This year, I have done my best to share my knowledge of all things Wisconsin with you, my perceived loyal fan base. From opening up about my family’s shady margarine-smuggling past to detailing proper Packer party etiquette and explaining why Wisconsinites use their hands as maps, I have treated this… Read more »

Once upon a time, back in high school, my best pal and I dazzled an auditorium full of high schoolers with a quirky song we wrote ourselves. Donning Packer jerseys, we took the stage of the talent show by storm with our song with lyrics like “dontcha know?” and “oh,… Read more »

As a Wisconsinite, I am obligated to talk about how unseasonably warm this March has been. Can you believe the trees are already budding? I remember being buried in snow at this time in years past! Is that a sunburn?! March Madness, indeed. Like Michael Scott, I am not superstitious,… Read more »

This weekend, I traveled to the glamorous city of Thrillwaukee. For those unfamiliar with Thrillwaukee, it is the nickname my siblings gave Milwaukee as a way to entice me to come visit them. Not only is Thrillwaukee a great place to hang out with your favorite kitty pals, Albus and… Read more »

There’s no doubt that finals week is a stressful time. While most students were holed up in the library cramming for exams, one ambitious group of University of Wisconsin students was dealing with another set of stresses. UW-Hollywood Badgers spent their finals week filming a movie that was the culminating… Read more »

At 6:43 p.m. on a Thursday, the few patrons in The Plaza Tavern seem blissfully unaware of the storm that will hit the bar in a few hours. About eight 50-somethings are up at the bar chumming with each other and the bartenders. Meanwhile, a lady wearing a ribbed white… Read more »

When people ask me where I am from, my answer usually elicits one of three reactions. Firstly, fellow residents of the Fox Valley region typically sneer and say something to the effect of, “Menasha? You mean, Metrasha?” Then there are the residents of Wisconsin who simply have not heard of… Read more »

While University of Wisconsin students were still on winter break, presumably in the comfort of their parents’ houses, a safe haven for Madison’s homeless was badly damaged by fire. This January, Porchlight — a non-profit that provides a variety of services including counseling and shelter for the homeless — incurred… Read more »

At a young age, I learned that the cheese curd is perhaps Wisconsin’s finest delicacy. With this knowledge comes power. With power comes the duty to educate my loyal readers about the wonders and uniqueness of cheese curds. I attribute this cheese wisdom to my great Aunt Ellen from Montana,… Read more »

Sims Delaney-Potthoff may be Madison’s only gypsy jazz mandolin player. He might also be this city’s hippest 50-something musician. Clad in red Chuck Taylors and cargo pants, he has both the look and energy of a younger man. Interestingly, Delaney-Potthoff gets his youthful vitality from a relatively old genre of… Read more »

Like many celebrities, comedian Demetri Martin has never been to Madison. Although he is excited to perform his comedy routine in front of a packed house tonight, it’s unlikely he’ll get to experience much of the city. Martin’s pit stop in Madison marks the 17th stop on his whirlwind “Telling… Read more »

As a graduating senior with plans to possibly move out of the Badger State, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I may have to let go of a Wisconsin tradition. It’s time to start calling it a drinking fountain, not a bubbler. However, it won’t be an easy… Read more »

The Sconnie vs. Coastie rivalry is a hot topic, particularly this frigid time of year, when North Face jackets, UGG boots and leggings are out in full force. However, today I am going to remain mute on this topic. There’s a simple reason why: Coasties do not exist anywhere else… Read more »

With several games left in the season of another unprecedented year for the Packers, chances are anyone in Wisconsin reading this column will be invited to a Packer party sometime soon. Yes, Packer parties are real. People in Wisconsin do not just get together to watch the game. They throw… Read more »

“There’s a thin veneer between the dream and the reality. You wake ‘em up and people might ask for their money back.” These cynical words come from a weary editor who cautions journalist Frank Kemp (Johnny Depp, “Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides”), from reporting on hard-hitting issues that… Read more »

My grandparents were criminals. By Wisconsin standards, they committed the highest form of treason. That’s right: My grandparents were margarine smugglers. For those who are not as well-versed in backdoor butter substitute dealings, allow me to figuratively blow your mind with an exposé of a Wisconsin subculture you probably never… Read more »

Get ready for the circus. Michael Ian Black is adopting a bold new performance style complete with fire breathers, stilt walkers and lion tamers for his “Black is White” comedy tour. Or is he? Black may have promised what sounds like good ol’ family fun in an interview with The… Read more »