Zephyrus of the Anemoi

As I walk up Wyoming Street, the sound of music, laughter, and conversation drifts through the air. The Great Midwest Blizzard of 2011 has left a chill in the air, but the smell of sausage wafting down the street promises warmth. I turn up the driveway to the Knitter residence for Winter SausageFest and can see firelight flickering off parked cars and unfamiliar faces.

SausageFest is the brainchild of Rudolph Bledsoe and Chris Knitter. What started out as a simple house party, has turned into a Kansas City phenomenon, as their friends have invited more and more people to come to the event. I can smell wood burning in the fire pits as I step onto the deck. Someone planned ahead to fight back the cold. I can see Rudy next to the grill, working on the sausages. I say my hellos to a handful of old friends as I make my way to the sausage stand. I put two packs of Mendolia’s Sausages–my tribute to SausageFest for the evening–down in front of Rudy and shake his hand. We talk for a bit about my family before I let him get back to work and head inside to see the rest of the gathered throng.

Once inside, it’s clear that this SausageFest is different from those I’ve been to before. Many people I don’t recognize stand around the kitchen and a small table in the dining room with various goodies to eat. Various pop and rock songs play over the house speakers, while several huddle before a MacBook Pro to decide what to play next. I scan the contents of the food table, but there is no sausage ready to eat. Soon, though, Knitter appears. I say hi and he is quickly pulled away by another guest, as he plays the part of host. He returns shortly with a large pan of cheesy potatoes. My stomach has been rumbling, so I know that I will have to eat some right away.

With a plate of potatoes in one hand, and an ice cold beer in the other, I make my way back outside to check on the sausage. SausageFest is as much about seeing friends as it is about the sausage, but this isn’t just any old barbecue. Rudy has a method, one that he follows religiously to create a remarkable blend of sweet and spicy barbecue-y goodness in your mouth. While many people may come to SausageFest to visit and have a good time, if the swarm of mouths that descend upon the food table once the sausage is finished is any indication, they stay for the sausage.

Winter SausageFest is the kickoff for the 2011 SausageFest season, the second season of the event to date. Last year, SausageFest began in the early summer and ran until it started to get too cold to comfortably stand outside. Several events even had croquet matches going on in the “garden” next to the deck. If the success of the most recent ‘Fest is any indication, it won’t matter how cold it is in the future. If you cook it, they will come.

If you’re interested in learning more about SausageFest or want to check out the calendar for upcoming events, be sure to visit The Kansas City SausageFest Society homepage. While there, check out the gallery for images from Winter SausageFest, 2011. And be sure to come out next time. Bring your friends, some Mendolia’s for the grill… and an empty belly.

There is a a very large sale going on in the App Store right now due to the approach of the Feast of Saint Valentine. A large number of publishers have made their apps available for $0.99. Here are the 4 most exciting apps I’ve seen so far:

• Lord of the Rings: Middle Earth Defense
• Star Battalion
• Shadow Guardian
• Mirror’s Edge

I’ve only linked to the iPhone versions above, but the iPad releases for these apps are also on sale, so be sure to grab the one you most prefer. On top of that, a large number of other apps are on sale from EA, Glu, Gameloft, and more! You can check out a more comprehensive list here.

If you happen to pick up a multiplayer-enabled game, be sure and leave a note in the comments. Perhaps I’ll pick it up (or have already) so that we can play together.

Somewhere out there, a parallel universe exists. This alternate reality is exactly like ours in nearly every way. There are thousands of parallel realities, but this one is the most important. It bears a 99.9999999% likeness rating to our own and has the following key features:

Jonathan Brandis and River Phoenix are still alive and have been cast in 3 movies together. In one of them, they starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. It tanked.

Firefly was never canceled. It ran for seven years and has become the gold standard for science-fiction character dramas on television. Joss Whedon created a spin-off about a young Shepherd Book. It was cancelled during the first season but has had a very successful comic book series since.

George Lucas died in 1996. On his deathbed, he turned over creative control of the series to Steven Spielberg. He sat on the rights for several years and eventually formed a partnership with J.J. Abrams and Timothy Zahn, requiring unanimous decisions for the future of the franchise. To this day, no one has ever heard of Jar Jar Binks or “Ani” Skywalker.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is still on the air and has served as biting commentary on the political state of our nation. He has announced his plans to run for President in 2012 should President Obama decide not run again.

Facebook and Google were both brought up on charges for mishandling of personal information of their clients. Facebook has not recovered from the bad publicity and has been overtaken by several social networks. Eric Schmidt is currently spending 5 years in prison for willfully violating the privacy of millions of Americans. Mark Zuckerberg has appealed his case and is currently still on trial.

Television networks have invested heavily in web and mobile distribution for currently airing series. Netflix and Hulu are the two most visited websites in all of the world thanks to easy viewing on iPhones, iPads and many set-top boxes/gaming devices.