FEBRUARY 2012 | VOLUME 12, NO. 2
WWW.SECONDSUPPER.COM
the free press A
Digest
Living,
Loving,
Losing,
Libraries
of
Coulee
Region
Culture
Carnivore's delight Our restaurant reviewer is smitten with Piggy's [P. 8]
anna Vogelzang Madison songwriter plucks heartstrings and banjo strings [P. 10]
Our public libraries might survive the budget cuts, but what about the people who call it home? [P. 4]
PLUS: SOCIAL NETWORKING • PAGE 6 | THE MAJAK MIXTAPE • PAGE 10 | THE ADVICE GODDESS • PAGE 12
2// February 1, 2012
Second Supper
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Second Supper
FIRST THINGS FIRST
February 1, 2012 // 3
This month in local politics January edition: La Crosse City Council On Hixon Forest, electronic signs and Matt Harter’s political genius By Adam Bissen
adam.bissen@secondsupper.com Well, it’s been a feisty month in La Crosse, Wis., my hometown. It was the month I got back on the political beat, drawn to the plight of poor Hixon Forest. It was quite the hullabaloo. Like the Lorax written in reverse, it mobilized more people than I can remember in this river town to express their love of trees. But, with apologies to the Grand Old Party, it was also the least essential debate of the year. Upper Hixon Forest is 160 acres of steeply graded bluffl and that has functioned alternately as a wildlife refuge, snowshoe haunt, experimental farm and world-class mountain biking facility ever since La Crosse purchased it in 1963. It’s been a popular recreational destination, but not until last year did an eagle-eyed city employee notice it had never been formally decreed a park. It seems like that would be an easy oversight to correct, but then, nothing is ever easy about this City Council. In December, council member Jim Bloedorn noted that a city park wouldn’t pay city taxes. Then one thing led to another, the park was referred to an administrative committee, and the great Save Hixon Forest Movement of 2012 spread like brushfi re. A Facebook page promptly received over 1,000 likes, and over 4,000 people signed petitions of support – both online and on paper, in La Crosse and around the world. When a fateful public hearing was scheduled for Jan. 10, well over 100 people crammed into the normally spacious City Council chambers. They ranged from impassioned activists to bicycle enthusiasts to out-of-town tourists to a precocious 7-year-old girl. I could fi ll an entire newspaper with inspiring quotes from that hearing, but instead I stood at the back of the room, near the coat racks, and basked in the power of the masses: “Administrative & Judiciary Committee, fi le the proper paperwork!” When the hearing closed, there was much grandstanding among the council, with nearly every member gushing proudly and exclaiming with equal measure his love of Upper Hixon Forest and participatory democracy. The dénouement came when Bloedorn enthused that this had been his idea all along, that he wanted to foster a discussion about how much people in La Crosse love their Hixon Forest. The committee voted 16-0 to recommend making the 50-year-old park a park. There was much merriment in the audience, and it continued as the crowd fi led its way out of the chambers. In the meantime, I moved up to one of the many empty seats and encountered local government as I had always remembered it. The council quickly veered into the nitty gritty of public administration – fun stuff like property transfers and rezoning and the evening’s best debate as to whether Goodwill should be allowed to purchase the former Quillin’s Grocery on Mormon Coulee Road and operate as a tax-exempt non-profi t. I may be a bit of a masochist, but I really get off on this public policy stuff. At the very least it allowed me to hear council member Marilyn Wigdahl’s heartfelt argument that while it’s nice Goodwill is “helping the indigent and so on,” we already have plenty of those here, and if we allow another Goodwill to be built, “the more people like that we bring into the city.” (That discussion was tabled for 30 days.) But if I thought that kind of language was curt, I wasn’t prepared for the billboard battle that would spring up two days later. Ever since Second Supper ran a cover story on electronic billboards last summer I knew the issue was touchy, with passionate opinion from both sides – folks who would likely either label themselves pro-environment or pro-business. The electronic sign public hearing was split 2-1 (literally), be-
tween those camps. Two employees from Olympus Media, by far the city’s largest billboard operator, represented the anti-referendum caucus. Fists pounded podiums, discussion was deemed a “circus,” and local business was declared under attack. The only antibillboard speaker seemed to wing his remarks after waiting in the chambers to ensure the Hixon Forest measure would be adopted. (No matter; with only a fraction of the crowd, the council passed it without even a discussion.) But the billboard debate hinged on whether it should be brought up as a public referendum. And the hinge didn’t break any sharper than between the Hatfi eld and McCoy of La Crosse City Council: Bloedorn and Bob Sequist, representing districts 7 and 8, who sit next to each other in the chambers and on the same ad-hoc sign committee and are as closely aligned politically as Newt Gingrich and Dennis Kucinich. I could fi ll another newspaper with quotes of their sparring, but the full council ultimately voted 9-6 to put two electronic billboard questions – whether to regulate them or outright ban them – up for an advisory referendum in April. They would join another advisory referendum, supported 11-4, on whether to shrink the City Council to 13 seats to match the districts of the recently reduced La Crosse County Board. The fi nal question on that April referendum would be a binding one – whether La Crosse should hire a full-time city administrator to run La Crosse’s day-to-day affairs. During the Jan. 12 hearing, Mayor Matt Harter remained mum on those issues, but he subsequently vetoed the advisory referendums, issuing a statement that people generally vote on only one referendum at a time. As the City Council is wont to do, it scheduled a special meeting on Jan. 24 to override those vetoes. Amazingly, the current council has overridden every single one of Harter’s vetoes since it was seated in April, an odd tit-for-tat, but that’s how the people’s business gets done in La Crosse. That’s why I was there I was at the odd hour of 8:30 p.m. last week – right in the midst of President Obama’s State of the Union address – to see history being made. The City Council requires 12 votes to override a mayoral veto, but on that night the ayes only had 11. Thus, the only referendum question we’ll answer this April is whether La Crosse should hire a public administrator to run its affairs. If you think that sounds like a less sexy question than “Should we ban all electronic billboards in this city?” you might be on to something. Certainly, the growing anti-billboard movement would turn out en masse for that vote, but the administrator referendum is tougher to predict. The administrator issue is also unique among the proposed referenda, as it is the only one on which the mayor has expressed a public opinion. He opposes it, as you would probably imagine from someone whose job and salary would be on the chopping block. In a city of our size, it’s diffi cult to predict who will turn out for an administrator referendum and what the general consensus would be. Anti-billboard people would likely vote to rein in Harter’s power, but they’ve become a non-factor. So what else will be on this April’s ballot? Well, in addition to some county board elections, that also happens to be the date of the Wisconsin Republican presidential primary. Talk about courting your base! Somehow, our young mayor Harter pulled off the coup to risk his political future largely on the bets of fi scally conservative Republicans. And that pesky electronic sign issue, the one that will get all the tree-lovers riled up, that will likely get passed on to the later date when city residents vote on recalling Gov. Scott Walker. Yep. Matt Harter: political genius. And that’s the news this month from La Crosse City Council, where all the women are strong, no one’s particularly good looking, and all of the children are above average!
A panel will discuss the pros and cons of creating the position of city administrator at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 14 at the Radisson Hotel.
the free press 444 Main St., Suite 310 La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: (608) 782-7001 Online: secondsupper.com Publisher: Roger Bartel roger.bartel@secondsupper.com Editor in Chief: Adam Bissen adam.bissen@secondsupper.com Sales: Mike Keith mike.keith@secondsupper.com Cover and Ad Design: Jenn Bushman Regular Contributors: Amy Alkon, Erich Boldt, Mary Catanese, Ashly Conrad,Ben Deline, Marcel Dunn, Brett Emerson, Shuggypop Jackson, Jonathan Majak, Matt Jones, Nate Willer Second Supper is a monthly alternative newspaper published by Bartanese Enterprises LLC, 444 Main St., Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters to the editor to Second Supper, 444 Main St., , Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601 or by e-mail to editor@secondsupper.com.
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Second Supper
COVER STORY
Book ends
They’re cutting hours and the printed word, but for many, libraries are still a home By Bob Treu
Special to Second Supper I could make a fairly impressive list of libraries that I have haunted at various points in my life, including the one in Oldenburg, Germany, where the director insisted people be allowed to smoke in the mezzanine lounge, for example. The Paseo Verde library in Henderson is a favorite because it devotes a room to The Author’s Café, which serves the best coffee in southern Nevada. But the main public library in La Crosse has been my second home for a long time. I live a 15-minute walk away, so I’m there a lot. I was shocked when I heard that the library’s budget was being cut and it would be open fewer hours. Even during the Depression libraries stayed open. But then libraries are changing so rapidly in function and form, we are no longer so certain of their purpose. To get a handle on all this I visited with Kelly Krieg-Sigman, director of La Crosse Public Libraries, in her large, comfortable office on the west side of the first floor of the Main Branch. The walls bear mementos of her years as a student actress at the local university theater during its glory years. She is a tall, blonde woman, and her theatrical background is also apparent in the generous gestures she uses to underscore her statements. Her left arm is currently suspended in a sling, which somehow adds to the effect. I like to think the injury occurred arm wrestling city officials. I never got around to asking her what happened, but I paid attention to her when she asked me to put down the three important missions of the library: Serve, Preserve, Share. She has been director of the La Crosse libraries, including Main, as well as the north and south branches, for eight years. She has been in charge during the exciting and turbulent period when libraries began transforming themselves, and the responsibilities of librarians seem to become more complex by the week. “We have patrons who never come to the libraries at all,” she explained. “They simply download onto their Kindles or Nooks at home.” This wasn’t exactly discouraging news, but I confess I found it a little off-putting. Here I should confess a nearly irrational affection for the book as object. I have two copies of Kerouac’s On the Road. One is an academic model and is in good condition, with its pages unmarked and unfolded. The other was published by Signet and according to the cover, sold for 50 cents. I bought it used. By now it’s an unattached cover and some loose, yellowed pages held together by a rubber band. I should throw it in the recycle bin, but I can’t. It travelled with me in my backpack on my first trip to
Mexico and on many other important journeys. I read it in buses and in cheap hotels. It is a sort of vessel, packed with memories of places and people and a good many physical things. Let my children throw it out. But Kelly tells me not to worry. Physical books will be around for the foreseeable future. Preservation may be a goal, but like any library, Main has space limitations, and its shelves are regularly thinned. Books that are no longer checked out frequently are passed on to the public at book sales. Nor does this mean that only last year’s popular crime novels and neglected romances are weeded out. Thirty years ago I checked out and read Heinrich Boll’s Group Portrait With Lady, the book that led to his winning the Nobel Prize for literature, but you won’t find it on the shelves today. In fact we no longer have any of his best known novels. We have only a couple of titles that came out after he died. Perhaps this is the fate of an important, but not necessarily popular writer. Interestingly enough, you can’t find Boll’s work as e-books either. Of course, writers like Shakespeare and Dickens survive on the shelves apart from the weeding process, but what library would be shameless enough to discard these authors? Main library and its north and south branches are funded mostly by the city, but also partly by the state, through the Winding Rivers System. Unlike the many libraries created by the Andrew Carnegie fund, ours is a gift of Cadwallader Washburn. There was a time, nearly forgotten, when wealthy folks thought a well-read population was something worth contributing to. Jefferson sold his immense library to the federal government to create the Library of Congress. He needed money rather seriously, but he also felt an informed public is necessary to a working democracy. In an era when everything public, from schools to forests, is under attack, public libraries have been relatively unassailable, at least until now. Currently libraries are under attack across the country. New York City’s system has been devastated. Three hundred people have been laid off and the famous 42nd Street Library, the one with the marble lions out front, is being gutted to make room for computers and meetings. Some of the smaller branches, like the one where I spent a couple of blissful afternoons reading Baldwin’s Another Country in the neighborhood where much of the book’s action takes place, are set to be closed. To be fair then, the mayor’s budget cuts are relatively mild and he did not single out the libraries. Instead he mandated a 3.2 percent reduction for every municipal department. Kelly’s job as director is to implement
Photo by .Ashly Conrad
Modern libraries are shelving fewer books while expanding computers and digital offerings. these cuts as painlessly as possible. There will be acquisition cutbacks in all areas, including books and periodicals, but with much skillful juggling she has managed to keep most the staff by reducing some hours and eliminating one position. For most of us, the obvious effect of the cuts will be in shorter hours. Traditionally the library has been open until 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday. In January it began closing at 8 p.m. On the other hand, the Friday schedule has been lengthened an hour to 6 p.m., and the Sunday hours, which are 1 to 5, will remain the same. The archives section has been more seriously curtailed, closing each day at 5. It’s harder to calculate the importance of the social dimension of the library, especially if you’re a busy person who stops in to check out something on the way home. There is a group of regulars who spend hours in the library each day, especially in the winter and in the hottest days of summer. It would be impossible to give a representative list, and I can’t do them justice, but here’s a sample. First there is Deke, an elegant African American gentleman I first met outside the Freedom Store, where he was sitting on the sidewalk, back against the wall, reading Bill Russell’s autobiography. We also meet occasionally at the library and talk about what we’ve read recently. Then there’s the couple: an attractive, smallish woman and her
wild-haired, bearded giant of a partner. He doesn’t speak much, so they communicate in sign language and use every part of the library. Finally there’s John, a neatly dressed man with thinning hair who sits at the same table each night reading newspapers until closing time. Older men and women tend to gravitate toward the north end of the first floor. With its warm, red surfaces of brick, comfortable chairs, and a fireplace that looks as if might work, it is the coziest part of the library. Occasionally someone dozes off, but no one cares. Only once have I seen staff rouse a patron, and that was because his loud snoring bothered everyone. I also visited with Cindy Mischnick, one of the reference librarians at Main. I first met her years ago, when we were both members of a writers group. At the time she was writing and occasionally publishing stories, so it was natural, in addition to her other tasks, that she volunteered to help organize the photos-into-poetry event I attended last year at the Pump House. In addition to her other responsibilities, she is in charge of the archives section, where materials important to the area are organized and stored. She has a deep passion about libraries, and when she talks about her job, she develops a barely discernible sharpness and a hint of the satiric. She worries about the future of
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Second Supper
Book CONTINUED fROM PAGE 4 reference libraries. We both recalled a time, not so long ago, when Main was crowded evenings with students doing assignments, and of course hanging out with friends. Students do that work at home now, on computers. The old reference section, packed with encyclopedias, dictionaries and a host of other curiosities, is rarely visited. It isn’t covered with cobwebs, like Miss Havisham’s cake, but it does seem a bit abandoned. Like any writer, I use online sources myself, but I have doubts about a medium where some idiot’s ramblings about our president being the anti-Christ is found next to a more factual biography, especially since we have a whole set of people teaching their kids the fi rst one is fact and the second a lie. Another danger is that having so much information online, along with the new ebooks, will tempt conservative governments to cut library budgets more deeply. In any case, our reference librarians have done a good job of providing us with an array of electronic information sources. BadgerLink, which provides researchers with a wide array of useful sites, is funded by the state. Others, like the genealogical site, are subscribed to by the library. In a line so quotable, everyone should learn it, Cindy explained: “In the future, information will be less accessible and more expensive.”
COVER STORY She also pointed out another problem with contemporary research, which is the “How do you know what you want to know before you know it?” quandary. If you’re an inveterate browser you understand about paging through an encyclopedia or dictionary at random, discarding or retaining as you go. For that reason the new arrivals section has always been my favorite. I once found a book on sand there, perfectly by accident, which turned out for to be essential for an article I did later on. Part of what attracts me to libraries is the sense of being set down with a roughly drawn map in a strange city, where winding streets lead me to unexpected parks and markets that become part of my mental landscape. But the La Crosse system keeps pace with the times, as it should. There are 35 computer stations located between the reference desk and the traditional reference area, and this seems to be the most consistently busy part of the library. As part of my research, I did a bit of polite rubbernecking a couple of times, both at the library’s computers and at the desks where people use their own, and found only one person working on a paper and a handful looking for information online. The great majority were watching movies, playing games, or checking the latest on Facebook. As you might guess, the people using this resource represent a slice of La Crosse that cuts across every sort of age, gender, ethnic background and income boundary. That should help us
remember that public libraries are not the product of some European socialist state. They are as American as bifocals and Franklin stoves, and all three are the invention of the same bespectacled and mulleted founding father. When I told Kelly I was concerned about John’s absence, she smiled and said, “We were worried too, so we checked where he lives. It turns out he’s been staying with relatives. He’s fi ne, and I’ll let you know if we hear more.” That tells you a lot about how the library works as a social network. It tells you even more about the people who work there.
February 1, 2012 // 5
On The Cover Photo by .Ashly Conrad
The Main branch of the La Crosse Public Library has seen its budget cut and a culture bloom.
Computer group meets Feb. 29
The La Crosse PC User's Group will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 29 in the Overholt Auditorium at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital. The speaker is to be announced later. Participants are asked to use the clinic entrance. There will be wheelchairs and scooters available for those who need them.
6// February 1, 2012
Second Supper
STREET BEAT
Social Networking
What is your biggest pet peeve? Voice boxes. Well, I guess that's my biggest phobia.
Speak Your Mind
with Ashly Conrad
What would be your "dream" Valentine's Day?
What book are you currently reading? A rather cheesy book called "The Happiness Project" and re-reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. tell us your guiltiest pleasure: Since we're in the holiday season, I would have to say peanut butter kiss cookies and eggnog. And, of course, the Christmas music to go along with it. NAME AND AGE: Caite Artz, 25 WHERE WERE YOU BORN? La Crosse CURRENT JOB: Hospital social worker DREAM JOB: To be the female Anthony Bourdain on "No Reservations" last thing you googled: The educational program "Strawberry Square" if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Italy is on the top of my list. what is Something you want to do before you die: Go to Italy. what is your beverage of choice? I hate to sound cliche, but I do like PBR, but during the day it would be a good cup of joe. celebrity crush: Anthony Bourdain, Kate Winslet and, dare I say it, John Mayer.
tell us a joke: Two strings walk into a bar and are kicked out because of a sign that says "No Strings Allowed." One of the strings ties himself into a knot and frays his edges and walks back in. When the bartender tells the string that the policy is "No Strings Allowed" and that he will have the leave because he is a string, the string replies, "No, I'm a frayed knot." (I'm afraid not.) hahahahah. What one person alive or dead would you want to have dinner with? All my elder relatives.
Name: Ryan Age: 24 Occupation: Crown Cork and Seal A. To go into a hot tub filled with chocolate, go outside, let it harden and have my wife eat it!
Name: Matt Age: 28 Occupation: Owner of Dublin Square A. 3 PBRs with 'Petticoat Junction," watching the Bucks game with Luke Buye.
Name: Craig Age: 46 Occupation: Chef/ Video Editor A. To go somewhere warm with my girlfriend and not have my wife find out.
Name: Misha Age: 24 Occupation: Looking A. Weather to be warm, 100 miles of paved road without cars, and a wonderful lady and her bike to share it with and maybe a few bottles of wine!
Name: Jeanne Age: 63 Occupation: Social Worker A. Somewhere warm riding horses on the beach, along with that a dinner on the beach with champagne and good food!
Name: Jenna Age: 20 Occupation: Student A. Ice skating with my lover boy!
Name: Corrie Age: 31 Occupation: Co-owner of Root Note A. A pingpong table!
Name: Stephanie Age: 27 Occupation: Student A. Be with my lifelong partner Josh and go to a costume salsa dancing party ... as Pocahontas!
Name: Hillary Age: 28 Occupation: Student A. To get surprise tickets to Paris!
what's the last thing you bought? A wonderful cooking class at the Food Co-op. what's in your pocket right now?: Cold medicine. ... if only that wish could come true. If a genie granted you one wish, what would you ask for? Besides money, to live comfortably for the rest of my life, probably a strong immune system since I always get sick. FIRST CONCERT YOU WENT TO: Sharron, Lois,and Bram. Remember The Elephant Show? — Compiled by Shuggypop Jackson,
The Top Worst Valentine's dates 1. Ice fishing 2. The Twilight Saga 3. Hooters 4. Occupying Wall Street 5. Milwaukee Bucks game 6. Live blogging 7. Scrapbooking
Surprisingly unstable places 1. Cruise ships 2. 32-yard field goal attempts 3. The Republican establishment 4. Reddit.com 5. Megaupload.com 6. Ohio earthquake country 7. Camp Randall
Second Supper
February 1, 2012 // 7
THE PLANNER
FEBRUARY
The Month in Preview
valentine’s day | music | theatre | entertainment | fine arts | fairs | festivals | shows | things to do
Thursday, Feb. 16 PUT A CORK IN IT @ The View, N3020 Highway 16
Saturday, Feb. 4 RAP IT UP AT THE WAREHOUSE @ Warehouse, 328 Pearl St.
The venerable Warehouse, La Crosse’s longtime purveyor of punk rock and allages indie haircut rock, is more than a one-trick pony. It’s recently hosted several genre-bending electronica acts, and the first two weeks of February offer some of the most exciting hip-hop bills this city has seen in a while. On Saturday, Feb. 4, Minneapolis’ Prof will come down river and storm up the third story club. A rising presence in the indie rap scene, Prof is affiliated with some of the Rhymesayers crew but has a quirkier style than many of his Twin Cities brethren. That show starts at 7 p.m. with an opening set by local luminaries Another Exoneration. On Friday, Feb. 10, another Midwest mainstay F. Stokes will return to the Warehouse, which is now something of second home for the Madison-based rapper. Now blowing up internationally, F. Stokes (the period is pronounced “dot”) puts on a high energy live show that’s not to be missed. If you’re going to see just one La Crosse hip-hop concert this month – we can’t give a single endorsement. Go to both shows. You may never look at Midwest rap, or the Warehouse, the same way again.
Saturday, Feb. 4 DRINK BEER AND LISTEN TO MUSIC @ Pearl Street Brewery, 1401 St. Andrews St.
Little known fact about Second Supper: We support beer and music. We love La Crosse, too, which is why we could picture no place we’d rather be than Pearl Street Brewery’s 13th annual Winter Ball.
A veritable bacchanalia of brews and bands, we’ve never been to another event quite like it — and if you’ve never been, why you simply must. The musical lineup consists mostly of local favorites: Mr. Blink, Moon Boot Posse, The El Caminos, and The Feelin' Band. It’s the sort of bill you could drink a lot of beers to, and this year’s lineup is making us salivate already. The Ball will begin with the pouring an old favorite, the Bedwetter Barleywine, a walloping beast of brew. Then comes a mellow Session Ale and the beloved Raspberry Tambois. The Hochey Hefe promises to be a fresh take on the German wheat style, but the taste we’re most excited for is the Breakfast Beer. We’re not going to spoil the surprise and tell you what’s in it, but it sounds like one of the more innovative PSB creations in a while. Just think: the Pearl Street Brewery Winter Ball is serving a beer that tastes like breakfast. Is there any place else you’d rather be?
It may be February, but it’s starting to feel like mid-March to us. If you also sense a bit o’ Irish in the air, it may be because La Crosse is set to host Máirtín de Cógáin (and his many accent marks) for a fundraiser concert on Feb. 16 titled From Cork With Love. The concert is organized by the La Crosse Bantry Friendship Association. Bantry, as we all know, is a small town in County Cork, Ireland and one of La Crosse’s six sister cities. We go way back, but the Bantry Friendship folks want to really cement our ties. In addition to bringing in Cógáin, a musician and storyteller, the group wants to raise funds for an Irish Garden to go alongside the nativist flora in the International Peace Garden in Riverside Park. Take that, France! The cost for the concert, which begins at 7 p.m., is a minimum $10 donation. There will also be a special Irish cuisine beginning at 6 p.m. For more information (and just a good cultural experience) visit lacrossebantry.org
Feb. 23-25 GO DOWN TO MOSES @ La Crosse Center, 300 Harborview
By some accounts, the Coulee Region has the most organic farms of anywhere in the country, so we’re a natural home for the
Saturday, Feb. 11 ELLIS HATH NO FURY @ Pump House, 119 King St.
Beloved Midwest songwriter Ellis will return to the Pump House Feb. 11 for a concert that is sure to delight her many local fans. With seven full-length albums and several songwriting awards, she is a singular presence on the scene with a gift for heartfelt lyrics and easy going concerts. We don’t always crib press releases, but this line from her bio is a fine summation of the Texas native now relocated to Minneapolis: “Simply put, she leaves audiences better than she finds them, with softened edges and opened hearts.” The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $18 advance, $21 dayof for members; $21 advance, $25 day-of for the general public. Ellis, yeah!
Ellis | Photo by Terri Mazurek
nation’s largest conference on organic and sustainable agriculture. The nicely named MOSES (Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services) comes down to the La Crosse Center every year, and they’ve found it to be a welcome home. This year’s Organic Farming Conference runs Feb. 23-25 with a full slate of presentations, demonstrations, speakers, and entertainment. It’s always a hot ticket in the sustainable agriculture world, and it usually sells out thanks to farmers and educators who travel here from around the world. So snag a pass while they’re still available. Otherwise, consider going out on the town that Saturday night. Organic farmers taking over La Crosse is truly a weekend like no other.
Feb. 24-25 ENJOY GETTING DROWSY @ Toland Theatre, 16th & Vine streets
The UW-L Department of Theatre Arts presents a tribute to early American musicals of the Jazz Age with "The Drowsy Chaperone." Performances are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24-25 and March 1-3 with matinee performances at 2 p.m. Feb. 26 and March 4. Tickets go on sale Feb. 20. Box office hours are 1-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and one hour before each performance. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for senior citizens and nonUW-L students, $5 UW-L students;(608) 785-8522.
8// February 1, 2012
Second Supper
CONSUMPTION
Dining Out
The Beer Review
Piggy's Restaurant 501 Front St. La Crosse, 608.784.4877
Barock Hell Weltenburger Kloster Regensburg, Germany
By Marcel Dunn Special to Second Supper
If there’s one thing about Americans, American beer drinkers and Wisconsin beer drinkers in particular, it’s that we think we’re the best in the world. Believe me; I’m as guilty of this as anybody. We get so caught up in the hot new thing that we forget about the classics that have been around for centuries. And I’m not just talking about Leine’s Original here. I’m talking traditional German beers, brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, with recipes that date to the middle ages because there’s nothing you can do to improve on them. For Exhibit A, I posit Weltenburger Kloster, a Benedictine abbey on the shores of the Danube that claims the disputed title of oldest monastery brewery in the world. It traces its origins to 1050, and the brewery’s world view is equally old-school. When you visit their web site, you’re startled to hear Benedictine chants over majestically sweeping footage that morphs from Bavarian scenery to frothy beer porn. I’ve never wanted to hop a flight so bad in my life. I’ve tried Weltenburger Kloster a few times before, but I’ve never seen it in La Crosse until last month when Woodman’s picked up about a half dozen of their offerings. Every one of their beers is excellent, but I decided to review a style that’s really been treating my taste buds lately, the Munich Helles-Lager. Refreshing like a pilsner but a bit more sweet, the Helles is making a resurgence in the American beer scene, and I’m so happy that in 2012 I’ll be drinking from the well. Purchase: One 500 mL bottle of Barock Hell from Woodman’s, $2.79 Style: Munich Helles-Lager Packaging: The label, which looks like it was painted around 1820, depicts a quaint Bavarian village and a whole bunch of German words I can’t read. But the ingredients are in English: “Water, malted barley, hops.” Strength: 5.6 percent ABV Appearance: The beer pours a light straw color, nearly transparent, with a big foamy white head. Aroma: For being a transoceanic light lager, the beer sure comes off fresh at the nose. The malts are nicely roasted, grainy and oddly buttery, while the noble hops are grassy but not especially pronounced. Taste: The taste is rather sweet and malt-forward at the front of the tongue, almost like a Ritz cracker topped with grape skins. The malts are balanced throughout, but the hops stay assertive and give a nice punch at the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-to-full bodied, impressive for a light lager. Drinkability: This is a drinkable beer. I know I just finished a 500 mL bottle by myself (that’s a pint, people), and I wish I had a few more in the refrigerator. Ratings: BeerAdvocate readers grade this an 87 while RateBeer scores it a 65 overall but a 97 for the style (whatever that means). I get the impression this millennium-old brewery might not be a novelty for other beer drinkers, but I expect 2012 to be my year of Weltenburger Kloster.
Like the pig that built his house from brick and stood unwavering against the big bad wolf’s machinations, Piggy’s Restaurant stands as a lesson for future restaurateurs in how to pick a great location and a unique building and turn it into one of the finest restaurants in La Crosse. It is true that where Piggy’s stands now is actually a stone’s throw away from its original location, but for the purposes of this review, we shall overlook that frivolous detail. As you might have guessed from my fairy tale reference, Piggy’s is located in a surprisingly large red brick building that looks something like an old warehouse or factory. The history of the building itself dates back to 1871, as it once housed a metal works foundry that forged parts for the paddle wheels of the old riverboats that used to be a regular sight on the Mississippi. But now the forges and hammers lie silent, replaced by the sounds of popping grease, chopping knives and busy mouths. When you step into Piggy’s for the first time, you may be struck by just how much floor space there actually is. It is definitely one of the larger fine dining restaurants in the city. Once you’re through the threshold you can make a left toward the spacious lounge and bar or hang a right toward the intimate dining area upstairs. Though my review took place on the day of a Packers playoff game, I could imagine the loud buzz of this place on a Saturday night when there is live blues music in the lounge and every table is full. But with said Packers game on the air, my companions and I had every single table to choose from and the solitude was surprisingly pleasant. In the upstairs dining room you have the choice of cushy booths that line a single wall dividing the area from the front
Photo by .Ashly Conrad
Housed in former metalwork shop, Piggy’s Restaurant makes the most of its two-story space with a menu filled with variety and flair.
Photo by .Ashly Conrad
In addition to upstairs dining, Piggy's offers a popular Blues Lounge. to the back or four-person sets of tables and chairs. Atop each table is a simple tea candle holder with a tiny little lampshade already burning when you sit down. The atmosphere of the room was reminiscent of most intimate, fine dining experiences. It’s darkly lit to the point where your rods and cones are shocked by the sight of your smart phone’s screen and everybody looks tanner than they actually are. The color scheme is mostly earth tones such as green and brown, with drawn-back curtains exposing windows that look out onto the parking lot across the street. Overall, the interior style is not overdone or hokey and fits perfectly with the theme of the restaurant. The options presented to you on the menu lean heavily toward meaty entrees, so it may not be the best option for the unwavering vegetarian, but carnivores will be smitten with the variety and flair of what’s presented. Staples of fine dining such as filet mignon, blackened ahi tuna and center cut NY strips are there, but Piggy’s also treads a more interesting path with dishes such as griddled duck confit and seafood thermidor. Outside of the house specialties, there is a small offering from the smokehouse they have on site and a handful of appetizers, all of which were delicious and worth your time if you get the appetizer sampler as I did. I would particularly recommend the smoked beef tenderloin and the chicken pesto flatbread. My order consisted of a small cup of ginger chicken soup in a creamy white broth and the grilled swordfish topped with an artichoke and roasted pepper glaze and a thin layer of cheese. The soup was creamy and rich and I was surprised by how well it complimented the swordfish, seeing as how I ordered the soup on a whim while the waitress was listing off the usual prologue of soups and salads. But the real star here was the grilled swordfish. The poor swordfish can be a fickle
creature when cooked improperly. Often times it hits the plate tasting dry and tough, with all the juices cooked out of it and nothing left to say for itself. That is not the case at Piggy’s. It was not overcooked or undercooked but simply done, which is the fine line that many cooks must walk when preparing any kind of fish. This particular steak peeled apart with ease and each bite was as juicy as the first. Yet as sublimely cooked as the fish was, the glaze was that much better. It really makes the dish, as the sweetness of the sugar in the glaze and the bite of the roasted peppers perfectly complimented the grilled flavor of the fish. In fact, everything on the plate was a smorgasbord of ingredients that worked well together. The steamed broccoli and carrots were spruced up by the glaze and the small helping of cheesy orzo (forgive me if it wasn’t in fact orzo, tiny pastas all look alike) went well with a forkful of fish as well. And to top it all off, I simply couldn’t say no to the pumpkin rum crème brulee offered on the dessert menu, which tasted as fantastic as it sounds. Toward the end of 2011 I was finding it increasingly difficult to heap praise upon the restaurants I was visiting. I didn’t attribute this to any sort of belief that I’d reached the bottom of the restaurant barrel in La Crosse so much as a rather unlucky string of sub-par choices. So beginning the last year of our lives, according to the Mayans (who are not to be believed, because look how well they did), on a high note was a real treat. Piggy’s is the kind of classic establishment that never goes out of style. It doesn’t subscribe to anything trendy and it is confident in what it is: a classy place with a fine menu and talent in the kitchen. Start your year off right and take someone you enjoy spending longer than an hour with to one of La Crosse’s best restaurants. Now if only I could find my own little lampshade candle.
-- Adam Bissen
Second Supper
February 1, 2012 // 9
THE ARTS
Arts Directory
The Maze Efflux
by Erich Boldt
Wednesday, Feb. 1 UW-L—Valhalla, Jabalia Afrika (music and dance) • 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2 La Crosse Community Theatre, "The Glass Menagerie" (drama) • 7:30 p.m.
By Roger Bartel roger.bartel@secondsupper.com
Friday, Feb. 3 La Crosse Community Theatre, "The Glass Menagerie" (drama) • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 La Crosse Community Theatre, "The Glass Menagerie" (drama) • 7:30 p.m. Viterbo Fine Arts Center, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra • 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5 La Crosse Community Theatre, "The Glass Menagerie" (drama) • 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 Viterbo Fine Arts Center, "The Color Purple" (drama) • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 Viterbo Fine Arts Center, "The Color Purple" (drama) • 7:30 p.m. La Crosse Community Theatre, "The Glass Menagerie" (drama) • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 La Crosse Community Theatre, “The Glass Menagerie” (drama) • 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 La Crosse Community Theatre, "The Glass Menagerie" (drama) • 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 Viterbo Recital Hall, "Trouble in Tahiti "(chamber opera) • 7:30 p.m. Pump House, "Living Out Loud" (humor) • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 Viterbo Recital Hall, "Trouble in Tahiti" (chamber opera) • 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19 Viterbo Recital Hall, "Trouble in Tahiti "(chamber opera) • 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 Viterbo Fine Arts Center, “The Secret Garden” (family) • 1 p.m. UW-L Toland Theatre, “The Drowsy Chaperone” (drama • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 Viterbo Fine Arts Center, “The Secret Garden” (family) • 1 p.m. UW-L Toland Theatre, “The Drowsy Chaperone” (drama • 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 Viterbo Fine Arts Center, “The Secret Garden” (family) • 1 p.m. UW-L Toland Theatre, “The Drowsy Chaperone” (drama • 7:30 p.m.
'Drowsy' should keep audience wide awake
Duckett finalist for Pfister program Matt Duckett, co-founder of Vitamin Studio in La Crosse, is one of six finalists for the 2012 artist-in-residence program sponsored by the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. Duckett and the other finalists last month displayed their work in Gallerie M at the InterContinental Milwaukee. An opening night reception was held Jan. 20. Duckett’s work has been exhibited throughout the Midwest, and last summer at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York City. Short biographies and samples of their art can be seen on the Pfister's website at http://www.thepfisterhotel.com Voting for the artist in residence program is being conducted online -- at http:// www.facebook.com/InterContinentalMilwa ukee?sk=app_153230681456373, in person at Gallerie M or by email to amyhansen@ marcuscorp.com. The Pfister Hotel's Victorian art collection is generally considered the largest of its kind of any hotel in the world. It has sponsored the artist in residence program for four years. The program, which features
a working art studio and gallery that is open to hotel guests and visitors, officially opened during Gallery Night & Day in April 2009. The Pfister’s artist in residence program is a member of the international Alliance of Artists Communities. More information about the Alliance can be found at www. artistscommunities.org According to the Pfister's website, the hotel's business center on the ground level was renovated to accommodate the working space for the artist as well as a space where the art can be displayed for enjoyment and purchase. “For decades, The Pfister has hosted the much acclaimed Victorian Art Collection," Joe Kurth, the Pfister’s general manager, says on the website. "We want to expand on our reputation as a destination hotel for art connoisseurs by offering our guests and the public a glimpse into the world of art as it is being created – in real time, by amazingly talented artists.” The studio is located near the Café at the Pfister, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave., in Milwaukee.
While the La Crosse Community Theatre and Viterbo University troupes focus on dramas this month, the UW-L Department of Theatre Arts presents a quirky comedy, "The Drowsy Chaperone," under the direction of Mary Leonard. The play was conceived as a skit for a stag party but grew into much more, won a Tony Award and today is widely considered an homage to the American musicals of the Jazz Age. It lightheartedly examines the effect of musicals on their most ardent fans. Asked if the play is as funny as it sounds, Leonard said it is "laugh out loud funny." "The Drowsy Chaperone" is a play within a play, with the audience joining the Man in Chair who is listening to the musical on an old LP (or long-playing microgroove record, for readers born after the days of vinyl). As the agoraphobic fan prepares to kick back and enjoy his favorite cast album from a fictional musical comedy, his home is suddenly filled with a complete musical production -- cast and all -- telling the tale of a young Broadway starlet seeking to find, and keep, her true love. Leonard said the UW-L actors were enjoying the play because it gives them an opportunity to laugh -- along with the audience -- about the world of theater, its bad scripts, characters and plots. "It's a chance to have fun with exaggerated characters," she said. She said casting was difficult. "It was really challenging because we have so many wonderful and talented students," she said. "It is tricky." Jacob Voss landed the role as the man in the apartment. Lindsay Van Norman plays the chaperone. Sarah Shervey is the bride in the musical, with Andrew Kelly as the groom. Most people probably won't recognize the music. "It is contemporary but has that golden age of musicals feel to it," Leonard said. "It's pretty jaunty. I wouldn't be surprised if people leave tapping their toes." Performances are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24-25 and March 1-3, with matinee performances at 2 p.m. Feb. 26 and March 4 in Toland Theatre in the Center for the Arts at 16th and Vine streets. Tickets go on sale at 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20. Box office hours are 1-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and one hour before each performance. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for senior citizens and non-UWL students, $5 UW-L students. Call (608) 785-8522.
Our next edition publishes March 1. Our advertising deadline is Feb. 20. For information, email roger.bartel@secondsupper.com.
10// February 1, 2012
Second Supper
MUSIC
Music Directory featured shows Wednesday, Feb. 1 Cavalier Lounge, Experimental Noise Show • 8 p.m.
The Majak Mixtape
Thursday, Feb. 2 Del’s Bar, Kensington Stone (rock • 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 Piggy’s, Tom Hipps Trio (blues)• 8 p.m. Popcorn Tavern, Kensington Stone (rock)• 10 p.m. Root Note, Cheech & the Feelin (matinee) • 6 p.m. The Arterial, The River Road Ramblers (roots rock) • 10 p.m.
By Jonathan Majak jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com Oh the Academy Awards, we totally would’ve watched more of the nominated films this year if the federal government hadn’t shut down some of our favorite piracy sites. And while we here at the Mixtape now wait for the feds to come crashing into our basement and haul us off to jail, we also have a fevered anticipation for the Oscars; it’s like the Super Bowl but the shoulder pads are bedazzled and attached to a vintage dress and nobody gets drug tested unless their last name is Lohan. With Hollywood dealing with movie box office performances more shoddy than Mitt Romney defending himself in a debate, now is the perfect time to remind people of the glitz, the glamour, the self-aggrandizing magic of film. And that’s what we plan to do in this mixtape we’re dubbing, “This Mixtape Would Like To Thank All the Little People (No, That Isn’t a Peter Dinklage Reference).” We kick off this Mixtape with “Off to the Races” from Lana Del Rey’s debut album “Born to Die.” The Oscar race is notoriously nonsensical with just as many great performances being nominated as there are snubs and this year proves no different. For every Melissa McCarthy nomination, there is a Michael Fassbender or Tilda Swinton snub, or the sheer hilarity of the phrase “Academy Award nominee Jonah Hill.” Hey, if Jake Gyllenhaal can go from “Bubble Boy” to “Brokeback Mountain,” anything is possible. Meryl Streep, of course, got nominated for “The Iron Lady.” We’re 95 percent sure Ms. Streep has been nominated during years she didn’t even have a movie out. Our next song for the mixtape is “Rising Below” from the band Dirty Three. We here at the Mixtape would like to give a special shout-out to Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer for their acting nominations for “The Help,” a movie that helped teach the masses that the Civil Rights movement would’ve been nothing without the aid of plucky white girls. It’s nice to see we’ve come so far from the days of Hattie McDaniels, when an African-American woman had to play a servant in order to get an award. Oh wait. Never mind. We end the Mixtape with Porcelain Raft’s “Unless You Speak From the Heart.” When it comes to the Oscars, we have only three main questions each year: who will win, who will look a mess, and who will regret thanking their spouse in their speech a year from now? We don’t know, but we know we’ll be watching come Feb. 26. Artist of the Month: Azealia Banks I’ll Tumblr For You: Holy Maury Mother of God (a Tumblr dedicated to Maury Povich www.holymaurymotherofgod.tumblr.com/ Most Anticipated Album: Sleigh Bells, “Reign of Terror” out on Feb. 21
Contributed Photo
Anna Vogelzang and her two bandmates will return to the Root Note on Feb. 11 for an 8 p.m. concert.
Madison songwriter plucks banjo, heartstrings By Kallie Schell
Special to Second Supper Anna Vogelzang, a glam-Americanasoul musician, is bright and bubbly and has a knack for pulling at the heartstrings. She sings with a passion and originality that seems effortless, leaving the listener begging for more. Although her vocals bear some undertones of Ingrid Michaelson she says her inspiration comes from elsewhere. Writing the lyrics is half the battle in a truly great song, Vogelzang said, and she reads a lot of literature in order to keep that part of her brain “fluent.” She draws inspiration from her own life, her friends’ lives, books and movies as well. “There’s a plot behind each song, and usually that plot is a mixture of fictions and truths,” said Vogelzang, who will be performing at the Root Note on Feb. 11. In concert Vogelzang will cover Lyle Lovett and Anthony da Costa as well as Conor Oberst, Ani DiFranco, Laura Gibson and many more. “I love to cover [them] because they can pinpoint a feeling that you didn’t even know was yours,” she said. Vogelzang does her best to emulate this effect and she does this well. Two songs that especially resonate are “One and Only” and “Heart Beat Faster” -- light-hearted songs of love that can be related to by many people. Vogelzang is based in Madison, but is a native of Lexington, Mass. She grew up in a very musical family and became serious about being a professional musician in high school. “My mother is both an educator and opera singer, and my dad sings and plays guitar in his spare time,” Vogelzang said in an email interview, during a break in her current tour. As a teenager she had a funk band called Random Robot and also sang in a
cappella and choral groups. To further her musical aspirations, she took writing courses to improve her lyrics. This variety of experience comes through in her music as her words dance with the delightful notes of a well-rounded song. Anna met her bandmates, Franz Nicolay and Brian Viglione, in high school and they work together to create full, meaningful songs. She says that working closely with the musicians and having close relationships with them is the best of both worlds. When recording, Vogelzang and her producer James Frazee lay out what they want, then they trust the band members to bring their talents to the table and put a little of themselves in the music, she says. The others pick up the subtleties that would otherwise have gone unnoticed, and that is why her music is so full and rich with emotion. Even a slight chord change or tweaking a couple lyrics can change the song entirely, and this is what Vogelzang allows to happen. She takes the framework of an idea and each member adds their own “something” to create songs that stay with you long after the notes have stopped playing. Asked what her favorite part is of being a musician, she had a hard time answering but explained, “I love the fact that someone can take something that I made and sew it into a part of their lives that’s very close to them. I love that I can hit something specific without meaning to, and express what they couldn’t express. …To be brought into someone’s life and help them vocalize what they’re feeling is an awesome gift. “ Vogelzang has played at the Root Note once before, and she looks forward to returning. “Everyone was so attentive and excited about the music, and everyone we met at the venue was really kind,” she said. “I’ve been waiting to come back.”
Saturday, Feb. 4 Cavalier Lounge, Lustrous Mudd (rock) • 11:30 p.m. Hog Wild, Church of Cash (Johnny Cash tribute)• 9 p.m. Piggy's, Tom Hipps Trio (blues) • 8 p.m. Popcorn Tavern, Moon Boot Posse (rock)• 10 p.m. Root Note, Bo.Monro & Jacob Grippen (beard bill) • 8:30 p.m. The Warehouse, Prof w/ Another Exoneration (rap)• 7 p.m. Trempealeau Hotel, Canon Ball (variety)• 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8 Root Note, St. Anyway (bluegrass)• 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 Popcorn Tavern, Clovis Man (roots rock)• 10 p.m. Seven Bridges, B-Squat Woody (Americana) • 7 p.m. The Root Note, The Poor Nobodys (chamber folk)• 8 p.m. The Warehouse, F. Stokes (hip-hop) • 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 Cavalier Lounge, Walter Kong (indie rock) • 11:30 p.m. JB's Speakeasy, Moon Boot Posse & Nimbus (rock) • 10 p.m. Popcorn, the Far Outs (rock) • 10 p.m. Pump House, Ellis (folk) • 7:30 p.m. Root Note, Anna Vogelzang w/ A Torrid Affair (indie folk) • 8 p.m. Trempealeau Hotel, Maritza (Balkan Boogie) • 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16 The View, Mairtin de Cogain (Irish) • 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 JB’s Speakeasy, Breakneck the Mage w/ Moxie & Another Exoneration (hip-hop)• 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 Popcorn Tavern, Super Deece Band (rock) • 10 p.m. Root Note, Jeffrey Foucault w/ Peter Mulvey (country blues) • 8 p.m. Trempealeau Hotel, Copper Box (roots rock) • 8 p.m.
Continued ON Page 11
Second Supper
Music Directory Continued from Page 10 Friday, Feb. 24 Boot Hill Pub, Dave Kerska (oldies)• 5:30 p.m. JB’s Speakeasy, This Could Be the Day & Shoot Down the Moon (indie rock) • 10 p.m. Popcorn Tavern, the Feelin’ Band (rock) • 10 p.m. Root Note, Mike Munson (roots rock) • 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 Cavalier Lounge, Porcupine (vinyl release show) & Henry Cluney (Stiff Little Fingers) • 11:30 Popcorn Tavern, Mikel Wright and the Wrongs (rock) • 10 p.m. Pump House, Garnet Rogers (songwriter) • 7:30 p.m. Trempealeau Hotel, DitchLillies (Americana) • 8 p.m.
February 1, 2012 // 11
DIVERSIONS "Puh-leeze!" You've got to e-nun-ci-ate
Weekly shows Sunday Popcorn Tavern, Innocuous Voodoo (Nawlins funk) • 10 Monday Del's Bar, Cheech's Open Jam, • 10 p.m. Popcorn Tavern, Grant's Open Jam • 10 p.m. Tuesday Popcorn Tavern, Paulie (one-man band) • 10 p.m. Root Note, 3rd Relation Jazz Quartet • 8 p.m. Wednesday Cavalier Lounge, Jamal's Open Jazz Jam • 7 p.m. Popcorn Tavern, Terrapin Shells or Julica and Andy’s Open Jam • 10 p.m. Thursday Popcorn Tavern, Dave Orr's Blues Jam • 10 p.m. Root Note, Open Mic • 8 p.m. Starlite Lounge, Kies & Kompanie (jazz) • 5 p.m.
By Matt Jones
ACROSS 1 King with a golden touch 6 Place to get a mocha and a paper 15 Lofty poet 16 Travel website with longtime spokesman William Shatner 17 Make those clumsy fools earn their living? 19 Send a quick message 20 The Band Perry's "If ___ Young" 21 Weapon at Hogwarts 23 Genesis name 27 Missouri River tributary 28 Jacob's twin 29 "On the Road" protagonist ___ Paradise 30 Portioned (out) 31 Redundantly named undergarment? 35 Response: abbr. 36 Florida city home to the headquarters of Telemundo 37 Behavior modifica-
tion? 40 Hug in the shower? 45 "That's a tough ___ follow..." 47 Dig in 48 Finito 49 Take a knee on the field 50 Three-person card game 52 Money on the line 53 Rent-___ 54 Dutch ___ 56 Practice for being forced into something? 64 Too forward, as behavior 65 Dating game show of the 1990s 66 Rings out 67 On film DOWN 1 Get the yard done 2 Words exchanged at the altar 3 What the dead take, in a macabre phrase 4 Invited to one's apartment
Answers on Page 12
5 Group that sang the line "I'm Kilroy!" 6 Computer's "brain," for short 7 He won the NHL's top rookie award while still a teenager 8 Newton fruit 9 It's also called the "Lincoln Law" (found in GOLF CART) 10 Swirly swimmer 11 Girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel 12 Personal information, literally 13 Immune system booster 14 Does the field again 18 Fifth qtrs. 21 "Rushmore" director Anderson 22 Home of the Sun Devils: abbr. 24 Palatial homes 25 Unseen disaster waiting to happen 26 Canada's first province, alphabetically 27 Home of a mail order
steak business 32 "I was not expecting it to be that good" 33 Small inlet 34 Ric-___ (wavy fabric) 37 Bullring hero 38 "It Was a Good Day" rapper 39 Island stop on a Caribbean cruise 41 "Killing Me Softly with His Song" singer Flack 42 Ties 43 Fully prepared 44 The elderly, for short 46 Bullring hero, again 51 Temperature tester 55 Ginormous 57 It's the hottest thing around 58 Org. that gives out 9-digit IDs 59 Upstate N.Y. school 60 The night before 61 Guys 62 Ending for lemon or Power 63 Trippy tab ©2012 Jonesin' Crosswords
wE have moved! 444 main St., Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601
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Office hours by appointment only
12// February 1, 2012
The ADvice GoDDess By Amy Alkon amy.alkon@secondsupper.com Code Goo
I'm a 33-year-old nurse in a five-month “friends with benefits” thing with a doctor coworker. I am only 18 months out of an abusive 10-year relationship and wanted something fun and light. We get along well, but he rarely asks me ahead of time about getting together. I know he has a busy schedule, but this bothers me. He will do anything I ask (give me a ride, buy me a coffee if I work late) but doesn’t make kind gestures without being asked and doesn’t talk about his feelings or inquire about mine. My biggest issue is that he doesn’t compliment me. He once said his friend asked him how he got such a beautiful woman. But that’s it. The crazy thing is, he doesn’t even possess the qualities I want in a partner! Are my feelings here simply because he’s here? Can I learn to separate my feelings from what we really have? — Help, STAT
THE LAST WORD I bet the doc doesn’t have patients show up at whim: “Hi, I was in the neighborhood, and I thought I’d have a physical.” It’s understandable that you’d like a little more formal scheduling to your casual sex, but remember that the guy reads X-rays and MRIs, not minds. When you need medical attention — or certain attention from a certain medical professional — you need to make that known, same as you would with a friend: Don’t be so available on a moment’s notice and also ask him to make advance plans. (Enough with this “Undress and put on a robe; the doctor will be with you shortly.”) Although the reasoning department of your brain keeps telling you that you should be friends with benefi ts, there you are jonesing for girlfriend benefi ts (fl attery, little prezzies, and all). Anthropologist John Marshall Townsend explains that women evolved an emotional alarm system to read whether a man would be a good provider and to compel them to seek cues of commitment. Some women feel especially emotionally connected to their partner following orgasm, probably due to the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin, although the most conclusive research is on rats and prairie voles, and your ability to send email suggests you are neither. Regardless, Townsend’s surveys on casual sex showed that even when women fully intended to use and lose some himbo, many would wake up the next morning and fi nd themselves longing for more from a guy they knew they wanted nothing more from.
An apple a day … mainly keeps the creditors away from the apple growers. To keep this doctor away, let on that you’re longing to use him as a boyfriend instead of just for sex. The thing is, this seems like exactly the right time for you to have exactly the wrong man. Having your sex life staffed up can help you avoid any temptation to get into a relationship. You may ultimately fi nd casual sex too upsetting, but understanding where your feelings are coming from might help you intellectualize your way out of letting them rule you. Regularly reviewing all the ways this guy’s wrong for you is another way to put the meaningless back into meaningless sex. Remember, the only aisle you should be walking down with him is the one between your bed and your dresser. As that jewelry commercial (doesn’t) go: “Every kiss begins with K-Y.”
World Wide Web of lies
Why do men OFFER (as in, announce unasked) that they aren’t dating anyone when that’s a lie? I’m a busy 30-something woman, meeting men almost exclusively online. A guy will often tell me right away (on the first date) that he isn’t seeing anyone. I stumble on the truth by accident on Facebook and what-have-you, lose trust for him, and stop seeing him. — Baffled The male brain is quick to note that eHarmony could be the ticket to eHarem. Even if a man’s looking for “that special
Second Supper
somebody,” he may be dreaming of a stable of somebodies and feeling a little guilty about it. Or, maybe he’s dating a few somebodies but “there’s nobody” means “nobody of consequence.” Women evolved to seek commitment from men, and men co-evolved to understand that. Sometimes even an OK guy will engage in some duplicity to make the initial sale — waiting to see whether he’s into you before he ditches Helga, Svetlana, and Amber. You likewise might consider going on a few more dates to see more of a man’s character (or lack thereof) before making your fi nal decision. Then again, maybe the best reason to ditch one of these liars is stupidity: a guy telling you he’s all lonesome, he hasn’t seen a women in years -- just hours after his last date was streamed live on the Internet from some bar.