tuesday 04.21.09

working with mia at barriques. cleaning out the first of the two espresso basket-things on the espresso machine. back washing the screen and machine for the next day, making sure all the old espresso grounds are cleared out and not in your vanilla latte.

-bkh

monday 04.20.09

working at barriques. bjorn, kaitlynn, ryan, and i celebrated the trampled by turtles show properly, though my twelve hour work day didn't really agree with the previous night's celebration. coffee was much appreciated when the 5:00 shift rolled around after eight hours in the cubical. liz was wrapping up some of the end of day stuff; serving the last of the food, cutting the un-purchased newspapers.


-bkh

sunday 04.19.09

bjorn bergman and kaitlynn radloff came in to town from la crosse for the trampled by turtles show. they arrived just in time for a veggie burger and salmon cook-out in the rain. the two of them are produce folk at the lax co-op, so they came bringing pounds of asparagus to add to the dinner. bjorn also came with his latest batch of home-brewed beers; his newest and most delicious hobby.


-bkh

saturday 04.18.09

at a dinner lecture at my former roommate's, lisa, new house. she stays at an international graduate student co-op, called the knapp house, in downtown madison. once a month the roommates bring in a speaker, invite over a bunch of people, cook a delicious selection of appetizers a meal and dessert, and stock the wine and beer selection. erin and i went to the talk on 'things you've always wanted to know about sex, but never asked'. the woman who owns the store - a woman's touch - on the near east side gave the talk this time around. we were enlightened about the g-spot, if size really matters, sex-ed in israel, and difference in attitudes towards sex passed on to girls vs. boys.


-bkh
(disclosure: i took this picture from the knapp house website; i didn't take it myself.)

friday 04.17.09

'sun comes up and we start again...'

working barriques, again. just me and leah closing it up. wine tasting night on old sauk, so mia is on the other side of the counter pouring the vino. a group of co-workers were enjoying the red wine, as well. some folks came in for milkshakes and smoothies. and a lot of people came in for appitizers to enjoy with wine. it was a long night, and a long close. immediately after barriques was the mason jennings show. met up with brendan o'shea, another former uw-ler, for the sold-out show.


-bkh

thursday 04.16.09

'because we separate it ripples our reflections...'

barriques night with ellen and leah. ellen was fresh off the plane from a spring break trip in nyc, and full of stories to share as we picked away at closing. this was the first time closing with three people; leah was training. just filled the hoppers with espresso beans. FYI - if a person were to, hypothetically, pull up on the plastic funnel part of the hopper, it would detach from the metal part and espresso beans would pour out on to the counter, floor, keyboard, etc. or, um, so i'm told...


-bkh

wednesday 04.15.09

grabbing a drink at brasserie v with joel, a fellow uwmf employee. i filed my taxes back in march (?) so i could actually enjoy my april 15th for the first time in nine years. what an odd feeling. we grabbed a few delicious beers over conversation that inevitably circled back to the medical foundation every now and then. and, much to my delight, were able to sit by the window and enjoy the sun for much longer than even a month ago. summer - i welcome you with open arms.


-bkh

tuesday 04.14.09

right back in the swing of life in madison. closing at barriques with mia. one of my first shifts with her behind the counter. tuesdays are an 8pm close time, so pulling out the food half an hour before close to ensure a smooth end to the evening.


-bkh

monday 04.13.09

'twisting off the top again cuz i can't find the words to tell a girl that she could be my world...'

driving back after a long easter weekend in the cities. taking out my favorite mix cd (my 'music you should know' mix for eric furhmann) and putting in jonathan delehanty's live cd. hanging out with him the previous night reminded me how talented he is, and how much i appreciate his music. i don't have any of his recorded stuff in cd format. only on ipod. so i enjoy the live cd he sent me back in the uw-l days - back in 2005?


-bkh

sunday 04.12.09

happy birthday, ryan :)

post-easter martinis with the folks at home. my mom looking lovely. clearly, drinks in the living room is a very common scene in the hanson household when either of the away siblings are back home. and something i truly cherish. the latter half of the evening was spent in uptown with the incredibly talented jonathan delehanty, a fellow former-laxer relocated to the cities.


-bkh

saturday 04.11.09

having martinis and appetizers with my parents in the living room at their home back in the cities. please note that my mom was sipping on a chocolate martini, too. they are not both mine. though, they were both delicious. i get drinks at home made by my dad like no other.


-bkh

friday 04.10.09

making good time on my ride back to the cities. happy easter weekend. i left madison at a reasonable hour, after picking up the few cds i had on hold at the library. i sped down highway 12 and i-94 to 'in rainbows', 'we all belong' (until i got sleepy), 'troubadour', feed the animals' (definitely was not sleepy), and 'twin cinema' (read: 'bleeding heart show' on repeat, essentially). i made it to my favorite skyline around dusk. at the end of my road was ann, michelle, sarah, brenda, ashley, and shallon - all my gals from high school under one roof (!!!!) a night of wine and beer, their new friends in mpls, and good laughs good fun, ensued.


-bkh

thursday 04.09.09

working at barriques. if you look closely you can see my closing partner, quinn, reflected next to me in the cap of the french press. making some iced tea to serve the customers. barriques people, and i suppose people in general, enjoy the iced drinks when spring comes around. iced tea, iced sports tea, iced coffee, iced mochas, iced lattes... you get the picture. we go through it by the toddy and fresh press full.


-bkh

wednesday 04.08.09

at a barriques 'wine 101' in the basement of the monroe street store. there was about a half dozen of us at matt's, one of the owners, training session. we learned about whites and reds from chardonnay to merlot, how to open the bottles, and what the heck a sommelerie is. matt was getting ready to pour the first (pinot grigo) of the five wines we were tasting. and one of my fitchburg colleagues was listening intensely on the other side of the bottles and dump bucket.


-bkh

tuesday 04.07.09

just finished voting at the mscr by my house. unlike the last time i voted (for barack obama), i didn't have to wait in a line that snaked along the long hallways of the training center. just a quick five minute deal, parking time included.


-bkh

monday 04.06.09

working at barriques. with quinn. collecting up some dishes to wash. tracy and jill, who worked before us, did as much of the closing duties as is humanly possible. there was a barriques social at the melting pot starting at 8:15, and they wanted to ensure quinn and me being able to make it. they were successful; i arrived at 8:22.

-bkh

sunday 04.05.09

'but where are those good old fashoined values...'

watching tv with the roommates. nick on the floor, ryan and erin on the couch. trying to watch 'family guy', but it cut away to an inappropriately long clip of a ridiculous old country music performance. typical 'FG' lately. i'm not sure if it ever ended. perhaps you know what episode i'm referring to and can let me know if it ever ended. because we changed the channel.


-bkh

saturday 04.04.09

i left the ladies in la crosse saturday morning to make it back for the 1-8 shift at barriques. i missed the 'talking heads' (tribute band). but, it's alright cuz last time i went to lax to see them, i didn't even see them anyways. so, it all worked out. cleaning off the panini (how do you spell that?) grill. using some soda water to soak the grill, and then scrape it off a few minutes later. better than the show, really.

really.

-bkh

friday 04.03.09

'how come i end up where i started...'

marissa and nina joined alli and i in lax. we spent the afternoon on the patio (sidewalk) at jules. just like we had never left, the familiar faces paraded by; sometimes to join for a bit, sometimes to just be a reminder of the memories lax holds. by the time we got around to unloading the car, we had already enjoyed two martinis at starlight happy hour, and visited nina and my old place of employment - erberts & gerberts. getting ready to settle in front of 'twilight' at alli and dave's with some beers c/o aaron rasch.


-bkh

thursday 04.02.09

just finishing my drive madison to la crosse. headed into my college town to see alli for her bday. i made it in alright time. enough for alli and i to down a pitcher of strawberry margarita (blended) and some food. she had her senior show photo shoot 9-11pm on campus. people came from all walks of lax with crap they're not sure why they own to have their photo taken for the 'materialism' themed shoot. it's rare you see so many sunglasses, shoes, necklaces, and tights in one spot.


-bkh

wednesday 04.01.09

just finished glazing some pots leftover from my last pottery session. there were some already glazed and fired cups, vases, and shot glasses ready to come home with me. sitting shotgun in DAS AUTO. you may recognize the biggest one as my 'coffee mug turned pencil holder'. it did indeed make it through from beginning to end and now serves its intended purpose in my house.


-bkh

tuesday 03.31.09

'þú hatta fjúka lætur í loft...'

drinking beers with ben at his place. talking about 'sigar ros' and their impromptu concerts in iceland. how neat would it be to stumble across a sigur ros concert? just them hanging out in the mountains, on a stage, playing some tunes. that raises the question, though, if they're as big in iceland as they are in the states. we never came to a conclusion on whether or not finding a sigar ros concert in iceland would be comparable to finding a nickleback (shudder) concert in the states. i think the conversation was cut short when i started vomiting about nickleback.


-bkh