madcity girl

Sneeze. Cough. Cough. Drip. Blow. Cough. Cough.

That would be me with a severe head cold. Eight days and counting.

My mom worries I have the swine flu.

I do not.

But I have spent countless hours over the last week sipping tea, laying on the couch, sleeping, reading, and sucking on cough drops. All in an effort to get healthy. And to run again. Yet I remain sick.

And to add insult to injury, I had a dentist’s appointment earlier today. To have three cavities filled. Yep.  Not just one or two, but three. Because apparently I am the only 28 year-old who still gets cavities.

This conjures memories of growing up with my brother, Kelly, who never brushed his teeth. Seriously. As the responsible older sister I’ve always been, I brushed and flossed diligently. Religiously. Yet, when it came time for our regular dental appointments, I was always the one with cavities.

But I actually brush, dammit. Unlike my stupid little brother!

You may just be prone to them, the dentists always delicately advised.

Meanwhile, my brother (that little bastard) always came out of those appointments scotch clean, sporting a little devilish grin to rub it all in. Still makes me mad to this day.

And we won’t even talk about the braces my pubescent, pimple-faced, greasy-banged, hairy upper lipped (read: ugly) self endured during middle school. While my brother of course remained metal-free with teeth that were perfect-in-every-way.

Oh. Why me?!

Yesterday afternoon, I took my team (Emily and Bob) out for a holiday lunch at the Old Fashioned on the capitol square. I wanted to celebrate the holiday season and the great work we’ve accomplished this year. Along the way to the square, we stopped to see the Christmas tree prominently displayed in the capitol rotunda. Lunch was great—good conversation and delicious food in a classic Wisconsin supper club atmosphere. Can’t beat that. I’m really lucky to work alongside such great people who exhibit such passion and dedication toward their work.  We’ve got big things in store for 2010!

Last night after work I walked up to the square to see this year’s Chrismas tree at the state capitol. It’s one of my favorite things to do in Madison around the holidays. Approaching the tree was like unwrapping a beautiful and elaborately wrapped gift—as I walked down the long corridor from the southwest entrance, the tree and all of it’s magical glory were slowly unveiled to me. As I finally entered the rotunda, the giant tree came into full view, adorned with hundreds of colorful lights, homemade ornaments by local elementary school students, a tree-topping star reaching for the great heights of the rotunda dome, and a circling locomotive that would send my little cousin Tyler jumping for joy.

According to a sign in the capitol rotunda, “The 2009 State Capitol Tree is 35-foot balsam fir donated by the Charles MacDonald family of Eagan, Minnesota. The tree was harvested outside their property along the St. Croix River outside of River Falls, Wisconsin. Public and private schools throughout Wisconsin have donated the handmade ornaments that adorn the tree. In the spirit of the Governor’s energy initiative, the tree is decorated with 2,400 energy saving multicolored LED lights. A Wisconsin and Southern Railroad locomotive is circling the base of the tree.”

Oh what I’d give to work in the state capitol during the month of December!

Every year I put together a Christmas list, despite the fact that the only person who requests it is my mother. As I was piecing together this year’s list, I realized that I don’t really need anything. In fact, I was already granted my biggest wish—I found out on Friday that my brother is coming home from San Francisco for Christmas! Certainly, there are other things on my wish list—namely, a new bike, mattress, and car (in that order), but I’m smart enough to know that Santa doesn’t have pockets nearly that deep. So instead, I focused on all the little things I’ve coveted lately, many of which I would probably never buy myself…oh who am I kidding, I just haven’t bought them yet. More than anything, the annual list is an opportunity to gather my thoughts and also provide unique gift ideas for others. So here it goes, in no particular order (left to right).

1. Ada Table Lamp, CB2, $59.95
2. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, Amazon, $14.47
3. Assorted Vinyl Records (Sigur Ros, Serge Gainsbourg, Iron & Wine, etc.)
4. Cuisinart Easy-Pop Popcorn Maker, Williams Sonoma, $39.95 (on sale today!)
5. Smartwool Artisan Socks - 2pk, Title Nine,$29
6. Colored Paring Knives - set of 3, Williams Sonoma, $32.95
7. Subscription to Cook’s Illustrated and Saveur, $24.95 and $19.95
8. KitchenAid Stand Mixer Pasta Attachment, Williams Sonoma, $149-$179
9. La Cafetiere Pura Orange Ceramic French Press 8 cup, Central Chef, $31.99

Hi. I’m Kristin. And I’m proud to be among a small group of bloggers piloting a new recruitment tool for the Office of Admissions at UW-Madison. As of now, there are five of us—four incredibly bright and articulate current students, and me, the lone admissions counselor.

And so therefore, as if one weren’t enough, I’m now devoting my time to writing two blogs—one personal, and one for work. Sometimes it can feel like a lot of pressure trying to keep readers engaged with fresh and interesting content.

But I love to write. And so I was thrilled to be asked to be part of the project. My directive is to write from the perspective of an admissions counselor. And thus my goal is to shed light on the seemingly mysterious process of college admissions, and to provide timely advice to applicants. Easy enough, right?

I have nearly five years of professional admissions experience; But yet, I was really nervous about many aspects of the project…like, what would I write about? And how would my posts be perceived? More than anything, I worried about the fact that I would be the “boring” blogger among the group—that the student bloggers would have the opportunity to cover all of these incredibly rich academic and student life experiences, and I would be stuck writing about boring admission deadlines.

But I was also super excited. There was so much potential. Certainly, connecting with prospective students through social media avenues is becoming increasingly important in college recruitment. And there was so much room for creativity— especially since I was the first counselor blogger, and had been given free reign to write un-edited content on whichever topics I chose. I also felt like, having gone through the college admissions process not so long ago myself, I could genuinely help prospective students navigate the process.

The blog, titled “Wisconsin Blogs,” officially launched in mid-October. I was actually in Hawaii at the time, but had pre-written my first blog for the launch. So far, the blog has been very well received by applicants and the university community alike. If you have the chance, check it out and let me know what you think. Hopefully I’m not as boring as I originally feared.

You know how much I love a good bagel. Especially seasonal pumpkin bagels at Einstein’s…with pumpkin cream cheese. And they’re even better when they’re free! That’s right…free bagels at Einstein’s this Friday before 11am. The reusable coupon is available  here. Spread the bagel love…and feel free to send to your friends, family, and co-workers. Because who doesn’t want a free bagel?

Best. Cinnamon Roll. Ever.

In my mind, nothing is nearly as iconic of summer as “fun island.” As I’ve mentioned previously, fun island is the name we termed for the inflatable water trampoline that floats just a few swim strokes away from the pier at my friend Karen’s family’s lake house on Green Lake, in south central Wisconsin. I’ve had the great opportunity to spend both Memorial Day and Labor Day at Green Lake for the past several years. And in my memory, fun island is always in the water by Memorial Day and out by Labor Day, thus in many ways signaling both the beginning and end of summer.

Much in the same way, this past weekend at Green Lake was bittersweet. After a half-day in the office on Friday, Karen and I arrived at the lake early afternoon and immediately claimed sunny spots on the pier. Eventually we were joined by Karen’s sister Kate, as well as our friends Kim and Matt. The weather was amazing—sunny skies and 80’s throughout. We enjoyed an abundance of reading and napping on the pier, barbecuing, and an array of water sports—kayaking, tubing, water skiing, and swimming. And of course I had my requisite long workouts, which are thankfully soon coming to an end.

As always, the weekend went by way too fast. Before I knew it, Monday had arrived and we were hauling fun island out of the lake, officially putting an end to summer and all of its glory. So until Memorial Day next year, the still-inflated fun island hangs precariously from the rafters of the garage—Kate’s genius storage idea.

Until then. Farewell, fun island. I will miss you like the deserts miss the rain.

Another Buffett concert has come and gone—my eleventh in a string of annual shows that started when I was seventeen. Each year I get so excited for the big day—to catch up with old friends, take a break from training, drink a few Coronas, and soak in all of the fun and liveliness that is a Jimmy Buffet concert at Alpine Valley. But alas, in recent years, I’ve found myself just a little disappointed when it’s all said and done.

The past few years have certainly been fun—but with each passing year, I find myself just a little less enamored with the whole experience. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I know fewer and fewer people on the bus as the invite list has expanded to second cousins, friends of friends, and siblings’ significant others. Or perhaps it’s the fact that the drunk, rowdy, and obnoxious seem to be getting even more so—particularly a certain ex-boyfriend of mine who, this year, couldn’t string together a coherent sentence to me during the entire 15-hour day. Maybe the last straw was watching a passed-out girl puke on the bus after the show—her vomit rolling down the center aisle, slowly inching toward my flip-flopped feet.

Debbie Downer, I know. But honestly I can’t help myself at times from saying, I’m too old for this shit.

Without a doubt, the best part of the day was catching up with my friend Christie, who was in town from Seattle. I can’t remember the last time I’d seen her before this past Saturday. There were also many others who I enjoyed catching up with.

I also loved the concert—Buffett played all of his classics—Margaritaville, Come Monday, Brown Eyed Girl, Fins, It’s Five O’clock Somewhere, Southern Cross, etc. There have been a few shows over the years during which Jimmy tried to break out new material—and that never seemed to go well. The weather also made for an interesting twist on the night. It was misting rain the whole concert which created an obviously wet, yet eerie and strangely magical atmosphere—especially when the lights from the stage lit up the sky.

Who knows if I’ll be back for Buffett 2010. Likely I’ll forget about all of aspects of this year’s concert that annoyed me by the time tickets for next year’s show go on sale, and jump on the bandwagon as always. But then again, who knows if Jimmy will be back for another year. He’s getting old too, you know.

It’s time to break out the coconut bra. Less than 48 hours remain before I’ll be boarding the bus to Alpine Valley. Buffett or Bust.

I’ve taken the day off work tomorrow so I can get in this week’s 100+ mile bike ride. That way there’s no worries on Buffett Day. Or more importantly, the day after.

I can’t even count how many summer Jimmy Buffett shows I’ve attended at Alpine Valley. I think this might be eleven…or twelve. I only missed one year—for Jill and Ryan’s wedding.

This time we’ll be traveling in style. We’ve officially graduated from a big yellow bus to a coach bus. We’re getting older and wiser. The bus will be packed with fifty-five of my former high school classmates. And lots of Corona.

You can read the chronicles from the past two Buffett shows here. And I’m sure I’ll have plenty of new pictures and stories to post next week.