Embarrassing Birthday Trip

Some parents like to really embarrass their children when birthday time rolls around. And some people really enjoy helping their friends' parents plan that really embarrassing birthday experience. This past week, that's exactly what happened when the mom of my friend Chris enlisted our help to plan a spectacularly embarrassing birthday dinner for Chris and his younger brother Joe at Organ Piper Pizza in West Allis, otherwise known as the Music Palace of Metro Milwaukee.

Joe, on the left, and my friend Chris on the right, look plenty embarrassed. And although the pizza is pretty solid, the real attraction is the old-school organ, which is attached to several rooms of organ pipes as well as other sound making devices attached to the ceiling and walls, like sirens and train whistles. An ancient old man named Ralph plays old standards, show tunes, and songs from movies. Below, old Ralph unfurls the American flag for a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Best part of the evening was when my friend Ben joked that the place-with its families with small children target audience and loud, cheesy music-made it a great place to take a girl on a first date if you didn't really like her. Classic stuff.

A Summerfest Post

A post from the first day of Summerfest, the World's largest music festival. It wouldn't be a full day without people watching (especially of this cute little kid in the background throwing up the Rock-On sign at the Rancid concert)...


Or without friends...like these guys right here. As per my usual mode of operation, I managed to combine two groups of friends who had never met before and still have everyone have a good, if not a little random evening. From Right to Left, it's Mike and Mike, Elysia- a friend of my pal Omar, and then Omar and Ben doing they're best to be ridiculous. The guys were excited to see Rise Against. I was excited just to be at Summerfest. And I think Elysia wasn't very excited at all. But at least we had fireworks...

...like these. It's one shot I took of the Big Bang fireworks, which kick off the festival every year.

A Quarter and a Song

Saw these guys on the street yesterday (Saturday) as I walked down 6th Avenue near 10th street. They sounded really good, and this guy apparently thought so too, because he here is throwing some change into their basket. I wonder, though, can he really hear their jazz music with those big headphones on? I thought I had my camera's regular settings on, but if you'll see yesterday's post I was fooling around with them on Friday night and apparently hadn't changed them back.

90's Dance Party

So last night was 90's night in my room...in all its glory. This shot proves that we actually listening to Aqua, of Barbie Girl fame. There was also some rocking out to The Barenaked Ladies and Del Amitri and Lauren Hill, among others.