Advanced Warning: KAAC's High School Musical

I have to admit, the whole High School Musical thingie totally passed me by (which is probably a good thing, seeing that I'm thirty-mumble-mumble years old).  So this really isn't my bag.  But it sure is someone's bag given the popularity of the movies and now the stage musical.

Kids Acting Against Cancer (KAAC) is an impressive local charity founded and staffed by some really impressive local kids.  (Seriously, bitch all you want about teenagers, but I am grateful every day to work with young people and to see the kindness and empathy they're capable of).

As much as I wish I could kind of just give this show a plug on the blog and let it happily pass by, I think I'll have to attend.  Not only is KAAC a great cause that I want to support, I can personally attest to the fact that the cast features some truly talented young actors.

Their website is woefully out-of-date, but here's the skinny on their upcoming production:

Kids Acting Against Cancer presents its production of Disney's smash hit "High School Musical"! Proceeds benefit Gilda's Club of Louisville & UofL Pediatrics Oncology Specialists!

January 15


Producers' Reception: 75$, 6:30, (Preferred Seating, Drinks, hors d’oeuvres)
House Opens-7:30 PM
Curtain-8:00 PM
Tickets-Students 15$, Adults 20$
Clifton Center


Grab the teenagers in your life and take 'em!

Over the River: Habana Blues

I'm not really a "foodie." My food interests tend toward the plebeian.  For example, over the holidays, I was one of the poor unfortunate souls stuck in the New England HellaBlizzard (though, thankfully, not one of the poor unfortunate souls STILL stuck in the HellaBlizzard), and when Mama Lou asked what I wanted her to chef up for some cabin fever comfort food, I said, "Remember that thing you used to make with the Velveeta and the canned tomato soup?"  (It's good. Mmmmm.... )

Anyway, so my food/restaurant posts can always be viewed with a bit of skepticism, I'm sure.

Two nights ago, Roommate and I availed ourselves of cheapo rates at the Horseshoe Casino and did an overnighter.  Casino trips, especially non-Vegas trips, are always a pretty even mix of depressing and fun.  But we found the cheap drinks at the Envy bar and a dolphin slot machine that liked to give us money (pretty dolphins, good dolphins, we like the dolphins), so a good time was had by all.  I'm not ashamed to admit that one of the draws to the casino was the Savannah-toned siren call of Paula Deen's buffet.  And we weren't disappointed.  Good southern comfort food.  Fresher and better done than most big ass buffets.  And (really) a totally cute little Paula gift shop.  Hey y'all!

But, it turned out that the culinary highlight of the trip was not the raw oysters on Paula's salad bar, but the great little Cuban restaurant in New Albany where we had lunch the next day.  Habana Blues is right in downtown New Albany on Market Street.  For lunch, all sandwiches come with either black bean soup or a side salad for just $7.50.  Roommate had the Cuban sandwich, and I had a wonderful grouper sandwich.  And... best of all, the dark, strong, fruity sangria is only $11 a pitcher all day Monday-Wednesday!  Super great deal considering a single glass was $6.  Half a pitcher of sangria-- three glasses or so-- and I was zonked for the afternoon.

What I liked best about Habana Blues was not the great, reasonably-priced food or the good, cheap sangria, but the fact that our waiter clearly LOVED where he worked.  He chatted up the place to us with a huge smile.  Outdoor patio.  Live music til 2am.  DJs on weekends.  And most exciting of all: a dinner paella that takes an hour to cook-- you can call in advance, and they'll start it for you!

Really, when your waiters are as happy as this guy was, you're doing something right.  I'll totally make the bridge trek to visit Habana Blues again-- especially for the paella and definitely during the summer when I can eat outside.

Happy Annual Gift-Giving Holiday To You!

Great minds think alike.  The annual gift exchange between me & Roommate is always a highlight of the Christmas season for me. He knows where to shop for me (Why Louisville? Scout) and what I like (Deadliest Catch Wii Game?  Hell yes!).

But this year we ended up gifting each other the SAME Why Louisville? t-shirt!  Look for us some Waterfront Wednesday looking like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (not gonna happen).

But how could we NOT buy this shirt?  It's so damned cute!  See it here.

Hope your Culturally-specific Gift-Giving Holidays were likewise good to you!

Did Anyone Ask if YOU Want an NBA Team? (Try NHL!)

So there's an editorial in today's CJ about the city's plans to woo the NBA.  Again. (As @eekshecried said on Twitter, "They've been pouring money into this question for years.  It's the city's second-favorite hobby after drinking.") And my first reaction is to generally shrug and say, "Whatev."

Right?  I'm SO not a fan of the NBA (except for my boyfriend "Big Baby" on the Celtics.  I loves me some Big Baby.).  Could not care less about the NBA. I'd go so far as to say that I WOULDN'T go to an NBA game at the Whale... but that would probably be a lie.  As I told someone early this week as we entered the Kalightoscope exhibit, "My mama always said that I'd go to a pig calling if someone invited me." (And come on people, that's hardly a stretch.  A pig calling would be FUN!)  (More fun than the Kalightoscope maybe?)  (I'd like to take this opportunity to mention the fact that my Meatspace Workplace's firewall BLOCKs that Kalightoscope website-- rightly or wrongly-- because of the amount of advertising on it.  Hm.)

Anyway, so first reaction to NBA news: "Whatev."

But after thinking about it, I'm a little steamed.

Here's why:  Did anyone bother to ask us?


Did anyone bother to poll Louisvillagers and say, "How'd you like an NBA team?"

Because if they had polled ME, I would have said, "Nope.  No thanks.  Use that money elsewhere.  Or hey.... waitaminnit... how's about an NHL team!  Now THAT I'd love!"

Because who doesn't love hockey, right?  (Ok, sure, some of you.  Most of you who claim NOT to love hockey have probably never seen a game.)  Earlier this year, I tried to get Louisville Slugger Field on board with the whole hockey thing.  Remember?  Got no response at all.  (I've batted zero-- pun intended-- with the media folks at Slugger.  They NEVER return emails from me.  And I'm such a big Bats fan.  If any of y'all can pull any strings...)

But this is actually a really good idea for the YUM center.  And if not NHL, what about a smaller league?  Louisville actually had a hockey team from the 40's til the 00's.  The Blades, the Shooting Stars, the Icehawks, the Rebels, the Riverfrogs, and the Panthers.  Most of the teams played out at the Fairgrounds, but a couple of them played at the Louisville Gardens.

Anyway, out of curiosity, I did a VERY informal poll on Twitter.  And a couple Tweeties were good with the NBA, but the vast majority of people who bothered to respond to my tweet were overwhelmingly in favor of the NHL.  Overwhelmingly.  In fact, most responses included the words "HELL YEAH!"  (We're a profane group, us hockey fans).

So seriously, Louisville.  Give me that $89K, I've just done your feasibility study for you.  Most people have responded to the NBA idea with a giant thudding "Meh."  But the idea of the NHL gets people psyched.  And people who aren't psyched have probably never watched hockey.  Start the season out with cheapo tickets, and people will check it out for curiosity.  One game and they're hooked, I betcha.

Seriously.  I'm brilliant.  Right?  Right.  Louisvillagers Powers Activate!

(Those words... I do not think they mean what I think they mean.)

Ho Ho Holiday Stuff! Happy Snow Day!

Happy snow day, y'all!  Been sitting in a coffee shop for the better part of the day, and it's so adorable seeing moms and dads coming in with little ones off of school... playing cards and board games, having long post-snowman-building hot cocoas.

But, I still have more of the Scrooge than the Spirit in me right now.  This despite watching a marathon of Christmas specials in my pjs last night:  Muppets Christmas Carol, Shrek the Halls, the Family Guy Christmas (ugh), and something involving a baby reindeer who was abandoned by his asshole Santa-pulling reindeer dad, ends abandoning his own mother, and by the end decides that his "real" dad is a flying squirrel.  You can't make this shit up, kids.  

Anyway, I'm working on filling my ho ho ho gas tank.  Tonight I'm headed out to see Kalightoscope at the Galt House.  The Galt House et al have been hyping this holiday event since last Christmas, and I'm pretty jazzed to see what it ends up looking like. If somehow you've missed the major advertising push behind this, Kalightoscope is, according to the website:

... a landscape of larger-than-life, lighted holiday sculptures inspired by ancient Chinese art. Made of sheer, painted fabrics, each towering sculpture is enhanced by light, color and an imaginative setting. Some even reach 24 feet high!

Santa’s Midnight Flight over the World, Toyland and the breathtaking Nativity are just some of the twelve areas designed to awe and delight. Holiday music, aromas and little surprises make it an unforgettable experience for anybody. And it's all inside a temperature controlled, 16,000 square foot pavilion.

There's also a dinner show and special overnight Galt House packages available.  At the very least, the Galt House bar is always a spectacle during the holidays with the real candy gingerbread house that's bigger than my first NYC apartment and the beautiful Santa display.

This is my fifth holiday season in Louisville.  I find that so hard to believe.  But what's even more hard to believe is that there are so many local holiday traditions that I am just now getting around to.  This Halloween was my first Dracula at Actors Theater.  And while last year, I did see A Christmas Story, this was the first year that I went to see the more traditional A Christmas Carol.  Despite the fact that I spent the Christmas season of 2008 living a block away from Slugger Field, this was the first year that I went to the Festival of Trees.

A Christmas Carol is totally worth working into your schedule in the next couple of weeks.  After seeing the show, I immediately tweeted that, corny though it sounds, watching the play made me feel all warm and Christmasy.  (It didn't last: no fault of Actors Theatre).  There's a lovely trailer for the play at Actors' Theatre's YouTube page; watch it, and you'll want to go.  Unfortunately, I left my Playbill at home otherwise I'd cite particular performances, but the most stunning change (so I've heard...  as I said, first time for me) was the casting of an aerialist to play the Ghost of Christmas Past.  Beautiful.  Oh and hey, somehow Actors landed Stephen Colbert to play Cratchitt.  (I kid.  But seriously.  I did a double take.)

This week is going to be a crazy one.  Somehow I need (perhaps "want" is a better word) to work in seeing Barefoot in the Park at Actors and The Looking Glass Wars at Alley Theater.  Tonight is Kalightoscope.  Tomorrow is Let them Tweet Cake.  And I'd really like to get a Christmas tree in time to enjoy a little of its piney goodness before I leave.  Oh and shopping and shipping and packing and...

Ho ho ho!  Stay warm, Louisville!

What Do Sydney & Louisville Have In Common?

Sometimes press releases are like time machines.  I just got the greatest press release in my emails box, and it's full of all kinds of good news for the city and for various events and festivals. Awards. Kudos. Laurels. Pats on many backs.

But the events described in the press release haven't ACTUALLY happened yet.  They happen tomorrow.  At 1:30p.  In the Lobby of the Whale.  With Uncle Mayor Jerry.  

Oh, I can't keep this good news in.  Because you know how much Mama loves her some festivals, right?  I'll publish more details on the news tomorrow after the awards/kudos/laurels/pats have already been handed out.  (WHAT IF THESE PEOPLE CHANGE THEIR MINDS?  You don't want to jinx this, Louisville).

What do Sydney & Louisville have in common?  We're the only two recipients of the designation of "World Festival & Event City" in the "over 1 million" category.  That's pretty damned world class, kids.  Sydney and little ol' LOU?  So says the International Festival and Event Association. Earlier this month we got ourselves one of the ugliest buildings and now this... 

It's been a good month to be a Louisvillager.  So say we all.  

Aglow Tonight (I sure will be!)

I spent yesterday at my Meatspace Workspace reminding people that tonight is Bardstown Road Aglow.  A little guiltily because I probably won't make it Aglowing this year.  Very few things would keep me from one of the best nights in the 'hood (see my review of my first Aglow), but some of my favorite people in town are having conflicting Holiday Ho-Downs, and it's going to be buggy enough trying to do justice to both of the shindigs without throwing a little shopping in there too.  

(Personal note to said friends and all of the pals who share my conflict: let's rent a bus next year!  Shuttle our noggy butts between parties!  Maybe add a third party to the mix! [NOT IT!])

Aglow is not only a fabulous time, but this year Four Roses Bourbon is a major sponsor, and there's all kind of bourbony goodness happening along the route.  AND Aglow is the perfect time to nail your entry for the LIBA Holiday Passport Contest.  Submit receipts from five LIBA member businesses and you're entered into a drawing for $1000 gift certificate and a host of other lovely runner-up prizes.  Enter as many times as you want.  Details here.  

Go forth and shop local, Louisvillagers!  

Hey We Made Another List!

Sure, this is a purely subjective list.

Sure, this site is more of a goof than anything else.

And sure, it's not a list we really WANT to make.  Or do we?

The Kaden Tower, located on Dutchman's Lane, (or as I normally call it, "The Ruth's Chris Building") made Oddee's list of 12 of the WORLD'S Ugliest Buildings.  The WORLD'S ugliest, kids... our building is on the list with buildings from Spain and Australia and Thailand and China. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking that's pretty awesome.

According to Wikipedia:  "Designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, the building is notable for its cantilevered structure and its suspended lacework facade"  That student, in fact, was his son-in-law, William Wesley Peters.  And, "the Kaden Tower, when occupied at night, is reminiscent of a Japanese lantern with inside lighting illuminating the grillwork with a soft, yellow glow. During the month of December in the 1970s and early 1980s, transparent color gels were placed on the inside of the windows to form large seasonal symbols when the office lights were left on. Other notable features of the building are several Wright-inspired stained glass windows and a glass elevator system on the building's exterior, surrounded by a low dome that houses the building's air conditioning systems and accented with a reflecting pool and fountain."  

Check out the other 11 buildings on the list.  The Kaden Tower is pretty vanilla compared to some of the seriously uggums buildings out there.  But we'll take recognition where we can get it, won't we, kids?*  Ugly is AWESOME!**  Congrats to the Kaden Companies for keeping Louisville weird!

* I mean the kind of recognition that doesn't involve being ridiculed for being a state that provides tax incentives for the creation (pun intended) of 900 jobs at a theme park that most CERTAINLY won't be a EOE, you know what I mean?

** anyone else really, really want to live in a bolwoningen?? I TOTALLY do!

Oy Vey... Teenaged Dinosaur Theme Park!

On the first day of Chanukah, my Crazy State gave to me... a theme park companion to the Creation Museum complete with a bazillion dollars in tax incentives.

Not very sing-able, I'm afraid.

I guess we can chalk this venture up as Reason #54782 Kentucky is a Punchline in Jokes Made in the Other 49 States.

That being said, you know I'll do my gosh-darnedest to be there on opening day.  Just like I was there at Opening Day of the Creation Museum.  (Still one of my favorite blog posts)  The Creation Museum already has a whole hall based on the Noah's Ark story, by the way, including a big ass Ark.  From that post:

In the Flood Geology room, the Great Flood is explained through videos and posters. And for the first time, I can hear other museum-goers make little noises of satisfaction, like they’re understanding science for the first time. “Who knew?” they seem to be saying. “So that’s how it worked.” It’s horrible, this flood, a tsunami cresting over the poles and cascading over the continents, making Katrina and the Asian tsunami look like the overtopping of a sink left on too long. One wonders how Noah’s ark, oil-tanker though it is, wasn’t dashed to pieces and sent to Davy Jones’s Locker, pairs of sheep, mice, and dinosaurs and all.

Yes, dinosaurs. Dinosaurs not only shared the earth with man since day one—day 5 actually, when they were created alongside the chipmunks and wolves—but they were saved by Noah and survived the flood (According to some literature I picked up in the gift shop, the dinosaurs on the ark were most likely “teenagers.” I wonder how Noah kept them away from the drugs and the online porn.) In fact, dinosaurs went on to thrive for many centuries. How else can you explain the preponderance of dragons in literature? Not dragons, silly Arthurians, but late-stage dinosaurs. (The gift shop, by the way, looks like a set from Harry Potter and is called Dragon’s Hall.)

In the meantime, while you're waiting for the Flood Geology Theme Park to kick it in 2014, celebrate REAL science in the early months of next year by checking out the Star Trek: the Exhibition hosted by the Louisville Science Center.  I caught this exhibit during the summer of 2009 at the Franklin Museum in Philly.  And while I am not a Trekkie (or Trekker), I have to admit, it was pretty damned pop culturely cool beans.

Beam me up.

Dreidel's Day Out!

Happy Chanukah to one and all!  Whether you're Jewish or not, you're guaranteed to feel just a little more seasonally joyful if you give Awesome Louisvillager, Brigid Kaelin's "Dreidel's Day Out" video a looksee!

Clicky, clicky, and crank it up!

Mapother to go (Sun)dancing

Long time readers know that Mama has a wee little celebrity crush on a certain semi-famous Louisvillager.

Today the 2011 Sundance Film competition released its line-up and our fair William Mapother is starring in one of the sixteen films slated for the US Dramatic Competition.

from the /Film blog:

This year’s 16 films were selected from 1,102 submissions. Each is a world premiere.

Another Earth (Director: Mike Cahill; Screenwriters: Mike Cahill and Brit Marling) — On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, a horrible tragedy irrevocably alters the lives of two strangers, who begin an unlikely love affair. Cast: William Mapother, Brit Marling, Jordan Baker, Robin Lord Taylor, Flint Beverage.

A Louisvillager AND sci-fi?  Love!

Mr. Mapother blogged about this earlier today.  In usual humble fashion.  The IMDB listing for the film is a little sparse, I'm afraid.  I'll be sure to do some digging around to find out more.  

Congrats to one of our Louisvillagers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be grateful for:  my health, gainful employment, good friends, a loving family, a lovely (but messy) home, an interesting life...

I am thankful for you, too, faithful blog readers.  I am thankful that I live in a city that gives me more to write about than I have TIME to write about.  I am thankful that through this blog I have met so many wonderful people who continue to enrich my life, broaden my horizons, and give me reasons to be happy, to laugh, and to be inspired.

I hope you spent your Thanksgiving with loved ones.  And if you could not, I hope you spent Thanksgiving doing exactly what you wanted to do.  And if you could not do that, I hope that in the next few days you find time to carve out a little slice of bliss for yourself, however small it may be.

Thank you for reading.  The truth is, I would write even if no one was reading.  But that you are reading-- well, that amazes me every day.  And I am grateful.  And I send you all my love.

xo
Lou

Up, Up, and Away!

I keep meaning to write a blog post about LVL1 and the White Star Balloon project... but at the very least I thought I should mention that they're having a fundraiser this weekend to support the White Star build and launch.

LVL1 is Louisville's hackerspace (the good kind of hackers), which is just now celebrating its one year anniversary.  And sometime this winter/spring, they will try to become the first group of makers to send a robot balloon from the US to Europe via the Gulf Stream.  This Saturday, they're celebrating the start of the Gulf Stream season and raising funds for the expensive build.  If you donate $10, you get to send up a message in a bottle to be dropped in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!

The CJ did a somewhat muddy article on White Star today. Maybe it's the gloomy weather, or maybe I just haven't had enough of my first cup of coffee of the day, but there's something about this article that rubs me the wrong way.  Is it just me?

Anyway, I'll be out of town (I'm coming, Hagrid!).  But if I weren't, I'd so be there.  Here are the details.  More on LVL1 and White Star soon.

Music, Food, Science and fun provided, BYOB

When: Saturday Nov 20, 7PM-12AM

Where: LVL1 Hackerspace, 814 E Broadway, rear entrance in the alley.

Who should come: Anyone interested in being a part of history or who thinks science is cool!

Why: All people who donate $10 or more at the party will get to write a message in a bottle, to be dropped into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!

Monday Night Randomness: Be Jealous!

Today I had to scrape the frost off of my car windows for the first time, and I have to admit I got a lump in my throat.  No, seriously folks.  I really almost cried.  I know, I know, it's mid-November.  It's appropriate. But still... You can take the girl out of the Deep South, but... well, you know.

So, I need some good news.  Here's some good news:

• Thanks again to the folks at Bohlsen PR for setting up the Cirque Dreams Holidaze giveaway.  We have two very happy winners.  Thank you too to Michelle at Consuming Louisville who played fairy godmother and added two extra tickets to the mix so we could, indeed, have two winners.  Even if you didn't win, you should go.  It looks like all kinds of good holiday fun-- who doesn't love acrobats and stuff?-- and the Palace Theater is a magical place to see anything, anytime.
  
• Speaking of theater, I'm very sad to have to miss The Disappearance of Daniel Hand at Walden.  It's being directed by Alex Volz, whose work at Walden is consistently fantastic.  Really, people, I promise I wouldn't lead you astray-- you should really check out this show.  Supporting Walden is so important for the future of arts in this city.  And someday you might just be saying, "Hey I saw that actor when he/she was a teenager..."
  
• And speaking of supporting the arts (and in decidedly ungood news...), Gabe Bullard's Edit post about the Louisville Orchestra's financial woes and likely cutbacks made me powerful sad.  Who's going to save the day??
  
• QUICK! I NEED SOME GOOD NEWS FAST!  ::deep breath:: Right, so the reason I can't go to the Walden Play is that I will be someplace that rhymes with Whizney Girled.  And while the trip is 95% business, and it won't be all that much fun, it is very possible that I will be spending this coming Sunday at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!  (yeah, I couldn't figure out how to rhyme that one...)  Seriously, I am so excited that I haven't even allowed myself to look at the website.  I mentioned it to a group of teenagers today, and one of them brought up the fact that there is an Olivander's wand shop there, and all five of us-- zombie-like-- intoned "swish and flick, swish and flick" in unison.  Good news for the rest of you: Deathly Hallows.  Two days.  Need I say more?  #mynerdinessisstrongerthanmypride
  
• Did anyone catch Louisville's own Nichole Scherzinger on tonight's How I Met Your Mother?  Who knew there was a "Jessica Glitter" counterpart to Robin's "Robin Sparkles"?  No, I don't think she's the "mother."
  
• As we speak, Roommate is gearing up for ESPN's 25+ hour NCAA hoops marathon that starts at midnight.  Yes, he intends to stay up for it all.  Yes, he stocked up on snacks and beverages. U of L plays Butler at "Pitino's Palace" (aka, the Whale, the Fish, the Bucket) tomorrow night at 8pm on ESPN.  GO CARDS! Roommate wants me to tweet Dickie V and invite him over for drinks...
  
• Did you happen to catch Louisville Life this weekend?  If not, you missed a great show-- I'm so glad that Casa Lou now gets local channels again.  This week's episode featured a really nice story on River City Canoe & Kayak.  AND, if you were paying attention, Lou herself was featured in a lot of nice footage of paddling on the river.  (My 15 minutes of fame are dwindling quickly.)
  
• Reminder:  Actors Theater is currently showing "A Christmas Story"-- which I saw last year and is fabulous.  AND is starting Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park"-- which I can't wait to see.
  

That's all for me for now.  If anyone has any secrets about how to scrape your windows with minimal elbow grease, let me know.  I have a feeling it's going to be another bad morning tomorrow.  But with all this GOOD NEWS... naw, it's still going to suck.  Bah humbug, winter!

We have a winner!

Thanks so much to everyone for entering the Cirque Dreams Holidaze ticket contest.  I loved reading all of your comments about the holiday decorations that have meaning to you.

I went to www.random.org and had the randomizer pick a number for me, and the winner is #8-- that means JULES wins!

Jules said:  I have done many theme trees over the years- but my current theme is....the New England Patriots! So actually- as soon as football season starts, I start getting into holiday mode. As for ornaments, I took silver and blue globes and put Patriots uniform parts that I found in the scrapbooking section of Michael's on them. They are my favorite- more so than the actual "official" Pats ornaments that I bought just before we left New England. 

I think this will be the last year for that tree- but I will be keeping those ornaments to give to my son when he gets a new place.

I have to admit, I used to be a HUGE Pats fan too... but now my heart belongs to the Saints.

Jules, please email me at lou at loueyville.com with your full name and let me know whether you want two or four tickets!

Thanks again for entering, folks.  I hope to have more contests soon!

(If You Can Afford To) Buy Nothing Day

Two weeks from tonight is Black Friday: the day that every big box retailer under the sun offers huge discounts; the day many folks haul their turkey-stuffed bellies out of bed at the crack of dawn or earlier for doorbuster sales; the day that-- inevitably-- some poor soul gets trampled underfoot of a $5-crockpot-crazed Walmart crowd.

As reliable as Black Friday is, so are the emails, blog posts, posters, and websites reminding us it is also Buy Nothing Day.

And the part of me that abhors abject consumerism, Walmart, and the idea that people actually get mauled-- sometimes to death-- on their way to grab an XBox for their kid really wants to throw my support behind Buy Nothing Day.  In fact, for years I did buy in.  Spent the day after Thanksgiving nursing an over-full tummy and just generally chilling out.

But then came the year that I decided to buy Big Mama Lou a dvd player for Christmas.  And Radio Shack had a sale... a really good sale... like 50% even its best sale prices.

See here's the thing-- and I know I'm hardly the first person to voice this opinion-- the idea of Buy Nothing Day is a good one, but it comes from a place of privilege.   I totally support you if you decide to abstain from Black Friday and subscribe to the Buy Nothing Day ideal, but I don't endorse it.  And I likely won't embrace it myself.

Most of you know that my Meatspace Workplace job is teaching.  And I'm sure ALL of you know that educators (noble profession, helping the chirren, paving the road to our collective futures... blah blah blah) get shit for pay.  (I won't even honor that statement by adding my usual asterisk-- "sh*t"doesn't do it justice.)  But many, many millions of folk out there make do with significantly less than my salary, and often have children, spouses, and extended families to support.

And the hard truth is: stuff is cheap on Black Friday.  Plain and simple.  And I know many people who do the bulk of their Christmas/Holiday shopping on Black Friday for that reason.  I'm related to many of those people.  And heck, some years I am those people.

If you want to buy your mama a dvd player for Christmas and can get one on Black Friday for $29, you shouldn't be made to feel morally and spiritually and culturally inferior for saving $20 the day after Thanksgiving.

Now, I'm not the least bit adverse to the idea that we've turned these winter holidays into crazy fraking STUFF-GIVING shells of the spiritual occasions that they are SUPPOSED to be.  Amen.  I hear ya.  And I'm with ya.  But I do know that if I am the lone relative to show up at the Lou Family Christmas sans gifts, I will not be thought of as the "Lou who gave the family the gift of her love and presence" but rather as the "Lou who was a stingy bitch this year."

Yes, it would be lovely if there were a culture shift.  But that hasn't happened.

Yes, I solemnly swear that if there ever is a Baby Lou, I will raise him or her differently.

But no, I'm not going to trumpet the Buy Nothing Day cause.  That being said, I will wholeheartedly encourage you to bring a winter coat to the Green Building at 9am on Buy Nothing Day.  From the press release:

The event will be hosted and coordinated by The Green Building and Ted Loebenberg, of Brokers Unlimited Inc Professional Auctioneers.  Ted coordinated several years of successful coat drives in his native Rhode Island, and is now excited to bring the initiative to Louisville.

Anyone wishing to donate a winter coat, or many winter coats, as often churches and community groups collect coats to bring to the event en masse, is encouraged to bring it to The Green Building, 732 East Market Street, on November 26th, 2010 at 9a.  

Anyone who needs a winter coat, or winter coats for their family, is most welcome to come to the event between 10 AM and 2 PM on the 26th and take what coats they need.  

Delivery is my Favorite Food Group: Papalino's & Papa John's

My dear longtime, loyal readers (all two of you-- hi friends!) know that way back in 2008 during Hurricane Ike (September 14, but who's counting, right?) a big ol' honking tree leveled a full one-third of Casa Lou-- BOOM! CRASH! right down to the foundation.  Roommate (who, lucky devil, had himself a lady friend in another hemisphere and was gone most of the time) and I were forced to live in a hotel for 8 months while the bathroom and kitchen were rebuilt from the ground up.  

Ah... the good old days at the ResInn.  Good, good people there.  Made a bad situation much more bearable.

I mention this only because the silver lining to that particularly heinous hurricane cloud (made all the more heinous because I was undergoing chemo at the time) was that Lou got herself a brand spanking new, top of the line kitchen.  (Well, maybe not TOP of the line... but you know, somewhere in the upper regions of the line).  And I thought-- I hoped, at least-- that having a beautiful new kitchen would change me.  That my slate countertops and stainless steel appliances would help me morph into Martha Stewart or Giada DeLaurentiis  (RIP, btw, to Giada's grandpa Dino).  

Alas, it was not to be. 

And delivery remains my favorite food group.

So good news everyone!  Especially me.  I have two great new delivery pizza scoops for you.

#1-- PAPALINO'S IS NOW DELIVERING.  Oh yeah, baby, you heard me right.  Only whole pies and 2 liter drinks.  Only within a one mile radius (woo hoo!).  And only during the winter months. But it's a good start, my friends. Call 'em at 502-749-8525.  Check out the website (linked earlier) for a menu and specials (and I assume eventually a delivery map).  If you follow me on Twitter (@loueyville), you'll know that Papalino's November special (whole pies only) is a roasted turkey, gravy, and potato pie.  Yum!  

#2-- I know a lot of us are anti fast food, but I have to admit, my go-to delivery pizza has always been Papa John's.  And at least they're a local company.  But now I have a BIG reason to support Papa John's.  At least on Tuesdays.  Pardon me as I cut and paste a little here: Starting Tuesday, November 16th and continuing every Tuesday throughout the next year, when you place an order at any Louisville area corporate run Papa Johns and tell them you want your order to credit the Derby City Film Festival, a portion of your order will be donated to the festival. This promotion is good for in store orders, phone orders and online orders. If you order online you will need to enter "DCFILMFESTIVAL" in the PROMO CODE box before completing your order.  

I'll say it again: good news, everyone!  

Yew Dell Third Thursdays

Are you dragging from Ye Olde Thyme Change too?  Since we "fell back" on Sunday, I have been plum tuckered out by 7p or 8p.  Which is so weird, right?  I'm a night owl.  It's not like pre-Thyme Change, I was packing it in by 8p or 9p.  Someone explain the biology here.  It sure can't be the weather-- is it okay to call this an Indian Summer?  Today's high is 78-- and it's mid-November.  LOVE IT.  

Well, I love the weather except the part about not knowing what the heck to put on my body when I wake up in the morning.  It's 40 degrees when I leave for work and in the high 70's by the time I get home.  Not to mention that the Meatspace Workplace switched over from all-AC-all-the-time to all-blowtorch-all-the-time a few weeks ago.  It's a pickle, let me tell you.  Upon seeing people walking down Bardstown Road in everything from a tank top and jeans to a wool coat and boots, Roommate said: "It looks like a thrift store exploded out there."  Amen.

Despite the glorious weather out there (just last weekend I was in Cleveland, and it was SNOWING), this is the time of year where I start to need a big ol' dose of joy on a fairly regular basis. And when I think of Harry Pickens, joy totally pops into my head. Love the music.  Love the way he occupies his keyboard space with his, like, ten foot tall body folded up and making anything less than a GIANT grand piano look like the baby piano Schroeder plays in the Peanuts.  Love that man.

I wish I had a better website to send you to, but Yew Dell Gardens is sponsoring concerts every third Thursday of the month, and next week the featured performer is the Harry Pickens Trio.  Click on that link, but unfortunately the Yew Dell site only says it's $12 for members and $15 for non-members, and it starts at 7pm.  Here's an article from the CJ about the redone barn that the musicians play in.  Looks gorgeous.  And joyful.   

So Much Going On...

... and I've been so quiet lately.  Sorry, y'all.  My bout of pneumonia dovetailed quite nicely with a business trip...

So pardon me for the "clearing house" post:

• Can you smell it?  It's in the air.  It kind of smells... well, like teen spirit.  Yes, folk, there's a pungent whiff of Bieber in the air.  Check out Jeffrey Lee Pucket's take on the cocky little summabich.
• As someone who lives very near Mid City Mall, I was thrilled to see that over the weekend a group of people convened to think about the future of that underutilized facility.  Just don't touch my movie theater/comedy club/grocery store/City Cafe/library.  (Seriously kids, Mid City Mall is a trainwreck in some ways, but how many malls can boast its unique combination of venues??).  Read the skinny over at Brandon Klayko's site.  
• I'm still giddy with joy after reading Michelle's post about the good people at the Louisville Beer Store and their hope to bring LBS AND pommes frites cones (YUM!) to the former Lonnie's on Bardstown.  (See, even just typing that, I had to dance a little... I could practically chuck a rock from my front porch to that building.  Not that I would... but...)
• Hearsay is that the Whale (the Bucket, the Toaster, the Fish... c'mon y'all, let's decide on ONE nickname) is pretty pretty inside and that the shows there have been going swimmingly.  Still need to check it out.
• Don't forget, you have til Sunday to enter my contest to win tickets to Cirque Dreams Holidaze!  Enter here. 
• The lovely and talented Ms. Erin Keane has let us in on what to expect from Humana Festival 2011 (the most wonderful time of the year... Ok, I know I say that a lot.).  Lots of stuff sounds great, but so many "friends of the festival"?  Would love to see more shiny new playwright faces there. (Maybe because I'd love to be a shiny new playwright some day meself)
• This weekend the Louisville Orchestra is playing along to Hitchcock's Psycho.  How freaking brilliant is that?  
• And while I was visiting the Louisville Orchestra site, I happened to notice that on Nov 20, they're doing a tribute to the Boston Pops.  Now I know there are a LOT of New England ex-pats (and ex-PATS fans) here in the Louey, and I'm sure you have many, many happy childhood memories of Arthur Fielder and the Pops. It's making me all kinds of nostalgic just thinking about it.
• It's also the Festival of Trees over at Slugger-- and Dickens night is Friday.  
• AND "A Christmas Story" opens this week at Actor's.  I saw it last year, and it was FANTASTIC.  Really.  Go see it.  It will set you right down in the middle of festive and joy.

Ok kids, there's much much more, but I will leave you with that.  I will try not to catch the pneumonia and leave you high and dry again.  (That being said, guess who's going to Disney World next week?  Well, a Disney World area hotel and convention center.  But a girl can dream, no?)

Louisvillager Alexandria Mills wins Miss World!

Last night, the 2010 Miss World was crowned in Sanya, China.  Congratulations to Louisville's own Miss World Alexandria Mills!

Mills recently graduated high school and would like to be a teacher (you go, Alexandria!).  The vegetarian gives a shout out to Derby City in her bio on the Miss World website.

Now, that's an awesome Louisvillager!

Ticket Giveaway: Cirque Dreams Holidaze

I'm so excited to be offering Loueyville's first ticket giveaway!

Up for grabs:  Two tickets to opening night (11/23) of Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the Louisville Palace Theater.

Sure, it's awfully early to be thinking about winter holiday type stuff... or so you'd think.  But the fact of the matter is, there are Christmas cards in Walgreens already and Actors Theater is premiering "A Christmas Story" on November 9th.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze is a musical, holiday extravaganza where ornaments come to life and perform astonishing feats of acrobatics and choreography.  The production, created and directed by Neil Goldberg, will be featured at the Palace Theater from Nov 23-28.  Tickets are on sale now.

To win tickets: Comment below and tell me about your favorite winter holiday "ornament."  What's the one thing you can't imagine leaving off your Christmas tree?  What is your favorite Hanukkah decoration?  What decoration do you drag out from the attic/basement/closet this time of year that most puts you into the holiday spirit?  On November 14, I will choose, at random, a winner from the comments.

UPDATE:  I now have FOUR tickets to give away.  So on November 14, I will choose winner #1 who can opt to take all 4 tickets (take the family!) or just take 2 (date night!).  If winner #1 just takes 2 tickets, I'll draw a second winner for the other pair of tickets.

Rally to Restore Sanity: A Loueyville Twitter Special Edition

For the first time ever, I am handing over the reins of my Twitter account to a guest tweeter.  This Saturday, Roommate will be attending the Stewart/Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity/Keep Fear Alive event in Washington, DC, and he will be tweeting live from the event.

Follow me (him) at @loueyville.  He'll be signing his tweets as /rm.  If I have anything to interject, I'll sign my tweets as /lou.

Roommate says, "Don't forget, my motto is 'We MUST keep fear ALIVE."

I have to say, I'm really looking forward to this.  Obviously, I think Roommate is a funny funny guy-- otherwise he wouldn't be my best friend of almost nine years-- and he's kind of a loose cannon.  I wish I could be there, but the live broadcast plus Roommate's commentary could make for a really excellent Saturday afternoon!

Are you going to be tweeting from the Rally to Restore Sanity/Keep Fear Alive?  Comment below.

Only Good News from Lexington I've Heard in Weeks

Hey Lexington!  I know y'all have had it rough lately what with all these silly elections and curb-stomping incidents and whatnot.  

But there's a light at the end of ye olde tunnel, my Lexfriends!

GROUPON is coming to Lexington!  Sign up now to make sure you get the first email deal!

And Louisvillagers who travel to Lexington on a regular basis, you should get on that mailing list too.  I'm signed on to Groupon lists for Louisville, Cincy, AND New Orleans.  Might have to add Lexington to that list for our occasional forays to Keeneland.

See Lexfriends, things will get better.

[glances as poll numbers]

Or not.

But at least you'll have Groupon.

My Big Fat Geek Louisville Idea

I know I've been awfully quiet lately.  But the past couple of weeks' bronchitis became this weekend's pneumonia.  So I have been crashed out for a couple of days.  When I was diagnosed, my first thought was, "Huh, I thought pneumonia would be so much worse!"  And around a half hour later, back at Casa Lou, I put my butt in our recliner (which is named "Fat Grandmaw"-- yes, I name everything), and I basically stayed here (yes, here, I'm cuddled on Fat Grandmaw as I type) for two and a half days.  Today I went to the Meatspace Workplace, and then came straight home to Fat Grandmaw.

But Louisville slows down for no one's pneumonia.  And here's something great that's going on.  Because I'm still blechy, and a wee bit blotto on painkillers, I'm gonna be a bit loose and liberal with the rundown.

The "Create Louisville: Your Big Idea" project was launched last month to collect Big Ideas for moving the city forward.  The Ideas were collected on a website, a joint effort of the Greater Louisville Project, the 2009 Bingham Fellows--DRIVE initiative, and WFPL 89.3.  The author of the Big Idea that wins the most votes will get the chance to pitch the idea to the next Louisville mayor.

To see the ideas and vote, go to www.MyBigVote.org.

From the press release: 

People throughout the region have been submitting nominations since Oct. 6, focusing on the three key areas The Greater Louisville Project has identified as crucial for Louisville’s success:  improving education attainment, growing 21st Century jobs, and enhancing Quality of Place. 

"We wanted to stimulate fresh thinking and broader citizen engagement, and we’ve gotten both” said Carolyn Gatz, director of The Greater Louisville Project.  “Now, voting for the best Big Idea is an opportunity for more people to add their voices and to let the new Mayor know what’s most important to them.”

The opportunity to vote will remain open at www.MyBigVote.org through November

Bardstown Bound on 10/23

I love Bardstown Bound.  Bardstown Road Aglow, the perfectly-timed-right-before-the-holidays version of Bardstown Bound, is one of my favorite nights of the year.  The smell of mulled cider.  The Christmas cookies. The excuse to Christmas shop with a drink in your hand.  But Bardstown Bound has its own merits-- the weather is warmer, crisp fall nights are perfect for walking, the trick-or-treaty stuff...

If you have no idea what I'm talking about....

A couple of nights a year, the boutiques up Bardstown (and down Baxter) stay open late-- sometimes as late as 10p or 11p-- and offer special sales, desserts or hors d'oeuvres, and sometimes some lovely wine or boozy drinks.  There's a free trolley (in this case from 2p-8p, which makes no sense to me... wouldn't later be better for those folks who over indulge on the boozy drinks?).  The Aglow version has gotten so popular in the last couple of years that sometimes there are lines to get into the more popular stores.

Here's an old Aglow review (sorta) from Loueyville.

And remember, ghosts and ghouls, this weekend is ALSO Ghostbusters at the Baxter Avenue Theater Midnight Saturday movie.  Sounds like a wicked (ha ha ha, pun not intended) good day!

The Man Who Should Be Columbus, Indiana's Favorite Son

A blue million years ago (ie. 2005-06) an LA-based Pop Culture blogger took note of my Katrina New Orleans blog and asked me to join her small stable of writers.  It was a fun (unpaid) gig.  Right up my alley.  And I enjoyed the national exposure.  Then one day the blog (Subcrawl.net) just... disappeared.  So sad.  Too bad.


Anyway, yesterday I was reveling in the news that our president not only shot a segment with my favorite uber-geeks, the Mythbusters, but also invited them to the White House.  And I remembered an article I wrote for Subcrawl... and dug it up in ye olde computer archives.  Seeing that it's (A) a Louisville-area-based article and (B) Subcrawl is long dead, I figure it's A-OK to reprint it here.  

An Open Letter to the Town of Columbus, Indiana:

As a frequent visitor to your beautiful and unique small town, I have been charmed by the astounding architecture—from the library designed by IM Pei and the bank building designed by Saarinen to the cozy Victorian homes downtown.  

I have sipped upon hot mochas at Jitters, gotten drunk on New Years Eve at the Eagles Lodge while watching a grown man prance about in an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weenie-yellow-polka-dot-bikini, and breakfasted on biscuits and gravy at the Moose (the half portion is large enough for a lumberjack).  It’s a great town, full of great people.

Columbus has enjoyed many honors in recent years.  It was named one of the “Ten Most Playful Towns” by Nick Jr. Magazine.  The National Trust named it a 2005 Distinctive Destination.  And the city is ranked sixth in the US for architectural innovation by the American Institute of Architects.  

It is in this spirit that I write to protest the fact that Columbus has failed in bestowing  sufficient honor upon its most illustrious native son.  

Yes, I recognize that Columbus has many “favorite sons” (alas, few daughters) to choose from including Chuck Taylor (of the Chucks sneakers fame) and Clessie Cummins (who created the Cummins diesel engine).

Yet, as a visitor enters the town the “Welcome to Columbus” sign is flanked by two “Home of…” designations.  Home of Tony Stewart, race-car driver extraordinaire.  Home of Don and Ross Barbour Original Members of The World Famous Four Freshmen, who are, according to their website “The Best Vocal Group of All Time!”  (Note that there have been TWENTY-TWO incarnations of the Four Freshmen since 1947).

It is with heartfelt love for your town that I urge you to consider bestowing the great honor of a “Home of” sign to Jamie Hyneman, the oddly sexy walrus-mustachioed co-host of Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters, and 1974 Columbus North High School Graduate.

Hailing from Indiana farm country, Jamie Hyneman is a not just a Mythbuster-- he's a multifaceted man: wilderness survival expert, boat captain, diver, linguist, animal wrangler, machinist, and chef. His career has been equally diverse: Jamie earned a degree in Russian languages and literature and ran a sailing/diving charter business in the Caribbean for several years before he moved over to the visual-effects industry.

I’m sure Tony and Don and Ross won’t mind sharing their roadside space with a genius of Hyneman’s stature.  I’m sure Hyneman would appreciate the nod (as long as you don’t put his high school picture on the sign). 

Kind regards, 

Lou

Rally to Keep Fear Alive with Sanity?

It is very possible that Loueyville.com will have its own roving reporter on the ground during the Stewart/Colbert "Rally to Restore Sanity"/ "Keep Fear Alive" event on October 30 in Washington, DC.

And it may very well be that I may hand over my Twitter account to said Roving Reporter so he can tweet to his heart's content from said rally.  A first for Loueyville.com.

Details forthcoming.

But RallyMAO.com is organizing satellite events in all 50 states.  And so far the only one listed for KY is a nebulous one in Lexington (warning: facebook page).

Is this the best we can do?  An aggregate rally for Cincy, Louisville, AND Lexington?

Do better Louisville.  Any news of a more local rally?  Let me know at lou (at) loueyville.com

STOMP: the name pretty much says it all

Back in 2006, STOMP celebrated its 5,000th show at the Orpheum Theater in the East Village in New York.  There are certain shows that have been around so long, you know they have to be good, no matter how looney the premise (ie. a percussion based dance/comedy troupe that stomps and bangs on stuff for a couple of hours).  SEE ALSO: Blue Man Group.

I was lucky enough to catch STOMP at the Orpheum back when the show was only on its double-digits-- very, very early in its run in 1994.  (Yes, I'm that old.)  Word-of-mouth from some theater-nerd friends... maybe even one of them was on the tech crew? I forget... drove me there on a date.  I don't remember the date's name, but his nickname was "Disney" because he had so much Disney crap in his dorm room.  Was he gay?  Well, if he was, he wasn't out.  It was a real date.  He smooched me.  But that's as far as it went.  I'm rather proud of my storied history full of one-and-done dates with guys who would later (not much later) come out of the closet.  I don't know if Disney did.  Or maybe he was just that rare straight guy who had a Minny Mouse obsession...

... Can you tell I have a fever?

Anyway, I was skeptical.  "People hitting stuff?" I said.  "That's theater?"

Yes.  Yes, it is folks.  And it's been totally inspiring fifteen years' worth of audiences all across the world.

Theater, spectacle, whatever you want to call it.  Dance?  Music?  Sure.  All of that.  But mostly it is just good, loud, high-energy, how-the-hell-did-they-do-that? kind of fun.  At least in 1994.

Disney and I danced around and banged on sh*t all the way to the subway and the entire subway back to Morningside Heights.  Trash cans, subway walls, Zippos, each other... cut me some slack, we were in our early 20's and theater nerds.

That that kind of physical, kinetic, sweaty energy didn't lead up to some kind of Love Connection between me & Disney that night leads me to only three possible conclusions: (a) Disney was gay, (b) the idea of making the beast-with-two-backs under a poster of the mouse-with-four-fingers didn't really light my fire, or (c) we were both just worn out from all the banging.

Go see STOMP at the Kentucky Center this weekend.  Friday at 8pm.  Saturday at 5p & 8pm.  Sunday at 3pm & 7pm.  There's an Arena-based traffic advisory for Saturdays shows.  You can check it out here.

Crafted In Kentuckiana Brew Fest

The Kentucky Restaurant Association is sponsoring a "Crafted In Kentuckiana" Brew Fest at Kingfish on Saturday from 3p-7p.  And believe me, if I can shake this horrible bout of bronchitis I'm suffering from... well, I can think of no better way to celebrate than with tastes of my favorite local brews.  It's $5 to get in, and then tickets are $1.  Tastes are 1 ticket and most pints are 3.

I noted that the C-J article lists Falls City Beer as among the featured brews, and I'm kind of glad to see that.  I caught a FacebookFeud (is that a real thing or did I just create a neologism?) about whether or not Falls City counts as a "local brew" even though it's "contract brewed."  "Contract brewed" means that the local brewers who created the beer contract the big batches out to a larger brewer.  One who is, in this case, outside of Kentuckiana.  The Falls City rep on FB insisted that while the juice is cooked up elsewhere, the heart of the business remains in LOUKy until they raise enough funds to do the brewing hereabouts.

That's good enough for me.  

Other beers featured:  Alltech's Kentucky Ale, Bluegrass Brewing Co., Browning's, Cumberland Brews, Fall's City Beer, Hofbrauhaus Newport and New Albanian Brewing Co. 

Didja know....?

.. that I have another blog?  I know!  I kind of forgot about it too.  I guess that's because I've spent the past year and a half reading the entire works of a single author, Elizabeth George.  Once upon a time, I used to be a book reviewer as well as a... whatever/Louisville/stuff blogger.

Check out the old blog, newly updated, here.

LATE NOTICE: Zappos Outlet $10 Sale!

Despite the fact that I am suffering from "the creeping cruds," as Big Mama Lou would call them (ie. a cold/sickness that starts one place and migrates throughout your body), I decided that I could hold off on a visit to the Zappos Outlet no longer.  It's getting to be closed-toed shoe/boot weather, and I am plum out of options on those, having run every pair of winter shoes-- save my Uggs-- into the ground over the past couple of years.

(Did you know, by the way, that if you google "Zappos Outlet Kentucky," mine is the first article that comes up?)

My visit today did not disappoint.  I got a pair of Tsonga boots, a pair of Clark's pumps, and a pair of J41 heels for around $75 with my $30 Living Social certificate.  Lou is ready for the winter.  (Well, no, I'm not, but my feets are!)

Since my last visit in late Spring, the outlet has changed their name to the 6pm.com Outlet, and they've added a kind of ragtag assortment of high-end clothes.

Today's sale was 50% off everything (as usual) and 60-70% off specially tagged stuff.

I was quite satisfied to maybe not make another Zappos run until the spring until this notice came through Facebook:

6pm.com Outlet ‎10-10-10 only!! All Sandals are $10 FINAL PRICE*! All Yellow, Green, and Grey tagged merchandise is $10 FINAL PRICE! All White Pants are $10 FINAL PRICE! *Please see store for details. Sandals must be open toed and open heeled. We will be open from 12p-6p.

OK Go is not just a band; it's a command.

The Indian Summer weather we've been having of late is perfect for at least one more outdoor concert.  The Discover Louisville Festival and ear x-tacy are sponsoring a free OK Go concert on October 12 at 6pm at the Grawemeyer Hall Oval on Third Street.  This nerd-tastic band's fabulously goofy and technically astounding music videos have often overshadowed their music.  But really, even if it weren't for the treadmills, the stop motion dancing, the Rube Goldberg machines, the trained dogs, the marching bands... it's still incredibly fun, catchy, bouncy stuff.

I'm so hoping they rope the U of L band into playing along.  And I hope I kick this stupid chest/head cold before Tuesday.

Happy long weekend, y'all!

HullabaLOU Doesn't Wanna Play Anymore

Jake from Ville Voice says that the news that Churchill isn't going to be hosting a HullabaLOU 2011 is "the most non shocking move ever," but frankly, while I'm not "shocked," I am a bit surprised.  

Maybe it's the teacher-lady in me, but I'm disappointed by the decision.  HullabaLOU was a kid in a science class who has a really great BIG IDEA, but as she's laying out her experiment, she got a lot (a LOT) of the little steps wrong. And when the experiment failed to give her the results she desired, instead of going back and correcting her mistakes, she just swept the whole rig off the lab counter and sulked.

Heat? Economy? Those are things you CAN'T control, and those two aspects of HullabaLOU's meh turnout were actually very LOW on the list of HullabaPROBLEMS.

Too high ticket prices.  The lack of family friendliness (partially due to the ticket prices, partially due to the fact that there was nothing for the kiddos to do).  The really pathetic local food offerings.  The perception (somewhat deserved) that the music line-up was for old fogies. The list goes on, and I covered most of it in my coverage of HullabaLOU. 

But seriously, CDE... all that stuff??  TOTALLY fixable.  You can't fix the weather or the economy (but you can make your tix economical).  But you could've boosted the profile and the attractiveness of HullabaLOU with no problem over the course of the year.  The bones of a good festival were there.  Heck the bones were already in place because of JazzFest at your sister venue.  HullabaLOU chose to ignore some of the important things that make New Orleans Jazz Fest work year after amazing year.  Reinventing the wheel-- almost never a good idea.

So, CDE, I'm disappointed in you.  Bummer that you thought that the best idea was to turn off your Bunsen burner and go home.  

Another Reason to Love Louisville: Try to Prioritize This Weekend!

Phew, now that I have that off my chest...

It's time to delve into this crazy, exciting weekend ahead of us.  Seriously kids, it feels a little bit like the Derby build-up weeks, where there's so much going on it's hard to prioritize.  You're not hearing any complaining from me.  Quite the contrary.  I LOVE the fact that the folks who are in town for something like the Idea Festival are confronted with a Louisville that is bursting at the seams with brilliant, exciting, and diverse possibilities.  It's awesome PR for us, Louisvillagers.  So if you find yourself cursing the fact that you have to make hard choices this weekend, remember how good weekends like this are for the future of travel and tourism in Louisville.

• You know I love me some Idea Festival.  I'm so lucky that I get to go tomorrow all day for work and on the company dime.  I am all a twitter over this, and that's wicked appropriate seeing that one of the speakers tomorrow is Dom Sagolia, a co-founder of Twitter.  The lecture I'm most looking forward to, though, is the 9am "Life Before Life," by Dr. Jim Tucker, a doctor who is studying children who believe that they have vivid past-life, pre-natal, or birth memories.  Check out the Idea Festival schedule here.  And be proud that our city hosts this kind of event, one that celebrates genius and innovation-- especially in a culture that seems to be increasingly anti-intellectual...
• Speaking of Idea Festival, are you regretting not going to see the Janelle Monae concert last night?  While Waterfront Wednesday with Great Big Sea was fantastic, I'm hearing things about the Monae concert that are making me very sad I missed it.
• And, you know, speaking of reasons to be proud to live in Louisville, I still believe that Walden Theater is one of Louisville's treasures.  This is the last weekend to catch what I've heard is a great production of Tennessee Williams's rarely produced "Camino Real."  Shows are at 7:30pm Friday and Saturday and 2pm on Saturday.  I'll be there for the Saturday matinee.
• I'm not a big fan of the St. James Court Art Fair.  Just too crowded and non-local for me.  But it's unfailingly listed on Best Art Fairs in the US lists.  So, I'll tell you this: if you haven't been, you really should go.  In that sense, it's a little bit like Derby-- even if it isn't your thing, you really should go.  Once.  It's hard to call yourself a Louisvillager if you haven't been.  
• Of course, if you're hankering for LOCAL art, not artisans from all over the country, there's the UNFair in the back of the Mag Bar.  This year there seems to be less hoopla and controversy, which is a good thing. Honestly, the one time I went to the St. James Court Art Fair, the only art I bought was at the UNfair on the way out (a really cool Hunter S. Thompson t-shirt that I don't wear enough).

Are you tired yet?  I am...

• The music line-up (FOR FREE) at this year's NULU Festival is hot!  Last year I volunteered there (wish I could this year, but I'm all last-minutey this weekend) and had a great time until we were washed away by a freak monsoon.  This year we've got the Fervor, Lucky Pineapple, the Pass (my new favorite local band), the Instruction, and Love Jones.  For free.  And it's being held in conjunction with VolksFest, so we're talking some seriously good beers on tap.  
• This whole week has been Louisville Craft Beer week, and I've seriously neglected the sundry celebrations.  But I do intend to take advantage of tomorrow's Junk Food Beer Dinner at the Monkey Wrench and Germantown.  A bus crawl of seven bars?  Heck yeah.

If you're at home catching up on the new season of TV shows on Hulu.com (as I might normally be) this weekend, you're batsh*t nuts.  This is going to be a great weekend in Louisville.  Chilly temps, tons to do, the whole city out to play.  

I need a nap.