st. patrick's week

What kind of sister would I be if I didn't rave about the show I saw last night? Amy and I went to watch Andrew's band, The Scrubbers, play at Derry Hegarty's right after the Milwaukee St. Patrick's Day Parade. (Since the people of Milwaukee are exceedingly proud of their sort-of Irish heritage, the commemoration of St. Patrick extends beyond March 17 to take up about a week's time.)

The place was packed, but it was clear that a lot of the revelers had never been to a show like this before (case in point: I got yelled at for standing in front of someone's table...what was this? A dinner theater?). But after a couple more rounds of green beer, some original masterpieces, crazy renditions of Irish folk tunes, and Gogol Bordello covers, much of the crowd -- including the crabby guy at the table -- was full-on dancing.

If you ever get the chance, check out The Scrubbers (promise I'm not just saying this...). They're super-fun. They've got two shows on Wednesday: one in downtown Milwaukee at noon and one at O'Marro's Public House in Oshkosh that evening.

Oh, and what kind of sister-in-law would I be if I didn't plug another (great) local Irish band, Dublin O'Shea? Keith's group is playing a lot this week too -- they'll be at the Delafield Brewhaus on the 17th. Can't wait for a show with both brothers on the same bill.

Meanwhile, sláinte.

in with the new

Happy March, everybody!

Imagine...seven days ago at this time, we were still Manhattanites. We're pretty much settled here in Wisconsin, and life no longer feels like a vacation. This week has been a whirlwind for us, and we've checked off a lot on our to-do list; a number of "firsts" among them -- our first car is probably the biggest (although my Nordic Track debut seemed monumental too -- whoever compared it to an elliptical has clearly never tried one).

Even though we test-drove a number of makes and models, we just couldn't stop thinking about the sweet Civic at CarMax. It feels and looks nearly identical to the car I was so sad to leave when we moved to New York -- a great transition for me after not having driven for about three years (don't worry, I didn't forget how...no need to pull over if you see me coming).

The car (and the Nordic Track) aren't the only new things happening here: Ian's hooked himself a job and I've made a substantial freelancing connection. Before we know it, we'll be back in the 50-hours-a-week world, and will look back to today and think, We thought that was everyday life? I'd better go enjoy the freedom while I can...it's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend.

It's good to be back!

the move: extended navigator's cut, part 2

South Bend, Indiana

We're safe and sound in the great state of Indiana. The weather cooperated a lot better today, but because the first leg of our trip was so exhausting, we wanted to take it slow and spend another night in a hotel instead of drive all the way to Waukesha (four more hours). Although there were periodic snow showers, the roads stayed clear. In fact, they were mostly clear of people too, which made for a much more relaxed drive.

In Pennsylvania: A little town (no idea which one) nestled into the hills

In Ohio: Ian got another souvenir penny for his collection

In Indiana: Westward ho for a robotic arm (?!)

Barring a catastrophe, tomorrow we'll be Wisconsin residents again! We have no idea what the future holds for us, but I'll be sure to keep you updated right here on the blog. For now, readers, over and out.

the move: extended navigator's cut, part 1

DuBois, Pennsylvania

Tonight, more than usual, I feel lucky to be alive. We knew snow was in the forecast, but had no idea it was going to be one of the year's largest snowfalls. The city endured several inches of snow that are probably still piling up as I write (that certainly is the case here). This set the tone for all of moving-out day, postponing the departure time by a couple of hours and slowing down our progress by a good 40 percent (what should have taken four and a half hours took us seven). We saw several vehicles in the ditch, including two semis -- one jack-knifed and one flipped over. About an hour before the sun was going to set, we were nowhere near our destination in the Cleveland suburbs and we could tell that the slush on the roads was going to freeze. Andy and Colleen did some sleuthing and found the names of closer hotels -- and we are so thankful they did. After dark, Ian had to work extremely hard to keep our truck on the road (it took about two hours, but he did!) and I could hardly breathe the whole time. But at 7:15, we were finally safe in our hotel, a pizza on the way to our room and the Olympics on TV (we debated watching something else -- it's snowing in Vancouver today too).

Our UHaul (check out the hardcore snakes)

The happy travelers (Sprout, our grapefruit tree, might be the most worldly grapefruit tree ever)

Gorgeous Pennsylvania scenery (it was nice to have something pretty to look at while traffic crawled at 20 mph)

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow!

fare thee well, fair city

Well, dear readers, we have about two boxes left to pack and it's only about 1 p.m. The oh-crap-who-the-hell-is-going-to-help-us-pack-the-UHaul debacle of 2 a.m. today has been solved (thanks, Rob the Mover!) and I'm forever grateful to Aleve Cold & Sinus.

What a run we've had in this great city, thanks to many of you... The next time you read anything from me, we'll (hopefully) be on the road back to Wisconsin. Wish us luck!

sigh of relief

Great news! A man put a down-payment on our apartment. To be honest, this was the only item on our moving to-do list that made me nervous. Because we're leaving before our lease ends, we'd be responsible for the remaining rent payments if our apartment hadn't been re-leased. So, thank goodness it was love at first sight with someone else, too. All the financials should go through tomorrow -- and if he doesn't pass muster, we still have about 10 days to find someone else. Our apartment was only on the market for two days before someone put in an offer. I'm not worried at all that our fantastic broker won't fill it in the end. (If you're ever looking for an apartment in New York, call Laurel Penn!)

PS: My uber-talented brother, Andrew (who owns Regal Creative in Milwaukee), put together an absolutely fantastic website for me: EllieMartinCliffe.com. What do you think?

here we come

I'm so happy to announce that Ian and I are returning to Wisconsin. We put in our resignations on Thursday (also my birthday -- big day!), and it's such a relief to finally be able to talk about it. We've been actively planning the move for several weeks, and it was odd, when people at work asked what we were up to or wanted to discuss future projects, to pretend that nothing was happening. I'm not very good at that.

Last night, we hosted a bunch of friends for what will be our first and last party in this apartment. Ian's hors d'oeuvres spread included homemade Indian chutneys and naan and a couple of tasty cocktails. Yum. We had an absolutely wonderful time -- and I think everyone else did too -- many stayed til 4 a.m. (Everyone, thank you for coming! Neighbors, if you're reading this, we're sorry.)


So, we're on our way. My heart is willing the end of the month to hurry up, but my brain wants to stop time until we're able to wrap up all the details (we will). We're renting a U-Haul and are stopping in Cleveland overnight so we don't have to drive all the way through, and hope to connect with one of Ian's long-lost college friends. Then we'll be off to Waukesha. Ian's parents have graciously offered their spare room until we've gotten settled. And that's that. Ready or not...