Welcome to the Neighborhood Dragon King's Daughter!

Good food. Hot sake. Open late. Less than two blocks from my house. To say that I am pleased is an understatement.

Last week, Roommate and I finally got around to trying out the new Dragon King's Daughter, owned by the Maido folks and located in the former Karma Cafe. I can't tell you how nice it is to have a new restaurant option besides pub food that is open past 10p on this slab of Bardstown/Baxter.

Roommate's eyes were bigger than his stomach-- he wanted to order three entrees for the two of us-- but I reined him in, and we ordered a beef taco entree and the sashimi pizza. Both were good and reasonably priced. That being said, we both loved the taco (which our waiter served, unbidden, with their ginger dressing which made it even better), but we both had the same reaction to the much-lauded sashimi pizza. The sashimi is lovely and fresh and good, but the flatbread it was served on was too thick for my liking. When I want sushi/sashimi, I want something light and healthy-feeling. All that bread felt heavy to us, and we ended up eating the fish and veggies off the top of most of the crust. A cracker crust may have made the difference.

I can't say enough nice things about the staff. Our waiter was friendly and thoughtful and committed.

If I'm making a wishlist for Dragon King's Daughter, here's what's on it:
(1) Put your awesome sashimi pizza on a thinner crust
(2) Adopt Maido's brillant and unbeatable Happy Hour specials.
(3) Delivery??? Please, please, please!!

DKD's menu features appetizers, soups, salads, pizza (all Japanese inspired), tacos (likewise a Japanese fusion menu), and a few sushi rolls. They're open from 11a-midnight every day.

Love them!

Desiring a Streetcar

Whenever I tell someone that I am a New Orleans transplant, inevitably that person says something along the lines of: "Wow, that must have been culture shock." And that inevitably leads to me spouting off all of the reasons why Louisville is kind of like New Orleans in a lot of subtle, but important (to me), ways. Great arts scene. Good music. Good food. Very neighborhood oriented. Walkable. Victorian architecture. Blue oasis in a sea of red. Wonderful bars (and late night closing). Not to mention the whole fleur-de-lis thing.

Today Broken Sidewalk features an article about a proposal for a Bardstown Road streetcar from the Douglas Loop to Baxter (and beyond!). And all I can say to that is: YES, PLEASE!

I miss a lot of stuff about New Orleans and on that list of myriad loves is the rattletrap sound of the streetcar clattering down St. Charles. It's a sound that became all the more significant to me (and I daresay all New Orleanians) after Katrina because it was silenced for so many months. I still remember the first day that I heard the streetcar resume its abbreviated route after all of the post-Katrina repairs. I cried. (Of course, EVERYTHING made me cry in the months after Katrina)

Not only does a streetcar make excellent sense for commuters and neighborhood consumers, but the St. Charles streetcar is one of New Orleans's biggest tourist attractions. In Louisville, too many convention-goers don't venture much further than Fourth Street Live, and Lord knows none of us want Mr. and Ms. Convention-Goer to return to their hometowns thinking THAT'S what Louisville has to offer. No more than your average New Orleanian wants tourists to go home thinking the French Quarter IS New Orleans. (Not that you can compare the two: historic national park vs. Cordish chain mall)

A Bardstown streetcar would bring tourists and conventioneers to the "real" Louisville and plunk them right down in the middle of a sea locally-owned businesses. That means dinner money spent at Ramsi's rather than TGIFridays. That means cocktail hour at Avalon and not the Hard Rock. That means a book for the plane ride home bought at Carmichael's and not at Borders.

I'll say it again: yes, please!

Dragon King's Daughter Opens to at least One Rave Review

As of yesterday, there was still no sign out at the former Karma Cafe at 1126 Bardstown, but this weekend Dragon King's Daughter opened and began featuring their very diverse and interesting menu. According to @kycoffeeguy on Twitter, the service and food were both great at their opening reception. Follow his Twitter review and yummy pictures here.

Am so excited to give this place a shot. Wish I could find a web presence for them so I could check hours and whatnot, but despite the fact it's owned by the Maido folks, there's no mention of it on the Maido website.

In other Highlands restaurant opening and sushi news, Renbarger's Brewhaus opened this weekend and is now offering $5 bottles of wine and sake on Mondays. And sushi. Still haven't caught up on the lastest episode of "Southern Belles." My Tivo runneth over.

Anything's Possible!

I've long been an admirer of the aesthetics of the Possibility City website-- cute, quirky, not-too-hip-- kind of like Lou. And, truly, they were pretty nice about playing along when I had my little snit fit over their "Friends of Lou" campaign. So I'm wicked happy to report that during my prolonged hiatus, Possibility City added Loueyville to it's Blogs Around Town section.

Rock on, kids. Thanks heaps.

Correction: Wet Willy's turned Dublin Cellar now Renbarger's "Southern Belles" Brewhaus

Silly me.

Turns out the newest incarnation of Wet Willy's-- Renbarger's Brewhaus, set to officially open this weekend-- is not (necessarily) a German-themed beer garden as I previously suggested. Metromix reports that that the Brewhaus is actually the baby of Russ Renbarger of "Southern Belles: Louisville" fame.

Russ is the womanizing "bad boy" who, as of last week's episode, finally hooked up with Hadley-- the one woman who might be able to put an end to his hound dog ways. No mention of the couple's current status in the Metromix articles, but it does pitch him as the most popular guy in Louisville based on his astronomical "friend" counts on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

If Real Russ is anything like his SoapNet persona, he's a good fit for the Wet Willy's/Dublin Cellar enterprise which, in every incarnation, has been a bar with a great beer selection and a seriously meat-markety/sleezy vibe.

Do you think Real Russ can class up the joint?

Bats Boosting

As I mentioned yesterday, our Louisville Bats are trouncing their International League West competition-- 9.5 games ahead of second place. Tomorrow they start an eight day home run.

First up is Durham, who currently have exact same 51-39 record as the Bats. That's Thursday-Sunday. Next up on Monday is Buffalo, who are last in their league.

Don't forget to check the Bats' website for great promotions. For example, if you're a consumer of cellophane-wrapped cheese products, you can bring a a Kraft Singles Cheese Slices wrapper to the park and get two for one tickets on Tuesdays all season long.

Even without promotions, a Bats game is one of the bestest cheap funs in the city.

Friday night is $2 craft beer happy hour from 530-7pm with music by Squeezebot AND Friday night fireworks after the game. If the weather holds up, I know where I'll be Friday night. It's so nice to be behind a winning team. (Go Red Sox!)

Bye Hiatus-- for now.

Hey kids, Mama's home! What did I miss?

Actually, Mama's been back in the Land of the Louisvillagers for a week now. But truth be told, I just wasn't ready to spring right out of my three-plus week long technology and communications exile. Having no cell/internet service in the wilds of Newfoundland just felt... good. Cracking open the old 'puter, figuring out why my cell phone wasn't recording messages, going through hundreds of spam emails... well, all that meant that I also had to pay bills, make doctor appointments, think about the waning days of summer. So instead, I embraced my inner slacker. Man, my inner slacker is hard core!

But, all good things must come to an end. And I've missed you, Louisville!

Newfoundland and Labrador were amazing; it's hard to believe (and heartening to know) that places like that still exist. Places where you can drive for hours and only see a handful of cars (and more moose). Places where you can literally drive to where the asphalt ends and know you are truly at the edge of the continent. Places where icebergs lollygag in harbors, hissing and fizzing and popping like a cube in your Jack and Coke. Places where people are committed to recycling, where people are unfailingly kind and polite, where people call you "ma love" as they take your highway toll or hand you a shot of Screech over the bar.

Damn nice place. Wouldn't want to live there. But damn nice place.

I'll get some pictures and more details about the trip online soon. In the meantime, seriously, what did I miss?

Here's a rundown of stuff I've missed, just off the top of my head. Sorry for the Old News, kids. It's new news to me.

• Kaelin's is officially kaput. RIP. We've got us a new Irish Pub (or so it sounds) in its place.
  
• Maybe said Irish Pub is merely keeping Louisville's Irish Pub numbers at a constant because Wet-Willy's-now-Dublin-Cellar will soon be something German. (I just don't get this place... this will be the location's third incarnation in as many years. What does it want to be?)
• Nio's will soon be something Mexican-- and that's super welcome. Even though I'm not a big fan of Mexican food, this neighborhood is lacking non-Qdoba Mexican fare.
• The Antique Mall is closing?? Shame that. I got a gorgeous kitchen table set there for a very reasonable price just a few months ago. And they only moved to the Broadway location a year ago.
• J.Gumbos on Baxter closed. I wanted so much to love J.Gumbos, as a former New Orleanian. Cheap food. Huge servings. A good selection of Abita. But I just never had anything there that really tasted "like home." I should try other locations-- they're still up and running.
• Karma Cafe will soon be something run by the Maido folks? I'm a huge, huge fan of Maido's awesome happy hour specials. Earlier this week, Roommate and I were heaping blessings upon Oishi Sushi for being reasonable, yummy, and not too far from home. But you don't get any less far from home for me than the Karma Cafe location. Keeping fingers crossed.
• Speaking of keeping fingers crossed-- this week Roommate and I went all the way to the 'Burbs to find decently priced and yummy Chinese Food at Sesame. When, oh when, will the Highlands Chinese food vaccuum left by the burning of Cafe Mimosa be filled?? We got delivery from Mimosa at least once every two weeks. Best egg rolls and pork fried rice. Anybody have any news on Cafe Mimosa?

So, what else? Things I'm looking forward to:

• Tonight's midnight showing of Harry Potter at the Baxter. Yes, I will giggle and squeal like a pre-teen girl. No, I will not be in costume.
• Waterfront Wednesdays, July 29, with Josh Ritter.
• If I weren't already doing Harry Potter tonight, I'd be all over Quill's movie night. They're showing Amelie at 7:30pm for all you folks who can't make the push to midnight. Hopefully turn out will be good, and they'll do more of these. (We inadvertantly went to Baxter Ave Wick's Monday movie night a little more than a months ago. Weird movie choices-- Weird Science and Animal House-- and way too loud AND no one there. Good idea, but there has to be a better way. Enter Quill's?)
  
• Do you know how well our Bats are doing?? They're nine games ahead of the rest of their division!
  
• July 21 SMC Louisville/Block5 Block Party on Main Street. Funnel cakes, everyone! Info here.
  

Okey doke, folks. This is me dipping my tootsies into the great ocean of Things to Do. Water's fine. I'll be sticking around.

Hello, Hiatus: Off to Bonnaroo '09 and then Newfoundland, ho!

Well, Mama is mostly packed and ready to head out to her third consecutive Bonnaroo. I'll do my best to post from the festival-- probably more like glorified tweets than actual posts, seeing I'll be working on an iPod touch. But right after Bonnaroo, I take off for Newfoundland and Labrador, and while I'm there, I'm afraid Loueyville.com will fall silent til sometime in July.

We'll miss you! But it's a much needed and-- if I do say so myself-- much deserved vacation!

In the meantime, enjoy the Flyover Film Fest, Better than Ezra at 4th Street, Superman at the midnight Baxter movies, and all the other lovely things your city has to offer you in June.

Looking forward to getting back in touch when I get home!

Kisses,
Lou

No Maker's Mark at O'Shea's Family of Pubs

Here at Loueyville HQ, we love our bourbon. In fact, when weighing moving to Louisville, we put bourbon in the "pro" column of our pro/con list.

This week Roommate, who is becoming a regular ol' investigative reporter for Loueyville.com (who can forget his crack correspondence with Magnolia Films?), got to the bottom... or well, the middle at least... of a Maker's Mark mystery.

We love our Maker's Mark. And last week we discovered that Flanagan's on Bardstown doesn't carry the bourbon. When we asked the bartender, we got a cryptic reply involving the Maker's Mark bar on Fourth Street Live.

Roommate took matters in his own hands and wrote the Maker's Mark folks: "I discovered something disturbing the other night. Several bars along Bardstown Rd in Louisville, several of my favorite hangouts in my neighborhood, aren't serving Maker's Mark. The bartenders told me it had something to do with the Maker's Mark bar/restaurant on the embarrassing 4th St Live complex. Surely this can't be. And yet, several very busy bars (much busier than Maker's on 4th St) are not serving Maker's Mark at the moment."

While the MM folks did not confirm nor deny the rumor that the O'Shea's/Flanagan's folks refusal to carry the bourbon had anything to do with 4th street, Emily Reid, the Maker's Mark Ambassador Coordinator, did offer this response:

"...Mr. O'Shea won't budge. At this point it's nothing personal, but he made up his mind not to serve Maker's - we extended the olive branch several times but you'll not find Maker's at Flannigan's, O'Shea's, or Brendan's in St Matthews. Good places to find it? Molly Malone's, Gerstle's and just about everywhere else :) FYI - Flannigan's has the best pizza in town. His ban on MM won't make me stop eating (or drinking) there ha ha!"

This doesn't clear up the mystery, exactly-- if you have a further scoop, send it along. But thanks to Roommate for following up on this rumor, and thanks to Ms. Reid for the scoop on Flanagan's pizza-- who knew? Would be nice to marry good bourbon with good pizza someday.

Baxter Avenue Summer Midnight Movies

Just got back from seeing UP at Baxter Ave Theaters. Three out of the past four movies I've seen lately have been animated AND in 3-D. I'm still not 100% behind this whole 3-D thing; I hate the glasses. They itch behind my ears, and they fog up... when you cry.

UP is SAD, my people. SAD, sad, sad, very sad. The only thing sadder than sad old people are sad kids. UP has 'em both. Check and check.

I'm a s-u-c-k-e-r when it comes to sad kids' movies though.

I bawled in the middle of LILO and STITCH when Stitch is lost in the middle of the woods and lies down and cries, "I want my family!" in his wistful little hummy voice. At the beginning of the LION KING (surprisingly not when Dad bites it), I always, without fail, cry when they lift the baby Simba up and all the creatures bow. And I cried so hard during The MARCH OF THE PENGUINS that the little girl in front of me asked her mom if she thought "that lady was going to be okay."

Luckily, it looks like none of Baxter's Splodin' Summer Series of Midnight Movies are tear jerkers (because I get more weepy the more tired I am). Here's the schedule, kids:

• June 13: Superman (1978)
• June 27: Heavy Metal
• July 4: Independence Day
• July 11: Batman (1989)
• August 8: Masters of the Universe
• August 22: Grindhouse
• August 29: North by Northwest

All great movies on the big screen-- none that get my knickers in a knot, though. Only Superman... and I'll be at Bonnaroo for that.

Just thought I'd share. A mediocre movie at midnight is better than no movie at midnight at all.

Writers Retreat Workshop: A Novelist's Best Bet... and so close!

Once upon a time, Lou lived in New York City for five years (actually, four years then a break and then another year). Do you know how long it took Lou to get to the Empire State Building? She went the last day she lived there during her first four year stint. Do you know how long it took Lou to get to Coney Island? She visited the last week before she left for good. Do you know how long it took Lou to get to the Statue of Liberty? She saw it once, from a distance. Do you know how long it took Lou to get to the Twin Towers (yeah, they were still there)? She never did.

All of this is just to say that sometimes Lou has great stuff in her back yard, and she just... never gets around to it.

Such is the case with the Writers Retreat Workshop. WRW has been a huge part of my life for the past seven years, ever since I first attended in 2002. Many of my bestest friends are folks I met through WRW, and Roommate is the Big Kahuna of the program. And though I've linked to WRW, I've never actually written about it... even though it's right in our back yard.

The Writers Retreat Workshop was founded by Gary Provost in 1987 and has been held in May/June in Erlanger, KY at the Marydale Retreat Center for the past umpteen years. It is a 10-day workshop for novelists who are seriously committed to honing their craft and getting their manuscripts ready for submission. This year, for the first time, WRW is being held twice-- it's going on right now and another session will take place August 22-30.

This is not a workshop for the hobby writer. This is Boot Camp. You will be worn out and ragged after ten days. But as Mellencamp says, it hurts so good. The program maxes out at around 30 writers, so there is tons of individual attention. During your stay, you'll study under published and accomplished writers, you'll have chances to meet with editors and agents, and you'll have a hell of a good time during the little downtime you're able to snag.

Writers who have served as students, instructors, or guest lecturers over the past few years: Nancy Pickard, TJ McGregor, Michael Palmer, Jennifer Cruisie, Jack Getze, Kimberly Frost, Ayelet Waldman, Christine Goff, Janet Chapman, Arthur Golden, Donald Maass, Gregory McDonald...

Back in 2002, I won the program's Robin Hardy Scholarship-- a full scholarship for a new attendee. This year's scholarship winner is another Louisvillager (I wasn't a Louisvillager at the time when I won). Winning that scholarship is easily in the top ten list of best things that's ever happened to me. I've attended three or four WRWs since then-- sometimes just dropping in to take a few classes and visit with friends (I'm lucky enough to be in good with the Big Kahuna. Most people can't do this.) And every time I go, I learn more great stuff and make more great friends.

That scholarship application for August is open until June 5. If you're a novelist and serious about buckling down and becoming the best writer you can be, this is something you should shoot for. And even if you don't win, it's an awesome investment. Once you've been to one WRW, you are part of an incredibly supportive, smart, and dynamic family. I'm so thankful I stumbled upon the program online in 2002. It changed my writing and it changed my life.

Bonnaroo Tix Have Arrived! Let Summer of Awesome Adventures Begin!

Ah... Bonnaroo. This is year three for me & Roommate.

On the surface, Bonnaroo seems like the most un-Lou thing in the world:

• I don't do drugs. And neither should you. (PSA brought to you by the "Ask Me About My Other Vices Coalition of America")
  
  
• Despite the fact that I'm a liberal wing-nut, I don't particularly enjoy the company of hippies. (All that hula-hooping and hacky sacking and juggling sticks stuff makes me nuts.)
  
  
• I am crowd-phobic. And I have a particular aversion to drinking in crowded places. (After my first day of drinking at New Orleans Jazz Fest, I never had another drink at Jazz Fest in the other seven years that I went. Booze + crowds + sun = freakout!)
  
  
• I despise jam bands. (A twenty minute drum solo?? Really??)

But I do love my 'Roo. I do love camping. I do love any excuse to be dirty. (Yeah, take that however you want to, dear reader.) There are few things I love more than good music outdoors. I love the (overpriced) food. I love the marketplace, even the stalls that sell the strange hippy shit. I do love drinking back at the tent, listening to bands in the distance. I do love the people watching. It's all good. It's all fantastic.

But 'Roo '09 is just stop one in Lou's Summer of Awesome Adventures. The day after we get home from Bonnaroo, I'm hopping a plane to Halifax, Nova Scotia where I will be meeting up with a friend that I haven't seen in probably fifteen years to accompany him on a road trip through Newfoundland and Labrador.

Have we been in touch all these fifteen years? Uh, no. Am I basically taking a two week roadtrip with a Facebook Friend? Uh, yes. That's why it's called an Adventure.

What's the worst that could happen? (Rest assured, we have many mutual friends, all of whom attest that he's not a crazy ax murderer. Phew.)

Then we're back in the Ville for the month of July and then off on a solo road trip up the East Coast from Baltimore to Boston and beyond. Thelma and Louise without the Louise and without the whole-driving-a-car-off-a-cliff thing.

Why is Mama filling you in on her summer plans now? Because the Summer of Awesome Adventures officially begins in around six hours. (Cue: "School's Out for Summer!") Woo Hoo!

I'm looking for local adventures, too! I'll keep you posted!

You've got your Lebowski Fest in my Bonnaroo!

No, you’ve got your Bonnaroo in my Lebowski Fest!

 

I love it when great things come together!  The Lebowski Fest guys are having a Movie Party (twice) in Bonnaroo’s Cinema Tent.  They promise “shenanigans.”

 

The what-have-you will occur on June 13 & June 14 at 3pm.

 

Rock on.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LOU!

Dang. I missed it. It was yesterday. Sigh.

Anyway, fair readers, happy two years of Loueyville.com!!

It’s been fun. We’ve been through a lot together. Thanks for being there when I needed you, and thanks for sticking around during my sometimes long absences.

My hopes for the next year: less personal drama, more time to get out and about to enjoy my favorite city, more new friends, and… more press releases!! (You know how Mama loves her press releases)

Party over. Back to work. No biggie: Lou doesn’t like cake anyway.

Party Without Me: Waterfront Wednesday and DCE Afterparty

Mama double-booked herself for this coming Wednesday and is none too pleased. That means I'm going to have to miss Waterfront Wednesdays, my "happiest day of the month," and will have to probably miss the afterparty at Derby City Espresso.

I know squat about the Meat Puppets, but I'm just sad to miss the festivities in general-- WW is never a bad time. And Matt at DCE is featuring Slithering Beast and $1 PBRs starting at 10pm. Sounds like a great night for someone-- just not me!

Other stuff Mama's going to miss later this summer: June's Waterfront Wednesday... sniffles... and the June 26th Better than Ezra show at 4th Street Live. Heartbroken!! My first real vacation in two years or staying home and seeing WW and Better than Ezra? Sorry, kiddos. I'll take the wilds of the Atlantic coast of Canada, thank you. Have fun without me!

Southern Belles: Louisville, premiere. Our Fair City!

A blue million years ago, a friend and I road-tripped cross-country from NYC to Phoenix. While we were in Phoenix, we went to this crazy faux-diner chain restaurant called Ed Debevic's (little did we know that there was one in NYC at the time). It was one of those places where the wait staff is purposely rude to you and the line chefs hop up on the counter and danced to "YMCA" whenever the juke box played it. At Ed Debevic's (there are still two in Illinois), I purchased a bumper sticker that said, "Who Hired All These Crazy People?"

Then a couple years later, I hung it up in my office because it was suddenly funny. "Who Hired All These Crazy People?" Because I hired all those crazy people. Get it?

Right.

So I'm thinking that the producer of "Southern Belles: Louisville" has that bumper sticker hanging in his/her office. Heck, I'm thinking every reality show producer needs that bumper sticker. "Southern Belles" doesn't stray from the formula.

"Southern Belles: Louisville" premiered on SoapNet on Thu, May 21. It follows Emily, Hadley, Julie, Kellie, and Shea-- five friends from Louisville. The tagline is: "Southern tradition meets modern ambition."

I don't know where to begin except to thank the producers of the show for making our fair city look super good. Seriously. And not only does Louisville look good, it's the Louisville I know, for the most part. (Okay, all the high society stuff, not so much). Good job, location scouts! Good job. (One day last fall, Roommate & I were at Jenicca's-- sniff, still miss that place-- as they were getting ready to shoot there.)

The five friends... they probably shouldn't be thanking the producers. I'll just leave it at that.

Of course I'm going to keep watching it. Though I'm not a fan (quite the opposite) of reality TV, I can't not watch. But rather than comment on the plot, I'll stick to the city. Next week, I'll make notes on Louisville locales featured in the show. I didn't think to do it with the premier. Off the top of my head, familiar sites included:

• O'Shea's (where they held the premiere party last Thursday)
• Heine Brothers (I think the Eastern Parkway/Bardstown one)
  
• Kentucky Derby Museum (where they held a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen fund and raised a paltry $3K)
• Clodhoppers
• Audubon Country Club
  
• A skating rink-- I think it's Alpine on Gardiner Lane
• The pawn shop across from the now-defunct Karma Cafe (exterior only)
  

DEWEY, the New York Times Bestseller by Louisvillager Brett Witter

Cross-posted from Lou Reads, my book review site.

I have an awesome idea for an animal book. It's very vague; I'm still looking for inspiration. But the general gist of it would be this: the book would be about an animal like a giant tortoise or a parrot, a tortoise or a parrot that is inspiring and brave and gentle and kind... AND LIVES FOR-FRICKING-EVER. Seriously, either of those animals are bound to outlive their owners. And most importantly, those animals are bound to live all the way THROUGH the end of their memoirs. The book could end: "And as I finish this book, I look out the window at Timmy the Life-Saving Tortoise, watching him carefully masticating a big bunch of kale, and I know that he has many, many years of good living ahead."

I'm just saying... I'd read it.

In a recent blog post I said that the fact that I was reading and enjoying DEWEY: THE SMALL-TOWN LIBRARY CAT WHO TOUCHED THE WORLD by Vicky Myron and Louisvillager Brett Witter was evidence that I am not as jaded and cynical as I maybe thought I was. And the fact that I enjoyed it all the way through confirmed that.

I didn't pick up the book because I am a pet lover. I have no pets of my own-- my lifestyle isn't condusive to pet mothering. But early readers of Loueyville may remember that the blog was named after a neighborhood stray cat, Louey, who hung out on my porch. After disappearing several times for months at a time, he got sick and had to be put down, and I was devastated. Now a neighbor's cat has claimed me as his part-time mother, and he comes and goes as he pleases. But that doesn't make me a cat person. (Methinks the lady dost protest too much... )

I picked up the book because shortly after we moved to Louisville, Roomie and I met Brett Witter and his family and some of their friends, and despite the fact that we all hit it off, we didn't really keep in touch. And then, two plus years later, DEWEY happened. And this really nice guy we had a really nice dinner with suddenly became a HUGE publishing success. So I had to get my hands on this book.

I admit, I was skeptical when I bought it. Just because something is a New York Times Bestseller doesn't mean it's any good (TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, anyone?). But within a page, I was assured that this was no soft-read, fluff, glorified Hallmark card. The introduction of the book, called "Welcome to Iowa," is such a magnificently rendered description of a very foreign-seeming place that if I were still teaching a writing class, I would give it to my students as a gorgeous example of "setting." I didn't hesistate to plow forth.

Around thirty pages into the book, after Dewey the library cat shows up on the scene as an abandoned, nearly dying, frozen kitten and is nursed back to health by Vicky and the other librarians, I started to worry. How the heck are the authors going to get 240+ more pages of cat life out of this story? Cat makes friends. Cat has adversaries. Cat has quirks. Is there really more than 240 pages worth of that stuff to tell?

No. There's not. But that's not what this book ends up being about. Cat friends, adversaries, and quirks are entertwined with Vicky's family's story and with the story of the small, suffering town of Spencer, Iowa. And those stories are just microcosms for the struggles of the farm belt and small manufacturing towns everywhere. Whether it's Wal-Mart showing up in town or the card catalogue being replaced by computers, change sometimes steamrolls over the town and sometimes pushes the town forward. But Dewey is the constant.

DEWEY is a lovely book. It is a soft-read, but it's not fluff. It's exceptionally well-written. If you love books or love the rural Midwest or love cats, the book has something for you.

Take Me Out To the Paaaark!!!!

Every time I go to a Bats game, I get confounded at the 7th inning stretch. I'm a 4th generation Red Sox fan. As they say in my former neck of the woods: "Some people are Christian, some people are Jewish; I'm a Red Sox Fan." And I love base ball and all its trappings. So when the Jumbotron at Slugger Field plays the official words to "Take me out to the Ballgame," I am bulloxed up by the line "Take me out with the crowd!" I SWEAR, at Fenway, the lyrics are sung: "Take me out to the Paaaarrrkk!"

Anybunny know for sure? Or is this just a Mama thing. Because back when she was a wee wee girl she also thought the line "If we don't win it's a shame" was "If we don't win it's a SHAVE." A shave. It made total sense to me. Like: "if we don't win, it must have been a very close (like a shave) game."

Mama's got to get herself to another Bats game. Seems like she has good mojo working this year: seen two games, seen two wins. And out Louisville Bats are on a bit of a losing streak. This should be a beautiful weekend for a game (or two) vs. Syracuse. But starting on Monday, the Bats have a series with the Pawtucket Red Sox, and my loyalties suddenly become a bit muddy.

I think next time I go, I'll get the Rally's Grand Slam Deal so I can get a free hat. I think the math is pretty excellent:

Ticket $6 <-- dirt cheapest rate
Hot Dog $2.50
Soda $3
Program $2
Rally's Burger $2 (?? never been to Rally's??)
= Hat for $2.50

In other Slugger Field news, Browning's has re-opened-- I'm, like, the last person to blog about it. But I'm hearing mixed reviews.

Dog Day at the Park is coming up June 9. Bring your pup, and you get in for $6 and Rolf gets in for $3. I am pupless, but I may have to check out the general chaos.

Also, on Sunday July 12, Christian Rockers Tenth Avenue North are playing at Slugger Field, if you're into that sort of thing. (I am not) Tickets MUST be ordered by July 1.

Play Ball, y'all!

Newy-ville!! Soft Publishing of New Look

Mama's never been known for her patience. I just had a great meeting today with John Wurth of Hatch Creative. Thanks to John and his recession-friendly pricing, Mama has a brand new logo. Or as I told him, "It's not a NEW logo. It's a LOGO!!"

I was going to try to hold out for another week-- our blog birthday is May 27-- before debuting the new look, but I couldn't help but rush home and futz around with stuff and now that I have it just like I want it....

So, whaddaya think??? Isn't she PURTY? I just love, love, love the logo. And I just loved, loved, loved working with John at Hatch. Bless his little heart, I wrote him a letter that was basically caveman-ese: "Me want acorn. Me want cute. Me want retro-ish. Me want perky. Me want cheap." And viola!!! A cute, retro-ish, perky acorn with way more character than I ever envisioned. Heavens to Betsy, I'm pleased. (I'm doing a little happy dance in my chair right now).

So, early happy birthday to Lou!! We'll be a-tweakin' over the next week, but enjoy the new look now.

And Hatch's "Pay What You Feel" pricing lasts only til July 1st, so hop on it! According to their site: "From now until July 1st, we’re letting you tell us what you are willing to spend on our services, whether it be redesigning your website, creating a new brochure, designing a print ad, product photography, or setting your company up on Facebook or Twitter." Love them, love them, love them!! Good Loueyvillagers!

Wednesday Afternoon Randomness

Happy Wednesday, boys and girls! How can you not be chipper on a day as beautiful as this? It’s a good day to be a Loueyvillager. Here’s some Wednesday Afternoon Randomness for you.

· Lou over at Louisville.com [ahem, THIS Lou raises her broadsword over her head and bellows: “THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!! Then she puts it down because she’s a lover not a fighter]** has awesome coverage of the free concerts being offered at the KY State Fair this year. Highlights include Peter Frampton (9/20), the Oak Ridge Boys (8/23), and Mama’s favorite on the list: The Wallflowers (8/28). I was skeptical that Jakob Dylan was still touring with his old band, but it looks like he is. Check out Lou’s [“ONLY ONE!!”] write up here.

· Michelle at Consuming Louisville has a great post today informing all veterans, current members of the armed services, and spouses of deployed military personnel that they can eat free (up to $30) at Avalon on Bardstown Road on Memorial Day. What a nice thing for Avalon to do! Good Loueyvillagers!

· Speaking of Ms. Michelle, her book drive continues.

· Speaking of stuff I’ve spoken of before, a reminder that there’s all kinds of theater goodness going down this weekend (in addition to all kinds of music goodness—Reggae AND the Beatles? Methinks the city’s pot dealers will be living XL after this weekend.). Miranda Branson Branson Miranda continues. As does Bent & I am My Own Wife. I was lucky enough to catch BENT last weekend, and it was awesome. Very powerful. Bring a hankie.

· Having coffee today with Hatch Creative to go over Lou’s new look. Big, mushy, “I love you, man” sort of post about Hatch Creative coming soon. Seriously. Love them!

That’s all for me for now. Have a beautiful Wednesday!