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 29th, 2010 | education, life, St Louis, work | 8 Comments
The charter school is coming along exactly as planned (insert evil mustache-twirling maniacal laughs). A few weeks ago, we had our review for the first of two planning grants. This involved submitting the first incantation of our business plan, as well as an in-person interview where our four founding members defended said proposal in front of a group of people. It also involved me squeezing into “business attire” that I didn’t exactly try on before I bought it and consequently ended up feeling like Joan Holloway.
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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.
Feb 4th, 2010 | education, Food, Garden, life, St Louis, Uncategorized, work | 8 Comments
The Bad News (because I’d rather get it out of the way first):
When I left my job helping unqualified people become underwhelming teachers (I KID, at least five of them were competent. Ashley, you’re one of them), I went to work with a friend, helping her with the small business she owned. When I started working with her, we set a three-month trial period, at the end of which either of us could withdraw from the arrangement, no hard feelings. Unfortunately, due to a really crappy economy, she really couldn’t afford to keep me after three and a half months, which I expected. Therefore, as of Friday, I have no substantive incoming coming in regularly.
Which kind of sucks. → continue reading
Nov 22nd, 2009 | health care, politics, St Louis, Uncategorized | 7 Comments
I have disengaged somewhat from politics since the end of the election season because I was both burned out and just wanted to sit back and see what happened post-election. As predicted, the GOP, particularly the far right, has collectively lost its shit and *gone rogue* in the most hilarious, yet frightening, way possible. This makes me sad, because, while I love schadenfreude with my all of heart and soul, I also love intelligent discourse, and that seems to have gone out the window. This is what happens when people’s entire rhetorical strategy is to talk the loudest. I can imagine how frustrating it might be to be a conservative who actually wants to talk about policy and issues, not hyperbole and misconceptions. → continue reading
Nov 20th, 2009 | feminism, St Louis | 1 Comment
I’m always on the lookout for interesting blogs about people doing major projects, particularly if they are have some type of cultural relevance. So, if you’re so inclined, you should join me in checking out author/blogger/feminist Nona Willis Aronowitz at Left Bank Books this Sunday at 4PM. In Fall of 2007, Aronowitz and her late friend, Emma Bee Bernstein, took off on an epic road trip around the country to talk to feminists around the country about the meaning of feminism. They documented their journey on their blog, and turned their story–and those of the feminists they met along the way–into a book, Girldrive.
Check out Aimee Levitt’s interview with Aronowitz, if you’re like me and you’d rather talk feminism on Sunday as opposed to watching football, come on down to Left Bank to hear her speak.
Nov 2nd, 2009 | St Louis, Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Friday night, Chris and I were lucky enough to go to the St Louis Symphony Orchestra as guests for their third Bloggers Night. This was my first time attending the symphony in St Louis, but not attending a symphony. I’d seen several during my time playing violin. However, I’ve been disengaged from any type of musical performance outside of karaoke at Double D’s since I graduated high school. I’m pretty sure if I picked up a violin right now, I’d sound no better than the Duggar orchestra, sawing out their rendition of “Amazing Grace”.
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Nov 1st, 2009 | bloggety stuff, Fun, life, St Louis | 3 Comments
I haven’t been posting nearly as much as I would like to, so I decided to participate in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for November, which means I’m committing to post every day of that month. I know, right? The world totes needs more banal documentation of my life. What can I say? I like to give back. Deadlines are good for me and I’m excited to maybe write something interesting in those 30 days.
Last night was Halloween, and I had a fun time at our friend John’s house. I dressed as slutty broccoli. I didn’t take the good camera because I didn’t want to keep track of it, but there were pictures, which I will post when I get them. There were some great costumes, as usual. My one friend was Teen Wolf (if Teen Wolf played basketball for DuBourg), his wife was our friend’s giant construction cell phone, Susan and Moose were Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, complete with British foodstuffs like spotted dick. Rev Em was Bob from What About Bob? (with live goldfish around her neck) and Army Dan was Cousin Eddie circa Christmas Vaction. There was a Fabio, a Hulk Hogan, a SuBo, a Sally O’Malley, a priest, a cow with udders, an Evil Knieval, a Rosie the Riveter, and several more costumes I can’t remember since I partook in various vices over the course of the night. Rev Em’s family showed up; her dad was Balloon Boy, and she brought her visiting French cousin. Try explaining sexy broccoli to a Frenchie. This guy hadn’t even heard of Bruce Springsteen. Socialist. He was amazed that Halloween parties in America really are like on TV shows. We danced the night away like only drunk white people can do and I felt like crap today.
I’d also like to give the Iowa Hawkeyes a shoutout, as my lifetime devotion to their squad is finally paying off in the form of a 9-0 record peppered with heart attack-inducing comebacks. It’s been a great fall to be a Hawk.
Tomorrow I’ll be posting about my trip on Friday to the St Louis Symphony Orchestra. We had a blast!
Oct 30th, 2009 | life, St Louis, Uncategorized | 4 Comments
It has rained every day since I can remember. It’s far and away the wettest October here on record. Last night, it rained an inch in a half hour. This is not a great way to enjoy your new work-from-home situation. As it stands, I’m cooped up in here with a dog who doesn’t understand that me being home doesn’t mean we’re going to run in fields of gold every day until he’s tired, which means he looks at me and whines to go out every 20 minutes. Then he goes on the porch and realizes that its really fucking wet out there and kinda half-asses it like maybe if he just sticks his nose out and get it wet that he can get away with NOT getting his precious fur coat wet but still get a treat out of me. Every 20 minutes, no joke. I just BRIBED MY DOG, y’all, with a bone filled with peanut butter so he’d quit whining long enough for me to type this. I am a sucker. Also, he pooped inside this week while I was at my boss’s place and THEN ATE IT. → continue reading
