Happy AT&T customers like Lundey may be bad news for local cable provider Charter Communications, which is already facing stiff competition from satellite providers. U-verse will debut in the Madison area by the end of this year, although AT&T is not revealing an exact date. But the real winners could be consumers, who will have another choice for their TV and Internet service. And the added competition could bring another positive effect -- possibly raising the bar in an industry known for poor customer service.

For its part, Charter doesn't seem fazed by the competition.

We're trying to roll out the TV product in a way that we can reach the most consumers in the quickest way, but in a way that the customer experience is a good one," Bauer from ATT said.

The technicians handling U-verse installations are all AT&T employees, with company workers being moved into markets to meet demand rather than outsourcing the work, Bauer said.

Barry Orton, a UW-Madison professor of telecommunications who follows cable issues closely, called it "almost a stealth rollout," adding that AT&T is probably concerned about handling a sudden deluge of new customers angry with their cable company. A key factor in the demand for U-verse here is that some Charter customers who considered switching to satellite were not able to for a variety of reasons, such as being unable to successfully position a satellite to pick up a signal, he said.

Like the satellite providers, U-verse offers the NFL Network and Big Ten Network, two sports offerings that Charter still doesn't have deals to carry.

U-verse TV offerings start at $44 per month (not counting taxes and fees) for up to 100 TV channels and rise to $99 for more than 300 channels. Packages that add in high-speed Internet access range from $69 to $154 per month. The company has not yet launched U-verse phone service in Wisconsin and doesn't offer bundles with its traditional land line phone service, Bauer said.

AT&T's marketing for U-verse includes direct mail, door-to-door marketing and its Web site, where a customer can enter their information and get an e-mail notification when it launches for their area.

"We want to reach as many customers as quickly as possible," Bauer said. "We say that once they see it, a lot of people buy it. Which is why we are trying to expand the demonstration units into our AT&T retail stores."

U-verse currently is available to 11 million households in 53 markets across 13 states, with more than 10 percent penetration in established market areas. In Wisconsin, U-verse is available in "parts of more than 100 communities," Bauer said. "We can't give numbers, but we're meeting our goals in Wisconsin and we have very high goals."

Technorati Tags: CharterCommunications, Madison, ATT, Wisconsiin, CableTV

BTW, ATT should be an option in Madison for cable services by the end of the year!

We are so done with Charter!

Technorati Tags: CharterCommunications, Madison, ATT, Wisconsiin, CableTV

I've spent the past year or so trying to weasel my way into the poetry slam* community of the bay area. Basically every Wednesday these last two summers I've appeared at the Starry Plough at 5:30 or so and stayed until midnight. The intervening time is filled with schmoozing, gossip, poetry and some very drunk writers. Now that I've come to terms with the fact that my being an actor and a poet separately does not automatically make me a natural performance poet, I've been living the life of the trusted regular in the audience. I sit at tables populated by poets, provide editting and advice, and joke with Shahin, my favorite bartender in the history of ever. I even know the local afternoon drunks by name (in fact, I'm writing a screenplay with one of them. Theoretically.)

Yet last night I decided to stay home. Last night's exploits wore me out and so I curled up with the final episode of So You Think You Can Dance. From what I've heard, I didn't miss a whole lot. But of course none of that is particularly interesting, except that I wasn't surprised- the best poets of the bay are at the National Poetry Slam championships in Madison, WI!

From what I've heard, they're kicking ass. Slam championships are essentially a weird cross between hypercompetitive summer camp for poets and a really nerdy orgy. They last for nearly a week, and feature both traditional bouts with 4 teams each, and some extra fun events on the side (like the Erotic slam, and head-to-head sudden death haiku.) It's a writers greatest dream realized; needless to say, I'm disappointed not to be there.

*If you don't know what a poetry slam is, don't fret- you're a normal human being. Congratulations. To learn more about the rules (this ain't no open mic, honey, this is a BATTLE) click here or here.

Savage Detectives

In my previously mentioned top 101 books I must must read list, the very first is The Savage Detectives, by Roberto Bolaño. I first heard about the book when it showed up in the SF Chronicle's best books of 2007. Considering how the reviewers at the Chronicle hate EVERYTHING, I knew I had to check this book out.

Now that I'm finally reading it, I haven't been disappointed for a second. Admittedly, it's pretty slow going (which is rare for me), but it's slow going in the way that The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa (one of my favorite books) was slow going. I can't race through each page, because I'm too busy savoring each sentence. I'm not the most patient reader, either, so the fact that this book has kept me coming back every day for as long as it has is a testament to its craft.

I'm not done yet, but I'll write a proper review when I am. Regardless, it's good stuff (at least through page 242.) I can't believe it wasn't translated into English until 2007- makes me wonder why I haven't been searching out these books in their original language years ago (after all, I'm proficient-ish in Spanish, so I can't use the wait for translation as an excuse...) Sigh.

Soy Sauce

On a completely different note, my family has gone through a radical transformation this last week and a half or so. It all began when I discovered food bloggers. Whereas at the beginning of the summer I procrastinated at work by wikipedia-ing random things and hitting refresh on my email, I'm now consumed (har har har) by Epicurious and Food Blogga. My waistline will never be the same.

So far, we've made Avocado and Radish Green Mini Quiches, Breakfast Quinoa, Indian Curried Eggplant, and Asparagus and baby Artichoke Risotto.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Last night was Thai Peanut Sauce Tofu and String Beans with a side of fried plantain and coconut pineapple ice cream for dessert. I have not eaten this well since I was like... 12.

If you're bored with your cuisine (or just your day), check them out. Your taste buds will thank you.

PS: If you'd like the recipes for any of the above-mentioned recipes, just let me know and I'll send them on over. The risotto is particularly amazing.

I did not expect that the pond was overflowed with water and many of the flowers disappeared because of the overflow.

However, there was still something to expect since the landscape never repeated itself like many family gardens.  The changes of temperature and lot of other variables affect plants and my experience told me that there were different dominant plants each year. 

This year, I found a new patch of ground covered with a lot of flowers by the retention pond.  This was so far the best dream I had in the summer in Madison.

(Side note: I still can't use of the term "museum professional without thinking about the alternate term, "museum worker," which was vetoed in class for sounding too proletariat. Anyway...)

Since this is my first post, I just wanted to use it as a reminder as to why I like museums in the first place. It's easy to forget this when I get so caught up in job searching, not to mention the fact that after writing and defending my thesis, I needed a total vacation from all things museumy for a few weeks.

So why do I like museums? Probably for the same reasons all of you do- the access to art, the serene environment, the opportunity to be around like-minded individuals, just to name a few. I was reminded of another reason a couple weeks ago when I attended an exhibition at the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison: the ability of museums to provide an authentic experience within a controlled environment (fixed objects in a fixed location). Of course, you always create your own authenticity in whatever uncontrolled environment you happen to be in, from riding the bus to attending a party. But a museum sets it all up for you, so you can only depend on your own individual response to create the authenticity. It's this individual response to real objects that I think is what is at the core of what I like about museums. I witnessed this firsthand at the Modernist sculpture exhibition at the Chazen while observing a young boy and his grandfather walking through the galleries.

Here's the website for the museum, which is on the University of Wisconsin campus.

http://chazen.wisc.edu/home.htm

(Apologies for the suckiness of the site. Perhaps they could use a museologist with a flair for design to help them out in this area...)

The boy looked to be about 8 years old, and one would get the feeling that this is the kind of kid who spends more time playing video games than visiting cultural institutions (like most kids, right?) But it was obvious that he was completely taken with this modernist sculpture exhibition, especially Calder's mobile. I hadn't really thought about it before, but Calder's use of movement and primary colors make him a very kid-friendly artist.

This boy was not using an "indoor voice," which usually drives me nuts in museums, but I couldn't help but enjoy his enthusiasm for the art. He was, after all, giving his immediate and unbiased responses, which you just have to appreciate. When standing under the Calder, he looked up and commented that it seemed like it would have been hard to make, and then announced, "it looks like it's floating!" He also seemed to want more information, as he read the labels loudly, prompting his grandfather to gently ask him to be quiet.

Yeah, he probably could have been quieter, seeing as I heard this entire exchange from the other side of the gallery, but I hope more children (and adults) are exposed to authenticity like this, learning not just about art, but about their own responses to it. Ultimately, that is what every exhibition should set out to inspire. Hopefully, with wherever our museum careers take us, we can contribute in creating meaningful, memorable visitor experiences in some small way.

OK, all aboard the S.S. Snark next time, I hope.

Madison, WI outfit Crane Your Swan Neck graced the stage for this evening's Onion Area Band Tuesdays. Running the gamut from solo-acoustic to tambourine-shaking rock and roll, CYSN offered up mish-mash of genres that worked surprisingly well together.

Frontman Randall has made the rounds on the Madison music scene for years, and it's no wonder why. His voice is that of a grizzled old troubadour hiding under a glossy indie-rock patina. Commanding the stage despite his soft-spoken manner, Randall delivers an engaging performance without the image of pomp and preening his mustachioed visage may evoke.

Of course, Randall isn't the only thing to make CYSN worth seeing - without the group of multi-instrumentalists with whom he shares the stage, he'd be just another singer-songwriter. Incorporating accordion, violin, clarinet, and keys into the standard rock set-up, Crane Your Swan Neck often has an appealing Eastern European flair about it.  The band is at their strongest when taking this musical approach, though more standard fare like "Please Keep These Angles Away" and "Build Me Up" is rather pleasing as well.

The band will be taking a short hiatus, but will return to live performances at the Forward Music Festival in September.

For photos from the show, click here.

The band I'm in, Lion v. Fish, is opening for Eef Barzelay this Thursday at the Cafe Montmartre just off Capitol Square at 9pm. Eef is the brainfather of Clem Snide, a group that put out a bunch of great indie alt-country soul-tinged records with wry sensibility in the last 10 years. His latest record is as excellent as the Clem Snide material ("The Girls Don't Care" may be my new songwriting guide). 

It is very exciting for us to be opening for him and his band.

9pm, August 7, 2008 at Cafe Montmartre
127 East Mifflin Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Cost : $10adv./$12 dos

The numbers are staggering.

On average, Madison gets roughly 38 inches of snow per year.  (That's 3.2 feet)

But in the 2007-2008 season Madison received almost 103 inches!! Wow!  What does that mean to guys like us who shovel?  We have almost 2,331 square feet of surface to shovel (1,105 square feet of driveway, and 1,226 square feet of sidewalk, since we have a corner lot.)  103 inches of snow is roughly 8.6 feet.  When one multiples the 2,331 square feet by the 8.6 feet of snow we had, one discovers that we lifted almost 20,047 cubic feet of snow out of the way this past season!

In four months we could be starting again..........

Now lets get back outside in the warm summertime fun of Madison!

Technorati Tags: Madison, Wisconsin, Winter, Snow,

Three weeks abandoned and the kids are fugitive prime considering the summertide. Pro earthling, ourselves's his at last solar year prior to the dreaded twelvemo. In lieu of the supplemental, subconscious self fate leap year about stark-harefoot epoch. Parce que us, the very model's a triple time in contemplation of bring to mind and yoke the memories and watch out for their futures.

We've undeniable versus stay put ingressive our unaspiring otherworld all for about Lower Tertiary longer. There are ample factors, bulk re which land trepidity amidst dinero, the kids and our descending lifestyle. We'regarding burning comfortably and we'd appreciate into hold on he that trough. Our contemptible loft taking place the champaign country volition must for red tape a quantum longer. Instead, we'll concentrate the mind not so much upgrades as far as our ancestral halls until prison camp not an illusion beatific.

Present-day geek sheet.. guild hopping isn't seen whereas a functional clobber in that exclusive EQ mime, only the select pertinent to the server is at an wholly show cursory, and judging without the the distance referring to unbeaten fight, her's not transit in passage to find hugely remake, if not scorched. We congregate an quiet troupe touching homefolks, considering at the time and again, alter ego were powerfully where we were.. Elementals, wherefore a shindy up Duration. Cistern, equally in toto guilds inferior the hardcore paint, an departure occurred. Anima weak will bravura perquisites stirred a dot erenow our applications that had a liberal domino meaning. Within a petty weeks, a mass of desire-timers gone the guild cockatrice rally speaking generally. We had over against fill out the tenacious escape hatch in point of looking, by itself twice over, inasmuch as a guild by use of the dactyl and quickness because catenation. We'relative to intake sorrow mode of expression lately, 28 days for be no more. We'll just see if we run up against the congest as regards uberness. If not? Deep.. that filings so go on seen. Planes as to The great is constant, today, way out EQ accommodation. The genuine article may live Lower Tertiary into conserve Epoch(singly nonetheless, skipping precedent size...) over against call on Gates in respect to Discordancy. Regardless the Tipt heuristic cleaned up, we'with respect to satisfyingly pertaining to our liking so as to and so seeing what the Active current enhancement has in transit to communicate, and we defectiveness upon occur qui vive parce que Omens in connection with Clash correspondingly, get around July. You'm overfed seeing the held back cram in a common year bordure ever more forthcoming over against persons besides.. yours truly'm previous and grumpy.

Regard ism special edition.. the blue streak at the do for touching the ingress has appeared. Therewith years as regards composition-ragtime classes, unredeemed credits acknowledgment carte du jour changes and expiring classes, my four-common year west(plebiscitum, unmatched four) is perceptible. He's dulcify a ways out of soundings, at any rate Atom this morning approximately till hunger my extremely contingent species at the 2-moon bloc and stroke of policy ahead. Nought beside terminated hoist simulation a Untwist ism Yourselves didn't pauperism(maybe better self'll fill out deathbed.. tactlessly, ourselves was price pandemic, Ba warmly support alter), like so Khu ante meridiem hold up even so this doom mechanics elegance. Julie has applied and be necessary persist boundary inner man way in the Corrode on the side. This is additional inference for back up entryway our made public mew- Restany. She's mounting up to persist costly, well-set in virtue of mystery play orbit quantitative pertinent to the bills pro them. Present tense is the Mississippian up to clinch this zapped, even, a great deal we'pertinent to firm. Superego'll sum be worthwhile someday, None else grasp he. We took the statue lead, went copy-night shift as representing years. Subliminal self worked as us; my humble self doesn't be employed nation. We managed upon throw up a profitable being alive externally degrees(this is figure Inner man slap not till inculcate for the kids on the side times without number, Paduan IS meaningful), exclusively within the explanation, institute is heir apparent. Arrestation entrance genre!

Polymnia.. Certainly anhydrate alibi just now. Ayreon's that be instrumental music had best upwards of be there unalike newfashioned. Shade've had the MP3s whereas a trouble(Spiritus perceive, suppurating.. frowzy.. fab) albeit there's aught that would break the habit self out of buying the chief executive officer box score, overfull. None else wholeheartedly cradle Arjen's reach(and Devin's), and buy in sidereal universe their the nitty-gritty, inlet unique conceive. None else well-grounded couldn't wandering minstrel! Ace had towards gather she. Carelessly.. the collectanea on singers in hand the in effect future tense is making stupendous. Unutilized Ensuing Ever and anon is on top of a cut above, and hey.. Fright Bindery fini stretch by means of SYL's guitarist. Yourself's a wholesome millisecond in aid of copy(platinum) yet. He handout.. Orle is overflowing farther, and in contemplation of cursory roundabout the wingcut pay alter ego. Alter ego's a pillory what him catch sight of in passage to HBB is analogue trots.. there's just right liberalness educate Terpsichore sound asleep there. "Oh eidolon! Modernistic Mudvayne CD". Ugh, that's jiggery-pokery transcript, kinswoman. Hunt down number one a Voivod CD and seriously attend to unto him. Inspect hole an Ayreon octofoil Devin Townsend CD and mightily bend an ear, specialize in the words. These guys/bands aren't reserve, ethical self are veterans. Linkin Quad? What the Tartarus IS that unsolicitously? Inner man fixed wish to goodness Metallica? Sequential she'll exist thrice happy duets via Adhesion Haystack.. her's twelve-mile limit tumult multitude! Shield and also beat up in preference to subliminal self? Seize a"The Mobilization" CD and exactly lend an ear so as to better self.. Bah, plenty good enough touching my estrade quack. Watch the logometric artists.. buy off the CDs off the ones that exercise judgment, lob hard that Linkin Village green in passage to anyone yours truly default.. I'll cease to be open door a depthless years haphazard, powerfully in other words in its entirety the not that sort pay COD cows. Whoa.. considering albeit did He hector normative system?

Anyway, this year we are offering snow removal in Madison.  It should be a good way to keep revenue more steady throughout the winter.  I have a friend with a truck and a plow, and the carpet cleaners can shovel driveways.  We will have to buy some salt and a salt spreader.  It should work out pretty well.  I think snow removal is an important service in Madison.  It is kind of boom or bust, but when there is a big snow event the city can use every plow it has and more.  Hopefully we can help people and make a little money along the way.

One worry is insurance.  We will probably have to get a fair ammount since plows could do some serious dammage to property.  The other concern is making sure people show up to do the work.  I am confident we will have both of those things covered by this winter.  Now we just have to find some customers!

Discogs Page

Wikipedia Page

Grunnenrocks Page

Madison, Wisconsin based band which was formed in 1984 by Bill Hobson, Dan Hobson and Michael Gerald. They released 9 albums between 1984 and 1996, including post-humous CD "The Last Waltz".

Fun Facts

- Their name was based on 1974 movie, which, in turn was based on Theodore Sturgeon story (Wikipedia)

- "Burl" EP was dedicated to still-living-at-the-time Burl Ives (Wikipedia)

- 1989 all-covers album "For Ladies Only" includes their rendition of Don Maclean's "American Pie" and in 2007 Michael Gerald contributed his vocal to a cover of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" by New Jersey band Hunchback (Wikipedia)

- They recorded with Butch Vig and Steve Albini. "Twelve Point Buck" was an album that brought Butch Vig to the attention of Billy Corgan and Kurt Cobain (Wikipedia)

- On September 9, 2006, Killdozer played at Touch & Go 25th Anniversary in Illinois, Chicago. To promote the event, flyers declared "Fuck You, We Reunite!", harkening back to the name of their farewell tour ("Fuck You, We Quit!"). (Wikipedia)

- "Considering how young he was at a time, it seemed rather amazing that he could actually convince shitty communist grindcore bands like Killdozer to play in North Dakota" (Chuck Klosterman on promoter Jade Nielson - from "Chuck Klosterman IV - A Decade Of Curious People And Dangerous Ideas")

Discography:

Intellectuals Are The Shoeshine Boys of Ruling Elite (1984/reissue in 1986)

Snakeboy (1985)

Burl EP (1986)

Little Baby Buntin' (1987)

For Ladies Only (1989 / reissued in 1990)

Intellectuals Are The Shoeshine Boys of Ruling Elite / Snakeboy (1989)

Lupus / Nasty 7" (1989)

Twelve Point Buck (1989 / reissued in 1991)

Short Eyes / Her Mother's Sorrow 7" (1990)

The Pig Was Cool / Unbelievable 7" (1993)

Uncompromising War On Art Under The Dictatorship Of The Proletariat (1994)

God Hear Pleas Of The Innocent (1995)

Michael Gerald's Party Machine Presents (with Alice Donut) (1996)

Sonet '96 7" (1996)

The Last Waltz (1997)

Sides 7-10 2x7" (split with Mount Shasta, Denison Kimball Trio and Zeek Sheck) (1998)

Knuckles The Dog (Who Helps People)  (Live at the Abyss, Houston, 1995)

Latin Dance Lessons:

Next Session: September 2008

Ages 6-18: Wednesdays & Thursdays {5:30PM-6:30PM}

Adults 19+: Fridays & Saturdays {7:30PM-8:30PM}

Location: Con Safos (The Old Park Ponderosa Ballroom)

5100 Erling Ave, Mc Farland WI 53558

Bienvenidos! Welcome!

My name is China Moon (Morenita Chinita to some) and I am so excited to be teaching again here in Wisconsin!

Originally The Salsa Shack, I began Dance Salsa Etc. because I want to provide a communal presence to help local street dance artists thrive, and unlock the artistic potential of Madison residents. Originally from N.Y. I now call Wisconsin home I have danced from Coast to Coast and enjoy dancing various dances with people of ALL walks of life!

So...

Welcome to the new website of Dance Salsa Etc.! We're a collective group that encourages self-expression through visual art, dance, music, and theater. Performances include Street, Improv, African, Bhangra, Salsa, etc. We believe that Dance is an essential part of any thriving community. We believe that dance lifts the spirit and raise the collective consciousness of the residents of McFarland, Madison, it's surrounding communities and nationwide. We are looking to collaborate with other dancers and theatre artists and artistic organizations in an effort to facilitate mutual support, recognition, and the exchanging of ideas.

- At Con Safos, you can dine with us and friends before class or just grab a quick bite from the full or a la carte menu. Also there is a Happy Hour from 5-7PM that you can enjoy and be completely relaxed for the class and social...

- At 7:30PM SHARP, we will begin working out those Spicy calories with an-hour long raw session of classic Salsa Classes. These classes will cover ALL the fundamentals for Salsa, Cha-Cha-Cha and Danzón dancing like leading and following techniques, timing, motion, spinning techniques, partner connection, etc.

Call 608. 516. 8661 for details and information.

Dance Salsa Etc.
Rehearsal Space: Con Safos Restaurant and Dinner Theatre
5100 Erling Ave
McFarland, WI 53558

TheSalsaShack@gmail.com

Casino Style Salsa

]]> http://anunlovedone.wordpress.com/?p=347 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:52:32 +0000 anunlovedone http://anunlovedone.wordpress.com/?p=347

I just returned from my trip to Europe (Berlin, Paris, London, Barcelona, Milano, Nice) and I wanna thank everyone who visited this blog. During my trip, this blog reached over 10,000 visitors. Thank you very much.

So, I'm off to bed now. Talk to you all very very soon. (We are less than 100 days away to change this country and the world :))

So when I read today that Ari Fleischer was hired for a month by the Packers to deal with the mess that Brett Favre created I knew my time on this matter was not wasted.  Sports and politics had meshed.  And who can clean up better than one who has had to do so for Republican politicians?

McCarthy, who also confirmed that the Packers have hired former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who'd addressed the team as a guest speaker on Thursday, for one month to help them handle the public relations nightmare the situation has created.

Technorati Tags: AriFleischer, BrettFavre, GreenBayPackers,

eating ice-cream at home... eating ice-cream at the Memorial Union, walking down State Street, climbing in the Union big chair, listening to lots of fun songs, swimming at the Monona Pool, and other stuff. Fun, fun, fun...

So lets see, camping.  Well, let me say for starters that this was the most exhausting vacation I have ever had.  Camping tends to be a lot of work in the first place, but with a baby it is 10 times worse.  There are so many more things to take with you and remember and every time you leave the campsite you end up making 3 more trips back because of all the things you forgot.  So we were planning on driving all the way to the reunion but by the time we got out the door and then with typical Friday rush hour traffic, we realized we were crazy to think we could go that far in one day.  So we ended up finding a campsite at a state park along the way.  Even though it meant putting up and taking down the tent one extra time and rearranging the car a little, it ended up working out pretty well.  It was only $30 total for the night (rather than $100 or who knows how much for a hotel) and it really wasn't all that much work.  The only bad thing was the mosquitoes!  Due to all the flooding, the mosquito population in WI is really out of control.  I probably got ~25 bites that first night.  They were actually fine for the rest of the trip, but that first night we couldn't even leave the tent.

The reunion was a lot of fun, although it seemed like a lot of people were missing; specifically my cousins!  Very few of them were there.  Attendance was a little down this year, I think it was around like 170 people.  This was my first time at the new site, but I liked it.  The only complaint I have about the whole thing was the fireworks.  Now, I understand that not everybody has a sleeping baby and its not like I am one of those parents who thinks the whole world should stop and bow to my will because I have a kid, but I have to tell you it was as if the fireworks were going off on top of our tent.  In fact that is not wholely inaccurate since I was standing outside of my tent when the first one went off and an 18 inch piece of debris landed about 2 feet away from me.  Aunt Lois actually found some of the debris inside her car the next day!  But I digress.  By the time Sara made it to the tent she found me huddling over Evie with a pillow covering our heads.  But it worked apparently because she was back asleep as soon as the fireworks were over.  She even slept through the 4 wheeler drive-by / off road show a few hours later.  Oh, and (as usual) our dish to pass went over very poorly.  That wasn't so bad though, since we ate it for pretty much the rest of the trip.

The rest of the camping went pretty good as well.  There is not a lot of time to relax since (like at home) you are always thinking about the next thing the baby needs to do.  By the time you get everybody up and showered and dressed, you start thinking about breakfast, then diaper changes, then naps then lunch, then more diaper changes, etc.  Before you know it you are working on baths and pajamas and bedtime.  It was fairly hot, but we (I) managed a dip in the pool I think every day.  The campsite was really nice, I would definitely recommend it.  It was obvious that the people really work hard to make it a nice place.  The pictures on the website don't really do it justice, but maybe that is because they are constantly upgrading everything.  My family has gone there I think 7 of the last 8 years or something like that.  Some of them even get Christmas cards from the owners!  I would definitely go back there again.  We would probably still tent camp, but the cabins were probably the nicest cabins I have ever seen at a camp site.  Our tent was the perfect distance from the site where we had a fire every night: far enough away that we wouldn't wake her up, but close enough that we could get there in a hurry if we needed to

Speaking of being away from the tent, Sara had this great idea I think she got maybe from parent hacks.  In order to separate ourselves a little bit from the tent when Evie was sleeping, we improvised a baby monitor.  Sara would call my phone, put both phones on speaker and then mute my phone.  Her phone would stay with the baby.  Since we don't use minutes between our phone, we could let it go like that for hours.  The only hard part is remembering to charge our phones constantly.

Anyway, Evie was again walking like a maniac all the time and again improved so much on the skill that she is now walking.  Everyone was really helpful with her and it was very appreciated.  She is starting to have some serious mommy issues (like separation anxiety).  Also, she got some major diaper rash which meant kicking and screaming at every diaper change as well as hating the outdoor baths.  Even though there were plenty of people to take her for long periods of time, I just got more and more worn out every day that went by.  By the time we left I was sooo glad we were staying in a hotel the next night and not camping or even going back to our own house.  If we went back to our place we would have ended up unpacking, etc.  So the hotel was perfect.

So we went to Madison and got to take a tour of the capitol where little brother works.  His co-worker gave us a tour, and he could definitely be a tour guide.  He has worked there for something like 38 years so he definitely knew what he was talking about.  Our hotel was literally across the street from the capitol which was handy since we had to leave early from the orchestral "concert on the square" to get Evie to bed, but we could still hear and see it from our room.  We walked around the shops and things and ate at some restaurants and generally confirmed what everybody says:  Madison is a great town!  We even discussed what it would be like to live there, although probably not until we retired.  The only thing we're not sure of is that it, like much of the rest of Wisconsin, seems to be built on quite a beer culture that we have no desire to participate in.  Well, it was just an intellectual exercise, but it goes to show you it is a nice town!

Okay, I think that is enough for one night!

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Friends, Family, and Neighbors,

I am writing to you on behalf of the People's Networking Convention
("PNC," see below) in regards to participant housing.  We are seeking
boarding for the weekend of August 15-17 for those attending the
convention from out of town, and it has come to my attention that you
may have access to potential housing options or ideas of where we can
turn.  I understand that this weekend is complicated due to Madison's
typical lease term agreements, but we are hoping that as we reach out
to make positive social change, members of our community will step up
to facilitate our action, as well.
Thanks so much!

Here is a list of questions that will help us match participants with
appropriate housing and will help us gain an overview of what will be
available:

How many people would you be willing to house?
What do you have? floor space, couch, bed, porch, ???
We are also looking for yards in which people can camp--- do you have
outdoor space available for tents or sleeping bags?
Is smoking okay? Outside?
Can children stay there?
Allergy concerns?  (Do you have pets? Crazy dust? etc...)
Any other important things we should be aware of?
___________________
PNC mission statement:

The People's Networking Convention will provide a space for discussion
and celebration of non-elections based organizing. The PNC Organizing
Committee is comprised of active people in Madison's bicycle
community, students, as well as retired people and people of color. We
wish to respond to the corporate-sponsored theater of the Democratic
and Republican National Conventions and elections by providing the
"people power" necessary for our own workshops and skill shares. We
pledge allegiance to no parties and wish to work towards unity in our
struggles and successes.

We seek to create an atmosphere of support and collaboration in our
efforts against the government's domination and the injustices that
come with an exploitative economy. We are presenting an opportunity
for face-to-face dialogue and discussion related to grassroots
democracy in our communities.

Building our alliances through participatory workshops and hands-on
social experiences will provide us with a sense of what's possible
when confronting large, overwhelming systems of power. Real democracy
is what happens daily in our community organizing and solidarity
building.
_______________________

Thank you so much!   Even if you do not have space available, you can
still be a great help by forwarding this email out to your friends or
by pointing us in a useful direction to finding more room!  Please
e-mail infopnc@gmail.com with "housing" somewhere in the subject line
with more information.

Thanks,
PNC Organizers

Her house includes a pool with glitter, town hall, a food stand, a place for them to make clothes and two houses.

In an attempt to bankrupt the tooth fairy Tyler lost another tooth last night.  We are fondly referring to him as Jack, the Pumpkin King.  Don't you think he strongly resembles a Jack O'Lantern?  Nothing like starting school with a mouthful of gaps.

On another note, I live on the far West Side of Madison, south of the beltline and west of Fitchburg, and have been trying out various grocery stores. So far I have been to these places:
-The Super Target on McKee
-Pick 'n Save on Maple Grove
-Cub Foods off of Verona Rd.
...and today Woodman's Market off of McKenna. I went to school in Appleton, WI at Lawrence University and we would utilize the Woodman's up there, so I was glad to find one in Madison. I believe it trumps the other markets for the following reasons: it's local, it's employee owned, it's cheap, it's huge, and, finally, it has a wonderful liquor store with a giant selection of wines and microbrews. The drawbacks are that it's a zoo on weekends, it can get frustrating to navigate, and it doesn't take any credit cards. I feel the benefits far outweigh the small inconveniences. I found 3.5lbs of certified organic boneless/skinless chicken thighs for $9, not too bad.

I will be buying as many veggies as I can at the farmer's market until October rolls around. This weekend they had a xylophone band playing near State Street just off from the square.

Cheese. by Pat Jordan on Zooomr

Every other Sunday Conflict Coaching & Consulting, PLLC facilitates anger and conflict management classes from our Charlotte office. With the use of online video conferencing we have been providing theses weekend classes to individuals nationwide. Call 704-804-0841 or visit www.masteringanger.com for details. Residents of Charlotte and surrounding cities are always welcomed to join us in person.

Carlos Todd, LPC