On my list of things to do before I celebrate my 30th birthday is learn to make martinis. Considering that I love fresh fruit and that I love to make things from scratch, it’s not far-fetched that I’d attempt making my own blueberry-infused vodka to use in blueberry cocktails (martinis included) later this month.

I’m fascinated by the berries and the vodka, coexisting in this chilled 2-quart jar. The longer the vodka sits, the more the skins of the berries tint the vodka purplish-blue, so that each time I open my refrigerator I’m graced with a new variation on the same ingredients. The vodka and the blueberries are on a journey.

While the flavors of the blueberries and the vodka will eventually blend, the berries themselves remain firm. There’s something allegorical about this relationship that gives me hope that I can continue to adapt to rural Missouri without losing what distinguishes my life experiences from those of the friends and family who surround me here.

As with so many aspects of my life in Small Town Missouri, the vodka’s incubation tests my patience. It’s the slow change of the vodka and blueberries that fascinates me though, and so my experiment with homemade liquor has become a lesson in enjoying the process – of my kitchen concoctions, and also of myself.

On Saturday I’ll be in Forest Park to run the Go! St. Louis 5K. In hopes of catching a cool arts event or some live music that evening, I just went to metromix.com to look up April 18th events in St. Louis.

Metromix earns some credit for pulling together a central calendar of events of St. Louis nightlife, but really, Metromix? A Prime Rib Buffet as a Saturday night event in St. Louis?

Having grown up spending my weekends on my grandparents’ cattle farm (check out Grandpa’s 1952 Ford tractor), I’ve eaten my share of beef, but at the risk of sounding snobbish or untrue to my small town, cattle farm roots, I’m disappointed and embarrassed that a prime rib buffet made Metromix’s Saturday night “events” list.

Shame on you, Metromix.

MO = 0; NY = 1