Do you need a Pandora pick-me-up? Having trouble with your i-Something? Don't know what to do this weekend? Get the scoop on the products and events we love this week.
Apple Service – Apple products are so good you rarely have to call their service department. But when you do, it's the kind of service you could only dream about. Recently I had what I thought was a small problem syncing things with my iCloud. I tried everything I knew and finally called Apple. The service supervisor tried to hehlp, but something odd was going on. She said she'd check with the engineering department and get back to me. I expected to either wait forever or never hear from her again. Imagine my surprise when she called the next day with a solution to try that she had gotten from the engineers. And it worked. It fixed the problem. Now, I would never buy a product just because the service department was great. But this is one more reason why this company is the Apple of my eye. - Dave Begel
Nashville Cast Radio Pandora Station – I love me some Pandora. That’s nothing new. But a few months ago I got turned on to the station featuring music from my favorite way to spend a Wednesday evening, ABC’s "Nasvhille." I love that show partly for the sassy mountain drama, but mostly for the amazing country music. This station has it all – plus some Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line and Katie Armiger thrown in for good measure. Watch out for the amazing covers of "Hey Ho" and "Ring of Fire" by the show’s youngest talents, Maisy and Lennon Stella. – Colleen Jurkiewicz
Brewhaha – You've got to check out the Brew City Bruisers roller derby team this weekend at U.S. Cellular Arena during the huge Midwest Brewhaha. More than 30 teams began play on Friday but it continues through the weekend with a variety of ticket options for kids, seniors and members of the military. You can even get tickets just to see your hometown Bruisers if seeing all the bouts isn't your thing. The Bruisers' 2013 season ended in May, so this is another chance to see your favorite ladies of the track get down and dirty - Jim Owczarski
"This Superior Place: Stories of Bayfield and the Apostle Islands" by Dennis McCann (Wisconsin Historical Society Press) – I've never been to the upper reaches of Badgerland, but McCann transports me there in his new, heavily illustrated paperback. A former Milwaukee journalist, McCann now lives Bayfield and he has clearly immersed himself in the place. You can learn a lot about contemporary Bayfield in these pages, but I'm most enamored of the history of the place, which McCann brings alive with vintage postcards and photos that help illustrate the story of logging and quarrying and of lives lived and earnings earned a great lake. Also available as an ebook if that's more your style. – Bobby Tanzilo