Check this out, featuring local improv legends Dennis and Nikki Dupont!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Trivia, JoCo Style
Trivia, JoCo Style
After our thrice-postponed fall softball finale was finally played Wednesday night, a number of us headed to Tanner’s for food and beer.
One of the things I’ve found lacking in JoCo is a good place to go for drinks. Most places just seem so…generic. This is not shocking for a county which serves as a veritable beacon of beige construction materials.
Tanner’s is the epitome of the JoCo watering hole, in my opinion. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with the place, but there’s nothing right about it either (except maybe the 2 for $8 burger + fries special they were running Wednesday night—really a pretty good deal for an okay burger).
Wrong or right, the room was packed on a Wednesday night. Most of the people were probably there for the cheap burgers, but a good number were also playing trivia. It was standard bar-style trivia: a guy with a mic plays music or movie clips over the PA and asks a question about it.
However, there was one wrinkle I’d never seen before:
EVERY GROUP HAD A LAPTOP.
Seriously. It was open book effing trivia.
Sorry, but what’s the point? To be able to say you’re the most industrious user of Google in the bar?
When the answers were read back, I wanted to throttle people who cheered when they got some of the answers right. Not just because any trivia team worth its salt would have gotten them without a computer, but because all they had to do was type in the title of the song that was playing into the Google toolbar to magically have it spit back the artist who recorded it.
Lame.
After our thrice-postponed fall softball finale was finally played Wednesday night, a number of us headed to Tanner’s for food and beer.
One of the things I’ve found lacking in JoCo is a good place to go for drinks. Most places just seem so…generic. This is not shocking for a county which serves as a veritable beacon of beige construction materials.
Tanner’s is the epitome of the JoCo watering hole, in my opinion. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with the place, but there’s nothing right about it either (except maybe the 2 for $8 burger + fries special they were running Wednesday night—really a pretty good deal for an okay burger).
Wrong or right, the room was packed on a Wednesday night. Most of the people were probably there for the cheap burgers, but a good number were also playing trivia. It was standard bar-style trivia: a guy with a mic plays music or movie clips over the PA and asks a question about it.
However, there was one wrinkle I’d never seen before:
EVERY GROUP HAD A LAPTOP.
Seriously. It was open book effing trivia.
Sorry, but what’s the point? To be able to say you’re the most industrious user of Google in the bar?
When the answers were read back, I wanted to throttle people who cheered when they got some of the answers right. Not just because any trivia team worth its salt would have gotten them without a computer, but because all they had to do was type in the title of the song that was playing into the Google toolbar to magically have it spit back the artist who recorded it.
Lame.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
How Does That Taste, Improvisers?
I was curious how local improvisers would feel about this:
Comedian Fills Big Shoes At Second City
In summary, a 21-year-old from the KC area took one improv class on a whim to fulfill an elective. Her teacher (EDIT: Brian Posen, who is actually a teacher at Second City, not Brian Posehn, who Bull correctly suggests would not be allowed near college students) suggested she try out for SECOND FREAKING CITY.
Of course, she was accepted.
Comedian Fills Big Shoes At Second City
In summary, a 21-year-old from the KC area took one improv class on a whim to fulfill an elective. Her teacher (EDIT: Brian Posen, who is actually a teacher at Second City, not Brian Posehn, who Bull correctly suggests would not be allowed near college students) suggested she try out for SECOND FREAKING CITY.
Of course, she was accepted.
After one improv class.
Now, granted, she IS a musical theater major, so she had already honed a lot of the tools that would make her a valuable commodity to Second City.
But how does that make you feel?
I admittedly rolled my eyes and thought, well yeah...she probably got accepted into the training program, or MAYBE the touring company.
But I don't know the details, and those thoughts were only to minimize her accomplishments to make me feel better.
If I'm being truthful with myself, my emotions were as follows: jealousy and resentment.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Respite
These last few months have been busy. It seems like it's been a constant stream of stuff hanging over my head.
Remodel a bathroom.
Buy a house.
Sell a house.
Move.
Get settled.
Make wedding plans.
Find a car.
Travel for work.
I've longed to have a couple weeks where I simply had nothing major to do.
I think I'm finally there.
I've been looking forward to the Grand Canyon and Vegas for quite a while, and Ken Burns' work has only made me more excited.
I will fly into Vegas Saturday, enjoy the drive to the Grand Canyon (by way of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead) and back, then spend the latter half of the week enjoying the artificial splendor that is Sin City.
I can't wait.
Remodel a bathroom.
Buy a house.
Sell a house.
Move.
Get settled.
Make wedding plans.
Find a car.
Travel for work.
I've longed to have a couple weeks where I simply had nothing major to do.
I think I'm finally there.
I've been looking forward to the Grand Canyon and Vegas for quite a while, and Ken Burns' work has only made me more excited.
I will fly into Vegas Saturday, enjoy the drive to the Grand Canyon (by way of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead) and back, then spend the latter half of the week enjoying the artificial splendor that is Sin City.
I can't wait.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
What I Learned At The Foundry Last Night
-McCoy's Ursa Major Imperial Stout is back, just in time for the chilly weather. Thinking back to the last batch, I may have been a fan. This year's is outstanding as well, though it's poured cold and you'll need to let it warm up a bit. Definitely worth a trip if you're a fan of the style.
-November 3rd is the next McCoy's Brewmaster's Dinner, and it's going to be a doozy. It's all fall food paired with Belgian Trappist beers. I looked for a .jpg of the menu, but couldn't find it. I was drooling. I'll post it once I find a copy. My reservations are in. Let me know if you'll be there and we'll meet up beforehand. It'll be like Drinking for the Cycle plus food.
UPDATE: Found this on the Foundry's calendar...
TRAPPIST BEER DINNER! All of our Brewmaster's Dinners so far have sold out. However, this highly anticipated food and beer pairing is certain to fill up quickly, so make reservations now.
First Course: Chimay Tripel featuring Hazelnut-encrusted Chevre Goat Cheese Truffles with rosemary honey.
Second course pairs a Pumpkin Soup served with Sage Crouton and Nutmeg Whipped Cream with Orval Belgium Pale Ale.
Next up is the Rochefort 10 matched with a Roast Duck Salad, Sun-Dried Cherries, Candied Walnuts and Roquefort Cheese.
On to the Fourth Course: Seared Diver Scallop over butternut squash, brown butter sauce and proscuitto paired with Achel Bruin 8.
For the main course, Westmalle Dubbel is served with a Braised Beef Short Rib, shitake mushrooms and parsnip-turnip puree.
And finally, for dessert, a Double-layered Butternut Squash Pecan Pie with an Apricot Glaze and Maple Whipped Cream teamed with Konigshoeven Quadrupel.
-November 3rd is the next McCoy's Brewmaster's Dinner, and it's going to be a doozy. It's all fall food paired with Belgian Trappist beers. I looked for a .jpg of the menu, but couldn't find it. I was drooling. I'll post it once I find a copy. My reservations are in. Let me know if you'll be there and we'll meet up beforehand. It'll be like Drinking for the Cycle plus food.
UPDATE: Found this on the Foundry's calendar...
TRAPPIST BEER DINNER! All of our Brewmaster's Dinners so far have sold out. However, this highly anticipated food and beer pairing is certain to fill up quickly, so make reservations now.
First Course: Chimay Tripel featuring Hazelnut-encrusted Chevre Goat Cheese Truffles with rosemary honey.
Second course pairs a Pumpkin Soup served with Sage Crouton and Nutmeg Whipped Cream with Orval Belgium Pale Ale.
Next up is the Rochefort 10 matched with a Roast Duck Salad, Sun-Dried Cherries, Candied Walnuts and Roquefort Cheese.
On to the Fourth Course: Seared Diver Scallop over butternut squash, brown butter sauce and proscuitto paired with Achel Bruin 8.
For the main course, Westmalle Dubbel is served with a Braised Beef Short Rib, shitake mushrooms and parsnip-turnip puree.
And finally, for dessert, a Double-layered Butternut Squash Pecan Pie with an Apricot Glaze and Maple Whipped Cream teamed with Konigshoeven Quadrupel.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tantrum: Friday, October 9th w/ Jonathan Bender
Tantrum’s 2nd Friday series at the Westport Coffeehouse continues this Friday at 8pm.Who: Tantrum Improv Comedy with Jonathan Bender
Where: Westport Coffeehouse Theater, 4010 Pennsylvania
When: Friday, October 9th, 8pm
How Much: $10 (but you can go to http://www.tantrumkc.com/ and check out “Latest News” for details on how to get in for half price!)
(May contain adult content)
http://www.tantrumkc.com/
Call 816-678-8886 for reservations.
In October, we're joined by writer Jonathan Bender, who blogs for The Kansas City Star’s Prime Buzz, which covers Missouri and Kansas politics, and The Pitch’s Fat City. And he’s working a book about Adult Fans of LEGO (he put that in caps, so we’re respecting the subculture). He also performs with the improv troupes Improv-Abilties and Loaded Dice, so we're pretty sure he can handle whatever you guys throw at him.
To get Jonathan started, you'll shout out topics you want to hear about. He can respond with anything he wants to—as long as it’s true. Then Tantrum takes over, twisting and turning his tales into a series of scenes. Get to know Jonathan better by reading his answers to our 7 Questions.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Adam's Rib - Closed
As mentioned here, I was rooting for Adam's Rib. Lots of others were too.
Now, apparently it's closed.
This sucks. I really liked their food AND their people, and I think the place was just hitting its stride. The pulled pork was fabulous, their spicy sauce was great, they had a good lunch special...oh, and JUST TWO DAYS AGO it was named Pitch's Best Barbecue (South Region) for 2009.
Again, this sucks.
Now, apparently it's closed.
This sucks. I really liked their food AND their people, and I think the place was just hitting its stride. The pulled pork was fabulous, their spicy sauce was great, they had a good lunch special...oh, and JUST TWO DAYS AGO it was named Pitch's Best Barbecue (South Region) for 2009.
Again, this sucks.
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