Clare Booth Luce as photographed by Carl Van Vechten
In these troubled economic times, the news reports are full of dire predictions about the fate of non-profits of all types, from the organizations supported by United Way to arts organizations of all descriptions. The Baltimore Opera recently declared bankruptcy and the New York Metropolitan Opera has been having a tough year. Here at home, our own Milwaukee Shakespeare has closed its doors after funding bottomed out, and the Greater Milwaukee Committee says that its grant levels this year will be below those of last year. And these are just the most transparent examples of the tightening atmosphere. So it’s remarkable that the Shorewood Players Theatre’s upcoming production of The Women, written by Clare Boothe Luce, is also a fundraiser for Gilda’s Club of Southeastern Wisconsin, a cancer support organization serving communities all over the United States.
Gilda’s Club is named for comedian and actor Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989. The club takes its name from a quip attributed to Radner: “Having cancer gave me a membership in an elite club I’d rather not be a part of.” The philosophy behind the club was developed by Radner, her husband Gene Wilder and Radner’s cancer psychotherapist, Joanna Bull. The support structure that the club is committed to providing is extremely important to surviving any type of cancer, for all involved.
All of the club’s services and activities are free, so its survival absolutely depends on outside funding. Gilda’s Club of Southeastern Wisconsin is located in a storefront on Oakland Avenue in Shorewood and provides emotional support, educational programs and social activities for men, women and children facing cancer, as well as their families and loved ones. One of Gilda’s Club’s key philosophies is that this kind of support must take place in a warm, welcoming and non-institutional environment – somewhere away from the hospital.
Appropriately, one of the central themes of The Women is the support that the main characters provide to each other. Through all the challenges that the women of Luce’s modern, cosmopolitan world face, they have each other as an antidote to the roles they must assume to the outside world. While many have criticized the play as depicting vain and shallow women with no sense of how privileged their lives are, the Shorewood Players under the direction of Carol Zippel, Windfall Theatre’s Artistic Director, find something very different in the story. Zippel’s vision is of our modern world and the challenges that it poses to all of us, seen from the viewpoint of women and told in spectacularly entertaining fashion.
The entire ensemble is female, and no male characters appear on stage. Both film adaptations of the play (1939 and 2008) have gone so far as to only show pictures of women and to clear the street scenes of all men. Major productions of The Women attract A-list talent, from Norma Shear to Annette Bening and Jada Pinkett Smith. The show holds the record for longest-running non-musical show on Broadway and has enjoyed numerous revivals over the years. Clare Boothe Luce, the playwright, had a successful career as a journalist, serving as both a correspondent for Life Magazine during World War II and later as editor for Vogue and Vanity Fair. Later in her life, she was a member of the House of Representatives serving Connecticut and an ambassador to Italy under President Eisenhower. Luce’s life was dedicated to art, self-expression and service, as was Radner’s. In 2009, one non-profit group, the Shorewood Players Theatre, will combine those same elements into one important, amazing evening for the benefit of another, Gilda’s Club. In this climate of shrinking donations and uncertain futures, the Shorewood Players are planning to give away all concession sales and about two-thirds of ticket sale profits to Gilda’s Club. They are doing this because they have received so much generous support from the community over their nearly 80 years of operation and feel the obligation – and privilege – to give back. We should all be so unselfish with our resources. VS
The Shorewood Players Theatre will present The Women at the Shorewood High School Auditorium from January 16 through 25. A representative of Gilda’s Club will be on hand before each performance to answer questions and speak about the organization’s mission.
Vasyl Lemberskyy Owner/Chef – Transfer Pizzeria Café 101 W. Mitchell St. 414-763-0438 • transfermke.com
The economy may be suffering, but you’d never know it from the percolating patronage of a restaurant less than a year old: Transfer. Co-owner and, in his own words, “Chef Extraordinaire” Vasyl Lemberskyy grew up in Kiev, Ukraine when it was still a Soviet Socialist Republic. There, the economy left people so destitute that hunger was rampant, and the Chernobyl disaster occurred just a few hours away.
Lemberskyy made pizza for 20 years in Ukraine and later studied with a Master chef in Italy. When he moved to the United States in 2001, he thought he’d sworn off restaurant work for good. “It’s hard work. I’m tired all the time, not enough time for my family or myself.”
Nonetheless, he worked for Polonez and then opened several restaurants alone and with partners, among them Primavera and Fresche.
At Transfer, the focus is on Lemberskyy-style pizza, pasta and paninis. He is not overly boastful about his cred as a pizza maker, especially considering his product: his crusts, all made daily by hand, are thin enough to be crispy with enough body to hold a luscious chewy center. The garlic pizza is lavished with a creamy sauce and cheese and slides down the throat without being greasy. You won’t find any Ukrainian dishes on Transfer’s menu, so you’ll have to try this hearty winter favorite in your own kitchen.
Zrazy – Vasyl’s Favorite Ukrainian Dish
Zrazy are small potato pancakes filled with meat and fried in fat. Zrazy are usually served with fried pork fat.
2 lbs potatoes 1 lb beef 2 large onions, chopped and fried 2 cups sunflower oil Salt to taste
Grate half of the potatoes finely. Boil another half in skins. Peel off, grate and add to the uncooked potatoes, then blend and salt to taste. Boil meat, then grind in a food processor and combine with fried finely chopped onion. Shape small cakes and fill in with meat. Fry in oil until light brown. Serve at once.
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Ulana Tyshynsky
Ulana Tyshynsky, a fourth grade teacher at Forest Home Avenue School, proudly maintains the Ukrainian culture passed on by her immigrant parents. Cuisine is one of the things she values from her heritage. This bread is a holiday tradition but is also made though out the year. It’s best stored in plastic for several weeks to let the honey mellow before serving. A fun fact: many Ukrainians worship in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and celebrate Christmas on January 7.
Medivnyk (Ukrainian honey loaf)
½ cup butter 1 cup dark honey 6 eggs, separated 1 cup powdered sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour ½ t ground cloves ½ t ground cinnamon 1 t baking soda 1 cup golden raisins (optional) 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Melt honey and butter over low heat, just to the point of boiling. Cool to room temperature.
Beat yolks with sugar until very light and thick, 10-15 minutes. Add spices and baking soda. Gently add honey/butter mixture.
Beat whites until stiff. Fold whites into yolk mixture. Gradually add flour to batter, stirring gently after each addition. Add raisins and walnuts if desired. Pour mixture into two well-buttered loaf pans. Bake at 300º for about an hour. Cool on wire rack. Wrap when cool.
(From Ulana: Instead of buttering my pans, I line them with aluminum foil, being careful not to tear the foil and avoiding air pockets in the corners. Bonus points: no buttery fingers, no loaf sticking to the pan and no dirty pans to scour. When completely cooled, the loaves, still wrapped in foil, are placed in a freezer bag for mellowing. The aluminum foil peels off very nicely when it’s time to cut into the loaf.)
In this edition: BOZA gets a new chair, Alderman Bohl blows up and the mainstream media once again misses the mark.
Big news! New BOZA head: Outside of city government, not many people know or care about the Board of Zoning Appeals, affectionately known by insiders as BOZA. (Pronounced with a long “o” and a short “a,” so it rhymes with “Rosa.”) But if you live in the City of Milwaukee, run a business here or watch the city government station on TV (Channel 25), you know how vitally important BOZA is to maintaining a good quality of life in Milwaukee.
Whenever a daycare wants to open in a residential neighborhood, or someone wants to put up an extra-large billboard, or a corner store is up for renewal, the Board, made up of private citizens, votes on whether or not exceptions (i.e. “variances”) to land use restrictions should be granted. Typically, an alderman or his/her aide will go before BOZA and tell why he/she is for/against the variance. There is often a lot of good neighborhood testimony, too, and the hearings can go well into the night. This is local government at its finest, and the chairman – for more than a decade – has been well-respected tax attorney Craig Zetley.
In November, Zetley announced his resignation. This announcement sent shockwaves throughout City Hall and beyond, but it was barely mentioned by most Milwaukee media outlets. The replacement is long-time BOZA member Catey Doyle, who also happens to be sister to Governor Jim Doyle. Catey, the staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society, is passionate about Milwaukee and a great person for a job that would be demanding for anyone. Tune in to Channel 25 on any Thursday night when BOZA is in session and see how she runs her meetings. The general expectation seems to be that Ms. Doyle will be extremely fair with aldermen and citizens alike, but maybe not has hard line as Mr. Zetley when it comes to the interpretation of city code. Doyle is known for being empathetic and understanding of special circumstances.
Like church, but for liquor licenses: Speaking of running city meetings, there was quite a bit of commotion at the Licenses Committee hearing in early December. Alderman Jim Bohl, known for his integrity, sincerity and long-winded analogies, is chair of the committee that grants a variety of alcohol and other licenses. He took over that role for Ald. James Witkowiak in April, but it’s Bohl’s second turn at being the chair of Licenses. (He’s one of the most veteran aldermen, having represented the west side of Milwaukee for more than a decade.) During this particular hearing, Bohl blasted citizens in attendance for not turning off their cell phones. “This should be like church,” he said at one point, exhorting people to be respectful of the proceedings. He even kicked out one person whose cell phone continued to ring. Many observers thought Bohl crossed the line.
The castigation of Milwaukee residents – many of whom take off work to come and testify about a nuisance bar or other establishment – is not typical. Common Council President Hines has a reputation for making sure that all his chairs show respect for residents. Maybe that’s why Bohl’s bad behavior has been the topic of conversation from the halls of the Mayor’s Office to the Department of City Development. The word is that Pres. Hines is putting Bohl on a shorter leash and will scrutinize future Licenses hearings.
Nobody’s plum: And speaking of Licenses, December marked the first meeting of the Alcohol Beverage Licensing Task Force, which the Common Council set up to evaluate how the Licenses process was abused by former Ald. Michael McGee. Former State Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler is chairing the task force, which will give its recommendations to Pres. Hines. Some of the recommendations will undoubtedly center around the so-called “aldermanic privilege” debate. There are a variety of definitions of aldermanic privilege out there, but the main one seems to be a myth that a local alderman can push his agenda through committees without any checks and balances. If you’ve watched a Licenses hearing (or any other committee hearing), you know that local alderman are often frustrated by the committee process.
One thing that the mass media never managed to mention when the McGee saga was going down was the fact that Licenses is a committee that no aldermen want to be on. The committee hearings typically start at 8 am and go well past 8 pm. Freshman alders always have to pay their dues and sit on this committee, which is why McGee was on it – and why Coggs and Kovac now serve there. Even in McGee’s taped conversations, released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he complained about having to serve on Licenses. (In one tape, he profusely complained about having to sit on the same committee as Ald. Willie Wade – no love there, apparently – maybe because they once ran against each other.) But obviously McGee tried to use the committee for his own purposes. He probably would have done the same thing if he was on a powerful committee – like Zoning & Neighborhood Development or Finance. Scary.
Sometimes it’s amazing how little interest many journalists have in understanding and reporting the facts. To many local reporters, Licenses is perceived as the plum assignment for a council member. During the McGee flap, the vast majority of media outlets perpetuated the fiction that Licenses was the most powerful committee in city government. But who can blame them? Unless you pay attention to what’s going on in City Hall, you might not know the difference between Public Safety and Public Works. Even Mayor Barrett seems to join whichever media chorus is currently singing in the news echo chamber. Here’s the real deal: if you live close to a bar that should be closed, Licenses is an important committee. But if you think that the city’s power brokers are doing business in that committee, think again. All you have to do is watch a few hearings with Ald. Bohl to know that it’s not where most aldermen want to be. VS
For all its charming neighborhoods, diverse ethnic fests and numerous places to get shitfaced, Milwaukee remains a uniquely dumb city. Just look back at 2008: between fighting off “hordes” of tourists pouring in by the hour to catch a glimpse of the Bronze Fonz (thanks, Visit Milwaukee!), and playing host to the “countless” not-shot-on-crappy-digital-video films starring non-local, non-crappy actors (thanks, Film Wisconsin!), Milwaukee still found time to let its residential streets go to hell, mull a city-wide smoking ban and continue to employ both Scott Walker and Gus Gnorski. Truly a banner year. So, as we roll up our collective sleeves and prepare for yet another year in our dear city, I thought it might be useful to provide a preview of a few dumb things Milwaukee will almost surely have in store for us in 2009. Please note that the following are more of the “roll your eyes and gently shake your head” variety of dumb, as opposed to downright evil (New Land Enterprises building more condos) or aggressively stupid (oh, I don’t know, Riverwest printing its own money).
More dumb events
A surefire way for Milwaukee to remain dumb in 2009 is to continue appropriating dumb events that other cities started doing five or ten years ago. This isn’t to say Milwaukee is “behind the times” in any way; I’m just suggesting that stupid shit like bondage shows and the thing where people read from their junior high school diaries should stay in the stupid cities from whence they came. Like Chicago. So for coming year, get ready for a whole lotta dumb: drunken spelling bees, warmed-over trivia nights, headache-inducing burlesque shows, and – God help me – Pecha Kucha. What’s Pecha Kucha, you ask? (Believe me, in about two minutes, you’ll wish you hadn’t.) Basically, it’s your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pay $15 to watch a bunch of slide shows. Yup. Slide shows. There are a bunch of dumb rules involved, though the only one you’ll be interested in is the one that limits each presentation to six minutes. What’s more, Pecha Kucha is a trademarked, nationally-branded event, making it something of a T.G.I. Friday’s in the realm of homebrewed hipster slide shows.
(Unlike similar columns of the past, I’m not including roller derby in this list, a phenomenon I once wrote off as “ridiculous” and “not a real sport.” After some first-hand research throughout 2008, I can now attest that roller derby is indeed a real sport, partly because of the tremendous amount of athletic talent on display, and partly because attending a single bout costs about as much as a real sport.)
More cool places closing, more dumb ones opening
By now, we’ve all heard that after nearly three decades of service, Atomic Records will close up shop this February. While this is undoubtedly a tragedy (albeit one in which we have no one to blame but ourselves), it still pales in comparison to the knowledge that a criminally stupid place like Farwell Avenue’s Shag can manage to re-open. Yes, Milwaukee, we can all bask in the knowledge that while we’re down to just a handful of independent records shops, we have a “new” overpriced boutique that specializes in “funny” and “ironic” t-shirts. Aficionados of “Erin Go Braless!” apparel and/or genital herpes rejoice!
More dumb local celebrities
While nearly every city worth its salt has a few homegrown celebs, Milwaukee seems to have some of the dumbest. And after you consider that “Crazy Ray” and that one eXpressions Journal dude are amongst our colorful local personalities, you’ll realize just how right I am.
In 2009, expect John McGivern to periodically drop in on local newscasts shilling his latest cornball comedies, the guy from Animal House and that Twisted Sister video popping up on the radio (and always refusing to talk about the two things that made him semi-famous approximately 200 years ago), and Mark Borchardt being inexplicably interviewed for some local publication’s “What have you been up to, dude?” pieces. Of course, all the Mark Metcalfs and (shudder) Frank Caliendos in the world can’t possibly tarnish the luster of our best and brightest local star, Mr. Baseball himself, Bob Fucking Uecker.
Disclaimer: Let me just say that I truly do love our city – it’s just that mentioning how everything is wonderful and interesting isn’t very funny, and better left to other writers and publications. Also, I’ve been listening to the excellent new Quinn Scharber and the… album, Being Nice Won’t Save Milwaukee – and have perhaps been taking the title a little too much to heart. It’s a really good album, and one you should definitely check out. See? There’s something good about this town. Oh, and that other band, Canyons of Static. Have you heard these guys? Have you seen these guys? Incredible. Absolutely incredible. VS
Matt Wild will be presenting at the next Pecha Kucha. Be there.
January is usually a month for fresh starts: resolutions, new opportunities, brightened-up attitudes. It’s like a cosmic reboot button. Except this month on the arts page, VITAL is giving you one final chance to not screw it up again and miss all of the terrific exhibitions that are closing this month. Forever.
Act/React, the dazzling and much-talked about new media installation at the Milwaukee Art Museum, closes on January 11. This is your last chance to dance in light and shadow, touch an old talking table, whisper through a neon forest or throw a quick dance party on Brian Knep’s Healing Pool. If your tastes are more austere, you can join Pulitzer-winner Richard Rhodes, author of John James Audobon: The Making of an American for a lecture on January 22 in conjunction with the Catesby print show. Or, stop by for MAM After Dark on January 16 for a beer tasting, a break dancing battle (!), food, photos and music from Tarik Moody of 88.9 Radio Milwaukee. The collection galleries are open until midnight!
Also closing on January 11 is kathryn e. martin’s installation Flotant at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan – delicate, ethereal structures made entirely from discarded Styrofoam. You can also see martin’s work – but only through January 3 –at the Armoury Gallery’s show Milwaukee’s Own, also featuring the work of Harvey Opgenorth, Colin T. Dickson and Mary DiBiasio.
On January 16, stop by the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center for the closing celebration of Hu(man), featuring the self-portraiture of Max Estes and tasteful nudes and semi-nudes by Mike Kasun. And January 18 is your last chance to see the Nohl Fellowship exhibition at Inova/Kenilworth, featuring a dark and politically charged carnival by Colin Mathes, creepy automotive structures by Mark Klassen, a haunting photography series by Kevin Miyazaki, films by Dan Ollman and Annie Killelea and the created worlds of Gary John Gresl. Or should you venture to Brookfield this month you can see his work at the Ploch Art Gallery through January 31, with a lecture by the artist on January 17.
Both the Charles Allis Art Museum and its far-from-evil not-quite-twin the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum close great shows this month. At the Allis, catch Wisconsin Masters Series: Richard Earl Thompson, an impressionist-influenced nature painter, before January 25. At Villa Terrace, last call for Richard Hass, a muralist, painter and architect best known for his trompe l’oeil style.
Okay, okay. We’ll give you a couple of fresh listing heads ups for reboot month. But don’t flake out! For the Germanophile in you, or the industriophile, or the workaholic, stop by the Grohmann Museum on the MSOE campus as they open their new show, Cradle of Industry, featuring 40 works from the Rhineland Industrial Museum in Oberhausen, Germany and focusing on the coal, steel, rail and construction of the Ruhr Valley Coal Basin from 1874 to 1989 – and the social implications and effects that industry had. Think about it: this is a great way to encourage your own personal industrial behavior in the new year. Har har. The show opens on January 16. On the same night at MIAD, check out Personal Culture: New Art from Latin Americans, in which Santiago Cucullu, Mirta Kupferminc, Victor Cartagena, Tatiana Parcero and Rafael Francisco Salas tease out what exactly “Latin America” is, means and suggests.
So drink up and close your tab. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. Luckily there are plenty of great art spaces that will take you in this month and offer you something stiff. VS
by Amy Elliott, Brian Jacobson, Erin Petersen, Erin Wolf
Introduction by Jon Anne Willow, photograph by Erin Landry
The idea of leadership has been receiving a lot of play lately, not only in the media but also in the conversations of everyday people. Too often, in the last several years in particular, the term “leadership” is modified by adjectives like “vacuum,” “lack of” and “inadequate.” When we at VITAL began planning these awards in early 2008, it was in response to a general feeling that our community and our nation were in the grips of a collective malaise brought on in part by the sinking sensation that things were spinning out of control and nobody was stepping up to do anything meaningful about the country’s direction.
We could relate, and there wasn’t much good news coming from the top. Nevertheless, we could all think of individual citizens who apparently missed the memo to abandon all hope and continued to work within their communities for positive change, keeping their chins up, chests out and heads down but not bowed. In fact, we thought of so many that we realized there must be hundreds more right here in Milwaukee. So instead of picking people we knew in a closed-door staff meeting, we put the vote to the people of our city. And over 3,000 of you weighed in. That’s democracy in action, and we thank each of you sincerely for taking the time to recognize the efforts of all our nominees and award winners.
Most of you who read this will be familiar with the larger concept of leadership, though you may not have thought about it much until the recent presidential election brought the idea back into vogue. The term has since gained momentum, first as a campaign slogan and now as a very real expectation of our next president, who takes the helm in such troubling times.
Leadership is not about being in charge – some of the best leaders are peers, not bosses – nor is it about being the face connected with a name or cause. Leadership comes from within, and very often lies dormant until required. After all, what sane person grows up wanting to go down with the ship, lead the charge to battle or otherwise commit to exposing themselves to all sorts of hopelessness and unpleasantness on a daily basis?
The answer is that nobody sane would think this is a good idea. But as William Shakespeare famously wrote: “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” The latter circumstance, I believe, is how most greatness is uncovered. It is human nature to follow, to fit in and to believe that doing no harm is doing enough. It’s how most of us are wired, so if this is you, you’re in good company with most of the human race. But in your heart, don’t you ever yearn to hear a call that you can’t resist, a resonance that pulls you inexorably to a higher cause? Don’t most people desire on some level to live a life filled with that ever-elusive “meaning” we hear so much about?
In truth, the scratch for that itch can’t be found in a self-help book, through meditation, self-medication or idle talk. And rarely does the seeker find. Leadership, meaning, greatness – these are all elegant terms, but the reality of living them is mostly very pedestrian. The winners of VITAL Source’s 2009 Fearless Leader Awards do not seek recognition, but simply wish to continue the work to which they’re dedicated, and which they each believe is their higher calling. Most of them stumbled into their situations through a life-changing experience that created the path to purpose and the opportunity to be part of a solution. None of the Leaders we interviewed consider themselves fearless, per se, just busy, focused and sometimes afraid. And that is exactly what makes them so amazing. We hope you’ll join us on January 22nd at the Eisner Museum as we present the 2008 Fearless Leader Awards. Ceremony information is on page 11. And in the coming year, think about someone you know who’s fearless. We’ll open nominations for the 2010 awards in the fall. Congratulations to all our nominees: Sharon Adams Biko Baker Victor & Dawn Barnet Joe Bartolotta Renee Simone Bebeau Shari Comstock Tom Crawford Genyne Edwards Jennifer ‘Kya’ Espenschied James Godsil Anita Gulotta-Connelly Lloyd Levin Jeanette Mitchell Michelle Sieg Br. Bob Smith Dale R. Smith Julia Taylor
Kari Behling
by Brian Jacobson
While Kari Behling is excited to have been chosen for VITAL’s Fearless Leader Awards, she isn’t sure she fits the profile.
“It’s something I struggle with. I’m often afraid,” she says. “But I guess I don’t let it stop me. I have a bigger fear of giving up.”
In October 2007, she became the National Director of the Milwaukee-headquartered American Association of Children’s Residential Centers. This came at age 39 after a lifetime of advocacy, volunteering and being a foster parent to dozens of infants, adolescents and teens.
What’s extraordinary about her new organization is its focus on dealing with foster children who have challenging behavioral health issues. This means advising foster agencies and parents on how to cope with children who have experienced trauma and now might act out by setting fires, being sexually active or abusive or becoming physically violent. The AACRC also researches and sets policies on handling genetic-based behavioral issues such as Asperger Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, autism, dyslexia or bipolar disorder, to help provide the most innovative care possible.
Behling’s work would make most people crumble under the often-intense pressure. But whether she’s traveling to different cities for conferences or taking phone calls from troubled caregivers at her Lake Drive office, she never loses the individual and tactile need to care. As an adopted child herself, she feels strongly about giving children safe shelter and “a really good support system.” Kari is currently a single mom living in Riverwest with two biological children (Brady, 13, and Ariel, 11), one adopted child (Jaida, 7) and now another foster child (who is 8). It was her oldest kids who persuaded her to take in one more.
“You know, I’m 40 now – I’m tired. But it’s kind of like you practice what you preach. [Brady would say] ‘It’s what we do, and we do it well.’ He even offered up the extra space in his room for a bed.”
Behling believes that her experiences in Milwaukee, specifically, gave her a real, usable perspective when looking at other places and how they deal with behavioral issues. She says that although she went to college, it was on the streets and in communities that she gained a real knowledge of racial disparity issues as well as positive aspects.
Along with championing foster parenting issues, Behling works as a tutor for new refugee families from countries like Myanmar and is involved with the ‘soccer-for-all-kids’ club called Milwaukee Kickers.
Listening to her, you can feel the enthusiasm and kindness in her voice. She peppers the conversation with truisms like, “You know it’s the right thing to do, but you want to do it right.”
Behling strongly believes that honesty and kindness lay the foundation for all of her relationships. She doesn’t expect the parents or children she meets to be perfect, but she does desire that they strive for sincerity, generosity of spirit and personality. And while she herself may not claim to be fearless, others see a brave face and follow her lead.
MacCanon Brown
By Amy Elliott
In 1990, MacCanon Brown was floundering – she had no job, little money and a room in an attic that she thought she was going to lose.
“My world had just completely shattered,” she says.
But while she was waiting in a meal program line at St. Ben’s, she met a priest who changed the direction of her life – and subsequently, the lives of countless others. The priest introduced MacCanon to the landscape of Milwaukee’s homeless-serving organizations and the people who led and administered them.
“I could just tell,” she says, “that was what I was going to do. I became emotionally healed.” In 1992, MacCanon joined Repairers of the Breach and within months was elected president of the board.
Repairers of the Breach began in 1989 as a community movement that would give a voice and public presence to homeless and formerly homeless people. Repairers created the first newspaper produced by and for the homeless, founded a speaker’s bureau and produced and distributed videos. But the group lacked a headquarters – a place for board members to meet and plan, and a center for homeless people to come together to help each other.
One of the group’s founders, Tony Lee, had advocated a center for the group from the start.
“Tony was a homeless Vietnam veteran who came back from the war addicted to heroin and in a rage,” MacCanon says. “Another homeless person showed compassion on him – [and] it changed him so much that he got into recovery, got back with his family and organized his life.
“He carried that message about the power of what happens when a person in a plight reaches out to another person in that plight.”
Due in part to MacCanon’s efforts, Tony’s vision was realized in 1994 when Milwaukee’s first daytime homeless shelter – which took the name Repairers of the Breach from the publication the group had founded – opened its doors. Tony died in 1996, but Repairers still builds on the two main tenets of his mission: that homeless people have a place to govern, and that homeless people are enabled and encouraged to reach out and help each other.
Repairers offers a constellation of over 50 programs and services, and the shelter helps over 150 people a day. They provide a mailing address and a phone and message system for homeless job seekers, as well as showers and toiletries, clothing, food, computer and email access – even haircuts. And most notably, everyone who uses the shelter participates in the governing, maintenance and operations of the shelter and abides by the rules they create.
“Everyone is moving forward,” she says. “We don’t allow people to stay stuck.”
MacCanon works about 70 hours a week – “I don’t even think of it as work,” she says – and finds her greatest rewards in the moments where she can “bear witness to a homeless individual who owns our unique vision, to the extent that he or she leads and mentors out of a commitment that is pure and genuine.” Among her most gratifying encounters was with a woman who had been on the streets for almost 20 years. She came to Repairers because she heard there were free donuts and coffee.
“She was an addict – she had been rejected by her family and came to our center as someone without any resources,” says MacCanon. “At the bottom of the barrel.”
But as Pamela returned to Repairers, her life turned around. She received health care, restored her self-esteem and began to look for transitional living. “She bloomed,” says MacCanon. In 2004, Pamela was honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee. Today she works for several volunteer organizations throughout the city.
MacCanon can’t say what path her life will take in the future, but for now, she feels like she’s living the dream, unglamorous though it is sometimes.
“I think we’re dreaming for the wrong thing. What I’m doing is the American Dream – to be in the service of people who are the most rejected, [and] probably offer the most to unify our very broken and divided society. The love in that little place on 14th and Vliet – it’s an ingredient. If you really mix it in, it could unify Milwaukee. To me, that’s the dream.”
Sarah Exley
By Erin Lee Petersen
A little over two years ago, Sarah Exley, a communications specialist at Northwestern Mutual, and her husband, Ryan, were living a peaceful life in Germantown as they looked forward to the arrival of their first child. In April of 2006, Sarah gave birth to a lovely little girl named Avery. At first everything seemed fine, but within about three months Sarah and Ryan noticed that Avery’s right hand was always in an increasingly tight fist. Several doctors over repeated visits assured the couple that their little girl was fine, but the parents persisted in looking for answers. After almost a year, Sarah and her husband received the startling news that Avery had suffered a stroke in utero.
“I was shocked,” Sarah says. “That was the last thing that had crossed my mind.”
Immediately after her daughter’s diagnosis, Sarah started researching pediatric stroke, hoping to find support and helpful information. She was dismayed to learn that very few resources were readily available, even though, while rare, pediatric stroke is as common in children as leukemia or brain tumors, affecting about 2.3 per 100,000 children. So Sarah took it upon herself to raise awareness of the condition, networking with other affected families, joining support groups and telling Avery’s story to anyone who would listen. She even lobbied Capitol Hill for research funding. In 2007, Sarah started working with the American Heart Association’s annual Start! Heart Walk, and along with friends and family has helped raise over $14,000 to fund research for pediatric stroke in the past two years.
“It’s my passion to get the word out,” she says.
Because the Exleys recognized Avery’s condition relatively early, they’ve been able to make a significant difference in Avery’s development with the assistance of occupational, speech and physical therapy. Now Avery’s right hand is functional and she’s able to do most of the things other children her age can. “She’s a normal kid,” Sarah says, “and she’s incredibly bright.”
Though they have had success with Avery’s therapy, when she starts preschool next fall she’ll no longer be covered by Wisconsin’s Birth to 3 program and will have to rely on the school system for her therapy needs. Sarah says this is one of the biggest obstacles facing her family in the upcoming year, but she remains optimistic and is already in discussion with Pupil Services in the Germantown school district about the possibility of broadening the Early Education program to make services more accessible for children with different needs. She hopes that one day more government funding will be available to ensure that survivors of pediatric stroke don’t slip through the cracks and are able to get the services they need.
In the meantime, she’ll continue to fight.
“You have to keep pushing,” she says. “You are your child’s best advocate.”
Mary Lou LaMonda
By Erin Wolf
“Did you know that there is more ant mass on the planet than human mass? That’s an astounding fact,” says Mary Lou LaMonda. “Ants are not causing global climate change and the devastation of species.”
Arguably one of Milwaukee’s foremost experts on green living, Mary Lou LaMonda is teaching folks in our city to live more environmentally sustainable lives. LaMonda has worked as a leader of the Milwaukee Urban Agriculture Network (MUAN) and has contributed to many projects and causes, including the first Green Roof Symposium in Milwaukee (focusing on green jobs and growing edible market crops), the Michael Fields Agriculture Institute, Slow Food WiSE, the Kane Commons project (organizing the first straw bale building workshops in Milwaukee), the Oz Biodiesel Cooperative, Riverwest’s Yogashala, Conocer (a fair trade cultural exchange program to Michoacan, Mexico) and Elaine’s Project (for healthy inner city kids).
LaMonda says the key to community organizing is a positive mindset. “In the words of Howard Zinn,” she says, “‘Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world’ … If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times, places – and there are so many – where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction … to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is wrong around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
LaMonda says that her work with the Milwaukee community is symbiotic – building sustainability on a community level, and building personal relationships brick by brick. “Everyone is a unique expression of the life force and has something to offer to the world that no one else does, and it’s important that I listen and learn from anyone that shows up in my life.”
LaMonda’s goals are widespread, and considering her track record, the results of her actions could ultimately be wide-reaching. She envisions a world of true sustainability and thoughtful lifestyle design, creating and celebrating stronger communities, developing renewable energy and engineered renewability and decreasing the amount of waste that we produce, reintroducing art and music into school systems, promoting equal rights and a viable health care system … just to name a few.
“We have always been ‘the change we are waiting for,’” she affirms. “We are standing on the shoulders of the many that came before us, so we have a broader view. [We] see how much more needs to be done in our communities, in our country and around the planet. We never really know the full impact of what we do, and whatever acknowledgment or success we receive is only because of those shoulders and the folks we are now walking with arm in arm, who are doing the same as we are. We are preparing the earth and planting the seeds for whatever will grow in the future.”
Matt Nelson
By Erin Wolf
“I believe that the People have the responsibility, ability and right to organize themselves, and I will fight for the right to self-determination and the right to organize, and defend human rights for all.” So says Matt Nelson, who has been called a “watchdog for social injustice” for very good reasons – he has tirelessly promoted change through innovation and awareness. As owner of Brewing Grounds for Change (est. 2004), Milwaukee’s first 100% fair trade coffee shop; he has organized campaigns with the Mitchell Street Farmers Market Coalition; worked with the Milwaukee Police Accountability Coalition and the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union; is co-founder of the Freedom Now! Collaborative in Milwaukee, and writes and teaches. Nelson realizes the importance to act upon words as a public ambassador. While he supports many movements in which he sees value, his core causes revolve around access to the basic necessities for all people in Milwaukee: transportation, safety, food and free trade.
“High quality, accessible public transportation will positively impact the economic development in our city and has the power to bridge gaps in social and economic mobility, improve our environment, reduce traffic congestion and lower the costs of many public services,” he says of Milwaukee’s public transit needs.
Nelson also advocates for higher standards in police accountability in Milwaukee, through his work with The Milwaukee Police Accountability Coalition (MPAC).
“MPAC unites the many voices of families and individuals who have been victimized by police violence into effectively addressing Milwaukee’s police brutality crisis. We expect Chief Edward Flynn to show leadership and publicly acknowledge systemic issues within the MPD and officially commit to profoundly changing the culture of the department that allows for police misconduct and brutality to continue. We want a professional police force in Milwaukee that protects civil rights and protects neighborhoods. No one is above the law.”
Nelson’s work for “food justice” has focused around the Mitchell Street Farmer’s Coalition and its efforts to find a permanent home. In 2006, the Mitchell Street Market was the only local market serving Milwaukee’s Latino community. Commercial development plans for a city-owned property threatened its existence. He led an organizing effort that brought together local residents, patrons and city officials and resulted in an annual sublease agreement with the city for the market.
“Our community must have the right to define our own food future and to be able to feed our community healthy, locally grown food that benefits local farmers and builds economic growth in our community,” affirms Nelson. “A way to reduce poverty and improve neighborhood stability is through local economic development, preserving green space, and economic security.”
Nelson believes it all starts from the ground up, fighting for the basic human rights to food, clothing, shelter, health and safety. Unfortunately, these basic rights don’t come for free. Nelson realizes the tireless effort that the Milwaukee community must collectively make for positive change.
“We as community organizers and civic participants must offer more than dry meetings with patronizing leadership, pandering liberals and arrogant conservatives who attempt to contain real transformation,” he says. “I believe it is important for the City of Milwaukee to improve and sustain high-quality health and safety-net programs. Accordingly, we should resist budget cuts that come at the expense of such programs, and seek reforms promoting greater community participation in their design, effectiveness and administration. We need to invest in public works projects that hire community residents at family-supporting wages; improve and expand job training; offer child care assistance for families, assistance to neighborhood organizations and services and accommodations for people with disabilities; provide domestic violence prevention, public health and legal services and education for everyone; maintain our libraries, parks and public areas for meetings, assembly and art. Our Milwaukee must stand up for the health, safety and comfort of workers and the general public and support local laws that restore the public involvement and trust back into local government.”
“I value efforts based in integrity, a commitment to justice for all … I feel great respect and solidarity with all of the fearless leaders that have come before me who have taught me to listen and to give back.”
Deon Young
By Erin Lee Petersen
Deon Young has some interesting ideas regarding what it means to be fearless in today’s society. To him, fearless means having the courage to tell your story and fight against stereotypes, dedicating yourself to your passions even when you’re met with opposition, and working to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
Deon works as a Community Organizer with the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Milwaukee. Deon started volunteering at the center in 2001 and has been a full time staff member since 2005. Working for a non-profit often requires a lot of volunteer hours and doesn’t come with a particularly glamorous salary, but that’s of little concern to Deon.
“There’s a reason why you do this job ... even when it could be easier to do less work for more pay,” he says.
For Deon, that reason is simple: to educate people in the LGBT community about legal, social and personal issues, and to give them a voice so they can educate others. He most recently worked with the OutVote program, designed to engage LGBT voters in a nonpartisan manner and increase LGBT turnout at the polls, a program Deon says also helped build bridges to other minority communities and mobilize voters in those areas. Deon also works with LGBT youth outreach programs and was active with Fair Wisconsin, organizing and participating in door-to-door campaigns prior to the gay marriage referendum vote in 2006.
Now that the presidential election is over, Deon says that he’s “ecstatic” about the outcome but that there is still much more work to be done. While the LGBT Center has what Deon calls “natural allies” in Milwaukee like Planned Parenthood and ACORN, he would like to see the LGBT community branch out into other areas and perhaps partner with organizations like the NAACP or the Milwaukee Urban League. The LGBT Center is already making progress toward this goal by participating in the Wisconsin Civic Engagement Program, a coalition of progressive non-profits who represent vastly different interests, yet still work together to address public concerns and social issues.
Inspired by the election, Deon hopes that confidence in the grassroots movement will be restored in 2009 and that under-represented groups will be more willing to collaborate with one another to achieve common goals.
“It’s a new day,” he says. “I look forward to what these new leaders will bring.” VS
The derby was fast and furious on this frigid December night. I was joined by the Vital Source magazine crew as we filmed our first Talk Derby vodcast. We had a blast talking to some skaters and got some great footage. What a night!
NINJAS STRIKE IN SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME DEFEAT!
CRAZY 8’S, 75 win over RUSHIN ROLLETTES, 72
It was an incredible match! Everyone was on the edge of their seats as this tie game went into a sudden death overtime jam, with the 8’s winning by a mere three points. What made this win even more compelling was that the 8’s were down to just 11 skaters, while the Rollettes were rolling with 18.
And talk about high rollers- howsabouts Crazy 8’s Captain Cookie Ciano, who was high scorer for the second bout in a row with 47 big points! The game was neck and neck throughout, ending with a 69-69 tie when the clock ran out. I asked Rollettes jammer High D. Voltage to talk about her personal highlights of the game.
“That would have to be the tough defensive walls that the Rollettes put up in order for me to get through. A jammer is only as good as her defense, which makes it much easier to skate through the pack. That's what made it possible for me to get those two grand slams in the second period, thus taking the lead for a short time. The tempo of the game was also very exciting, and being able to be a part of the first overtime in Bruiser history. Of course, I wish that I came up on the winning end but being able to hold my own against Cookie, who is a machine or at a minimum ... not human, makes me feel pretty good. Her focus and tenacity is the core of their team.” Voltage said.
Voltage led the Rollettes with 28 points, followed by Smirk Savage with 17 and Jackie O’Nihilate with 15. Reina Pain also scored 4 points, though she appeared to suffer from an injury early in the second half. I asked her what the deal was.
“Yeah, I hurt my tailbone from a nasty digger I took. I’m not sure how I even did it or if someone put a block on me. I almost want to say that me being the klutz I am did it to myself! I can’t even sit down on it yet, talk about needing a chiro appointment!”
I also asked what she felt the toughest part of the bout was. “I think the whole thing was intense. I think when we had to go into overtime, [that] was probably the toughest. There is always so much pressure on each team by that point because you know that’s the jam that makes it or breaks it. I thought we all played really well out there and one thing that Hacksaw said was, ‘It’s not just one girl who loses or wins a game, it’s the entire team.’ That is so true, we're a family, and whatever the outcome, we got there together.” Pain stated.
I also had a chance to speak with Crazy 8’s jammer Termiskater. I asked her what the most exciting and challenging moments of the night were, and she confirmed the idea that the 8’s might be more machine than human.
“The most exciting moment of Saturday night was when I gave Abba Zabba such a major whip that she ripped the living tissue off of a few of my fingers and exposed my cybernetic metal endoskeleton. The most challenging part was attempting to identify the T1000. It has taken the form of a Rushin' Rollette. Identification remains unknown.” Termiskater said.
HALF TIME REPORT
Our gals the Beerleaders did a routine to Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis” complete with a rapping Santa Claus. For this column’s Half Time Report, I thought I’d get a few words from referee Sloppy Joe about game highlights.
“The tiebreaker is obviously a big one for me since they are so rare. I'm glad I got to be a part of that experience. Also, the sheer number of penalties in the first period of the 8s vs. Rollettes bout stands out. The pack was so aggressive I was having a hard time finding a moment to call in my penalties to the stats trackers. Overall I felt that the 8s vs. Rollettes bout was a really a great sign for the progress that our league has made. The technical proficiency and at times incredible pack speed on display is a great sign of things to come. It's a good time to be a Roller Derby fan,” Joe told me.
WORKING CLASS HEROES WIN BIG!
MAIDEN MILWAUKEE, 78 win over SHEVIL KNEVILS, 64
Overshadowed by the overtime nail biter, but still playing a good match, the Maidens see-sawed with the Knevils. At the half, the Maidens were up by just one point, but they quickly sped ahead in the second half.
The Knevils couldn’t keep up despite consistent effort from The Eviscerator and Trash Talkin Tina, both with 16 points and Moby Nipps and Femaldehyde, both with 15 points.
The question for the Maidens is can they now use the momentum to overthrow the undefeated 8’s? Captain Beelzebelle has some confident words.
“We're going to bring our unparalleled working class drive AND super secret strategery on January 17. The 8’s have not yet encountered this type of force in their whole existence. They may be ninjas, but we're a bunch of tough Milwaukee-bred broads. Bring it!” Beezlebelle threatened. Scoring high for the Maidens were Romaniac with 36 points and Rejected Seoul with 22. I also asked Seoul about the next bout. Seoul has given Talk Derby some poetic quotes in the past, and this time was no exception.
“Those crazy 8s will be hard to beat look'n all fine and dressed to the 9, but I feel strong that our ladies in pink will skate with heart and Seoul on the rink,” she recited.
AMBULANCE CHASER
Rushin Rollette co-Captain Fidela Castrate fell and the arena grew silent. The skaters waited on their knees as a show of respect as the EMTs checked her out. I later asked her about the injury.
“All I remember is hearing my right knee pop, and then I fell down with pain. After that I was able to walk so I put back on my skates, then my knee gave out. In the ER they really didn’t have any concrete to say without an MRI, so the doc said it could be a strain or a partial tear of a ligament. I am determined to play the January bout against the Shevils and kick ass! At least I was able to get a good hit on their jammer before I went down!” Castrate told me. Now that’s some team spirit!
The next bout is January 17, where the Rushin Rollettes (1-1) will take on the Shevil Knevils (0-2) and Maiden Milwaukee (1-1) will battle the Crazy 8’s (2-0).
by Bridget Brave, Tom Ganos, Ryan Findley, Noah Therrien and Amy Elliott
This month in Eat This we featured a fresh, frilly New Year's Eve menu from Dan Smith at McCormick's and Schmick, perfect for entertaining and celebrating in style. But what do you eat on the morning (or more likely, afternoon) after? I asked VITAL Source Staffers, all of whom have plenty of experience, believe you me, with the dread Next Day. From easy microwave bacon to Nyquil and macaroni to what we have found to be the best Bloody in town (there is really nowhere I'd rather be on my worst mornings than Tom's bar ... or couch), we've got you covered. Be careful, have fun and feel better. - Amy Elliott Simple breakfast from Ryan Findley
You'll need ... Frozen hashbrowns Cooking oil of your choice Bacon from the microwave Grapefruit juice from concentrate Bad movies, cartoons or TV shows on DVD
1. Start the hashbrowns. I like Ore-Ida, they've already got some seasoning on them, but not too much. Potatoes are starchy and filling and will soak up any leftover alcohol in your stomach while making you feel better. Heat oil in a skillet (you'll need about a tablespoon - enough to fully coat the bottom of the pan). Dump the frozen potato pieces of goodness in and spread them out to a single layer. Leave them alone for at least 5 minutes, or until you start to see crunchy brown bits on the edges.
2. While the hashbrowns cook on the first side, make the grapefruit juice. I prefer grapefruit to orange because of the tartness - too much sugar will excerbate a hangover. Real grapefruit juice (and by that I mean the yellowy stuff, none of that Ruby Red) settles the stomach. I recommend Minute Maid frozen. Follow the directions on the can to prepare; all you'll need is a pitcher and water, and a spoon to mix with.
3. Sprinkle the hashbrowns with salt and pepper and then flip them over. Again, leave them alone for at least 5 minutes, or until the crunchy brown bits are easily apparent at the edges.
4. While the hashbrowns cook on the other side, microwave some bacon. Mostly because bacon is delicious, not for any medicinal purposes. If you have a microwave bacon cooker (a plastic tray with ridges to catch the grease and trap it away from the bacon while it cooks), use it. If not, a microwave-safe plate lined with paper towels will do. Start with two minutes on full power, and check the doneness. Continue cooking in 30-second increments until the desired degree of crunchiness is achieved.
5. Transfer bacon to a plate, add the hashbrowns alongside when they've finished cooking, and pour yourself a nice tall glass of grapefruit juice. Sit in front of the television and watch bad movies at low volume while you eat.
Bridget's Easy as Shit Slow-Cooked Italian Beef From Bridget Brave
The beauty of this is that you can set it BEFORE you head out on NYE, and it won't be done until you've already dragged your ass home and slept it off some.
You'll need ... 3 1/2 to 4 pounds beef roast, sirloin tip or rump roast 12 ounces (jar) Italian Giardiniera, drained, less if you want it less spicy 12 ounces (jar) pepperoncini peppers 1 envelope Zesty Italian dry salad dressing mix 10 ounce can condensed beef broth French bread rolls
Place beef roast in a 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker. Combine Giardiniera, pepperoncini peppers, dry salad dressing mix, and condensed beef broth. Add mixture to crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 12 to 14 hours, until meat is very tender. Serve on rolls.
Noah Therrien's Hangover Surprise
You'll need ... Two boxes of generic macaroni and cheese Half pound brick of cheese, or however much cheese your body can take A bottle of Nyquil The biggest bottle of Vitamin Water you can find (I like XXX Berry, It's tasty and makes me feel edgy at the same time!)
Warning: Must committ at least 6 hours to treatment
Fill Nyquil cup with recommended dosage and ingest. Though the bottle does not recommend it, and legally I do not either, take another swig (again, this is at your own discretion).
Ed. Note: it has been suggested that you could add the Nyquil to the macaroni, but we leave that iffy choice up to you.
Follow the instructions for making the Mac and Cheese. Mix desired amount of real cheese with Mac and Cheese (OOOOOHHH Baby, it's gonna be thick!).
You may start to feel woozy at this point, so this is when speed counts. Eat as much Mac and Cheese as you can as fast as you can before getting completely full (obviously don't push yourself till you puke or the entire treatment will be compromised). Wash down with Vitamin Water as you see fit (I usually use an entire bottle, but I'm 6' 5", so go at your own pace)
Lay down on your couch, or bed and watch television or read a book. You should be passed out within 20 minutes (this will happen suddenly, so prepare accordingly). You will wake up 4-6 hours later feeling like a ball of pure joy and sunshine. It never fails!
The Best Bloody Mary in the Midwest from Tom Ganos, bartender, Roots Restaurant
3/4 oz.(about 7 shakes) Worcestershire Sauce (or soy sauce if vegan) 3/4 oz. beer (I like stouts if available, but anything will do) 1 1/2 oz. vodka 4 shakes Tobasco 4 to 5 shakes celery salt 3 shakes black pepper (or full twist if you have a pepper grinder) 1 shake of red pepper flakes 1 shake of salt 2 light squirts Sriracha 1 squirt or teaspoonful horseradish sauce Splash pickle juice Splash jalapeno juice Splash lemon juice Splash lime juice Splash pineapple or orange juice
Fill the glass with tomato juice or V8 and shake with ice. Serve with whatever you like as garnish; I like bacon strips and bleu cheese olives!
It’s been a long and grinding year, from the shotgun start of the presidential primaries to the historic election of Barack Obama and the concurrent (though unrelated) collapse of financial markets worldwide. You were there – you know – and you don’t need me to offer up yet another post-mortem on a year that can only be categorized as monumentally historic. Besides, the story of these times is so far from written that summarizing right now seems pointless.
Instead, I humbly request that I be among the first to wish you peace, hope and better sleep in the new year. Don’t snort: the chance of my wish coming true is at least as strong as that of me getting a pony for Christmas.
Please don’t feel responsible for making my equine holiday wish a reality; at this point in my life, if I ever decide that I must have my own pony I’ll find a way to make it happen. And you can find a way to grant yourself peace and restful nights: it’s actually within your reach, and I’m going to share the secret with you now.
Remember when you were little and it was time to get ready for bed? Your parents would have you put away your stuff, take a bath and put on your jammies. Sometimes you’d have a snack and then crawl into your warm bed with a book or the radio playing quietly. Eventually you’d turn off the light and drift down into unconsciousness, thoughts of the day just past or the day ahead curling like mist around your dream factory, priming the pump for the night to come. Your details might be different from these, but the outcome is the same: a graceful transition from the chaos of the day into the solace of sleep, a chance to regenerate and face the new morning head-on.
I neglected this ritual for nearly three decades. As a typical young adult I flew from bed to school or work, from obligated time into a frenzied social life, slamming back into bed late and crashing hard (or staring at the ceiling for hours) until my alarm clock pulled me with a squawk from my mattress once again. I didn’t prioritize it as a single mom and new business owner, either. How could I? Time becomes so compressed for grownups, until you look in the mirror one morning and realize that you’ve aged, the lines and gray hair informing you in no uncertain terms that there’s no traveling backwards.
You can’t stop time and the inexorable hunger of its advances. Time is like fire: always consuming you, even as it paves the way for new beginnings. But you can steal from time – a moment here and there – and reclaim yourself. I can attest that the moments you take back from the voracity of the daily grind are well-invested, replenishing your under-valued emotional and spiritual reservoir and providing a source of strength from which to draw in times of need.
This is how I do it: before I fall asleep, I think about things I’ve learned recently. I try not to masticate on problem-solving or worry, but rather just roam the wide world of knowing. For instance, this year I learned that there is no focused scholarly effort to study, understand or preserve the Great Wall of China. How can that be? I also learned that no matter how hard you try to make everyone happy and healthy, the people in your life have to process situations in their own way, and sometimes things just are what they are until they evolve into something else. I learned a few things about baking – always my culinary weakness – that have opened new doors of kitchen creativity. And every once in awhile I buy a lottery ticket, then lay in bed imagining what I would do with millions of dollars.
Everyone has something that fascinates them, whether it’s personal reflection or a random magazine article that unexpectedly resonates beyond the reading. The secret, I believe, to reclaiming yourself (after all, in the end, it is your life), is to re-acquaint yourself with your childhood friend, imagination, who waits forever patiently like Pooh for a grown-up Christopher Robin. Imagination doesn’t need your adult self to create fantasy worlds that absorb your waking thoughts for endless summers on end; it’s content to play whatever role you have available. And in these times of great uncertainty, imagination is one of the keys to hope. The daily churn of consuming routine is not serving the world – or the people in it – well, and far-out possibilities must now be imagined. It starts with each of us.
At VITAL, we reconnected this month with our collective imaginations in making predictions for 2009. Some may seem absurd, but Amy Elliott’s prediction for 2008 that the 1890s would make a roaring comeback has borne out in the profusion of string bands and crinoline overtaking the local music scene, which proves just about anything can happen. Read these and then take your own guesses: but don’t spend too much time worrying about what’s possible – you just never know. VS
Click here to read VITAL's predictions for 2009. Prepare to laugh, to cry and to think some of them are kind of dumb. But fun.
Pat on the back: After weeks and weeks of hearing that this was Mayor Barrett’s most difficult budget ever – and that fees and taxes had to be raised by a certain amount or fire fighters, police and libraries would be cut – the Common Council found a third and better option.
Thanks to frosh alderman Nik Kovac (who happens to have a math degree from Harvard), the Council came up with the idea of moving the bulk of the fee increases from the solid waste fee (homeowners only) to the wastewater/tree pruning fee (homeowners, non-profits and businesses). The City of Milwaukee will get more money by capturing businesses and non-profits (hey, they have trees too) with the fee increases, but homeowners will actually pay less than they would have under the Mayor’s proposed budget. Not only that, but aldermen managed to restore libraries, fire fighters and police – and expand the summer jobs program to boot.
The word around City Hall is that the Mayor’s Budget office is frustrated that they didn’t see the solution that Ald. Kovac and other Council members put forth. But no matter who came up with the idea, it puts Milwaukee in a much better position.
Sick Day Fiasco: Speaking of putting the city in a better position, a group called 9to5 collected thousands and thousands of signatures earlier this year to enable something called “direct legislation” for more paid sick days for workers in the city of Milwaukee. (Full time workers would be eligible for nine days per year, if it is ever implemented.) Insiders say business organizations (e.g. the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce) lobbied Mayor Barrett and Common Council President Hines pretty hard to come out against the ordinance, which went directly to a voter referendum without a chance for the Council to vote it down.
Only Barrett took the bait, issuing a strong statement against more paid sick days for workers. What’s really interesting is that the Mayor now has no plan for enforcing the ordinance. He pushed for it to be defeated – hoping and praying, it seems, that he wouldn’t have to deal with it – and the voters ignored him. Now, Mayor Barrett appears to be pinning his hopes to an MMAC lawsuit against the ordinance. Why won’t he just deal with the fact that the ordinance passed and must be enforced? It all goes back to the Equal Rights Commission (ERC), or lack thereof.
The ERC was established during the Norquist Administration to deal with discrimination complaints related to housing and employment. It was the City agency set up to hear those complaints and enforce legal action against discriminatory businesses, landlords, etc. But there was a big blow-up when Norquist took away the ERC’s legal powers, and members of the commission resigned or retired one by one. Pratt avoided the issue during his short tenure, but when Barrett was sworn in, everyone watched anxiously to see what he’d do with the ERC. Would he abolish it? Would he reconstitute it? Over his nearly five years in office Barrett has done exactly one thing with the ERC: nothing. And it has come back to bite him with the 9to5 ordinance.
According to the ordinance, the ERC is the body charged with enforcing the code. Over the years, aldermen like Mike D’Amato and President Hines have foreseen that this day might come. They both wrote letters to Barrett, urging him to do something – anything! – with the ERC. Instead, Barrett has been content to let the Commission exist with no members, essentially doing nothing, even though it is still on the books. In a letter this summer to the City Attorney, Hines asked if having an Equal Rights Commission with no members is legally problematic “or merely an embarrassment.” Ouch.
With no ERC to enforce paid sick leave, the duties will fall to the Department of Employee Relations, which does not have enough staff to deal with potential complaints against companies that are not properly administering sick time. Is it enough to have an ordinance pass if it can’t be enforced? 9to5 (and others) would surely give a resounding No.
Doyle v. Barrett: The early talk on a potential Obama win was that Barrett would be in line for a cushy cabinet position. Then reality set in and it became apparent that a) Obama did not know Barrett that well and b) Governor Doyle was much higher on Obama’s wish list – but still not a sure thing. Being a governor rather than a mayor gives Doyle a big edge. In addition, even though Barrett was one of the earliest Obama backers, Doyle was still one of the first Democratic governors to go for Obama. So the talk around Dems in Wisconsin switched from a possible Barrett appointment to a possible Doyle appointment. Makes sense, right? Wrong again. It seems to be widely known that Doyle does not want to leave Wisconsin. First, he appears to genuinely like being governor. Second, the word is that Lt. Gov. Lawton has not earned Doyle’s respect and he does not want to leave her in charge of the state. What a tangled web the Obama election has woven in Wisconsin. (A web of pure speculation, of course.) VS
What can we say about the holidays? For most of us, this time of year can cause serious anxiety as we ultimately find ourselves shuffling from store to store, desperately trying to hold our own among ravenous holiday shoppers. And every year, we end up stuck at yet another awkward family dinner where we try our best not to get too drunk in front of relatives. Or maybe that’s just me. Luckily for us cynics, VITAL’s Holiday Guide has the antidote to all this winter drudgery with helpful hints on where to go to get into the holiday spirit and ensure that the season is entertaining and filled with all of the cheer we hear about in those Christmas songs. After a landmark year in so many emotionally huge ways, we need it more than ever. VS Milwaukee Coach & Carriage Holiday Rides Milwaukee Coach & Carriage 414-272-6873 or milwaukeecarriage.com There’s no better way to enjoy a brisk winter evening and take in all the glittery holiday festivities than with a horse-drawn carriage ride. The Friday Night Snow Show: Fall Constellations UW-Milwaukee Manfred Olson Planetarium Through Dec. 12 414-229-4961 or planetarium.uwm.edu For an alternative method of getting into the spirit of the season, come to the planetarium for a weekly viewing of the night sky at 7:00 pm. Find out how to spot some special fall constellations and learn about their significance.
Holiday Lights Festival Pere Marquette Park, Cathedral Square Park, Ziedler Union Square Through Jan. 4 milwaukeedowntown.org Millions of twinkling lights brighten up downtown Milwaukee during this festive annual tradition. Come for dazzling lights, stay for family-friendly entertainment.
Downtown Jingle Bus The Shops of Grand Avenue Thursdays – Sundays through Jan. 4 Board the Jingle Bus for a 40-minute narrated tour of Milwaukee’s merriest holiday hot spots while enjoying hot cocoa and cookies.
Holiday Floral Show Mitchell Park Conservatory Through Jan.4 414-649-9800 or countyparks.com Visit The Domes for a breathtaking Christmas show that features thousands of crimson and hybrid poinsettias, plus holiday concerts and performances. Westown Indoor Market The Shops of Grand Avenue Through Feb. 11 414-276-6696 or westown.org The Westown Farmer’s Market has moved indoors for the winter. Come check out your favorite vendors while listening to live musical performances.
Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra The Shops of Grand Avenue Through Jan. 3 414-224-0655 or grandavenueshops.com Join Leonard Bearstein and his 18-piece orchestra of bears as they perform our favorite holiday songs live in the Grande Avenue Mall. Whoa! East Town Trees East Town Neighborhood Through Jan. 5 414-271-1416 or easttown.com See more than 30 wooden trees decorated by local businesses and retailers and scattered around in East Town.
Saturdays with Santa The Shops of Grand Avenue Through Dec.20 414-224-0655 or grandavenueshops.com Spend the afternoon making holiday crafts and listening to Radio Disney, but don’t forget to tell Santa what you want for Christmas! Santa vs. The Snowman Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater, Milwaukee Public Museum Through Jan.4 414-319-4629 or mpm.edu See what happens when you combine Santa, a jealous snowman bent on stealing St. Nick’s fire and squirt guns filled with hot chocolate. Mystery of the Christmas Star Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater, Milwaukee Public Museum Through Jan.4 414-319-4629 or mpm.edu Travel back in time to the birth of Jesus to investigate the origins of the Star of Bethlehem in this modern adaptation of the Christmas story. M&I Bank Holiday Display M&I Bank, 770 N. Water Street Dec. 1 – Jan. 5 414-765-7700 or mibank.com/holiday Come and check out M&I’s famous holiday display, featuring more than 50 life-sized costumed Steiff animals.
Winter Constellations UW-Milwaukee Manfred Olson Planetarium Dec. 3 – 14 414-229-4961 or planetarium.uwm.edu The UWM Theatre Department brings the winter skies to life with some stellar storytelling. Come and learn about the myths behind the constellations and get excited about scientific discovery! Slice of Ice Red Arrow Park Opens Dec. 4 (weather permitting) 414-257-PARK or countyparks.com Bring friends and family down for a skate in the park this winter season. Opening day features free skate rentals! East Town Holiday Market Dec. 4 Chase Tower, Water & Wisconsin 414-271-1416 or easttown.com Peruse great holiday gifts made by Wisconsin artists and pick up gift certificates to great local restaurants and retailers. Winter Voices Milwaukee Public Theatre Dec. 5 414-347-1685 or milwaukeepublictheatre.org Milwaukee Public Theatre presents this original production to honor the change of seasons and Native American culture with traditional music and dance.
Christmas in The Ward Historic Third Ward – Catalano Square Dec. 5 – Dec. 6 414-273-1173 or historicthirdward.org Tell Santa what you want for Christmas at Jolly’s outdoor gingerbread house and stick around for carriage rides, a tree lighting and shopping! Brady Street Festivus Brady Street Dec. 5 bradyst.com Whether or not Christmas is your thing, head down to Brady Street for some holiday cheer, shopping and competitions, including the ever-popular Airing of Grievances. It’s for the rest of us!Fantastic
Forest of Holiday Trees Milwaukee County Zoo Dec. 5 – Jan. 5 414-771-5500 or milwaukeezoo.org Wander an enchanted forest of child-decorated holiday trees. Just because it’s not warm out doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the zoo; what’s more lovely than light displays and polar bears? European Holiday Village Milwaukee Public Museum Dec. 5 – Dec. 6 414-278-2702 or mpm.edu Stroll through the Streets of Old Milwaukee to see traditional European holiday décor at the turn of the century.
Swim with Santa at The Hilton Hilton Milwaukee Dec. 6, 3-6 pm 414-291-7623 Join Santa at the Paradise Landing Indoor Waterpark for the biggest splash of the season!
Holiday Cheese and Cheer Stanford Art Gallery N88W16475 Main St Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 262-255-7880 or stanfordartgallery.com Dec. 5- Dec. 24 Join the artists at Stanford Gallery for this Holiday art show and find the perfect gift for your friends and family including painting, wearable art and so much more!
Holiday Gift Boutique Milwaukee Street Gallery Dec. 5- Dec. 23 414.732.2008 or milwstgallery.com The Milwaukee Street Gallery has been transformed into a one-stop gift boutique. Find everything on your Christmas list and stop in on December 11th and 12th for a take-and-bake cookie exchange.
Artisan & Entrepreneur Holiday Market Discovery World Dec. 6 414-765-9966 or discoveryworld.org Peruse one-of-a-kind handmade work by over 20 local vendors and artisans and enjoy live music, DIY workshops, hot chocolate and complimentary gift-wrapping. Holidays at The Lighthouse North Point Lighthouse in Lake Park Dec. 6 414-332-6754 or northpointlighthouse.org Climb the festively decorated lighthouse to visit the keeper’s quarters, where you can make crafts, sit on Santa’s lap and enjoy a few Christmas cookies while listening to live music.
KK Holiday: It’s a Wonderful Life in Bay View Dec. 6 Head south for a holiday art crawl along the shops of KK between Beecher and Lincoln. Stick around for a silent auction, wine tasting, carolers and cheerily decorated storefronts.
The International Gift Shop Quaker Meeting House, 3224 N. Gordon Pl. Dec. 6 414-263-2111 or milwaukeequakers.org Shop for eclectic holiday gifts from around the world and help support non-profit Quaker organizations. Enjoy hot drinks and hearty eats in the café and bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Second Harvest.
Our Milwaukee Buy Local Fair Urban Ecology Center Dec. 6 ourmilwaukee.net Support the community and strengthen our economic base this holiday season by buying local. Find unique holiday gifts and use your money to support local businesses and non-profit organizations.
Breakfast & Lunch with Santa Milwaukee County Zoo Weekends, Dec. 6 - 21 414-771-5500 or milwaukeezoo.org The entire family can enjoy a special breakfast or lunch with Father Christmas this holiday season. Afterward, visit the animals!
Saturdays at Central Milwaukee Public Library - Central Dec. 6 & 20 414-286-3091 or mpl.org Bring the kids to the library on Dec. 6 to build their own gingerbread houses and stop back on the 20th for seasonal stories and songs! Breakfast with Santa The Pfister Hotel Dec. 6, 13 and 20 800-558-8222 or pfisterhotel.com Children can enjoy a magical breakfast with Santa and his elves in the Pfister’s lovely Imperial Ballroom and receive a special Christmas gift from the man himself! Teddy Bear Tea The Pfister Hotel Dec. 6, 13 and 20 800-558-8222 or pfisterhotel.com Bring the tots down for a holiday tea with Mrs. Claus and bring along a new teddy bear to donate to Milwaukee children in need this holiday season. Walker’s Winter Wonderland Holiday Bazaar Walker Elementary School Dec. 6 wawm.k12.wi.us Local home-based businesses and crafters will be selling their wares at this kid-friendly gift fair. Kids of all ages can visit Santa’s workshop to buy gifts for friends and family with the help of Santa’s elves. Jolly Holly Folly Milwaukee Center Rotunda Dec. 7 800-359-9272 or arcw.org Enjoy delicious edibles from Milwaukee restaurants and catch the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre’s presentation of The Blonde, The Brunette and The Vengeful Redhead at this annual benefit for the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. Boerner’s Holiday Celebration Boerner Botanical Gardens Dec. 7 414-525-5635 or boernerbotanicalgardens.org Come down to the lovely Boerner Botanical Gardens for a gingerbread brunch with Santa, sponsored by Bartolotta’s Catering. Stick around after the meal for storytelling and crafts with Santa! Music in the Museum Milwaukee Art Museum – Windhover Hall Dec. 9 414-224-3200 or mam.org An annual holiday concert with Dr. Jeffrey Hollander playing selections from Frank Sinatra and the swing era. While you’re there, visit the Museum’s seasonally displayed 18th-century Neopolitan Creche.
Community Holiday Party Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts Dec. 10 262-781-9520 or wilson-center.com Vocal jazz group Five By Design creates a holiday musical retrospective, playing Christmas favorites. Plus, sample delicious cookies from the Wilson Center’s first-ever Holiday Cookie Contest. Harry Connick, Jr. Riverside Theater Dec. 12 414-286-3663 or riversidetheater.org Harry Connick, Jr. and his big band bring the yuletide spirit to Milwaukee with The Holiday Celebration tour. Brunch with Santa St. Ann Center Dec. 13 414-977-5000 or stanncenter.org Santa takes time out of his busy schedule for a special brunch at the St. Ann Center. Shop for gifts in Santa’s Workshop and stick around for a magic show and cookie decorating, but don’t forget to have your picture taken on Santa’s lap!
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Bradley Center Dec. 14 414-276-4545 or ticketmaster.com Trans-Siberian Orchestra , the NYC rock orchestra best known for their heavy renditions of traditional Christmas songs, bring their exhilarating live show to the Bradley Center this season. Performances at 3 pm and 7:30 pm. Mannheim Steamroller The Milwaukee Theatre Dec. 23 414-908-6001 or milwaukeetheatre.org Celebrate the spirit of the season with the popular “18th century rock band” playing your holiday favorites with a synth-y twist. Winter Break Fun Betty Brinn Children’s Museum Dec. 29 – Jan. 2 414-390-KIDS or bbcmkids.org A winter wonderland of fun for kids during winter break! Participate in educational games, stories and crafts or build your own igloo!
Hand Craft Your Holiday Katie Gingrass Gallery 241 North Broadway 414-289-0855 or gingrassgallery.com Handcraft your holiday with wearable art, unique accessories, and fine art jewelry by local and nationally recognized artists. Enjoy the spirit of the season! Bring a friend to the special evening of shopping and receive a discount!
Rev Up The Holidays The Harley Davidson Museum November 29th 400 W. Canal Street 877-436-8738 or harley-davidson.com Kick it into high gear and welcome the holidays at Motor, the Harley museum's restaurant. Get your photo taken with Santa, enjoy complimentary food and drink tastings and see the lighting of the grounds!
Bad Santa Happy Hour The Harley Davidson Museum December 5 400 W. Canal Street 877-436-8738 or harley-davidson.com Holiday fun for those on Santa's naughty list! Enjoy drink specials and complimentary tastings from Lakefront and Rehorst and a live broadcast by 103.7 KISS FM.
New Year's Eve!
Jim Gaffigan Pabst Theater Dec. 30 – 31 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.org Check out hilarious comedian (and the other half of Pale Force!) Jim Gaffigan on New Year’s Eve live at The Pabst and laugh your way into 2009.
New Year’s Eve at Noon Betty Brinn Children’s Museum 414-390-KIDS or bbcmkids.org New Year’s can be fun for kids too! They’ll get to make their own party hats and noise makers and ring in the new year a bit early with a juice toast!
Harlem Globetrotters Bradley Center 414-276-4545 or ticketmaster.com Come see the Globetrotters do what they do best - a Milwaukee family tradition for almost 40 years!
Pfister New Year’s Eve Celebration The Pfister Hotel 800-558-8222 or pfisterhotel.com Say hello to 2009 in style with an intimate five-course gourmet dinner and ballroom dancing to the music of The Nick Contorno Orchestra.
CAKE Riverside Theater 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.org Cake is back for another New Year’s celebration in Milwaukee, so grab a beer and get ready to go the distance on a night of non-stop action.
New Year’s Eve at Red Arrow Park Red Arrow Park 414-257-PARK or countyparks.com Come for outdoor ice-skating against picturesque city views and stay for a dazzling fireworks display when the ball drops. MSO: Breaking Through to Joy Marcus Center for the Performing Arts 414-273-7206 or mso.org The Symphony and special guests welcome the new year with Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto, K. 191 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 “Ode to Joy.” New Year’s Eve Under Glass Mitchell Park Conservatory 414-649-9800 or countyparks.com Welcome 2009 at The Domes! Experience a desert oasis, a tropical jungle and a lush floral garden all in one place, and see them transform after nightfall when you are treated to a fantastic light show.
InterContinental Milwaukee Hotel NYE Package InterContinental Milwaukee 414-276-8686 or intercontinentalmilwaukee.com Ring in the New Year with a romance-filled getaway at the contemporary four-star InterContinental Milwaukee hotel.Awaiting you upon arrival in your deluxe guest room will be a demi bottle of champagne complemented by fresh, ripe strawberries. Price is $275 per couple.
Hilton Milwaukee NYE Celebration Hilton Milwaukee City Center 414-271-7250 or hiltonmilwaukee.com A unique New Year's package that offers you and your family a tropical getaway includes a beautifully appointed guest room at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, water park passes to Paradise Landing for up to five guests, a special New Year's Day breakfast buffet and more. $275 per family.
Miller Free Rides millerfreerides.com Whatever you do this New Year’s Eve, make sure you do it safely. Hop on for a free bus ride to and from your party destinations anywhere MCTS travels, courtesy of Miller Brewing Company.
Polar Bear Plunge Bradford Beach New Year's Day Brave the icy depths of Lake Michigan with this annual tradition!
In the beginning When I started writing the Slightly Crunchy Parent in March 2003, I was full of things to say about the choices I had made as a parent. I spent hours and hours researching all of the decisions I made for our family. It is such a large responsibility – I don’t think a person can fully comprehend the pressure and the desire to “do it right” unless they’ve raised kids. We all know what happens to children when parenting goes wrong: years of therapy and unfulfilling adult relationships and neuroses and medications and maybe even jail time. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad. But it feels like it when you’re the mom.
When I was offered the opportunity to write a column I jumped at it. I had done a lot of writing before I had kids, but it slowed down a lot while I carried babies and chased toddlers. Every month, I loved sitting down to vent some of that pent-up creativity. The Slightly Crunchy Parent (or Crunchy P, as we call it in-house) has been a fabulous outlet for the last five-and-a-half years.
During that time, I have talked about some of my best and worst experiences as a mother. More than once, I have found myself crying as I write, re-experiencing some difficulty or triumph. It has also happened that I open the pages of VITAL Source and can hardly remember what I have written. So many times I am in the zone, writing things that were secrets until my fingers hit the keys.
Then and now Lena is 13; in 2003 she was seven. As a home-schooled second grader, she was right on the cusp of reading and she could whoop some serious backside at pretzel poker. She was a bossy, sassy, sweet master strategist who liked to be glued to my side. She was simultaneously very proud of and very annoyed by her younger siblings and cousins. Her desire to mother and control them was so strong – I felt like I was constantly saying, “Lena, you are NOT the parent!” Lena has been trying to grow up fast since the day she was born. Looking at her now, it seems like she has gotten her wish.
Though she was my fattest baby, she is now a slender young woman with a core of self-confidence that’s hard to rattle. While she still likes to be the boss (very much!), she typically channels it into helping out with her brother and sister and babysitting a lot. For the most part, she has refined her sass into something far more palatable in our family: irreverence. At 13, she obviously still has some pretty mouthy moments (and what is up with the eye rolling?), but we work through it.
In March 2003, Emma was approaching her fourth birthday. That girl has always walked to the beat of her own drum. In manner and nature, she is completely different from her siblings. Emma was already working hard to put her ideas down on paper in the form of elaborate illustrations and paintings. She sang quietly to herself, often narrating her day as it progressed. While she enjoyed playing with Lena and all of the tribe kids, she was never willing to put up with unfavorable conditions just to avoid rocking the boat. She frequently chose to play alone rather than go along with a game she didn’t want to play.
For the most part, this still describes Emma the fifth grader. At the beginning of the school year, she was offered a scholarship from Danceworks to continue her tap dancing classes. She’s positively mad for tap. It’s her second year of violin, too, and she constantly amazes me with her drive to practice and perfect her musical abilities.
Between the beginning and now, though, Emma and I hit a rough patch. The kids’ dad and I separated in 2004 and eventually divorced. We’ve maintained an excellent parenting relationship and the kids have never gone more than a couple days without seeing him. On the surface, Emma seemed to handle the whole thing very well. She continued to do well in school, had friends, went to Brownies and generally behaved. But something was missing between us. It was gone so long, I really believed that she and I just weren’t going to be as close as the other kids, and I mourned that relationship deeply. Then suddenly, about a year ago, things improved. I think she must have finally worked through her really normal anger towards me. And when she was done, it was like the clouds parted and the sun shone on my heart again. I had missed my mini-me so much.
My youngest, Jeffrey, was two. He was still nursing, still sleeping with me, still thought the whole world revolved around the two of us. Physically, Jeffrey was very strong and very coordinated. He could run, kick, throw a ball, jump off high surfaces and injure himself much earlier than the girls. But when he was ready for a cuddle, he was totally my guy.
He’s eight years old now. Still agile and determined, he backs away from no physical challenge. He’s small for his age, able to sneak behind furniture, under beds, into corners and around people milling about. He loves being called on to do things no one else can do. Like Lena, Jeffrey is also a master of strategy. Games like Risk, Stratego and Othello keep him fascinated for hours. Though his teachers regularly tell me that he has poor eye-hand coordination, you’d never know it watch him build Star Wars pocket models or bead bracelets with his sisters.
Wrapping it up and starting anew As always, I am amazed by my children. They are genuinely kind and generous. They continue to be my greatest teachers. We laugh together, and we cry together when we need to. None of us walks alone. And though, like everyone else, I still doubt my parenting regularly, I am proud of what I’ve done.
This is the last installment – for now, at least – of the Slightly Crunchy Parent. In January, I’ll begin a new column for VITAL. It’s more general, focusing on living in the world with as little damaging impact as possible, facing environmental and even financial challenges as families and individuals. Think of it as “The Slightly Crunchy Parent Goes to Washington,” only told in story form from my dining room table. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as you’ve enjoyed the Crunchy P. VS
With the country’s current, sorry economic state, many are preparing for a Cratchit-like holiday season. If plummeting stocks have crippled your finances and threatened your stockings, you have two options: The first is to pull a “Gift of the Magi” and trade in your most prized possession for presents for your loved ones. But let’s be honest, your season one DVD box set of Wings isn’t going to get Ralphie that Red Rider BB gun he’s been clamoring for. Your best bet is to stick with your friends at VITAL, and let us show you some thoughtful, spirited local gifts that cost $25 dollars or less. Keep your wallet, your family and friends happy, and keep your Wings DVD. VS
PinoFunnel + more $17 - $25 hot*pop 414-273-1301, hotpopshop.com hot*pop opened in the Third Ward this spring, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen in Milwaukee: they advocate “good living through good design” and at their colorful store you can find apparel, sneakers, comic books, skate deck art, urban tableware, Hong Kong-inspired vinyl toys, as well as a gallery of local and national art. Among the dozens of bright, cheeky delights available, you can find a small funnel shaped like Pinocchio’s face (his nose is the funnel) that lets you get wine back into the bottle from the carafe. Great for the young at heart, street art lovers and people who obsessively collect small things.
Recycled t-shirts $7 Teecycle Teecycle.org We all know how fun it is to find a hip, hilarious or just plain nice t-shirt buried in the racks at the thrift store. It’s great to wear it and tell people who like it that you paid a dollar for it. But if you’re not so into the thrill of the chase, the hours of digging or the funny smell of thrift store clothing that never quite washes out, you’re in luck. Not only does Teecycle take all of that nasty hard work out of it, they donate $1 from every shirt sold to the River Revitalization Fund. Everyone wins! Teecycle’s cute gently used shirts are a bargain at $7 per, so buy one for everyone in your family.
Hand-made crafts $7 - $25 John Michael Kohler Arts Center 920-458-6144, jmkac.org The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is well- known for its visual and performing arts offerings, but the center’s ARTspace breaks the mold by merging a traditional museum gift shop with a curated exhibit of art with One and Only: Gifts Made by Hand. So if that special someone would love a decorative ceramic tumbler, a one-of-a-kind glass ornament (incorporating ash from Mount St. Helens), decorative felt wool flowers – all delivered with gorgeous hand-made cards – One and Only is sure to have just what you need.
Organic fair trade tea and gift sets $20 - $24 Rishi Tea rishi-tea.com If the nerves of some of your gift recipients are still shot from a turbulent election year, help them forget that a real life Ebenezer Scrooge was on the ballot last month with some of the world’s finest artisan teas. Milwaukee-based Rishi Tea recently cleaned house at the 2008 World Tea Awards, taking home seven best tea awards. Best of all, half-pounds of these highly-acclaimed teas – such as Rishi’s Peppermint Rooibos, China Breakfast and Earl Grey – can be purchased for less than a quarter of a Benji. Rishi’s limited edition holiday blend is an Organic Cinnamon Plum that’s sweet, tart and earthy, and some of the proceeds benefit the Clean Water Fund. You can also bring home a pretty tea set with a tiny single-serve infuser pot and black tea samples served up in a lovely bamboo basket.
Coffee samplers and gift cards $10 - $25 Alterra Coffee Roasters 877-273-3747, alterracoffee.com Alterra just made your holiday shopping a lot easier. If you’re clueless abut the coffee lover on your list, a $25 gift certificate could be your saving grace. But why not step it up a little this year? Alterra offers affordable sampler packs that feature two pounds of its favorite coffees in four half-pound servings! The company touts these packs as “the perfect gift for the true coffee aficionado” – a bold statement (coffee pun not intended), but we challenge anyone to disagree. Try the Fair Trade/Organic sampler for the coffee drinker with a conscience or, for the gourmet, the Roastmaster’s Picks feature some of Alterra’s most sophisticated blends.
Concert tickets and gift certificates $10 - $25 The Past Theater, Riverside Theater, Turner Hall Ballroom 414-286-3663, pabsttheater.org Santa has been known to make early visits, and fans of indie rock darlings Alex Chilton, Juliana Hatfield and The Faint would certainly love it if the jolly ol’ fellow “forgot” what day it was and advanced them a ticket to any of the upcoming shows from the above-listed artists. But for punctuality’s sake, a $25 gift certificate would be a great way to contribute to helping a loved one experience the New Year’s Eve performances of Cake or comedian Jim Gaffigan. And our friends at the Pabst have a habit of booking painfully awesome shows all year long, so don’t be surprised to see more of the amazing same in 2009. Maybe you’ll even be invited along! Comic-to-film source material Around $20 Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops schwartzbooks.com Those comic books you always thought were just “kids’ stuff” are gaining a new surge in popularity due to more adult-oriented themes, the “graphic novel” moniker and an increased presence in recent cinema. And like any great film adaptation of a literary work (Beaches, anyone?), it’s important to read the book before trekking off to your local theater. There are a lot of promising comic films on the horizon. Luckily, Harry W. Schwartz has trades (big collections of comic book story arcs, for the unaware) for many of these high-profile movies, including The Essential Punisher and the complete masterpiece of Alan Moore’s Watchmen, ready to be gifted to your favorite nerd. Gourmet beers $7 - $12 Sendik’s Food Markets sendiks.com Sure, teas are great for soothing the jitters, but what about those who want to relax AND work towards the ultimate goal of permanent liver damage? A good beer may be just the right stocking-stuffer for these folks. The good people at Sendik’s Food Market have been kind enough to mark some of the finer brews they carry with official Beer Advocate and ratebeer.com scores, making alcohol selection as easy as twisting off the cap. VITAL recommends Delirum Nocturnum ($9.94 per pint) Double Dead Guy Ale ($10.99 per pint) and Lakefront Brewery’s Eastside Dark ($7.99 per six pack). The Lakefront beer is especially suggested if you are headed out-of-state for the holidays, since everyone loves to experience the real Milwaukee deal. Organic produce baskets $9 - $16 per week Growing Power 414-527-1546, growingpower.org Whether you’re looking to help the earth, support local urban farmers or get others to eat healthier, Growing Power’s market baskets are eco-friendly gifts that continue to give on a regular basis. The baskets contain 12 to 15 varieties of fruits and vegetables and can feed one to four people (depending on the price paid) for a week. Best of all, the baskets feature the seasonal offerings of Growing Power and the Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative, making it unlikely that the recipient will ever get the same basket twice. Growing Power’s Will Allen just received a MacArthur Genius Grant, so reward brains,
