Go Cubs!

With Wee Maria in tow (niece Maria who is on her way to her final university year at Leeds Uni in the UK and who is visiting us for a week) we headed to Chicago yesterday afternoon to watch the first game of the Chicago Cubs v Milwaukee Brewers series at Wrigley Field this week.

With both teams at the top of the local leaderboard it was a grudge match of the highest proportions and plenty of local Midwestern pride at stake.

I was going with a bunch of my Chicago co-workers who ended up getting held up at the office so by the time they arrived all the good seats were gone in the bleachers area where we had tickets (general admission) but the tickets I had bought Robbie and Maria got them decent seats at the infield above first base..


The private stands built on the rooftops of the buildings behind the stadium which have perfect views into the field. The Cubs now take a profit share of the seat revenue after, at one point , they erected large barrier screens at the sides of the stadium so they couldn't see in. There's beauty in compromise!

In front of the Bud Light Bleachers - don't tell Miller.

We left at the end of the 7th innings stretch - after the singing of the famous "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (originally made famous at Wrigley Field) as the game was tied up 3-3. We needed to beat the traffic heading back to MKE, and it was already 10pm.

As we walked along the street to the train the crowded erupted twice...we just missed what would be the final two homeruns - 5-3 to the Cubs!

More from Christchurch - the Undie 500

My old alma mater - the University of Canterbury - shines again....

Be sure to click on the link to the story on Stuff to see the video...priceless interviews (Flight of the Conchords breeding ground!).

Race streakers may have caused pile-up

By ARWEN HANN and JO MCKENZIE MCLEAN - The Press | Saturday, 25 August 2007

Kirk Hargreaves

RARING TO GO: James Graham lines up for the start of the Undie 500 at the University of

Undie 500 roadies streaking naked through roadworks in Mid-Canterbury may have caused a six-car pile-up among rubber-necking motorists yesterday

Police Southern Communications supervisor Hemi Waretini said they had received many calls yesterday as hundreds of Canterbury University students embarked on the world-famous road trip to Dunedin. "Because they are not sticking together, and they are stopping at various locations and getting out to relieve themselves, we've mainly had calls relating to individuals, but it's been nothing major."

In an accident in Chertsey, near Ashburton, at 4.30pm, six cars had tail-gated after Undie 500 students were seen running naked through roadworks. No-one was injured.....read on for more

No carnivore sex please - we're vegan

I actually found the link to this story on the Michael Rulhman foodie blogsite - imagine my surprise when I saw it originated in my home town, Christchurch. Enough said. Read on...

Where's Robbie...?

At the TP52 Medcup in Portugal (the blue boat - 4th from right on the windward rail - I think!)- shot here by Th. Martinez as they sailed next to Bribon (the King of Spain's boat), skippered this week by James Spithall, in the second race yesterday. Considering they're not the fastest boat in the fleet they're doing well with three top 10 finishes yesterday.

Here's a picture of the crew lounge area at the venue - rather more styley than your average event tent!

Photos Thierry Martinez.

I Was A Kiwi Kid

From the Facebook group "I Was a Kiwi Kid"

You know that you were a Kiwi Kid if you can remember these things...

Hide and seek/spotlight in the park, the corner dairy, hopscotch, four square, go carts, cricket in front of the garbage bin and inviting everyone on your street to join in, skipping (double dutch), gutterball, handstands, elastics, bullrush, catch and kiss, footy on the best lawn in the street, slip'n'slides, the trampoline with water on it (or a sprinkler under it), hula hoops, jumping in puddles with gumboots on, mud pies and building dams in the gutter. The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass.

'Big bubbles no troubles' with Hubba Bubba bubble gum. A topsy. Mr Whippy cones on a warm summer night after you've chased him round the block. 20 cents worth of mixed lollies lasted a week and pretending to smoke "cigarettes" (the lollies) was really cool!.. A dollars' worth of chips from the corner take-away fed two people (AND the sauce was free!!).

Being upset when you botched putting on the temporary tattoo from the Bubblegum packet, but still wearing it proudly. Watching Saturday morning cartoons: 'The Smurfs', 'AstroBoy', 'He-man', 'Captain Caveman', 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles', 'Jem' (trulyoutrageous!!), 'Super d'', and 'Heeeey heeeeey heeeeeeey it's faaaaaaat Albert'. Or staying up late and sneaking a look at the "AO" on the second telly, being amazed when you watched TV right up until the 'Goodnight Kiwi!'

When After School with Jason Gunn & Thingie had a cult following and What Now was on Saturday mornings! When around the corner seemed a long way, and going into town seemed like going somewhere. Where running away meant you did laps around the block because you weren't allowed to cross the road?? A million mozzie bites, wasp and bee stings.

Goodies & baddies, cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, riding bikes until the streetlights came on and catching tadpoles in horse troughs.

Going down to the school swimming pool when you didn't have a key and your friends letting you in, drawing all over the road and driveway with chalk. Climbing trees and building huts out of every sheet your mum had in the cupboard (and never putting them back folded). Walking around in bare feet, no matter what the weather.

Running till you were out of breath. Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt. Pitching the tent in the back/front yard (and never being able to find all the pegs). Jumping on the bed. Singing into your hair brush in front of the mirror, making mix tapes...

Sleepovers, pillowfights, spinning round, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for the giggles. The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon. Weetbix cards pegged on the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle. Collecting WWF and garbage pail kids cards.

Eating raw jelly and raro, making homemade lemonade and sucking on a Rad, a traffic light popsicle, or a Paddle Pop!

You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents! It wasn't odd to have two or three "best friends" and you would ask them by sending a note asking them to be your best friend.

You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas eve and tried (and failed) to wait up for the tooth fairy. When nobody owned a pure-bred dog. When 50c was decent pocket money. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for 10c.

When nearly everyone's mum was there when the kids got home from school. When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at the local Chinese restaurant or Cobb'n'Co with your family. When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed her or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it. When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.

Remember when decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo" or dib dib's-scissors, paper, rock. "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in Monopoly.

Terrorism was when the older kids were at the end of your street with pea-shooters waiting to ambush you, or the neighbourhood rottie chased you up a tree!

The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was boy/girl germs, and the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one. Where bluelight disco's were the equivalent to a Rave, and asking a boy out meant writing a 'polite' note getting them to tick 'yes' or 'no'.

Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot. Your biggest danger at school was accidentally getting caught up in a game of bullrush.

Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better. Taking drugs meant Scoffing orange-flavoured chewable vitamin C's, or swallowing half a Panadol. Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Going to the beach and catching a wave was a dream come true. Boogie boarding in the white wash made you the next Kelly Slater. Abilities were discovered because of a "double- dare".

Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

Skies' Delight

It's been raining solidly in Milwaukee for three days now, that heavy damp rain like Auckland gets when it rains for more than five minutes. The temperature has dropped, the flowers and herbs in my pots at the back door are sodden, and Robbie's in Portugal so it's all just a little too dull right now.

Time for some wide eyed skies - taken on the way home from Chicago a couple of weeks back late in the afternoon. There's a painting in there somewhere...

(Excuse the picture quality - I was driving at the time)

The not-so-flightless Kiwis...

The Flight of the Conchords has just been resigned by HBO for a second series according to news reports this weekend.

The show is bloody brilliant - and even being talked about in the corridors of Miller (I've even been dubbed Murray by two of the guys in the sponsorship department, who are calling themselves Bret and Germaine). Roll on season two.

Chicken Fried Steak

Ever had one...?

It's a Southern tradition and this was Robbie's lunch last Sunday in Houston.

It's a piece of steak, dipped in fried chicken batter, then deep fried...now, let's reach for the Lipitor!

We had a long weekend in Houston, visiting Robbie's Dad, OJ and Gina (recent newlyweds!). They took us to a local institution T-Bone Tom's - a former butcher shop, now selling meals as well as meat. I had the fork tender smoked ribs.

I loved this idea for my next restaurant - selling signage on chairs - great way to get the locals supporting your restaurant.

The other culinary highlight of the weekend was fresh shrimp straight out of the Gulf from the bubba gump shrimp boats nearby. We had dinner with friends Farley and Kit, and took appetisers - shrimp three ways.

OJ made Pascals Manale BBQ shrimp (nothing to do with a BBQ and a whole lot to do with a pound of butter - those who were in New Orleans last November will remember), Robbie did garlic shrimp, and I made a little Deux Tartes mango and green apple salsa for some boiled shrimp.We had an early start Tuesday morning and a long drive across town to the airport - passed miles of refineries - not exactly a tourist attraction but the lights and flames looked a lot prettier in the early morning light, than they did by day.

Me and Neil

Got to meet Neil Finn today.

Crowded House are on a six week US tour - and tonight hit the grand metropolis of Milwaukee. I went to buy tickets a few weeks ago and the show was almost sold out, but found a single ticket left about four rows back, so thought "bugger it, Robbie's out of town (Portugal) - I'll go by myself".

Had thought about trying to get some Miller products from work to deliver as a "welcome to the brew capital of the US" pressie for the band, but the venue is aligned with a competitor so I couldn't pull that off. Wanting to make some small connection with other Kiwis (there aren't any in this state, I'm convinced of that!) I thought, they're on the road, how about a nice bottle of NZ pinot.

There is one store in the city that has a case of 2005 Mt Difficulty Pinot that I have been gradually buying and today I got their last two bottles, wrote a note to go with one of them, and popped in to the venue on my way home from work thinking I'll see if I can leave it at the artists' entrance.

Walked into the foyer as there were plenty of people milling around, went looking for someone to ask, and there was Neil Finn talking to the girls setting up with band merchandise. That's SO Milwaukee!...I went up and introduced myself. He opened the bag, saying "Now you're talking, you know how to get straight to someone's heart - that's one of our favourites - and you hardly ever see it, even in NZ"...so I think the band bus will have a decent drink for the ride tomorrow to Chicago.The show was awesome. Rather bizarre to be surrounded by a bunch of Americans singing along to our iconic Kiwi (Aussie) tunes...

Have now seen them play in Portsmouth, Auckland, San Diego, London, Christchurch, and Milwaukee!

The runaway hit of the night was son Liam Finn playing a short set of his own songs at the beginning of the night, with the aid of a device that allowed him to repeatedly play something he's just sung or played. It meant as he was singing he laid down a track, could have it repeat, then play another instrument/sing another harmony, over the top of himself...it was fantastic! And then he even played backup to the band for the rest of the night.

State Fair - part 2!

(A continuation of our visit to the Wisconsin State Fair)

A fair means animals, and they were in fine form - even amidst the 35C degree heat (at 6pm). It was hard to choose between the champion clydesdales (we happened to be in the stables just as they were preparing for final judging), or the champion sheep.

The horse barn was filled with breeders from all over the country who had decked out their stalls in their corporate colours. It's hard to see in the photos but many had elaborate drapery, signage and uniforms. It's obviously big business and the atmosphere was electric (and filled with the noise of overhead fans busily trying to cool down the animals) as the horses and handlers clip, clopped off to the show ring.

The horses were huge, much bigger than they appear in the photos. The Budweiser Clydesdales (think Speights) were there in all their finery, with a special display of stables under a massive tent - lots of red velvet (my camera battery died about this point!)
I didn't get to take any pictures of the sheep because of the camera but that was altogether another world. The only breed I vaguely recognised were the Suffolks, but we'd never seen anything like the grooming that was going on.

Every sheep was covered in a canvas full body and face cover - obviously to protect their freshly cleaned and groomed coats. We saw several sheep up on a podium stand, with their heads and feet teathered to keep them still and standing straight and 2-3 people at a time were teasing out their coast with a wire brush (like you'd use on a sheepskin rug - funny that!). My farmer father would have had a fit.

We saw one group of owners who had set up their sleeping quarters in a small space next to their sheep. They'd set up cots, a cooler, fans, put up some blankets for semi-privacy, had hung their washing on the railings...and in the middle of it all was a portable dog kennel with the border collie sheep dog asleep in the shade. Most handlers slept in RV and caravans in the fairground carparks - these guys weren't leaving their sheep.

These guys look much like their cousin - that now graces our living room floor!

One of our main reasons to visit the State Fair was to see a band popular in the 80s and 90s - 10000 Maniacs - the band Nathalie Merchant used to be with and known for their hit song "These are the days".

After our experience at the crowded Summerfest two week music festival here in Milwaukee, we thought it wouldn't hurt to get to the amphitheater a little early and try and grab a good spot. An hour before the show we turned up to find almost no one there, so we grabbed a prime spot about 5 rows back from the stage.

Forty five minutes goes by and the roadies are still setting up, and there are only about 50 people assembled in the crowd.

Another ten minutes and there's only about another 50 people....

The band are late on stage due to some problems in the setup...but even by then there are less than 200 people in the audience...We're thinking "this is way weird". Or maybe "this is Milwaukee"?! On the main stage that night was a country music concert - we should have known...

The band comes out and cranks into some tunes....and people start to leave. It quickly became obvious that most of the crowd were obviously just general show patrons, curious to listen in to a free concert, but not fans and obviously the music (great to us!) wasn't to their liking.

Thirty minutes into the show more people leave, an hour into the show and the poor lead singer (by now noticeably upset by the people leaving) jumps off the stage and starts sitting amongst the crowd with a cordless mic trying to make light of it. After another few songs she invites people up on stage - by now there are more fans on stage than sitting in the audience. It was hilarious, but we felt so sorry for the band...they'll NEVER come back to Milwaukee!

New Zealand - the land of the long grey/pink cloud

I know I owe a second installment on the State Fair but I interrupt this broadcast to give you this commentary received from Brian Sweeney from the NZEdge.com website in his latest email...thought you might enjoy...

Have been confronting the dichotomy between global achievement and a fairly murderous (literally) local climate. There has been extensive media commentary about the parlous state of New Zealand's behaviour and values. A tangential but compelling commentary can be found on the NZ Herald's always-excellent reader forum specifically addressing the question "Do you think New Zealand is boring?" It's a great question; at last count there were 200 intelligent comments mostly of the view that it is. I can give both "absolutely" and "absolutely not" answers to this question (but fundamentally, life is what you make of it). Overall the country feels like it is in drift mode; awash with the scent of violence; politically fragmented; overly-contented; and little sense of urgency (one export leader commented to a meeting last week that complacency in NZ was leading us to become "Tasmania on Prozac").

With a reported one in eleven Cantabrians on heavy-duty anti-depressants, we might be truly over the edge. In counselling on happiness, philosopher Daniel Dennett advises to "find something bigger than yourself, then devote your life to it." New Zealand needs this firmly articulated sense of purpose (our version is "winning the world from the edge"). My belief is that this would deal to the atrophy that afflicts public life here "on-island". It's not enough to simply get behind the ABs. The nation operating with purpose and focus as a "One Team One Dream" unit would propel us forward. I'm a resident optimist, and I hope this issue #87 of nzedge.com puts a step in your day. Cheers.

One in 11!!!! (Well, I know of one..) I did a quick web search to try and get some some more info about this - concerned at the slight on my people - and couldn't find anything. I might have to email him...

P.S Read Kevin Robert's great commentary on the ABs on the blog site that's part of NZedge.

More sticks than you can poke an animal at...

Or should that be more animals than you can poke a stick at...

Oh, no.

This is the Wisconsin State Fair.

Held every August at the height of a sticky Midwestern summer; when the fields are full of corn, the kids are roaming free, and the acres of once pale white skin are now blistering red; the State Fair is one hell'ova A&P Show.

When I was young, the trip to the Canterbury A&P Show under nor'wester skies was the excuse for a new summer dress. I can tell you one thing - I don't think there were any new little dresses at the Wisconsin State Fair....but there was way too much bare skin (I was guilty) and too much tummy overhang.

And the reason for it all - plenty of cheese curds - and food on sticks.

There were corn dogs (hot dogs on a stick), GIANT corn dogs, pork chops on a stick, frozen cheesecake on a stick, candy apples (on a stick), frozen bananas on a stick, deep fried pickles on a stick, s'mores on a stick (see here for those unfamiliar with a s'more!).

Here are few pics of some of the food offerings on offer...Note the lack of the colour green. There was a vegetable food stall...selling....(wait for it)... deep fried vegetables, fried sweet potatoes, fried mixed vegetables, and I couldn't resist - my first ever helping of fried green tomatoes...note the do rag (bandana) - it's actually Louis Vuitton, but all the Harley chicks wear them!...

There was a stall selling nothing but "Fried Dough"

The sign says it all...

The deep fried battered s'more - on a stick! (we did not eat one of these!)
The rotisserie'd corn (see the burnt husk) dipped in melted butter was goooood...

What's THE most talked about thing to see at the Wisconsin State Fair?....The champion all-star bull? The Budweiser Clydesdales. The ultra high-flying, death-defying, lunch up-bringing ride? The bearded lady? The best-in-show-made-with-real-butter pound cake? The man selling the best-ever jewelery cleaner/feather duster/non-stick frying pan/garage gadget/hedge clipper/sharpest-ever knife set...they're all there....but no. It's the cream puff.

Wisconsin is known for its cows and cheese - and to get cheese you need milk - and cream. Well, apparently some time ago the Wisconsin Association of Bakers decided to show off their skills at the State Fair by making and selling choux pastry puffs, filled with fresh whipped cream. And sell them they do...

Luckily there were no queues when we were there - but they were ready!...
There is even a drive through area where people can phone in their orders and drive through and pick them up - without having to come into the Fair. Apparently 6-packs are seen in offices at coffee time all across the city during the week of the fair! For more about the famous Wisconsin State Fair cream puff check this out.

You think the ropes are a little crazy....they sell up to 50,000 per day - for the 10 days of the event! At $3 a pop - think of the margin.

We restrained ourselves - and shared one...

The animals and 10,000 Maniacs in the next post. I'm off to bed!