Birthday Week Fun

Like most people on this earth, I had a birthday this year. Mine was in August. The 14th, in case anyone wants to write that down for future reference (oh, and my favorite gifts = Bud Light and cash).

I had nearly a week long celebration, because, hey, why not take advantage of free food and free booze for as long as possible?

I started in Canada, and performed at Leo's Komedy Korner in Windsor, Ontario.



That's right - I'm an international comedian. World-renowned, if you will.



At the show with my friend, Mike. I promise I didn't pay him to wear that.

The following day, I performed with my good friend, Eric Kirkland, in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Sadly, we weren't able to eat at a BD's Mongolian BBQ (as is our tradition every time we work together), but we still had a lot of fun (and managed to sell quite a bit of merchandise).



On, Monday, I had the chance to attend a book-signing with The Humane Society of the United States' CEO, Wayne Pacelle. He spoke for nearly an hour, and was so inspiring! He reflected on the animal rights movement, gave information on recruiting new members and provided a guide for how to work to make legal and attitudinal changes. I can't wait to read his book.



That's me and my friend, Molly, trying not to look like groupies.



Molly again. This time she's demonstrative why I love Ann Arbor so much: you never know when you might run into a violin-playing wolf on a street corner.

After listening to the wolf man play for a little while, it was onto vegan cupcakes and slurpees. You know what time it is.



Molly and Brianna, who were in desperate need of more Alienaide (because, really, can one ever have enough frozen, sugary, mock alien blood?).





What? Don't you pose for pictures in parking garages. Anyone who's anyone does that.

Also on my birthday week? My bestie, Brent, came to visit. It was so wonderful to see him, especially at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, where we both started doing comedy.



Of course, we took turns posing with Roger, who owns the club.





The night before my actual birthday, I traveled to Wisconsin to perform here:



And then celebrated with my family and main squeeze...and of course my other main squeeze, Three Buck Chuck.





Pre-intervention.



Right after Chairman Meow declared that all of these birthday shenanigans are beneath him.



My delicious vegan cake to celebrate my fifth birthday.

And there you have it, my 22nd birthday celebration. 'Twas lovely!

Abercrombie & Fitch Offers Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino Cash to Stop Wearing Their Clothing

This post originally appeared on Zoiks Online.

Mike Sorrentino (better known as “The Situation” on MTV’s Jersey Shore) has been offered a “substantial” sum of cash by fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch to stop wearing their clothes. Earlier this week, an Abercrombie spokesperson announced, “We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino’s association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We have therefore offered a substantial payment to Michael ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino and the producers of MTV’s Jersey Shore to have the character wear an alternate brand…and are urgently waiting a response.”

The spokesperson went on to say that The Situation’s regular habits of creeping on chicks, avoiding grenades and getting in his GTL (as his published book Here’s the Situation is subtitled), combined with his regimen of boozing and fighting, are harming its “aspiration” brand image and “may be distressing to many of our fans.” Translation: he’s worried about The Situation acting like a douchebag, and wearing Abercrombie clothes while doing so.



However, what the spokesperson fails to realize is the type of people who actually do wear Abercrombie & Fitch - douchebags. When is the last time you saw a lawyer doing pro bono work in the courtroom sporting an A&F logo polo shirt with its collar popped? Or how often do you see a doctor engaged in saving children’s lives wearing tight, clingy pants with “Abercrombie” spelled out across her butt? But, go to any bar anywhere in the US, and I guarantee you’ll find people clad in Abercrombie gear doing one of the following: obnoxiously screaming, obnoxiously fighting, obnoxiously grinding on the dance floor and/or obnoxiously puking from drinking too many Jägerbombs.

If I were The Situation, I would take the money and gladly never wear another stitch of Abercrombie & Fitch. Not only is the brand associated with the aforementioned douchebaggery, but as Dwight A. McBride argues in his book, Why I Hate Abercrombie & Fitch: Essays on Race and Sexuality, the company has discriminatory hiring practices (In fact, they recently paid out $40 million in a class action lawsuit where they were accused of favoring white employees and discouraging people of color from even applying for jobs) and racist advertisement campaigns.

I am fully aware that the cast of the Jersey Shore might want to support douchebaggery, but they hopefully don’t want to support a racist corporation by wearing its clothing. So I say, take the money and run! After all, that “substantial” sum could probably buy a lot of hair gel and fake tanning memberships.

Gotta get up, gotta get out, gotta get down...

Value World (AKA my favorite thrift store in Ann Arbor) was having a 50% off sale this weekend. So I scored a ton of great (read: horribly bubblegum) music on cassette for under a buck. I know what you're thinking: who in the world still has a cassette player? If you answered "Kate Brindle," you would be correct. You see, once upon a time, my CD player got stolen from my car, and as a future theft deterrent, I decided to install a tape player. It's worked like a charm, and it also allows me to completely indulge in my love for 80's/90's pop music.

An added bonus to toady's purchase? My boyfriend is seven years younger than I (I know, I know, cougar-schmougar), so I doubt he's heard any of these songs since he was around three when they were released. Wow, I can't wait to torture him, ahem, I mean share this beautiful music together.

Without further ado, here's a sample of what I picked up:







How badly does this song make you want to dance on a desk?

Joey's Comedy Club

Some pictures of my shows at Joey's Comedy Club in Livonia, Michigan (where I worked last week with Bryan McCree and Jeff Arcuri). Photo credit: Garri Madera. Check out his work here.




Backstage with Bryan.


Why, yes, I always color coordinate my clothes to match the stage backdrop.

Ann Arbor Art Fair

I survived tabling at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in 99 degree heat (big shout outs to my cooler and Tom's of Maine deodorant)! And despite the ridiculously hot/humid weather, I had a great time.


Buttons that I helped sell at SMART's (Southeastern Michigan Animal Rights Team) booth.


My view from the VegMichigan table.


Displaying bumper stickers at the Animals and Society table.

One of the things I love about Art Fair is that you encounter so many interesting people and causes.

My favorite booth from the fair:

They also had a sign that said, "Free Bathing Suit With Every Donation," which featured a picture of a nude beach.


At one point, this mud man ran through the crowd with a camera crew in tow. Neither he nor his entourage provided any explanation whatsoever. Oh, Ann Arbor, how I love thee.

Another reason I love Ann Arbor: this new vegan lunch cart!



This is the Caesar salad I had, which was top notch.

Because, after all, what blog entry would be complete without a food pic?

Judith Butler is awesome, but apparently her fan club sucks at trivia

Last week, I had the pleasure of working with headliner, LA Hardy, in Northern Michigan. My main squeeze, Drew, also came along for the un-airconditioned ride.



Our first gig was in Pentwater, Michigan. The show was on a Tuesday, and it's hard to know what to expect crowd turn-out wise on week nights. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the place was packed when we walked in! And they were a great crowd filled with loud laughers! Plus, an audience member even bought me some popcorn. You see, it’s the little things in life that make Kate Brindle happy (like talking about myself in third person).

We then performed at two casinos near Traverse City. Before the show at Turtle Creek Casino, Drew and I attempted to play trivia.


That's us (also known by our team name: the Judith Butler Fan Club) after our unfortunate defeat. Had there been questions about movie quotes, social movement theory or useless video game/NKOTB facts, we could have been a serious force to be reckoned with. But, alas, there were a lot of sports questions, so we were pretty much dead in the water.

My friend, Renee, stopped by one of the casino shows and even let me test out my hotel room cuisine on her. Whenever I cook in hotel rooms, it always reminds me of camping in that you basically get creative with ingredients and cooking appliances, and you hope no major germs get in there. Although, with some of the hotel rooms I stay in, my immune system would probably fare better if I rolled my food in dirt first.

But, this was a nice hotel room (complete with a fridge), so I didn't have to worry much. For the meal, I boiled some pasta in my handy, little, plug-in teapot, cut up some tomatoes and microwaved soy sausage (soysage, if you will) and pasta sauce. And Drew borrowed a bottle opener from the front desk, bought some Sprite from the vending machine and mixed up some wine spritzers.

I swear, I should write a blog about my hotel room concoctions/draft a how-to guide to making creative things out of free breakfast buffet items.

Our last stop of the trip was Merrillville, Indiana, where I played at Wisecrackers Comedy Club. I really love that club. Not only do I enjoy the crowds there, but I also love the hotel where it’s located (the Radisson). It not only features two pools, but it also has two hot tubs, and a really nice work-out facility. I'm currently doing the couch-to-5k program, and I sweated and grunted my way through week 5 in the fitness center.

During the day, Drew and I watched the World Series of Poker Main Event on television. The small blinds at the table were, like, 10 times what I make per year. Depressing. Oh well, perhaps I can increase my income by selling my hotel room food after the shows. Because, after all, who wouldn't want toast made with an iron?

Summer entertainment and animal cruelty

Every summer, I always make big plans. I mean, big. In the months leading up to summer, I frequently repeat the mantra "this is going to be the best summer ever!" I tell myself over and over again, "I'm going to travel, I'm going to meet new people, I'm going to have life-changing experiences, it's going to be AWESOME!" Yeah, it's amazing how quickly that turns into, "I'm going to work at Starbucks, I'm going to drink beer in my parents' garage, I'm going to drive a car without air conditioning, it's going to be AWESOME!"

Not only do I love the hot weather that summer brings, but I love its myriad of entertainment choices. Sitting outside with a cold beer, listening to live music, and attending outdoor plays are like heaven to me. Plus, the fact that NKOTB hits the road every summer makes me elated!

Unfortunately, there are a lot of forms of summer "entertainment" in which animals suffer greatly. Specifically, I'm speaking of circuses and rodeos. The circus rips animals from their natural habitat, forces them to live most of their lives chained inside of trailers that are trucked across hundreds of miles, and then forces them to perform under the constant threat of punishment. Circus elephants are kept in chains for 95 percent of their lives and tigers are kept in chains 22 hours out of the day.

From a protest against the Circus Pages:

Circus Pages has failed to meet minimal federal standards for the care of animals used in exhibition as established in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited Circus Pages for failure to have records of veterinary care, provide animals with sufficient space, and provide animals with appropriate food.

The rodeo is also filled with animal abuse. Standard rodeo events include calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback horse and bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer roping, and barrel racing. Electric prods, spurs, and bucking straps are used to irritate and enrage animals in rodeos. The flank, or “bucking,” strap or rope is tightly cinched around the animals’ abdomens, which causes them to buck vigorously to try to rid themselves of the torment. When the flank strap is paired with spurring, it causes the animals to buck even more violently, often resulting in serious injuries. Also, cows and horses are often prodded with an electrical “hotshot” while in the chute to rile them, causing intense pain to the animals.

For more information about rodeos (specifically, one that will be taking place in Michigan), you can read the letter I wrote in Between the Lines Newspaper.

Luckily, the summer presents us with a unique opportunity to fight animal cruelty. And that's by boycotting forms of "entertainment" that use animals and encouraging others to do the same. Paying money to see animals suffer is not only callous, but pointless considering there are so many other non-cruel ways to celebrate the heat.

And, hey, if you're really looking for something to do, come drink some beer with me in the garage and go for a spin in my AC-free car.