The eyes glaze over and people start wondering how long the diatribe is going to take. But isn’t it worth remembering that there was a time in our not-so-distant past when women weren’t allowed to vote or even open their own bank accounts?

What do you have to say as a 20-something to an audience full of well-respected iconoclastic battle axes other than “Thank you for the freedom and privilege to take your achievements for granted?”

This is the question I was struggling with when asked to give a brief talk about the Shrinking Violet Society at the 12th Annual Women’s Equality Day celebration in Comstock Park.

As with too many intergenerational efforts, this request wasn’t the result of some well-planned strategy to bridge the cultural gap between the baby boomer elders and their increasingly adult children. No, it was a well intentioned last minute effort to gain some insight into “just what those young people are up to.”

And last minute it was!

I had all these grand schemes of talking about the die-hard homesteading of my great-grandmother Betsy, the 50′s lipstick iconism of my Grandmother and household matron Lily, and the Teacher-Secretary-Nurse career options for my college-educated NOW member mother. I wanted to explain the difficulty that many young people feel in handing their personal allegiances and attention over to organizations, be they private, political or otherwise.

But of course, it didn’t turn out like that at all.

My first attempt to introduce the intergenerational theme was met with bad associations from feminist philosophy of the past. I stammered a few things about our deodorant making party, our brunches, and the history of our name and sat down. Did I fail to represent young feminists? Was their understanding out there in the audience somewhere? Certainly there was curiosity and hope.

The highlight of this year’s picnic was a theatrical presentation of “That Woman & Big Noise,” an interactive play focusing on the stormy relationship between May Hutton and Emma Smith DeVoe of Tacoma who were instrumental in the success of Washington’s Suffrage movement.

Written by Sandra Hosking, noted local playwright and Co-Playwright-in-Residence at the Spokane Civic Theater, the play stars Claire Rudolf Murphy and Penny Lucas, and carries a powerful message of the need to work together to accomplish change.

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Spokane is full of great art and artists, some of whom are pushing the envelope and challenging our perceptions. With each venue offering a different angle on Spokane’s aesthetic, attending one (or many!) of the First Friday events is a great way to introduce yourself to the local art scene. When you come across something like Gabriel Brown’s work, you know you’ve discovered something brilliant. The immediate simplicity of his work belies the complexity of his message. At first his little houses made of cereal boxes and other consumer packaging are amusing. But on further investigation, these little boxes represent something much more sinister and disturbing. Arranged like the map of a suburban housing development with multiple culs-de-sac, these little boxes speak of the impact our insatiable consumer culture has on the natural landscape.

Brown was on-hand for the opening night of his show, Great Tasting Goodness! at The MAC and I had the pleasure of listening to him speak about his work. He described the cul-de-sac as being emblematic of urban sprawl and explained the process of creating a stencil and cutting it down layer by layer to create the great cul-de-sac made of corrugated cardboard and covered in more of those signature consumer packaging houses – a piece he spent roughly 300 hours making.

The piece on exhibit that haunted me most is a wall covered by photographs of various housing developments around the Spokane area. These photographs are printed on the white inside surfaces of even more of that ubiquitous consumer packaging. Brown noted the ephemeral nature this piece, explaining the difficulty in printing on this material, the acidity inherent in the packaging and how quickly that acid will eat away at and distort the images. The transitory nature of this piece echoes the impermanency of the subject: Mass-produced houses built for instant gratification and convenience, much the same as the products that were once housed in the brightly colored packaging that the photographs are printed on.

Great Tasting Goodness! will be on display at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture through August 29th. You should definitely go check it out!

Ra Ra Riot, from Syracuse, NY opened the night with a sound that makes me think of Vampire Weekend but with the addition of a cello and violin. I immediately fell in love with their energy and sound. (I’m also a sucker for string instruments.) Unfortunately, no one seemed to be attending to the lights and soundboard. Throughout their entire set, the lights were kept at a just-too-bright level and the vocals were drowned out by the guitar and constant chatter of concert-goers waiting to be impressed.

This brings up two issues:

1. At the majority of local shows I have been to the past few years, people tend to just stand around with arms crossed as if waiting to be impressed while the musicians onstage sing/play their hearts out. What gives? Are we too cool to enjoy the music? There have been a couple of exceptions to this. One that really stands out was a show at Caterina earlier this year with Please Draw in Me. When those guys start playing, I don’t think anyone can resist the urge to dance!
2. Poor lighting and sound are not only an insult to the musicians, but also the fans who shell-out their hard earned money to see and hear a good show. It’s venues like Caterina with their painstaking attention to sound and lighting that keep Spokane’s music scene thriving!

Cold War Kids, from Long Beach, CA took the stage next with a great light show and an energy that pulsed through the stadium and shocked everyone out of their cooler than thou trance. Bodies started moving in time to the music and elbows met stomachs as people forgot themselves and finally gave in to the music. The light and sound was much improved for CWK and their set proved to be a great warm-up for the headliner, Death Cab.

As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t too excited about Death Cab. I enjoy their music and find myself singing along with the catchy lyrics, but they just don’t get my adrenaline flowing. Maybe it’s because they’re over-played. Maybe it’s because their sound is now oh so familiar. Whatever the case may be, when you’re on the floor with thousands of other bodies around you and everyone starts singing along to a song like The Sound of Settling, it’s hard not to get swept into it all.

There is something about the experience of being one of the thousands of voices joined together in song that leaves me with a feeling of pure joy. If ever there was a thing to bring people together, it is music. I know I’m not the first person to realize this and many have capitalized on it. In fact, the experience reminded me a lot of my time attending a certain Northside Christian church as a teenager.

But since it’s the beginning of 2009 and all I do is eat, drink, sleep, sometimes work and play and listen to music, this is all I’ve got for you.

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Best Appetizer or Best thing to eat when you had a bad day and/or a hangover or both.

Zola (22 West Main) – I could count this plate as best meal of 2008 but in the real world a plate of fries doesn’t really count as a meal…Sometimes this world is so cruel. Zola’s Bleu Cheese Fries make me happy though…steak fries smothered in tasty bleu cheesey sauce with plenty of roasted garlic and chives on top. Plus, last time I checked this dish is only $4.95…!?!?! Almost every other tasty treat on Zola’s menu is under $10….It’s a great place to go if you need to be a cheap date. But I would suggest eating/drinking there early in the night. Later on, unfortunately, it kind of turns into douche bag central…

Best Dinner

Wild Sage (916 West Second Avenue) – I started with my favorite appetizer “Breaking Bread”. If you have not been to Wild Sage yet YOU MUST GO NOW. Breaking bread is a platter full of yummy tapanades, hummus, cheese (goat cheese if you are lucky!) and then I had the Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken, mmm! Also, the peeps at Wild Sage are the sweetest and always make me feel like a princess. Also, they have really great mailing list specials and stuff. The menu can be a bit pricey (but then again the food is worth it) and if you sign up for the mailing list you can get great deals like the one this month which is ‘buy one entree and get the other for free’. I mean seriously, Wild Sage…buy one get one free. I LOVE YOU!

Best Bloody Caesar

Cavallino (1 North Post) – In early 2008, Aja (my old roomie) and I hopped on our bikes and went on a search for the very BEST bloody Caesar in all of downtown Spokane. Unfortunately, not all bars carry Bloody Caesar mix. But the nice bartender at the Blue Spark told us that we HAD to go to Cavallino… When we got to Cavallino (a bar in Hotel Lusso and a place that we NEVER would have imagined stopping in… mostly because we only ever go to Baby Bar for $1 PBRs and $1 Grilled Cheese on Wednesdays) we were delighted to suck down two or was it three (?!) of their most excellent bloody Caesars. Just the right amount of Vodka, spicy-ness, greens (I LOVE THE GREENS!) and Clamato juice…

Best Nachos….it’s a tie.

Neato Burrito (827 West 1st)-Formerly Slick Rock Burrito and attached to the Baby Bar…As a Nacho aficionado I can safely say that Neato Burrito’s Nachos were the best I ate in all of 2008. They are best if you ask to have cilantro mixed in with the cheese before it goes into the oven. I prefer Tim’s Salsa, regular sour cream, a bit of corn salsa and lots of guacamole. Plus Ms. Patty and Tim are the bees knees. Most likely the coolest/kindest people you’ll ever meet.

Rock City Grill (808 West Main)-I think Rock City Grill is a strange place. I really have never been to thrilled with their menu. Or with the weird water designs on the ground. But by God, they have some of the best Nachos. After explaining my passion for Nachos to someone this year they directed me and my husband to Rock City Grill. The nachos here are unlike any other I have seen. Each chip is deep fried (hehehe), drenched in Asiago sauce, Italian sausage, pepperchinis, black olives, chives and Parmesan cheese. They are rich and crunchy and yummy and decadent….

Best Live Show in Spokane

Musee Mecanique-Both times they played at the Caterina Winery (905 N Washington) melted my mind. They are quite possibly the best live band I have ever seen. Flawless. Indie pop, with hundreds of keyboards and lots of harmonies. YOU MUST MAKE A POINT OF SEEING THEM WHEN THEY COME BACK. Just like me, they are touring musicians who aren’t signed to a major label and don’t have a tour bus. The only way they get to come back and blow your mind is if you make a point of coming to the show. Just like half of Spokane makes a point of seeing Mamma Mia at the Convention Center. But seriously, Musee Mecanique (and many of the bands that Patrick Kendrick/Platform Booking brings to Caterina Winery) is a ma-zillion times better than Mamma Mia and…a lot cheaper.

That turned into a bit of a rant. Moving on…

Best Local Record

I came out with a record it’s called We’re Still Here Missing You….and it’s for sale at Empyrean and online at www.cdbaby.com/cd/kayleecole, however, I can’t say that it’s the best because that’s weird and also maybe not true depending on who you ask. I think that James Pants new record Welcome is quite amazing.  If you haven’t checked out James Pants before, you must. He is taking over the world. In a good way. Also, Spokane natives/new Seattle-ites  The Globes, formerly For Years Blue came out with an amazing EP this year. I overslept and missed their Spokane CD release show… Shame!

But seriously.

OTHER DISCLAIMER: Obviously, these are the best things to me. They are just my opinions. I’d like to think that they are true. But really it’s up to you to decide. Go to these great places, support local businesses and local music and arts and then lets talk about it. Or email about it. Or have a Spo-Picnic about it when the Spring comes and melts all the snow away.