Jun 15th, 2010 | Fun, Sporty | 4 Comments
I really, really love the World Cup. Of course, I love soccer. Duh. I love that it gets showcased on a global level, I love the excitement and fervor surrounding it. I love picking teams to cheer for. I love the spectacle. I love the fans and, critics be damned, I even love the vuvuzelas. I love being in a bar surrounded by people cheering for the United States. I love going to bars in the middle of the day. Wait, I mean, I love going to bars in the middle of the day when lots of people are doing the same. Most of all, I love soccer on the television for eight hours a day a for a few weeks. It’s like March Madness for the rest of the world.
But, damn it, every four years, the World Cup’s emergence onto the American cultural radar means I get annoyed by the following things: → continue reading
Jun 7th, 2010 | family, Fun, life, Uncategorized | 2 Comments
I’ve been off the grid, taking a much-needed road trip down South. Chris’s sister moved to Florida, so we drove the U-Haul down to Orlando, then rented a car and spent some time on the coast. It was wonderful and I’m still mentally recovering and trying to catch up in St Louis. Check out a few cool things we saw during our trip.
→ continue reading
Apr 27th, 2010 | Fun, life, Sporty | 1 Comment
I made a return to Kirksville for our annual Truman Soccer alumni weekend. During this weekend, former players and hanger-ons get together, scrimmage the current varsity team, drink beer, and make fun of how old we are. It is always a good time.
This year we had a record turnout of almost 50 women alums. We also had SIX All-Americans back in town. These two things combine to mean two important things: one, the old ladies won the game for the first time since ’05; two, there were so many damn young ‘uns and all-out ballers that I felt no need to even step foot on the field. I deemed myself Chief Shit Talker and Unflattering Photographer and parked my expanded-since-’01 ass on the bench with my old teammates, some of which I hadn’t seen in years and years. Apparently the cool thing to do is to continue to work out and play soccer after you graduate, even nine years after the end of your career. I vow as soon as I turn 30 and can be in masters’ leagues, I will embark on a second career the likes of which has never been seen in former Iowan/Div II players who insist on only playing half-field. But seriously, some ladies had babies and were looking fierce on the pitch. I will say, however, that my shit-talking hasn’t really lost its game. Sorry, current squad, but you just lost to people with 401ks and visible panty lines. Better step up the off-season training. → continue reading
Apr 23rd, 2010 | Fun | 1 Comment
I had this ranty post about male privilege and the patriarchy, then I read it again and realized I’ve said all this shit before and so I’m not going to post it. I highly recommend you read Nine Deuce’s great Rage Against the Man-chine, because she says pretty much everything I’ve been feeling much better than I could. Bottom line: rape’s not funny, don’t call me honey, eyes up here, get out of my way. Dig?
Instead, read Mocha Momma’s latest, and take the time to read the links about the “embedded” journalists.
On that note, don’t you want a picture of a baby duck? I saw this little lady over at Justin and Danielle’s. She’s the cutest.
I’m heading to Kirksville for what might be an epic Truman Soccer Alumni Weekend with my old lady teammates. Hopefully, I’ll come back with all my belongings and no visible scars.
Apr 13th, 2010 | Food, Fun, life, photos | 2 Comments
I spent the weekend in Minneapolis. Usually when I go there for class, I go from the airport, to class, to maybe a drink after class, to my friend’s house to sleep, back to class, to the airport. This time, however, I decided to stay an extra night as my friend, Eric, put together a pub crawl to show me a few local Twin Cities’ haunts. It was totally a blast. → continue reading
Apr 9th, 2010 | Fun, pop culture | 1 Comment
Here, friends: I made you this playlist to celebrate spring. It’s jangly. Download it. Listen to it. Go enjoy this beautiful day.
Tracklist
- You Can Make Him Like You–The Hold Steady
- Swim–The Glands
- Me & Mary–Asobi Seksu
- The Story I Heard (Daytrotter Session)–Blind Pilot
- Like A Rolling Stone–Drive-By Truckers
- Trying Gets You Nowhere–Goodnight Ghost
- Section 12 (Hold Me Now)–The Polyphonic Spree
- Chin Up, Cheer Up–Ryan Adams
- Market Girl–Headlights
- Chamberlain, SD–Marc Olson and Gary Louris
- Cut Your Hair (Live)–Pavement
- Good to Know–Stephen Brodsky
- Portions for Foxes–Rilo Kiley
- The Ghost of Genova Heights–Stars
- Two Way Monologue–Sondre Lerche
- Cool Yourself–Thao Nguyen
- Red Light Love–Those Darlins
- Lazy Line Painter Jane–Belle & Sebastian
- My Name is Jonas–Weezer
- Nobody’s Darlings–Lucero
Apr 6th, 2010 | family, Fun, life, pop culture, St Louis | No Comments
The 5th Annual Backyard Trivia Night
Saturday, May 22nd
Kegs tapped at 6, trivia starts at 7
Teams between 2-8 people
$10/person; includes all the crappy keg beer you can drink
(although we may get one craft keg if we have enough interested)
Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place teams based on pot
Mulligans: $5 each or 3/$10
Bring your own tables and chairs (what do you think this is, the VFW?)
Dice game AKA CLR. Bring $1 bills
Anticipating record crowds. No, seriously. SERIOUSLY. RSVP below to ensure room for your team.
RSVP or questions? E-mail kbestoliver (at) yahoo (dot) com
Mar 23rd, 2010 | Fun, Sporty, St Louis | 2 Comments
Last year I joined one of Chris’s fake baseball leagues and deemed the exercise worthy of repetition this season. I will participate in the same league with Chris’s friends and some of their ladies, and I put together my own league made up of all friends from Twitter. Last year, my draft strategy was pick hot dudes, Iowans, and people with interesting names or stories, and I did pretty well. This year, I paid attention to stats because I wanted to have a balanced team and last year I had no speed. I GOT SPEED NOW, BITCHES. Stolen bases err’where. My only other strategies were to try to pick up people who did well for me last year, get at least one Cardinal (Carp), keep my boy Dan Haren, and avoid Cubs (wasn’t able to). → continue reading
Feb 24th, 2010 | feminism, Food, Fun, good deeds, St Louis, Uncategorized | 2 Comments
***Cross-posted at Food Blog Mafia
Recently I joined the new Young Professionals board for Safe Connections. If you aren’t familiar with Safe Connections:
As the oldest and largest locally-founded agency serving abused women and teens in the St. Louis region, Safe Connections is essential core of resources and support for survivors of violence. Safe Connections is the only agency providing integrated services for women who have been victimized by domestic violence, sexual assault, rape and/or childhood sexual abuse. (from Safe Connections’ About Us)
Safe Connections provides vital services for women and teens in the area who are survivors of violence, and their work is an area where the need for help is almost always greater than what they can provide. The Young Professionals is a new group formed by Safe Connections to gain volunteers and supporters in the 21-40 age group who can help Safe Connections expand their mission and services.
We’re hosting a happy hour to raise awareness about and gain membership for Safe Connections and our Young Professionals group. This event will be held at Pi in the Central West End on Wednesday, March 3, from 5-7. Chris Sommers, who owns Pi, is also a member of the Young Professionals group, and Pi will be offering half-price appetizers and drink specials for those in attendance. You should come. You need no reason to go to Pi and have a cocktail on a Wednesday, and this gives you free reign to claim it as your good deed for the day or week should you see fit.
Domestic violence is an issue that does not discriminate based on race, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, or religion. I’d love to see you guys come out, particularly my lady-blogger friends.
Nov 22nd, 2009 | Fun | 1 Comment
We spent the night in Charlotte with our friends Josh and Michelle, who moved there a little over a year ago, and whom we miss immensely. Their daughter, Ansley, is two years old but talks like she’s a grown folk. In fact, she’s so freaking smart, I’m pretty sure she’s bound to give Josh and Michelle a run for their money when she’s older, a presumption I’m sure Michelle’s mom will no doubt delight in because, as we all know, payback is a motherfucker. However, I think intellect in a child is a welcome problem. Chris and I always give books as gifts to the children we know, and I delight when said children are old enough to articulate genuine excitement for books and then eschew television in favor of entertaining themselves with reading materials. Basically, keep doin’ what you do, Michelle and Josh. We spent Saturday evening playing games (something we always do together). The boys *actually* beat us in something (Music SceneIt) which hardly ever happens, but we girls owned them in spades like the real Gs that we are.
Ansley showed me their garden, and we smelled different herbs.
Sunday was a beautiful day in Charlotte, in the 70s, so we took a long walk on the trails by Josh and Michelle’s house.
Of course, we always wish we had more time with our friends, but we left the next day, and, to avoid the stupid detour we had to take on our way to Asheville, we figured out that going through Atlanta might actually be a quicker route. We did, stopping at Flip along the way to eat a burger and shake, and then drove the rest of the way home, finally arriving in St Louis just before 2AM. I was glad to be home, but the road trip was good for our souls. A change of scenery, particularly a change in physical landscape, is good for the soul. We’re already jonesin’ for our next trip.
I really, really love the World Cup. Of course, I love soccer. Duh. I love that it gets showcased on a global level, I love the excitement and fervor surrounding it. I love picking teams to cheer for. I love the spectacle. I love the fans and, critics be damned, I even love the vuvuzelas. I love being in a bar surrounded by people cheering for the United States. I love going to bars in the middle of the day. Wait, I mean, I love going to bars in the middle of the day when lots of people are doing the same. Most of all, I love soccer on the television for eight hours a day a for a few weeks. It’s like March Madness for the rest of the world.
