Here We Go Again.

The best thing about being unemployed is that when someone calls you on a Sunday night and asks if you want to go to Potosi, WI in the morning to celebrate Marty King Jr.'s, you can say yes. And mean it.

I did mean it, and in the morning we were on our way to Wisconsin's 3rd coast with both a soundtrack and clearly defined goals. Southwestern Wisconsin, the proudly unglaciated portion of the state, was at our fingertips!

With the Mustard Museum on the move, we took the opportunity  to explore some of the area's other treasures. We'd stop by The Dickeyville Groto on our way home (my 2nd visit!), but first we wanted a little history/mystery in our lives. Hello Belmont Leslie, WI, the birthplace of a great state! We came into this experience with a few misperceptions:

1. The State of Wisconsin's 1st capitol was never located here; Wisconsin Territory's 1st territorial legislature meet here for a month and a half during the winter of 1836. And then promptly voted to make Madison the new capitol. Not the same.

2. Despite the sizable Belmont Mound a mile down the road, seemingly the perfect place for a statehouse, the First Capitol buildings are not there. [see #1, RE: not a real capitol] Also, they're on concrete foundations.

3. The First Capitol Historical Site is not open between the months of September & June.

Despite these set backs we celebrated with a quick game of Wisconsin Territory Legislator & Indian.

After a quick stop through UW-Platteville (go Pioneers.), we were off across the ice-fogged hill & vale of County Rte. B. Our goal–The Potosi Brewing Company, home to Good Old Potosi beer and The National Brewery  Museum. What I was expecting: a brewery, a museum, a small town. What I was not expecting: the number of hollows we drove through/by. Take that glacial floe.

We never actually made it to the museum portion of the brewery, but they did give us a free slice of pie. Let's not call it a dream deferred, just a dream for another day.

Doing it in pen is nothing compared to doing it in type.

Skill learned: use of the ½-space functionality. It's the only way to get yourself into all those little boxes that aren't quite 2 spaces apart.

Sweater; Roof; Typewriter

I got a typewriter in the mail today. It's a sleek little guy, and he came complete with a red & black ribbon, a #1 key(!), and an Operating Instruction pamphlet. This proved surprisingly useful early on in our relationship when it detailed how to set my line-spacing. The only thing he seems to be missing is a Tab key, which I'm not sure how my future typewriting experiences will be affected by yet.

Actually, this seemed like the perfect time to be a little affected. So I put on a sweater, a tie, and a pair of saddle shoes. And then got to typing.

The New Year's Sway

Early in the new year we headed out to the lake, for no good reason at all. Jumpshots, Samurai, and general merriment followed. I had recently found my camera in a snow bank, left from a snowangel the night before, and discovered that exposure to sub-zero temperatures is not one of the myriad of ways to break my camera. With a functioning camera, limited visibility, and a highly bundled audience, it was the perfect opportunity for a New Year's Sway.

New Years/New Flavors

I can't wait to drink this out of a tiny glass boot.

Crapples2Crapples: A Brief History

»April 17th, 2009: the as yet unnamed Crapples2Crapples is conceived over beers at the Silver Dollar, post-Apples To Apples play at The Terrace.

»April 23rd, 2009: Apples to Apples, v. 2.0 googledoc created and shared with original participants; inaugural entry now forever lost to history.

»August 20-25th, 2009: Logo Contest/Logo Selection

»September 1st, 2009: Five Crapples2Crapples sets arrive in 1 perfectly sized cardtub; Booster Pack 1 googledoc begun.

»September-December, 2009: Crapples begins making appearances across the nation [Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Crandon].

»December 22th, 2009: Booster Pack 1 arrives, full sets sent to Boston; Philadelphia. Crapples now located in 5 cities nationwide [Madison, Milwaukee, Iowa City, Philadelphia, & Boston]

»January 18th, 2010: Boston submits requests for 2 additional sets.

It's been a meteoric rise, all made possible by copyright infringement! What's next? Booster Pack 2, coming this spring to a city near you. A short preview of what to expect:

Sometimes my iPod gets its cover art confused.