Original:

Remix:

I thought the original was pretty hilarious, but the remix really hit home for me.

Catching up on an event that happened a while back…

On December 26th, Jen, Kate, Katie, Kim, Cousin Drew, Kenny, Krissy, Alex, his friend Mikey, and I all went down to see Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940-1976, an exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum. I was really excited to see the Pollocks up close, and while I was a little disappointed to see that there were only two on display, the ones they had were really great. I’m not a big de Kooning fan, but there were also some other artworks that were really nice, especially a large Rothko.

Perhaps the painting that generated the most discussion was Peter Saul’s Icebox #3, which is filled entirely with penises, some obvious, some more deviously subliminal.

After the exhibition, the party moved to Schlafly Tap Room where they were celebrating their 17th birthday party by selling beer at 1991 prices: $2.95 / pint. Nice. We ate and drank there for a couple hours (there was a wait for a table of ten, plus somewhat leisurely service) but the atmosphere was great and everyone had a good time.

I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions, but there is no reason in the world why we shouldn’t go to the Art Museum more often. Plus, there are so many great artworks there to see:

5. These 10 signature artworks from our beloved Saint Louis Art Museum (not all of which are on view at all times): the Egyptian Mummy Mask, the Buddhist deity Guanyin, Liu Cai’s 8-foot-long hand-scroll Fish Swimming Amid Falling Flowers, George Caleb Bingham’s The Verdict of the People, Vincent van Gogh’s Stairway at Auvers, Henri Matisse’s Bathers With a Turtle, Max Beckmann’s Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, Jackson Pollock’s Number 3, 1950 and Gerhard Richter’s Betty.

We managed to see most of these before our allotted time at the exhibition, and in doing so, we checked off another on the STL 101 list. Good times!

A while back, Katie mentioned that it had been a while since we did a Trivia Night. We concurred, and she set about finding the perfect Trivia Night for us to attend. She came upon a fundraiser for Animal House, a homeless animal shelter, that was hosted by St. Louis trivia guru Kevin Carbery and set it up. Jen, Katie, Kate, Kim, Monika, Paul, Mike and I teamed up with Kim’s friends Val and Peter to make a table of 10 and we headed down to the Millennium Hotel (the round one) and their gorgeous banquet rooms for the event.

This was a high class trivia night with a huge turnout, free buckets of AB beer, awesome silent auction items, and local celebrities like Chris Duncan, Brad Thompson and Kyle McClellan in attendance. So naturally, we felt a little out of place, but our trivia skills came through for us, even if we didn’t have the most demographically diverse team. We swept the Artists category thanks to Kate’s Master’s Degree and Kim’s helpful suggestion of Grandma Moses. Paul and I put our sports knowledge together with a bevy of good guesses and logical picks to get 9 out of 10 the surprisingly difficult Guess Their Sport category, in which 3 famous athletes were named and you had to (surprise) guess the sport they played. Of course, Kim swept the Disney category (even if there was a spirited discussion about whether or not Old Yeller saved a kid from a bear or a boar — we ended up Mulliganing that one). One of the answers for the Movie Quotes category was the classic “National Lampoon’s Animal House”, which was a nice tie in for the host organization.

Plus, our food selection was stellar: pizza rolls, veggie tray, cheese and crackers, spinach balls, cookies, chips, dips, chocolate donuts, hot wing dip, and lemon cake, combined with an unending flow of Bud, Bud Light, Bud Select, Michelob Light, and assorted sodas to satiate even the most hungry trivia fiends.

In the end, we came up with 93/100 which was an awesome finish, but the two teams that tied for first place ended up with a stunning 97 points. Oh well. We had a great time and the money went to a good organization.

27. Ice skate at Steinberg Rink in Forest Park when it’s cold enough outside to see your breath. Bring a date. You ever see the movie Serendipity? It’s just like that.

Friday night, we got together to do something crazy and dangerous in our old age: ice-skating at Steinberg in Forest Park. Think about it, broken bones, scrapped palms, bruised hineys, possible concussions, yep, we chose to do this. It was a gorgeous night, it wasn’t too cold, the air was crisp, a perfect night for ice-skating . I guess everyone had the same idea as well because when we got there, it was crowded and only increased as the evening went on.

My skills on the ice were barely passable, at best. I like to utilize the windmill technique, you know, the flailing of the arms. It’s a bit ridiculous to watch but I didn’t fall so I’m okay with that, I am not afraid of humiliation, in fact, I embrace it. There were a couple of newbies in our group and so we eased them into the skating, making sure that we were there if they fell. But they did wonderfully and enjoyed the experience so I have a feeling that this may be a repeat event.

The only complaint that I had about the evening was the line to return the skates. We probably waited 45 minutes just to get our shoes back, it was absolutely ridiculous. I think it may have to do with the incompetence of the staff and the rude people that kept jumping the line, little shit bastards. Overall, it was fantastic, a great way to enjoy Forest Park and see some of the lights of the city.

Here are the rest of the pictures from that night.

Happy New Year! I hope 2008 was fun for you as it was for us. This past year was a very much welcomed year, a year without drama, upheaval and a feeling of being lost. Bob and I have done so much, even in our financial situation, but I guess that’s a testament to our commitment to living life and having fun, whether it’s just hanging out at home playing board games or going to Disney World. After looking through the posts, I’ve realized that 2008 was really focused on St. Louis and friends with a minor sprinkle of travel. So, here is a Sherron recap of 2008:

The Disney Half Marathon with the Marcantels.

Bob’s first visit (and my second) to Disney World. And also an inclusion of a whole hella lot outlet mall shopping.

A group road trip to Kansas City to watch the Cards beat the Royals and a side trip to Arthur Bryant’s for BBQ.

A weekend trip to Philadelphia to partake in Christine and Brad’s wedding celebration.

Bob’s most favorite purchase EVAR.

First Moonlight Ramble.

The Forest Park Balloon Glow.

Fast Eddie’s Bon Air in Alton, IL.

Float Trip on the Huzzah.

Grant’s Farm.

20 mile bike ride on the Riverfront Trail.

Small tour of the Augusta wineries.

Three separate trips down to our “lake house.”

Taste of St. Louis.

A weekend in Wichita to visit with the Doyles.

The first and last visit to the Bowling Hall of Fame on its last day in St. Louis.

Biking I-64 before the opening.

Bob’s Big 3-0 at the Blues game.

Not too shabby, eh? In addition to these special occasions, we also did a lot of exercising and bike riding, which allowed us to get healthier and spend more time with our friends. We saw some great concerts (notably, Radiohead, Wilco, Death Cab for Cutie, and Vampire Weekend), some great theater (Avenue Q, Wicked, The Producers), and some great performances at Trivia Nights (2 wins!).

We welcomed into the world Sierra Getz, Edison Schroeder, and Mason Lambay. We celebrated with Christine and Brad at their wedding. We congratulated Matt & Amanda, Doug & Stephanie, Craig & Louise, and Erin & Pete on their engagements. We welcomed Kate back to St. Louis. We also voted for change.

As you go through the days, you can get a little bit of tunnel vision. But when you take a moment to reflect, you really notice how much you have done and how much you have to be thankful for. Thanks to everyone for making this year a memorable one. And here’s to hoping the next year will be even better than the last.