My Funny Valentine's Day

Remember the blog project I did last year with three other women? Well, Froggie decided to resurrect it with me and we each got to invite another friend to join us. She invited a mutual friend (someone I met through her) and I invited a friend whose blog I really enjoy reading. So now it's Froggie, Mom of Many, Moma Rock and Merrylandgirl. Hope you enjoy the topics that we'll be exploring!

This week, Mom of Many picked the topic: What is your funniest Valentine's Day memory?

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock

Ironically enough, this topic is almost forcing me to bring up a memory from a past relationship...one I rarely ever blog about. It all has to do with an episode of "The Simpsons" in which Lisa gives Ralphie Wiggum a Valentine's Day card that says "I Choo-Choo-Choose You." See this very quick clip for more information. The best line is when Ralphie says "It's funny because it says 'I choo-choo-choose you' and there's a picture of a train!" In any case, I was in that honeymoon stage with the guy I was dating in college. When we decided to exchange Valentine's Day cards, it turned out that we both made each other a variation on the card from this episode of "The Simpsons." We had a good laugh and enjoyed our psychic moment.

Now that I've shared that, I would like to reflect on a funny Valentine's "prank" that my husband and I came up with when we were out for our last Valentine's dinner prior to having kids. We went to Wildfire (prior to not eating non-Kosher meat), which is a very nice and romantic restaurant. We thought that it would be funny to clap anytime someone were to accidentally get on one knee because it would look like they were proposing. It would be even better to get other patrons in the restaurant to clap, as well. We never got the opportunity to do so, but we entertained ourselves with that notion all evening. Ironically enough, when we were out for our anniversary at the Signature Room (at the Hancock building) a month later, we did witness a proposal. It was such a random Monday night in March that we never saw it coming. Anyhow, if you ever decide to try this "prank," let me know what happens!

Stay "Gold"

Remember the blog project I did last year with three other women? Well, Froggie decided to resurrect it with me and we each got to invite another friend to join us. She invited a mutual friend (someone I met through her) and I invited a friend whose blog I really enjoy reading. So now it's Froggie, Mom of Many, Moma Rock and Merrylandgirl. Hope you enjoy the topics that we'll be exploring!

This week, I picked the topic: Create something based on a fairy tale: TV series, movie, novel, musical...your choice! Talk about how you'd do it and if it's performance based, who you'd cast.

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock

I have this thing about "Goldilocks." It's a pretty basic story and about as unbelievable as they get. Talking bears who know how to cook?!? There's a lot of repetition between what Goldilocks does and what the bears come home to in the aftermath. Back when I was in high school, I was helping my sister's friend write a fractured fairy tale and we decided to do "Goldie-Lox and the Three Bubbes." I think I ended up doing most of the writing and peppered it with some Yiddish words. This time, my take on Goldilocks is of a chick lit stance. What other way would I do it, right?!?

"Just Right"

Goldie was working at an investment firm in NYC, until they went down due to a Ponzi scheme. She ends up losing her job in a tough economy, along with her Upper West Side apartment, and is now a squatter for abandoned apartments in Manhattan. In the meantime, she has been keeping a food themed blog called "Just Right," where she does food and restaurant reviews. Giving it a "just right" rating means everything is of the best quality. She even rates the comfortableness of restaurant furniture with "just right" also meaning best quality. A major newspaper stumbles upon her blog and offers her a freelance job as a restaurant critic. Soon, she's the critic everyone wants to have at their restaurant. She's asked to be on TV shows and is given a full-time job at the newspaper. At one point, she ends up going to the restaurant of the hottest chef in the city. (Both in quality and looks.) However, she doesn't like his cooking style. In the meantime, she's squatting at one of the most posh apartments in the city. When the hot chef finds out her secret by accident, will they be able to strike a deal that will benefit both of them...Will she give him a bad review and risk his wrath along with her secret or give a good, but dishonest review and risk losing her job and good restaurant critic reputation.

Since I love asking authors who they'd cast if their book were optioned for film, I'll do the same for myself. I'd cast someone like Kristen Bell as Goldie and since everyone seems to love Ryan Gosling these days, he could be the hot chef.

Top 10 list to celebrate a big 10!

Ten years ago today, I met the man I now proudly call my husband. It was the first time we met in person after a couple of nights of long phone calls and lots of e-mails in between. He asked me to meet him for hot cocoa instead of coffee, which affirmed that this "date" would be the end all, be all. (Neither of us drink coffee, so it was cliché to ask to meet up for it.) And when we met in person, I just felt this comfortable familiarity. My BFF even accidentally "safety-called" me. The timing was amusing as she didn't know we were meeting up at the time, and also because I definitely didn't need a safety call!
While watching an episode of "How I Met Your Mother" a while back, it talked about all the catalysts that allow for a certain circumstance to occur. I was thinking of that in the case of how I met my husband. Therefore, in honor of 10 years, I'm going to share 10 catalysts that led up to our meeting. I may find a way to share this all as a story someday, but for now, this will have to do.

1. Dating a guy almost two years earlier, who got me involved in a bowling league.
2. My husband going to Miami University, which allowed him to meet our matchmaker.
3. "Jack's" Super Bowl party, which was the reason I had to bowl for my league earlier in the day. (Even though my husband teases me about blowing off a potential bowling date with him for this party.)
4. A mutual friend in town from NJ for a job interview, who also happened to be friends with our matchmaker.
5. My BFF, who is a catalyst in a huge way, and not just because of the events leading up to my life-changing proclamation.
6. A friend who shared a last name with me at the time, who introduced me to the friend from NJ on Thanksgiving 2001.
7. My husband finding a job in Chicago and then realizing he didn't want to live in the city after one year.
8. My husband deciding not to join everyone for drinks that evening. (If he had come along, he might not have had the same impression of me.)
9. The Birthright trip I took to Israel, which made me want to go to temple (and find a guy who also liked going to temple).
10. The concept of besherte.

If any of these items had been missing, I'm not sure that my husband and I would have met. I feel so fortunate that we have met and I love him more than anything (aside from our kids).

*Picture was taken in May 2002, when we were attending a friend's wedding.

If I could turn back time....

Remember the blog project I did last year with three other women? Well, Froggie decided to resurrect it with me and we each got to invite another friend to join us. She invited a mutual friend (someone I met through her) and I invited a friend whose blog I really enjoy reading. So now it's Froggie, Mom of Many, Moma Rock and Merrylandgirl. Hope you enjoy the topics that we'll be exploring!

This week, Moma Rock picked the topic: If you could go back in time and change one historical event, which one would it be? Why would you, and what changes do you think would come from it?

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock

How ironic that this is being posted on Groundhog Day, as I always think of the Bill Murray film where he lives the same day over and over until he gets it right. It would have been interesting if he had changed history in the process....

Seeing that this is all hypothetical and time travel is only fictional, I would change not only one, but two historical events.

I know Mark Wahlberg boasted about how he would have stopped 9/11 from happening in some superhero way and got in trouble for it. Even so, I wish I had a way to stop 9/11 from happening. I know I wouldn't have the power or clout to get people in a position of authority to listen to or even believe me until it was too late. It would have been a more discreet thing, like putting out an announcement that no one should go to the World Trade Center or board any planes on that day. I know this is all wishful thinking, but 9/11 was such a horrible day in America's recent history. I would do anything to see the twin towers standing proudly in NYC and all to be right in the world. Maybe families would still be intact and all those people who perished would be alive today to see their children growing up. I read in People magazine a while back about kids who were born after 9/11 but their fathers had perished in the towers or on a plane. It's so sad that these kids never got to meet their fathers as a result of this horrible tragedy. It's been over 10 years since 9/11 happened and I think the US is still hurting emotionally as a result.

The other event I would change would be the Holocaust. It was a horrible period in time for Jews. It's scary and appalling to even think about what happened back then. I could live without "Life is Beautiful" and "Sarah's Key" if I knew that there wasn't a real story to base them upon. The only thing I would want to stay intact is the relationships that came out of the Holocaust. My husband has survivors in his family, although they are no longer alive to talk about it. (I hear the stories from my mother-in-law and they're so heartbreaking.) Even so, my mother-in-law might not have been born without this event taking place, as her parents met as a result. That would start a chain reaction I don't even want to think about. So I would hope they could meet another way. (Kind of like in "Back to the Future" where Marty screws up his parents' original way of meeting but still gets them together anyway.)  I'm not sure how I personally would prevent it from happening, aside from warning all the Jews to get out of Europe prior to the 1940's, as I don't want to resort to violence to get the job done. I think the US would have protected Jews from a Holocaust. I would only hope that I could have helped as many people as possible, considering we didn't speak the same language. I'd probably have to explain it in pictures. Even then, would they believe me?

Again, this has all happened and there's no way to go back and prevent it. I only hope that education and tolerance will be increased so that events like 9/11 and the Holocaust never happen again.

Stranger than Fiction?

Remember the blog project I did last year with three other women? Well, Froggie decided to resurrect it with me and we each got to invite another friend to join us. She invited a mutual friend (someone I met through her) and I invited a friend whose blog I really enjoy reading. So now it's Froggie, Mom of Many, Moma Rock and Merrylandgirl. Hope you enjoy the topics that we'll be exploring!

This week, Froggie picked the topic: You've been asked to create a character based upon you for a fiction book. Please tell about your character...

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock

I think I'm quite a character to begin with...

Seriously though, I'd probably exaggerate upon various facets of my personality. I think there are so many layers to me that could be fun for a fictional piece.

First of all, I know I'd like to read about a woman who has gone from spending Saturday afternoons at the mall to spending them at Shabbos lunches. In other words, a woman who has become ba'al tshuva (a Jew who was once non-observant and is now observant). There are so many things that can be done with that part of the story. I could exaggerate my levels of observance to contrast even more with my levels of non-observance from the past. Toss in family members on both sides (some being observant and some being non-observant) and that makes for some interesting drama. Then add in the friends from both sides of her life (those who knew me back when and those who know me now). I'd be eating ice cream at a Kosher restaurant and comparing it to a Frosty from Wendy's, but no one would have a clue what I meant.

Since I am married with kids, I wouldn't want to change any of that. I would definitely want to focus on the aspect of being a working mother and all the interesting challenges that come with that role, as well as the judgmental attitudes that go along with it. Plus, I'd want to add in some funny kid quotes from time to time. I can get away with talking about bodily functions if a kid is saying it.

You also can't have a story about me without some pop culture references. However, since I love the 90's, I'd want to do an exaggeration where all my pop culture references come from the 90's. I'd be quoting "Friends," Alanis Morissette songs and "Clueless," amongst other things. I think that would add some quirky hilarity to the story.

I think it wouldn't be a story without some vices, as well. It could focus on how disorganized I am that I can't seem to find anything. Or how I'm a total procrastinator sometimes. And let's not forget nail biting and all my picky eating quirks. And there's the big basket of chocolate at my desk that I can't seem to keep away from.

Finally, I'd focus on my obsession with books. However, to add some exaggeration to the story, they'd be really smutty romance novels that I couldn't show anyone in my neighborhood, but that I'd hide behind Orthodox-friendly books while reading them at cafes and libraries or even the break room at work.

I think anyone trying to fictionalize me would have their hands full of contrasts and lots of craziness, but mostly in a fun way. Maybe my character could write a book about who I really am, but unwittingly getting all the details right. Kind of like a reverse fictionalization.

2011: My Year in Entertainment

I haven’t really taken a look back at all the things in 2011 that entertained me and what I liked best. Before we get too far into 2012, I wanted to share some of my thoughts from the past year.

Music:
I didn’t really listen to much on the radio, as I had CDs to keep me entertained. When I did choose the radio, I went with the country station or a classic rock station. I got to learn about new music from “Glee” though. As much as I don’t like Lady Gaga or songs that mention the word “Jesus,” I found “You and I” to be really catchy. I think “Glee” made me like it more because Idina was singing it on one episode. I also have Spotify on my laptop and will check out some new artists there, but nothing has really charmed me lately. The two CDs I listened to the most in 2011 were “21” by Adele and The Band Perry (self-titled debut). I still listen to them a lot now!

Movies:
I didn’t see as many movies this year as I normally do. When I did see a movie, it was usually a comedy or chick flick. Very few movies that I saw in 2011 stand out to me all that much. I really liked “The Muppets” and am glad I got a chance to see it in the theater. And this is not only because of Jason Segel’s involvement. It was cute and entertaining the whole way through. I love a good musical too. :) Some of the funnier comedies I saw were “Bridesmaids” (Melissa McCarthy totally deserved her Oscar nomination for this one),  “Due Date” and “Horrible Bosses.” I also saw “Source Code” which was more suspenseful, but had a good storyline. It had a “Matrix” feel in some ways. Towards the end of the year, I saw "Midnight in Paris," which was cute and clever, deserving of its Oscar nomination.

TV:
If you don’t know of my addiction to “How I Met Your Mother” by now, then where have you been?!? That show ruled 2011 for me. I preferred 6-8 episode marathons to watching movies throughout the year. I’m still watching “Modern Family” (had some lousy episodes but is getting back on track now), “Desperate Housewives” (it’s the last season and crazier than ever), “Glee” (it’s better this season, except for the Christmas episode) and “90210” (I just can’t get enough of it). I gave up “The Office” after Steve Carell left. It’s just not the same. I haven’t really started on any new shows. “The Glee Project” made my summer more entertaining though. I loved the theatrics and all the music. I was thrilled that they picked Damian, even though it was a tie with Samuel.

Books:
Seeing that I run a book blog, it’s pretty obvious how much I’ve read in the last year. Some standouts for me were “What Alice Forgot” by Liane Moriarty, “Before Ever After” by Samantha Sotto (which I even got my husband to read), “The Violets of March” by Sarah Jio and “Spin” by Catherine McKenzie…just to name a few. I also got advanced copies of “Home Front” by Kristin Hannah and “These Girls” by Sarah Pekkanen, which I devoured towards the end of 2011. On the non-chick lit front, I finally read “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana DeRosnay and thought it was amazing. I don’t think I could see the movie though. It’s such a sad premise.

It will be interesting to see what exciting things in the field of entertainment come out in 2012. I'm excited to see "Smash" (TV), as the pilot episode was fantastic! There are a bunch of movies I'm sure I'll want to see at some point. :) (There are already two with Jason Segel that I have my eye on. ;) ) I also want to see "Brave," the new Pixar film. I already read the latest Sophie Kinsella novel, "I've Got Your Number," and loved it. I know a lot of my favorite authors are putting on books this year. My shelves will be full by year's end! As for music, I'll just wait and see what "Glee" deems worthy enough to perform. Speaking of which, I am excited about Idina Menzel's "Live Barefoot at the Symphony" CD coming out this spring. I'm also looking forward to Adam Lambert's next CD.

All in the name of health

Remember the blog project I did last year with three other women? Well, Froggie decided to resurrect it with me and we each got to invite another friend to join us. She invited a mutual friend (someone I met through her) and I invited a friend whose blog I really enjoy reading. So now it's Froggie, Mom of Many, Moma Rock and Merrylandgirl. Hope you enjoy the topics that we'll be exploring!

This week, Mom of Many picked the topic: Write about one of your biggest pet peeves.

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock

I recently wrote about a few of my pet peeves in the first Know Me Better meme in which I participated. However, there are plenty more where those came from. I am known to complain about stuff that annoys me, even if it's completely trivial. One of the pet peeves I didn't mention before is ridiculously long waits at the doctor's office. I'm sorry, but if I've made an appointment, I expect the doctor to adhere to that appointment time, not make me wait another hour to be seen. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I'd take time off from my work schedule for my OB appointments. Some would be in the morning, in hopes of seeing the doctor right away. Other times, I'd fit it into my lunch schedule. It didn't matter though, the doctor would be sure to not only make me wait, but I'd also be alone in the exam room where nothing felt comfortable to sit on with my aching back. They had a little wooden chair from the 1800's or possibly a folding chair. Then the exam table wasn't all that comfortable either, even when I would lift the head part up so I could read while waiting. My daughter was able to position herself in such a way that it hurt to sit no matter what. Having uncomfortable sitting arrangements while waiting an hour for the doctor was not helpful either. Then, the doctor would come in, examine me for about two minutes and I'd be on my way. So most of the valuable time in my day where I needed to get stuff done was spent sitting in an exam room waiting for the doctor to show up. The worst was one time when they called me a few days before to move the appointment time up about half an hour. Then I arrived on time and still wasn't seen until well after the original appointment time. I don't get why they even bothered to change the time in the first place!

On my previous insurance plan, I had to get referrals for specialists. I'd just go in to the doctor my husband was seeing for general colds and stuff and be stuck waiting TWO hours in a crowded waiting room, just to get his signature on a piece of paper. I knew why I needed the referral already, so I don't see why I needed an exam in order to get the referral. It was just an annoying pain to deal with and I felt that this doctor had no respect for my time. I've switched doctors after my insurance plan expired.

My endocrinologist also made me wait when she knew that I had limited amounts of time. I didn't like her bedside manner or her ability to make me paranoid during my pregnancy, so I switched to a new one as well. Even if I have to wait with the new one, they're within walking distance of my office so it's not a huge amount of time away.

I will give our pediatrician's office props for being pretty good with keeping appointments. I've only had to wait in the exam room a few times, compared to how many times I've had to wait for my own appointments. The dentist's office is also good with sticking to appointment times. I wish they'd teach the other practices their tricks.

My main gripe is that I'm making a point to show up at the time of my appointment, lest I risk having it cancelled or being charged a cancellation fee. However, my time is not respected in the same way. I also feel like it's a huge tease to be led into an exam room and have to wait longer than I did in the actual waiting room. And don't even get me started on the ER. (Not like I made an appointment, but there was also the issue of being stuck waiting so long for a prescription that all the nearby pharmacies were closed and I couldn't even get it filled that night.)