn to change clothes. We drove right up to the overhang to drop me off. My dad was back from the winery and came back up to the room to report that my car was dead. I already had on the dress, so I couldn't do anything. They apparently pushed it out of the rain before throwing on their finery.

We drove me and my hair up to the back of the winery and got me inside with minimal disruption. Started on photos. We had the door to the back patio (where the ceremony was supposed to be) open, so the backdrop was still there. It quit raining and we tentatively took some photos on the steps. Jason was a good sport, even though it was his second favorite thing to do. The first? Anything else. Nola (Creations by Nola) was a great director of our group to get us in every combo.

The chairs were set up indoors facing the archway Jean decorated with flowers and dripping ivy. The harpist (Joan Ferguson) was positioned behind by the window. She had been playing some Celtic wedding music as people came in, including the song "Falling Slowly" from the movie "Once." She started the bridal march and off we went. No bridesmaids, no groomsmen, just immediate family. Dr. Bill Young made some very personal and special remarks, since he had known me for quite some time. I thought I was going to make it okay until the vows. Something is different when you say them, rather than just hear or read them. It changes the meaning. Jason's lip quivered and that made my voice tremble. But I held it together. The handfasting was very special and beautiful and I hope people will remember it as I will.

Then, it was the beginning of the reception, with the cake cutting, feeding, and toasting. Just after that, we turned around and the sun came out! It cleared off and was beautiful. We quickly got some sunset pictures on the cliffside patio like we always wanted. It was perfect. Everyone had some wine or beer and ate the buffet and cake. Our parents quickly and effectively tore down everything and we didn't have to lift a finger.

Everyone met at Sports Zone at the Holiday Inn for more drinks. Thanks for the shots of Jameson, everyone! *sarcasm* It was a rough Saturday after that. We went home and napped before going back to deal with my car. It needed towing, so thank God for AAA. It turned out to be the starter. We packed in a frenzy and headed out to KC to spend the night before our 9:50 flight to San Fran! More in next post on that.

More links:
I started a Flickr page to rotate photos for sharing. Now there are some from the wedding and honeymoon. As we get the disposable cameras from the reception and the kayaking developed, I'll put them up:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jade_elwess/

Also, my cousin, Jan did a blog post on her company blog about making the veil for my wedding a while back. There is a photo of her as a bridesmaid in my mom's wedding! There are some interesting posts on the Kentucky Derby, which they do many hats for. Sounds like Aretha Franklin was one of their clients this year.

Trying not to get burned up in Santa Barbara

2009-05-08T11:15:00.002-05:00

Our photos are online! http://www.creationsbynola.com/Home.html, then click on "View Photos" and Jason-Jade link. You don't need a password.

On the way to Sanford Winery! Then LA. Then home. Sigh. It's beautiful when you're not dodging cinders.

Bachelorette Party: Saturday

2009-04-30T11:02:00.004-05:00

Nikki and I went to Cooper's Landing Saturday afternoon to start the party. We brought some beer, had Thai food and listened to music. It ended up being a really pretty day. I like this photo of the Missouri River. Not quite sunset, but getting there.

Dana, Mindy and Melissa joined us for Extreme Bowling later that night. Nikki and I ended up at Eastside Tavern for their Retro 80s Dance Party. Great night! Thanks everyone. See you at the wedding...

The Bachelorette Parties: Friday Night

2009-04-25T11:23:00.003-05:00

Yeah, it's dark. This was on the rooftop deck at Quinton's, which has the best view of downtown Columbia, outside of the Tiger Hotel. We met some drunken strangers there who took our photos. We started at Forge and Vine for dinner, where I had a buffalo burger and Sweet Pear Martini. I opened gifts, too:

(The other side says "good girl." I refuse to take this with me bowing tonight along with the sash.)

The Paperwork

2009-04-25T11:01:00.003-05:00

We're in today's Columbia Tribune:

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/apr/25/marriage-licenses/?fortherecord

MARRIAGE LICENSES
Saturday, April 25, 2009

Jason David Elwess, 33, of Columbia and Judith Sanford Long, 32, of Columbia

I Wanna Go Go See Gogol Bordello

2009-03-31T11:29:00.005-05:00

According to their website, (but not announced on TicketMaster yet), Gogol Bordello is coming back to KC Friday, May 29th at the Beaumont. According to my calendar, that is the same weekend we'll already be coming to KC for Wedding Reception #1. Plus, I will get paid that week, so I might be able to start crawling out from this hole of debt called a wedding. Any takers?
Update: Opening act is Man Man! They rule. Tickets are $26 and go on sale this Sat. at 10am.

Sláinte!

2009-03-12T10:52:00.007-05:00

It's almost time again for my favorite holiday, St. Paddy's Day (March 17th). Unfortunately, Columbia doesn't really have too much going on, aside from frat boys cramming into McNally's, the lone Irish bar, to drink yards of green beer. The Mid-Mo Celtic Arts. Association is having a concert this weekend, which I'll probably skip, due to lack of money and time.

Instead, we're going to our first beer dinner at Sycamore Tuesday. Nearly every month, they host a rep from a different brewery to come in and talk about their different styles of beer. Each course of the meal is paired with a different beer. This month is He'Brew, which I don't know a lot about. It has already sold out, which shows that word is getting out. A lot of members of the Columbia Beer Enthusiasts attend these and always give rave reviews. We'll be sampling:

Albino Python on tap
Sword Swallower on tap
Human Blockhead on tap
oak aged Lenny's RIPA on tap
Jewbelation 12 on tap

The food will be prepared by Sycamore chef Mike Odette, one of a handful of Missouri chefs who is nominated for Best Chef in the Midwest by the James Beard Foundation.

RIP, Bourbon Knights

On a side note, I was sad to see today that one of the local bands I used to go see every St. Paddy's Day in Carbondale is giving their final concert this year. The Bourbon Knights, a motley group or 12 or so members that calls their music "pirate swing" is releasing one more CD, Krampusnacht, and calling it quits. Their performances were legendary, because they would wear Leprechaun costumes or decorate the stage to look like a giant pirate ship. (One of my former English 102 students was a one-time member of the group--I think he played mandolin or something.) I guess I'll have to get in gear and order their CD catalog before they are all gone. I only have "Cry of the Banshee," a live CD I got at a show for $5. It's a gem, because it has their hyper-bluegrass version of AC/DC's "Shook Me All Night Long." Lads, I raise a pint o' Guinness to ye ~

There's No Turning Back Now....

2009-02-23T07:47:00.002-06:00

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/feb/22/long-elwess/?weddings

Sunday, February 22, 2009

A May 1, 2009, wedding at Les Bourgeois Winery in Rocheport is planned by Jade Long and Jason Elwess.

Parents of the engaged couple are Charles and Judith Long of Jonesboro, Ark., Jean Elwess of Parkville and the late David Elwess.

The future bride, a 1995 graduate of Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., received a degree in English from Westminster College in Fulton in 1999. She is a writer/editor at Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System in Jefferson City.

The future groom, a 1993 graduate of Park Hill High School in Kansas City, received a degree in parks and recreation from the University of Missouri in 1997. He is an orthotist for Hanger Orthopedic Group.

Don't Tease Me, Witch's Hat!

2009-02-06T13:08:00.004-06:00

What the heck, Witch's Hat? You supposedly call it quits last year, causing uproar amongst your faithful fans. Now, there is a mystery date on your MySpace page. February 13th at the Blue Fugue. No explanation, no big resurrection announcement. Please quit toying with my emotions like that!

It's what the people want. Huzzah!

The Loot

2009-01-25T15:26:00.017-06:00

Here's where we are now registered:

Dillard's

Target

Kohl's

All are available either in-store or online.

Best Defunct Fictional Wedding Website

2009-01-21T12:12:00.010-06:00

Per Aaron's suggestion, I'm going to continue the "shout-out" feature and recommend another fabulous wedding website:

http://www.angelaandy.com/

Unfortunately, this one is defunct, as any regular viewer of "The Office" knows. Some highlights:

They picked Thanksgiving, 2009 as their wedding date. Brilliant!
Visit their registry. Seriously. Man-sized kitty PJ's.
Look at her wedding dress, "handmade over two decades ago by one of her barren aunts."
The ceremony. See, Jason, you can have a cat as a ring bearer! They just need a special saddle.
Watch the video of Andy on the Schrute Beet Farms tour.
Flowers: none listed. "Does anyone know a flower that doesn't have bright colors or pollen?"

What do you think, loyal viewers: will she pick Dwight or Andy? Or do they all pale in comparison to the love of Sprinkles (RIP)?

Best Video Ever: Pop Music Conspiracy Revealed

2009-01-16T14:34:00.002-06:00

The Hotel

2009-01-16T13:49:00.007-06:00

We have booked a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Select-Columbia for our wedding guests for Friday, May 1st. Call them and ask for the Long/Elwess room block for a rate of $84.95. It is important to do this by MARCH 31 to get this rate (single or double) and secure your room with the group. Their number is (800) HOLIDAY.

It is only a short drive from Rocheport to Columbia--about 10 miles. But, keep this in mind when imbibing at our reception! See the map above. It's right off of I-70 coming into Columbia, so take the Stadium exit and take a right turn. You can see it from the highway.

Another bonus about the HI is that it contains the Sports Zone, a sports bar with NTN Trivia. It will be well within walking/staggering distance of all rooms. Plus, there are both indoor/outdoor pools, a hot tub and 24 hour gym (although I doubt any of our guests will be taking advantage). If you get up in time Saturday, Picadilly’s serves breakfast daily in a "pleasant French country setting." Check out time is 11am.

The Place

2009-01-15T22:23:00.002-06:00

Our wedding is going to be at Les Bourgeois Winery in Rocheport. It is a beautiful restaurant and winery overlooking the Missouri River that has concerts throughout the summer, art festivals, and tastings. It is a popular wedding venue because of the sunset background to the ceremony and reception. They have good food, too, so we're looking forward to meeting with the caterer and planning out the dinner menu.

For out-of-towners, there is a map on their website. Directions are very easy coming from Kansas City. The Rocheport exit is between Boonville and Columbia. Take a left and follow the signs for half a mile or so. It's easy to miss going around the curves, so look on the left side of the road. Park by the "Bistro," not the "A-Frame." That's the pavilion where the concerts are held. The chairs will be set up outside!

The ceremony starts at 5:30. Invitations should be mailed in March. Please RSVP with the enclosed postcard by indicating both your name and whether you are bringing a guest. Telling Jason on the phone, "dude, I'm coming," is not enough to firm up our headcount with the caterer! Don't assume we know if your spouse/significant other/friend is coming or not. There. That's as stern as I'll get. Until the RSVP deadline.

The Dress

2009-01-15T12:12:00.008-06:00

I am really honored and excited to be able to wear my mother's wedding dress with very minor alterations. It is not an exact copy, but is modeled after Jackie Kennedy's inaugural gown designed by Oleg Cassini worn in 1961. These images were scanned by my cousin, Jan, from a book she owns. (She was an attendant in my mother's wedding.) Supposedly, Jackie preferred to have this dress in the Smithsonian over her actual wedding dress that is on display. The waist flower detail is called a "cockade," according to this book, giving a nod to her French Bouvier ancestry. I added a simpler fabric flower for a touch of color.

Quick shout out to a couple of other inspirational "anti-bride" blogs I've enjoyed reading:

http://2000dollarwedding.com/

http://ihateplanningmywedding.blogspot.com/

Both of these blogs are funny and sweet and put it all the hassle and stress of wedding planning in proper perspective. I now regularly use the term "Wedding Industrial Complex" to describe The Evil Industry. I was glad to hear I was not the only one to have a nightmare about things that can go wrong with my wedding, too.