Best of 2018

I've decided to take inventory of some past lists I've made, and do some updates. Hoping for more fun and entertainment in 2019!

Top Five Best Movies that I saw in 2018
You can see how many movies I watch with my kids these days...(and how few I get a chance to see in general. I'm sure Bohemian Rhapsody would be on this list if I had the time to see it!)

1. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (I saw it twice in the theater and cried more than I expected to the first time)
2. Ralph Wrecks the Internet
3. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (this was really funny and I enjoyed it more than the original movie)
4. Paddington 2
5. Mary Poppins Returns 

My favorite new TV shows (shows I started watching in 2018):

1. Manifest
2. A Million Little Things
3. You
4. 90 Day Fiancé (it has become more of a train wreck, but it's fun to talk about with friends and has generated some inside jokes)
5. Rise (So sad that they cancelled it after one short season.)
6. Cobra Kai


Top Ten Favorite Books I read in 2018. (Some may be from previous years or publishing in 2019.)
I've shared my top five chick lit favorites at Chick Lit Central (as Melissa A). I read so many amazing books this year (go to my Goodreads page and see all the 5 star books) and am sad to have to narrow it down at all. Links are to reviews.

1. The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman
2. The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis-Graves (review coming soon)
3. Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda (I enjoyed the movie version, but the book was just so wonderful)
4. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
5. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
6. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
7. Everywhere You Want to Be by Christina June
8. The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain
9. The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
10. The Way of Beauty by Camille DiMaio

Ten good things that happened in 2018:
1. My older son's Bar Mitzvah.
2. Jen Tucker moving to Maryland.
3. Going to NYC with the kids to see Wicked (my third time, their first).
4. Seeing Something Rotten with Adam Pascal as Shakespeare.
5. Seeing Waitress.
6. Making some new friends in the neighborhood and through Girlfriend Circles.
7. Trying my hand at canvas painting. I went to a few paint nights and enjoyed the experiences. I liked how my paintings turned out too.
8. Seeing my older son perform in musicals from his camp.
9. My BFF coming to town for a visit (it's our annual end-of-year thing)
10. My younger son getting into honors chorus and my older son getting into Tri-M (music honor society).

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

TV Review: YOU (contains spoilers)

Earlier this year, I listened to the audio book of You by Caroline Kepnes. I knew fully well it was going to be made into a TV series, but some of my friends told me it was a must-read and once I found out that Santino Fontana narrated it, I was sold. Check out my review.

Fast forward to autumn, when You finally premiered on Lifetime. I decided to give it a try to see if it was anything like the book. While most of the TV series followed the story, there were some new aspects that enhanced it. I'll talk first about the non-spoiler stuff before sharing some spoilers later on in this post.

The lead characters were the same as in the novel: Joe, Beck, Peach, Dr. Nicky, Benji, Mr. Mooney, Ethan, and Karen. That's mostly from what I remember. There were some new characters, such as Blythe (at least I don't remember her being in the novel), Annika, Claudia, Paco, and Ron. This time around, we get to see Beck's perspective. There's also more information about Candace (Joe's ex) and she appears in several flashbacks. Claudia and Paco are Joe's neighbors. Claudia's boyfriend Ron is abusive and a major jerk. Claudia's son Paco is an adolescent boy whom Joe befriends. Fun facts:

*Claudia is played by Victoria Cartagena, who also plays Lourdes on Manifest.
*Ron is played by Daniel Cosgrove, who played Matt on Beverly Hills, 90210.
*Paco is played by Luca Padovan, who was also recently on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and performed the opening number for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade last week. This kid is going places!
*Michael Park, who plays Beck's estranged father, is in the Original Broadway Cast of Dear Evan Hansen, as Connor's father. (He also shares a birthday with me.)

The casting I was impressed with:
*Penn Badgley was PERFECT as Joe. I originally wanted Santino Fontana because of his excellent audio book narration, but Penn just blew me away. I can't even imagine anyone else playing Joe now!
*I also liked Elizabeth Lail as Beck, perhaps more than I was expecting to. At first, I thought she looked too innocent to play the role, but she really brought a lot of emotion into it.
*John Stamos was great as Dr. Nicky, but I wish he would lose the facial hair!
*Lou Taylor Pucci worked well as Benji. He pulled off the pretentious attitude that made me dislike Benji so much to begin with.

The casting that didn't work so well for me:
*Shay Mitchell as Peach. She just didn't fit what I pictured for Peach. Maybe she was too pretty or acted too stuck up. Something about her didn't call out Peach to me. She just wasn't annoying enough.
*Zach Cherry as Ethan. Again, just not a good fit for whom I was picturing.

Like with the book, I still ended up sympathizing with and cheering on Joe, even though he's supposed to be the bad guy. Caroline Kepnes messes with her readers' (and watchers') minds in that way. Even though we got Beck's perspective this time around, Joe still came off as likable, especially because of how he was looking after Paco.

Overall, I was impressed with the TV series and how they adapted the book to screen. Some parts felt slow at times, but it was mostly captivating. I look forward to seeing what they do with the second season. Maybe they'll incorporate material from Hidden Bodies...

Before I share some spoilers, check out the trailer. All the episodes are on Lifetime's website, so it's not too late to check them out!



SPOILERS....

There were definitely some changes from the book in terms of how things went down. Like Peach wouldn't have seen Joe at the beach house at all, from what I remember. I think maybe she saw him before he killed her in the book, but it was quick. Beck found out about Joe collecting all her stuff when she was snooping around his apartment. Paco wasn't in the book, so he wouldn't have given her the idea to look in the bathroom ceiling. There was also more to how Beck was murdered in the book and her captivity dragged on longer. (The whole captivity part reminded me of Sweet Valley High, when Elizabeth's kidnapper buys her food from McDonald's.) Candace doesn't resurface in the book and Joe meets Amy Adam at the end of the story. I don't remember much about Karen Minty from the book, including how she and Joe got together in the first place. I felt like the part where Joe follows Beck to the Dickens festival comes later in the story, and she doesn't know he's there at all. I thought it was weird that Joe was telling Dr. Nicky about his "fictional" relationship and how similar it was to the truth, given that Beck also tells Dr. Nicky about her relationship issues. Wouldn't he eventually figure something out? That's all I can really think of for now.

If anyone else has read the book and watched the TV series, please let me know what other differences you noticed between the two.

A teenager in the house!

My oldest child is officially 13 today! In honor of this milestone, I'm sharing part of the speech I did at his Bar Mitzvah celebration a few weeks ago, but taking out some identifying details. Before I share that, I want to quickly share a few thoughts on how his Bar Mitzvah went.

I will admit that I was nervous for him, as he had a lot to work on and didn't have the same formal Hebrew training as his peers. However, he is able to sight read Hebrew really well and with my husband as his tutor, he worked diligently to learn his parsha (Torah portion) and Haftarah. He ended up only doing three aliyot (sections) of his parsha, but he had to chant everything and trope is challenging. We wanted him to do well with a small amount rather than get burned out on a large amount. That plan worked out well and he did such an amazing job. He also wrote his own speech and it sounded great. He was able to tie some concepts together and have them make sense and be meaningful. He even added some humor to it. He already has a natural "stage presence" and that worked to his benefit during his speech.

His celebration the following day was even better than I was expecting. The food was great, the room looked festive, and the entertainment was a hit (we had a caricature artist and a magician, both whom I highly recommend). It was great to have friends from our community, friends from out of town, and family all in one room to share in our simcha.

Without any further ado, here's (part of) the speech:

I will admit right off the bat that I’m not much of a speech writer. However, I am a blogger and I love making lists. So I’m going to do a list of 10 things I love about my son. It may give you “the clemps” so have a tissue handy.

1. He loves musicals. As if that weren’t obvious or anything! I enjoy watching musicals with him either on stage or as a movie. One of the most amazing experiences was seeing Hamilton last year. Especially since we had memorized all the music together. I had a great time listening to Broadway soundtracks with him on our rides to and from musical theater camp and playing Carpool Karaoke each time. I think the biggest argument we’ve ever had was about song lyrics from Into the Woods. He has since learned never to go in against a Broadway expert when laundry is on the line.

2. He’s easy to talk with. I end up losing track of time when I go to say good night to him and we get into a long conversation. A long time ago, someone gave me a compliment I treasure. They said “I love talking to you.” I could say the same about my son, but I want to amend it to “talking WITH you.” The conversation is never one sided and we even learn new things about each other.

3. I only hear good things about him from other people. Most recently, it was when he was volunteering at a local Kosher food pantry. Some of the women there told me how nice and polite he is. I’ve heard variations of great things from his teachers, my friends, and so on. It always makes my heart soar and I kvell each time he is praised.

4. He makes me laugh a lot. He does impressions, acts out songs, tells jokes, and does physical comedy, like in his recent performance at camp, where he received applause from pretending to faint on stage. He’ll have me on the floor in tears from doing an impression of my laugh!

5. He likes to read. That’s genetic though. At least on my side of the family. Even so, I love coming into his room and seeing his massive book collection, which is starting to rival mine. After I read Wonder a few years ago, I gave it to him and we had fun discussing it afterward. I hope we can do that with more books in the future. I recently bought him The Outsiders and am excited for him to read it soon. I love his excitement over books.

6. He’s good to his siblings. This is so important to me in cementing his future relationship with his brother and sister. I know they have their fights, as all siblings do, but he is really there for them as the oldest of three. He and his sister have a lot of common interests and I love how they bond. He’s always the first to comfort her if she’s sad. I love listening to his jam sessions on the piano with his brother. They also joke around together and will play nicely when they think no one’s watching.

7. He’s a great cook. I’ve let him take over baking desserts and making matzo balls for the soup. He’s learned other things that he makes on his own by just following recipes or watching web tutorials. He never fails to impress me in the kitchen. I love his passion for cooking too.

8. He does really well in school. I’ve never had a bad parent-teacher conference. He’s always stayed on top of his homework and he strives for greatness in all of his classes. It has paid off, as he received straight A's on his sixth grade report card and made it into National Junior Honor Society. That’s something to be proud of!

9. He has a positive outlook on life. It takes a lot to really bother him. He always sees the good in people and situations, even when I can’t. He’s genuinely happy most of the time and his optimism is infectious.

10. He’s the perfect best friend. I’ve been told that we shouldn’t say our kids are our best friends. However, it’s hard not to think of my son as one of mine, as he has all the qualities one should look for in a best friend, such as kindness, caring, loyalty, honesty, and a good sense of humor. Anyone who already considers him their best friend is very lucky.

There is plenty more I could say, but for now I just have a few little things to add.

My son’s Bar Mitzvah happens to be the same weekend I had my Bat Mitzvah. I love that we share an anniversary of this meaningful time in both of our lives.

It also happens to be nine years since we first moved to this community. Some of you here have seen him grow from a four year-old into the young man he is today. Others have joined us during various stops on this journey. We’re glad to share this event with our community and we appreciate how welcoming everyone has been to us this entire time.

I want to wish one more Mazel Tov to my son. While pride is not the word I’m looking for, I’m proud of you already! I know you’re going to do great things in your life and I’m excited to see what awaits you on your journey and take you to the chuppah. I love you so much!

My latest guilty pleasure: 90 Day Fiancé (seasons 1-3)

I met my husband at the beginning of 2002. We were matched up by one of his friends and we only lived about 10 minutes driving distance from each other at the time. We got engaged in March of 2003 and married in March of 2004. So when I started watching 90 Day Fiancé, it was hard for me to fathom how someone could move to the US from another country and only have three months to get married to someone they only spent a small amount of time with prior to this move. That's what makes this reality show so fascinating and addictive. I started season one at the beginning of July and am already on season four!

Here are some thoughts that go through my head as I am watching:

*People are always assuming the person from another country is only there for their green card and therefore MUST be using the US citizen.

*Friends and relatives think the person from the US had millions of men or women to choose from on their own soil, but they somehow had to go outside of the US to find a love match. (They usually think the same about the person from the other country.)

*It's hard enough to have the cultural and language barriers, but sometimes there's a wide age gap too.

*After they get married, why does it still take so long to get a green card?

*I would not want to be filmed during so many moments that should be private, nor would I want to be caught crying on film.

*The honeymoon period of dating or getting engaged is very short, as the shine wears off pretty soon after the fiancé arrives in the US.

*Why would people sign up for the show if they don't know if they'll get the K1 visa? I've noticed that happening with some couples.

*The fiancés are always jealous for some reason or another. There have been a few against bachelor or bachelorette parties.

*I find that I get attached to the couples by the end of each season and then have to start all over again with a new set of couples.

*This series is really a franchise. There's Happily Ever After, What Now, Before the 90 Days, etc. I just found out that there's also going to be the reverse where Americans go to their fiancé's country to get married. (Or at least that's in the works!)

*I don't get how some people want to stay in a relationship even if they are being treated badly.

I'm going to now rank the couples from each season based on how much staying power I think they have. SPOILERS ahead!

Season 1:

• Alan and Kirlyam: Kirlyam (Keer-lee-ahm) is adorable and it seemed like Alan was really into her. I thought it was sweet that he surprised her with a Skype visit from her family while she was at a party with his family. I loved her modeling session and was a bit perturbed that Alan was jealous when she was being photographed by other men. 
• Mike and Aziza: I was a bit skeptical of their relationship, but it seems like they really love each other. I didn't like how people were judging their relationship or Aziza's reluctance to fit in with his family, but it all worked out in the end.
• Russ and Paola: They're definitely a fiery couple with some interesting complications. I heard that they're on Happily Ever After, so I'm sure there's more to come. Russ was definitely the most attractive of the guys this season and Paola is gorgeous, even if she is high maintenance. 
• Louis and Aya: Even though I read that they had a baby, I still felt like something was off between them the whole time. 

Season 2:

• Danny and Amy: They are by far my favorite couple from all three seasons. I love them together and they both are so genuine. I was glad to hear that Danny's father finally was more accepting of their relationship. I also think they'll make great parents.
• Chelsea and Yamir: They seem really cute and sweet together. Yamir really gave up a lot to move to central Illinois, but he was very mature about how he saw his path back to his career. I just found out a huge spoiler about them, but that's all I will say.  
• Justin and Evelin: I wasn't sure what to think of them at first, since Justin was keeping his relationship with Evelin such a secret from his family. I could understand why once we met them, but his mom ended up being nice and I'm glad Evelin helped him come around in regards to inviting his family to the wedding. I also didn't like that he initially expected her to take care of housekeeping while he watched TV. 
• Brett and Daya: I didn't like Daya at first. Brett gave her flowers and she complained that they weren't roses and then she questioned the validity of the diamond in the ring he gave her. However, once Brett's daughter came into the picture and Daya really tried to bond with her, I saw a different side of her. I was actually annoyed that Brett's mom (who looked more like his sister) wasn't accepting of her and refused to attend the wedding. 
• Jason and Cassia: I read spoilers about them so I know what happened anyway, but the fact that he was always working, even on their dates, and treating her like an employee spoke volumes. I also thought she was being bratty when we first were introduced to her. I don't know why she'd get jealous of him having Playboy magazines or wanting to have a bachelor party. She's a lot younger than him and very attractive (as long as she's not doing the cat eye thing with her eyeliner). **Funny story: I knew Jason in college. We weren't close, but we had some friends in common and he was always nice whenever I'd run into him on campus. The last time I saw him was in 1997. Then my friend sent me an article about him being on a reality show and I didn't give it much thought as I wasn't into reality TV (this show is still the only exception). When I saw him on season two, the article came back into my mind. What are the odds?!? Even so, he doesn't seem like the Jason I remember from college. A lot can change in 17 years though!**
• Danielle and Mohamed: This couple is seriously a hot mess. (SPOILER: I found out that they're on Happily Ever After, but I also found out some other stuff about their marriage online.) There's the age gap and the fact that Mohamed doesn't really seem like he's into the relationship. He just runs off whenever things go bad. I like how Danielle's family looks out for her, if only she'd listen to them!

Season 3:

• Kyle and Noon: I liked both of them from the beginning, aside from Kyle's gross house with all the bugs. I thought it was sweet that Kyle cried when he greeted Noon at the airport and I felt bad for him with all his family issues, especially after seeing what his mom was like. I can tell that he genuinely loves Noon, regardless of the fact that his job requires him to flirt. 
• Josh and Aleksandra: I thought they were both very nice and made a cute match. I was a bit frustrated with how Aleksandra wasn't open to giving things a chance since they were different than in Prague. I also found it annoying that people judged her for drinking and going to dance clubs in Russia. She's in her early twenties! Halfway through the season, I was informed of a funny celebrity "doppelganger" for Josh and now I can't get that out of my head. 
• Melanie and Devar: They made an interesting couple and I like that Devar was so good with Melanie's son. I had concerns when he talked about sending his earnings back to his family in Jamaica once he got a job, but I think that got cleared up and they were able to move on from it. Melanie's sisters weren't that supportive, but I think Bev has come around since then, from what they said on the Tell All.
• Fernando and Carolina: At first I was more skeptical of their relationship because of the delayed visa and Carolina's impatience. I also thought Carolina was being too jealous even though she's 17 years younger than Fernando and very pretty. I felt bad for her once she got to America and felt lonely. It was nice that Fernando's mom finally warmed to her though. I'm hoping she's become more comfortable in America and has made friends. 
• Loren and Alexei: Loren reminded me a lot of my sister, both in looks and personality. I don't think my sister's as feisty, but the way she talked and dressed and certain facial expressions just were so similar. In any case, I didn't feel the love from Alexei all that much. There was a disconnect. It also was interesting that he was being so adamant about her not going to a strip club for her bachelorette party when it turns out he did it for his bachelor party. (It makes me feel better about how the only racy thing I did for my bachelorette party was go to an adult toy store on the way to the improv show. I didn't even buy anything!) In any case, he had nothing to be jealous of since Loren thought he was "delicious." I loved their wedding and how it showed a lot of Jewish traditions. I especially enjoyed that they knew the detail of putting the ring on the index finger during the ceremony.
• Mark and Nikki: Two words: Train wreck. Aside from the nearly 40 year age difference and the fact that Nikki is younger than Mark's youngest adult child, the fact that he is done with children, is obsessive, bossy, condescending, and selfish (need I go on?) makes me wonder how Nikki even went through with the wedding and why she's still married to him. I really don't get it. Watching him with her just made me uncomfortable. But hey, they live in Baltimore so I could potentially run into them if I'm out that way. LOL!

Reports on seasons four and five coming soon...

Annual birthday book giveaway

I love having birthdays, but I also enjoy giving other people gifts. I have a bunch of books to give away to one lucky reader! So, enter via the Rafflecopter below and one of you will get a box of random books. US only please, as I have to cover the shipping costs. (Sorry!)


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Giveaway ends July 25th at midnight EST.

A Slice of the Pie: My thoughts on Waitress

In 2008, I got Sara Bareille's CD Little Voice and couldn't get enough of it (this was the CD with the hit "Love Song".)

A while back, I saw the movie Waitress, starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion. I enjoyed it a lot and kept thinking of the little song Jenna would sing throughout the movie.

What do these two statements have in common? Well, in 2016, Waitress became a Broadway musical, with the music and lyrics written by Sara Bareilles, who even played Jenna on stage for a while.

And this past weekend, I finally got to see it during its tour at The National Theatre in Washington, DC.

This is what the curtain looks like before the show and during intermission. Makes you hungry for pie, right? (They actually were selling jars of it in the lobby, but we didn't get any.)

In the beginning, the curtain opens up to what is supposed to be the kitchen of Joe's Diner, where Jenna is baking her pies with the interesting names. Then the stage quickly reverts to the diner and it looks amazing. The backdrop sets the scene, making us feel like the diner is in the middle of a country road. I was completely impressed with the sets for this production, between the diner, Jenna's house, and the doctor's office. It all had a realistic feel. The orchestra was on stage for most of the show and they interacted with the cast, as well as dressed to fit the mood of the scene. 

From Broadway.com

The music was great. I could easily tell that Sara Bareilles had written it, as the songs carried her flair throughout. Some of the songs that stood out for me were "Opening Up," "What Baking Can Do," "When He Sees Me," "You Will Still Be Mine," "Never Ever Getting Rid of Me," "Bad Idea," "I Didn't Plan It," "She Used to Be Mine," and "Everything Changes." I didn't know that many of the songs going in, and I wouldn't say I was singing them coming out, but I am excited to listen to the soundtrack more, as it will take me back to the experience of watching it. Perhaps even more songs will stand out to me by then. The original soundtrack features the voices of Keala Settle (Lettie in The Greatest Showman) as Becky and Kimiko Glenn (Soso in Orange is the New Black) as Dawn. 

I didn't recognize anyone from the touring cast, but I thought they were a terrific ensemble. I enjoyed watching them together and not knowing them to begin with kept them in character more than if I were thinking of them as someone famous. (Like when I saw Adam Pascal as Shakespeare in Something Rotten.) Desi Oakley was fantastic as Jenna. She really owned that part and had an incredible singing voice. At first, I was annoyed with her speaking voice. It was this low southern accent. However, I remembered that Keri Russell did that with her voice in the movie (perhaps more subtly) and it endeared me to Desi after I got used to it. Lenne Klingaman and Charity Angel Dawson were perfect in their roles of Dawn and Becky, respectively. They had great stage presence and brought a lot of humor to the show. As Earl, Nick Bailey actually reminded me of Adam Pascal. Or at least his voice did. I liked him more in the role than I liked Jeremy Sisto in the movie. Jeremy Morse was hilarious as Ogie. He reminded me of a very young version of Leslie Jordan. I saw that he originated the role on Broadway. Finally, Maiesha McQueen was really funny as Nurse Norma. 

It's been such a long time since I've seen the movie that I forgot Becky and Dawn even had their own story lines. Unless they were embellished for the stage production. I really need to watch the movie again. Just seeing the trailer again made me realize how similar the lines were. The one about coffee definitely stood out. 

Overall, it was truly an enjoyable production. I got teary-eyed at the beginning and full-on cried at the end. I also laughed throughout, although not as much as I did for Something Rotten. The humor was more subtle. If you're able to see it in DC, it's here through Sunday and available on Today Tix. Otherwise, I hope you get to see it in a town near you, or on Broadway. It's definitely a treat. I'd suggest not bringing young children, as there are some inappropriate bits! I didn't even want to bring my Broadway loving 12 year-old to this one, and I'm glad for it. 

Here is a glimpse of the show, featuring Sara Bareilles on Broadway:

I love the Playbill for this show. It captures the essence so well:

Saw it with my husband, who enjoyed it too

Met up with one of my close friends
(and theater buddies) there

The Goldbergs, Season 5-with SPOILERS

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Another fun season of The Goldbergs has come to an end. This time around, Erica was in a different location from the rest of the family, even though they did still spend a lot of time together. It was fun seeing what college was like for her, in DC no less! There have been some changes for Barry, Adam, and especially Beverly, with her Bevolution. All in all, it made for a lot of laughs.

Here are some of my favorite episodes, in chronological order:

Episode 4-Revenge O' the Nerds
Beverly tries to reinvent herself in more than one way, while Erica asks for Adam's help at college.
Gotta love Beverly's perm. And the homage to RoTN was awesome.



Episode 9-Parents Just Don't Understand
A song written by Adam and Barry doesn't get the accolades they hoped for, while Erica needs distance from Beverly.
It reminded me of the time I memorized "Parents Just Don't Understand." Plus there were some really funny moments.


Episode 10-We Didn't Start the Fire
The battle for the best Hanukkah party begins.
The remake of Billy Joel's classic hit was spot on! I also loved all the Hanukkah oneupmanship between Beverly and Lou Schwartz.


Episode 11-The Goldberg Girls
Beverly creates her own mom group, while Erica reaches a breaking point with Geoff.
Beverly was so funny with her mom group. I love how she tried to create her own set of Golden Girls. You'll recognize one of her friends as Flo from the Progressive Insurance commercials.

Courtesy of Nutmeg Creative

Episode 12-Dinner with the Goldbergs
Geoff joins the family out for Erica's birthday dinner.
This episode is one of the best of the season. The family's dinner antics are hilarious. My kids and I still quote lines from it.




Episode 15-Adam Spielberg
Adam loves director Steven Spielberg so much and decides to film an original script he wrote about Indiana Jones and his passion for directing is called into question. Meanwhile, Murray and Barry make a bet about whether or not a cheesesteak sandwich in New Jersey is the best one ever.
The scenes where Adam is trying to film his movie are so funny and I love Barry's quest to find the best cheesesteak sandwich.



Episode 16-The Scrunchie Rule
When Beverly gets a glimpse into a soon-to-be empty nest, she replaces her kids with the Mellor brothers, nursing Coach Mellor back to health after falling off the rope climb. Meanwhile, Erica and her college roommate get on each other's nerves in their dorm room, especially when Valley Erica puts a scrunchie on the door and kicks Erica out.
I love how Erica gets Barry and her friends involved in her fight with the other Erica. And Beverly is at her best with trying to help Coach Mellor...by mothering him.

Episode 17-Colors
Barry enlists the JTP to help him break up Beverly's group of friends so Barry can have all the attention but soon realizes he made a major mistake when Beverly gets into a fight with her friends. Meanwhile, Adam's attempts to trick Murray into loving theater backfire.
I think the theater stuff is the reason I liked this episode a lot, but it was also nice to see more of Beverly with her group of friends (a.k.a. Frentas).



Episode 19-Flashy Little Flashdancer
The family doesn't support Beverly when she decides to take up dance with the Frentas; when Emmy starts dating a cool guy, Adam thinks their friendship is in jeopardy.
Beverly's dance routine was good, so I was surprised that her family was laughing. I loved how she and the Frentas were all chaotic on stage. It was also nice to see Emmy Mirsky again.



Episode 22-Let's Val Kilmer This Car
When Lainey moves back to town, Barry asks her to the prom; Erica tells Murray she has made a final decision about her future in college.
A great final episode of the season. The timing of when I watched it is funny in relation to this news story. I also loved the Real Genius references. It's a moral imperative to list this episode as one of my favorites!

While I was excited for the Spaceballs episode, I was hoping for more Spaceballs and less politics. And Rick Moranis only had a voice cameo. It had some funny moments, like when Adam was explaining his Star Wars knowledge to Jackie's dad.

The Goldbergs will be back for season six this fall! I can't wait to see more 80's references (courtesy of Adam) and smothering (courtesy of Beverly). What movies do you think they should parody this time around? I feel like they've covered so many in five seasons. They may have to go more obscure. (I hope they're not running out of ideas! Maybe they can work with some more TV shows, like Family Ties or Punky Brewster.)

This Dojo Has Mojo

Courtesy of IndieWire

Ever since I was a child, I've been a fan of The Karate Kid. I was almost eight years old when it came out, and I remember making my parents take me to see it more than once in the theater. Two years ago, I watched it again for the first time in ages, with my son (who was also eight at the time). I was reminded why I loved it so much and even got teary-eyed by the end. So I was excited to hear that there would be a new TV series as a sequel set 34 years later. It looked funny and interesting based on the trailer, but I wasn't prepared for how amazing it would be! If you haven't seen the trailer yet, watch it here:




Like what you saw? You can watch the first episode for free here. Hungry for more? YouTube Red has a free one-month trial. There are only 10 30-minute episodes. You'll breeze through them in a week. (Or a day, if you have five hours available for binge-watching.)

Not sure yet? Here are some reasons (in my opinion) to check it out:

*It captures the feel of the original movie. Even though it takes place in the present, I sometimes felt transported back to the 80's.

*There are flashback scenes from the original movie, which makes it fun to reminisce.

*It is really funny. There are times when it gets dark, but other times when it's impossible not to laugh out loud.

*It spins the story from the original movie on its tail, making Johnny into the good guy (even though he does have some moments where he is still unlikable) and Daniel into the bad guy (while he can be nice and fun at times, he also comes off as a jerk).

*Golf 'N Stuff is still around!

*They play this song again. I forgot how much I liked it.

*Samantha (Daniel's teenage daughter) is to this show what Nancy is to Stranger Things. Girl crush worthy. (The actress who plays her is in her early 20s.)

*The kid who played Victor in Parenthood is now a teenager and one of the main stars.

*If you are going through Mean Girls withdrawal, this show has the cure. Yasmine is the new Regina George.

*Seeing the underdogs triumph while working with Sensei Lawrence.

*Three words: Chad Brad Bradley. If you're a Fuller House fan, you'll recognize the actor in his new role as Johnny's son Robby.

*Daniel's wife, Amanda, is the voice of reason on the show. She keeps Daniel from going too far off the edge in his quest for vengeance against Johnny.

*Daniel's son, Anthony, reminds me of my 10 year-old son in personality. So if you want to see what I get to live with every day...

*You get to find out what Ali is up to, although I hope Elizabeth Shue will have a guest appearance in season two. If the actress who played Daniel's mother can come back, then anything is possible!

*Amazing fight scenes. I forgot to breathe from one of them and was overcome with emotion afterward.

*After each episode, you'll find yourself saying "such a great show!"

*Lots of interesting surprises in store.

*You have from now until 2019, when it will be back for season two!

Giving up on the ghost

I was inspired to write this because of a HerStories Project writing exercise about friendship at midlife. I submitted it to them, but since it didn't get chosen, a close friend said I should share it anyway....

Fifteen years ago, the concept of “ghosting” didn’t exist yet. It happened to me though, and I didn’t know how to define it at the time….

I had a great friendship with a girl I connected with during the end of my second to last year of college (back in the late 90s). We had a lot of interests in common and so much to talk about. We’d e-mail all the time and even tell each other stuff that was deeply personal.

During the summer before my last year of college, she moved out to my neck of the woods, so I tried to connect her with some people to make her adjustment that much easier. One attempt was to introduce her to a guy as a potential love interest. That was a minor fail because she fell for his friend and they got married about two years later. For a while, we still had stuff to talk about, but less in common, as she was embarking on this whole grown-up, career-driven, married, suburban life and I was still at home with my parents after graduating college and having trouble finding jobs while in a dead-end dating relationship. It sometimes felt like she was judging my relationship at the time and looking down on me for it, but it also was a gentle nudge to say that it wasn’t the right relationship for me, even though I couldn’t see it yet.

Later, I was in a better place in my life (I had just started dating my husband and was living on my own with a stable job) and she became a mom around that same time. I was really happy for her. Things were good between us for a while, even though she was busy with the demands of motherhood.

That all changed about a year later, when she disappeared off the face of the planet. This was shortly after she and her toddler had visited me at my apartment one afternoon. I was a bit nervous because my place wasn’t child-proofed, but I still enjoyed having her child there. Afterward, I made efforts to stay in contact, but they were not reciprocated. The most contact I had from her was a short reply to a party invitation saying she wasn’t available to attend. After some deliberation, I eventually decided not to invite her to my wedding or any parties leading up to it.

I’m disappointed that we lost contact and that I never had an explanation as to why. I guess that’s her choice and I’ve made so many other good friends since then. Sometimes I wonder what things would have been like if we had stayed friends. A couple of years after she cut off contact, I had my first child. I imagine that we would have had a lot to talk about and that I would have asked her for parenting advice. Especially since both our firstborns are the same gender. Would we have stayed in touch when I moved to another state? Would we have been connected on social media? Fifteen years feels like a lifetime, and I’m only in my early forties. That’s a decade and a half of experiences we didn’t get to tell each other about.

What I also wonder is if she ever thinks of me. I try to keep her out of my mind, but things will come up that remind me of her. I still remember her birthday. Sometimes I see celebrities who look like her on TV or in movies. She sometimes appears in my dreams and we have conversations. And I wonder how I’d react if she ever realized the error of her ways and came back to me to ask forgiveness. I don’t see that ever happening, but I would hope I would have it in me to hear her out and forgive her.

I feel like being ghosted by this friend has colored the way I see my friendships since then. I have a hard time trusting the friendship, even when I probably have nothing to worry about. If I don’t hear from a friend for a certain amount of time, I get all paranoid and emotional about it and over-analyze everything I’ve said and done in their presence or via e-mail. I do have a lot of wonderful friends whom I trust, but there’s always that nagging feeling that I’ll do one little thing to mess up the friendship and it will be like this situation all over again. And given that I have so many fulfilling and meaningful friendships now, why do I still think of this one friend and what could have been? The one thing I have learned from this is to not ghost my friends. If it’s a mutual parting of ways, that’s one thing, but I won’t put a friend through what I have been through.

Some parts of this post were taken from a post I wrote in 2010: Friends 'til the "end"

Disney movies I don't like

A while back, I posted about my favorite Disney movies. At that time, I promised I'd post about the ones I didn't like. Well, the time has finally come...

In no particular order:

Pirates of the Caribbean: The first one was okay, but then they had to keep making sequels and the sequels were just annoying. That made me dislike the first one even more.



Pete's Dragon (original): I watched this with my older son a long time ago and thought it was just so disturbing (all the child abuse going on). It even ruined "Candle on the Water" for me. I liked the remake so much better, and I don't always say that about remakes.




The Fox and the Hound: I watched expecting to be emotionally impacted, but it just dragged for me and I felt nothing.




Robin Hood: I just found it boring.



Frozen: This says it all.




The Princess and the Frog: No memorable songs (I only know one line in "Almost There" and that's the first line of the chorus) and the villain gave me the creeps.



Pinocchio: I also found this one boring.



Tarzan: If the characters had actually sung (aside from Rosie O'Donnell singing nonsense words), I might have liked it.



The Good Dinosaur (Pixar): I was expecting so much more from this than I got and some parts involving villains felt disturbing to me.



Brave (Pixar): This one fell flat for me and it was basically Brother Bear meets Beauty and the Beast.



Runner up: Newsies. I love the music, but take that away and the story is so boring. Thankfully the stage musical gave it new life.

Fourteen years of laughter

Today is my fourteen-year anniversary with my husband. To celebrate, I want to share some of the many ways he makes me laugh.

*Making up songs and trying to find things that rhyme to get to what he wants to say.

*Changing the words in books when he reads to the kids, so that they sound Jewish. (My favorite was "Uncle Pinchas" in a Pink Panther book.)

*When I know he's about to make something up because he has a certain smile and tone of voice when he does it.

*His celebrity impressions, especially of Milton from Office Space. He also could rival Alec Baldwin with a certain impression.

*Referencing our inside jokes.

*When he calls me out on something I'm doing so that I'm hyper-aware of it afterward.

*When he laughs...since his laughter is contagious.

*When he sends me random videos or articles but includes a funny subject line.

*His fun with Photo Shop.

*When he reads my mind (or vice versa)

*When we makes personalized cards for me that usually involve our inside jokes, or when he writes funny things on a card he bought.

No matter what, my husband is always able to make me laugh and I always tell him that he missed his calling as a comedian. He tells me that I'd have to clone myself to be a good audience for him. I do feel that laughter is extremely important for a marriage to go the distance and I'm so thankful I've found someone who will make me laugh until I am doubled over and tears are streaming down my face.

http://www.inktastic.com

One Short Day in [the] New York City

A while back, I had heard about Kids' Night On Broadway, but I thought it would be too much of a hassle to take my kids to NYC. This past winter I changed my mind. My older son and daughter had been talking about wanting to see Wicked, so I decided to make it happen. I also got a ticket for my younger son, as I didn't want to leave him out. He was reluctant to see it at first, but then he still went along with us, as I promised him a visit to the National Museum of Mathematics (MO Math) before the show.

The morning of the trip, we took a Vamoose bus to NYC. It was a relatively smooth ride, but the sockets didn't work to charge our phones and other devices. That was rather annoying. After we arrived, we checked into our hotel (Hampton Times Square South) and then had a quick lunch and we were off to MO Math. I wasn't really sure what to expect when we got there. I had researched it online, but it was even more incredible in person. Everything was hands-on and interactive. The kids couldn't get enough of the place. Some highlights were the basketball machine, the painting screen, the floor that had different electronic puzzles, and the 15 game. I had a very hard time getting them to leave when it was time to head back to the hotel to change for dinner and the show.

Painting screen

Floor with electronic puzzles

A very frustrating challenge, but my son liked it.

After we had some time to rest and get ready, we met up with one of my friends at Mr. Broadway. I haven't seen this friend since 1990, but it was like no time had been lost. We had reconnected via Facebook a few years ago and it was really nice to meet up in person again!

After dinner, we made our way over to the Gershwin Theater. The streets were so busy and crowded, but well-lit thanks to all the electronic signs around Times Square. We just barely got to the theater on time and had maybe five minutes before the show started to find our seats. This was my third time seeing Wicked, but the first for my kids. However, it felt like the first time for me, since I last saw it in 2005. I didn't know any of the actors, but they all did an amazing job. Amanda Jane Cooper reminded me a lot of Kristin Chenoweth. We saw a standby for Elphaba (Mariand Torres), but she gave an emotional and powerful performance. The guy who played Fiyero (Ashley Parker Angel) was cute, but had too much of a boy band appeal to him (which is ironic since I first saw Joey McIntyre in the role). By the last quarter of act two, I was crying non-stop. I also never gave much thought to how politically relevant it is in this day and age. When I last saw it, that wouldn't have crossed my mind as much as it does now.

After the show, Mariand addressed all the kids there and told them how she first saw Wicked as a kid and her best friend told her she'd be on that stage someday. It was very inspiring for my older son, who wants to be on Broadway when he's an adult. My younger son gave the show a chance, which is all I could hope for. He even laughed a lot during some parts and actually got into the story. (He had a lot of questions!) My daughter loved it and was singing "Defying Gravity" afterward.

Younger son's pre-show face

After we made our way out of the theater, we waited with a small group to meet the cast. We got to meet Amanda, Mariand, Kristen Martin (Nessarose) and Isabel Keating (Madame Morrible). Everyone was so nice to the kids. My younger son wanted nothing to do with meeting the cast and was being impatient, but my older son was living it up. The actresses adored him and Mariand commented on how nicely he was dressed. My daughter was a bit shy about meeting everyone, but did get in one picture.

Kristen Martin

Isabel Keating

Amanda Jane Cooper

Mariand Torres

The hotel stay was fine. The room was about as tight as our room on the cruise last year, but the beds were comfortable and they had hot cocoa in the dining area, so that was a perk for the kids.

The next morning, I woke up a bit early and watched This is Us before we had to get ready. Then we all got ourselves together and went out for breakfast next to the bus stop. We met up with two of my close friends there (L.R. and A.S.). It was nice to catch up with them and they got along really well with each other. 

L.R. on the left, A.S. on the right

With the birthday girl (even though L.R.'s birthday was that week too)

After breakfast, we caught the bus back home (this time the sockets worked) and someone fell asleep for part of the trip. (I will admit I got in a tiny nap too.)

Yes, she's wearing a Greatest Showman shirt.

Overall, it was a great trip and one I'll be thinking back upon and smiling. If I decide to do this again, I'd probably find a show all three kids could agree on and also would see if my husband wanted to be a part of things. I would definitely recommend doing Kids Night On Broadway (kids see shows for free, so tickets end up being half-price) and just making the time to go out there for a day or so. And while you're there, go to MO Math. :)

You might be a "Showfan"

I'm sure you all know how obsessed I am with The Greatest Showman. I thought I'd make a fun list so that you could see if you are as much of a "Showfan" as I am.

You might be a "Showfan" if....

*You see a pink wig and think that it would be great for dressing up as Ann.

*You don't care that the story was totally changed around from real life.

*You sing the songs constantly and find ways to fit them into conversations.

*You entered your child into a Greatest Showfan contest because they are also a Showfan.

*You don't like circuses, but you are considering going to one again (if the price is reasonable and no animals are involved).

*You are planning to write Passover parodies of some of the songs.

*You want Randy Rainbow to do one of his fabulous parodies to one of the songs.

*You can't stop talking about The Greatest Showman and recommend it to everyone you know.

*Your friend made you a cool needlepoint with a line from your favorite song from the movie.

*You live vicariously through your friends who are seeing it for the first time.

*You are counting down the days until it is available on DVD.

*The only Oscar nomination you care about is for "This is Me" as Best Song, but then you are extremely disappointed that it didn't win. (Even if you're glad Coco won for Best Animated Feature Film, the main song doesn't hold a candle to "This is Me.") Check out Keala Settle's performance at the Oscars.

Did I miss anything? If so, feel free to share in the comments!

If you have not seen this amazing movie yet, check out the trailer to see why you shouldn't miss out!

Hey, it's okay!

I haven't done one of these in a while and decided to share a list. Hopefully it will also help me get back in the swing of things with blogging on here. (Aside from just posts about pop culture. I realize I haven't gotten personal in a while.)

www.airingmylaundry.com

Hey, it's okay...

*To have spent the evening of Valentine's Day meeting one of my favorite authors....Kristin Hannah

*To have no interest in the Winter Olympics.

*To have no idea what musicals my younger son does or does not want to see.

*To enter the Domino Sugar baking challenge.

First challenge: Red velvet cupcakes

*To be sad that season three of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is done until the fall.

*To be excited for the return of Younger this summer.

*To read the book written by Jane from Jane the Virgin. The cover is a bit smutty looking, but it got me some street cred at work!

*To feel sympathy toward a stalker/serial killer from Caroline Kepnes' novels. Santino Fontana makes Joe Goldberg sound like the good guy, even when he's bad.

*To be annoyed that some of my favorite celebrities will be in my neck of the woods when I am not available to see them.

*To have enjoyed Something Rotten. It was hilarious!

*To refuse to watch the director's cut of Little Shop of Horrors. I caught a glimpse of one of the scenes a while back, and was traumatized. Happy ending for me only. Seymour and Audrey belong together somewhere that's green!

*To be annoyed that my phone has a bunch of cracks in it and that it costs more than the phone is worth to get it repaired. #FirstWorldProblems

*To like my husband's banana bread even though I won't so much as touch a banana.

*To cry whenever the quiet nun sings really well in Sister Act.

*That the actress who plays Beverly Goldberg replied to my tweet!

*To have Greatest Showman-itis. My friend describes it as: "A maddening, yet wonderful syndrome whereby whenever one wakes up, a song from The Greatest Showman is invariably coarsing through one’s brain. Symptoms include refrains of “Never enough, never never” and the “oh oh oh oh oh” chant from the movie’s opening that cannot be removed at any time!

Sing along time! :)




*That my "baby" is turning seven soon and I'm letting her have a sleepover party with her friends to celebrate. (May my sanity stay intact by the time it is over...)

*To not have seen any of the Best Picture Oscar nominations. (I did see some of the best animated nominees...Coco had better win!) Not like I'll watch the Oscars anyway, unless the station is generous with live streaming.

*To have gone to a painting event in my neighborhood. No "sipping" was involved, but we did get pizza!

And on a more serious note, it's okay....

*To be dismayed over how adults are handling the Florida situation. I'm pleased to see all the teenagers who have been taking action after a traumatizing day. As the late Whitney Houston said: "I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way." Even so, it is horrible that kids and teenagers should have to go through any of this. That they should have to worry about standing up for their LIVES! I thought Columbine was a one-off, but things have become progressively worse since then. As a parent, this sickens me even more. It should sicken everyone, but some people blame and attack the victims. Thoughts and prayers aren't helping anyone anymore! (Not that they did to begin with.)