I'm not bluffin'

No, I’m not turning into Lady Gaga...

A few weeks ago, I went to see The Maccabeats in concert. They’re a new Jewish a cappella group and they’re fabulous! I love their sound. Being at the concert (coupled with listening to the Warbler’s CD from “Glee”) made me think of an a cappella group I was crazy about in the 90’s and early 2000’s….Blind Man’s Bluff.

In the summer of 1996, I was riding my bike around the park one evening and came across a concert. It sounded like it would be interesting, as there were four guys singing some popular tunes and one of them was from my high school. I sat down and enjoyed the rest of the concert. Then I found out that they were going to perform at my college that winter. I went to see their concert again. Initially, it was the four guys pictured on the left (there may have been one or two changes in the group, but I can't remember). The second one from the right is David, the guy I knew from high school.

The following summer (1997), I must have gone to a ton of their concerts. I lost track of how many. They had this game where they would make up a song based on a word. The more challenging the word, the better. I went to one of their concerts a day after going to “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” (my other “obsession” at the time) and remembered the word “vichyssoise” from one of the plays. I gave them that word and they made a funny song with it. Around this time, they also put out a CD called “Shades.” I recently listened to it in my car and it brought back so many memories.

In January of 1998, they performed at Millikin University, along with an a cappella band my friend Adam was in at the school. I went with a few friends (including one who was from Decatur and whose family’s house was nearby) to see this concert. It was a lot of fun. That summer, I went to see them again a bunch of times, as I would continue to do in the next couple of years. By this time, they had changed a lot. There were a few new faces and voices. At one point, there was a guy who was a Toad the Wet Sprocket fan like me. I made him a TTWS tape and brought it to another concert where he was performing. Around this time, my friend Adam (the one at Millikin) also had joined the group. One of the guys called himself a human beatbox and would do demonstrations of drumming with his face and mouth. It was really cool. (Oddly enough, they did something similar at the Maccabeats concert and even taught the audience a trick...but I don't see myself mastering it anytime soon.)

After I graduated college, I still continued to find out where BMB would be performing and make every effort to go to their concerts. I remember them singing at a bar in Chicago (on Belmont) a few times. I took my friends there to see them each time they were there. The last concert I saw them perform at (as the group pictured on the right) was at Northwestern University. This may have been their last concert ever, as they were going their separate ways. (They had put out two more CDs by this time.) I was just starting out with dating my husband and took him to see the concert. I loved seeing how impressed he was by them. I even got to introduce him to Adam (on the far right of the picture) after the show. (I’ve known Adam since we were kids, so I was glad he got to meet someone who was going to be a big part of my life.)

These days, it seems like a cappella music is making more of a comeback. Will I be as obsessed with the Maccabeats as I was with BMB? Who knows? For now, I just cherish my memories of all the fun concerts I went to in the past and hope that a cappella music stays strong for future generations to enjoy.

I'm not the only movie buff in the house....

My husband has gone to the dark side....I've convinced him to start a blog. :)

You can check it out here! He will be blogging about movies and sharing his spoiler-free thoughts on them. Please follow his blog. Thanks so much!

Star-Spangled!

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: Share your favorite 4th of July memories.

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:

Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock

It’s no surprise that 4th of July (a.k.a. Independence Day) is one of my favorite holidays. Oddly enough, I don’t even have bad associations with it, considering it is also the anniversary of Mama Mollie’s passing. I guess I see it as her being independent of the shell of her former self (and all her suffering).

I have a lot of fun 4th of July memories. When I was a kid, my family and I would go to carnivals and see fireworks with family friends of ours. We always had a good time. We’d sit on a blanket in a big field and eat watermelon while watching colors light up the sky. The kids (including myself) would get to play with sparklers too. It was fun to draw lines in the air with the sparklers while the flame was still going.

When I was in college, there was one 4th of July (1996) I spent with two close girl friends from college and a guy friend from “Rocky Horror.” We went to Max and Erma’s and then drove over to Big Bear Lake in Vernon Hills to watch the fireworks. We had a fun time talking and laughing together. I also recall screaming in a rather embarrassing way when we passed by Zanie’s and I saw a sign that Jake Johannsen was coming back to perform there. (He was a favorite comedian of mine at the time.) There was a restaurant over there called Tasty Thai and we joked that it was Tasty “thigh.”

My first 4th of July while living in my condo (2000) was fun too. “Will” came over and we went swimming all afternoon. Later, we had dinner at my parents’ house and went to see the fireworks there. We had this joke about me asking my mom in a “Pat” (from SNL) voice about when the fireworks were going to start. The following year (2001), I went to the Taste of Chicago with some girl friends I hung out with all the time. Then I met up with another friend for dinner (back at the Taste) and we saw “Mamma Mia!” together. (My second time in one week seeing it.) I think “Jack” was there, along with another gay guy friend (at the time). We were all dancing to the songs at the end. The bad thing about that night was losing my wallet, but I had such a fun time that day.

When my husband and I started dating, we spent every 4th of July at my parents’ house. They would barbecue or bring in food and have a lot of guests over. We’d all go to fireworks together, as well. The fireworks have always been amazing and they’re timed to music. In the past, they did them all to Disney songs. Now there’s a strange variety. Sometimes good bands from the 90’s came to the park to put on concerts. They had Gin Blossoms and Smash Mouth in previous years. One time, I won a “Mamma Mia!” CD (oddly enough) in a Karaoke contest.

My mom even hosted the 4th of July party when my grandma died, as she wanted a distraction and she knew her mom would have wanted her to celebrate anyway. After we moved away, we still came back for 4th of July and the parties got even bigger. This is the first summer we’re spending 4th of July at our own home. It will be different for us. I’ll miss seeing the usual people who show up at my parents’ house for the holiday. However, we’ll play the day by ear and find something fun to do with the kids. Even so, I hope it will work out for us to come back to Chicago for the 4th next year and the years that follow...

Funny Friday-6/24/11-Barney is no dinosaur!

I've decided to do a new blog theme called Funny Friday. It's basically stuff that I find funny and want to share my somewhat crazy humor with you.

I've been watching "How I Met Your Mother" a lot lately in an effort to catch up. The person who stands out as the funniest is Barney, played by Neil Patrick Harris.

I caught this episode out of order, but it's still hilarious knowing what I already knew about Barney. The best part is where they show different "plays" from his playbook. The wink is the best part!:



This was from the first season, where they're sharing embarrassing moments to learn more about Barney's shameful secret. This shows the transition from his hippie days to his "awesome" new image. And wait for the wink. So worth it!:



I was going to add in a video of the suit song, but I couldn't find anything good. You'll just have to watch the series, I guess...

Scenes from a Kosher Restaurant

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: Imagine you are a food critic. Which restaurant would you critique? What food would you be served, and how would you describe it in your critique?

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:

Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock

A bottle of Herzog, a bottle of Carmel....

Seriously, I have never thought to critique food before. I have somewhat simple tastes and am a picky eater otherwise. Still, if I had to critique a restaurant, I'd find the most expensive and luxurious Kosher steak establishment in the US and get paid to eat there. I know that NYC has a bunch of those. I'd of course want a prime rib. And some garlic mashed potatoes. I'd want the Wildfire experience without actually eating at Wildfire. (Prior to eating only Kosher meat, I loved the prime rib at Wildfire, in Chicago. I can recreate their mashed potatoes, but their steak is really something else.) I'd start with a salad made to my specifications, which isn't much. I like leafy green lettuce with some cucumbers and carrots. A side of Thousand Island dressing in a cold salad dressing "boat" (like a gravy boat, but with salad dressing) would accompany it. I'd also want some of the restaurant's best bread and margarine that melted upon contact with it.

Next would come the soup. I'm a big French onion soup fan. Seeing that this is a Kosher meat restaurant, it would have non-dairy cheese, but if the Kosher Subway can use it, then so can this place.

I’d also want an appetizer, just so I can try a variety of items instead of skipping from soup to the meal. I think I would choose fried zucchini. I am a zucchini fan but only when it’s cooked. I’m sure this restaurant in my mind would serve delicious fried zucchini.

Onto the main course. (I couldn’t wait any longer.) As I said before, I would order the prime rib, medium well. It would come with its own au jus. There would be a side of mashed potatoes and a side of steamed veggies (green beans, cauliflower, carrots, onions, etc.) Everything would just be perfect. The meat would cut easily and not be too chewy or too soft. Just right… It would be flavorful, as well, each bite tantalizing the tongue. The potatoes would be like the ones from Wildfire, if not better. And the vegetables would be really good too. I don’t know how to judge vegetables, but as long as they taste good and aren’t too soggy, I’m happy.

Finally, the dessert would come. I would get a slice of their best chocolate cake. (I was thinking back to the days of chocolate cake from Portillo’s and that’s what I would imagine it to be like, only pareve.) The frosting would be just the right amount to blend with the rich and succulent taste of the chocolate and the softness of the cake as it melts in my mouth.

I’d top off the evening with a blended alcoholic beverage. I’m a big fan of chocolate martinis, but I’d want mint in it for more variety. It would be just the right amount of alcohol to make me feel all right with the world, but not tipsy. It wouldn’t overpower the blend of chocolate and mint either.

If this meal is everything I imagined it to be here, it would get a rave review and I’d definitely be back to try other combos. They’d all be on the house since I’m such a good food reviewer and all…

Now I’m hungry!

Funny Friday-6/17/11-Geography lessons

I've decided to do a new blog theme called Funny Friday. It's basically stuff that I find funny and want to share my somewhat crazy humor with you.

I love these two videos from "Animaniacs." See for yourself and love them too! I may be good with states and capitals, but if I forget some, this first one helps every time!




If I ever needed to know where a certain country was, I would look to Yakko to show me the way:

I hope my kids will appreciate these videos when they get a little older. :)

Beam me up!

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: What is your super power? (Or what super power do you wish you had?)

Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:

Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock

I seriously don't know anyone who has an actual super power unless they are on TV or in movies. If I meet someone in real life who does, I'll be sure to find out their secret. The only thing I can do that's remotely magical is kiss away "ouchies" when the kids hurt themselves. It seems like with one kiss, they're all better and raring to go on with their play time.

In my fantasy life, I've always wanted to have the ability to teleport myself anywhere I wanted to go. I don't watch "Star Trek," but I did like "Scotty," the device that beamed people to other places. (I don't know if Scotty was the name of the device or the person pressing a button though. Sorry, "Star Trek" fans!)

I have family and friends living all over the place, some as far as other countries. It would be nice to be able to visit whomever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I could drop in for dinner with my family and then go to Disneyland with "Will." I would definitely want to visit the friends with whom I'm doing this blog project. Especially since one of them is my BFF (Froggie) and it would be nice to spend more than 5 minutes with her when I'm in town. I haven't even met Moma Rock, but I've known her husband since 1995. (I haven't seen him in over 10 years though.) It would be cool to meet her in person and see him again. I met Mom of Many last year and would love to see her again too, as she's really sweet. (She even took the time to knit a stuffed elephant for my baby.) I have lots of other friends with whom I am close and would love to spend more time with. Imagine if I could teleport to Chicago anytime I wanted a girl's day out with some of my girl friends living there. I'd also be able to spend more time with my sister.

Since I would love to go on vacations more often, teleporting would save on travel costs and time. I would be able to include my husband and kids in all these teleportations, as I would somehow give them the ability to teleport too. (It's my fantasy; I call the shots!) Say we want to take in a Broadway show...we all teleport to Manhattan for the day. The kids will get to spend time with their grandparents there and we'll be able to see whatever show we want. Say we want to go to Hawaii. We just snap our fingers and we're off. No long and arduous (not to mention, expensive) flight to endure. We can finally visit our friend and her daughter in Amsterdam too. And we can take as many trips to the Holy Land as we wish. Maybe we could spend a Shabbos there from time to time.

It would be great if teleporting were to someday be a reality, even if it were done through some mechanical device. I'm sure the device would cost as much as a house, but it would be so worth it in the long run! In the meantime, we try to visit people whenever we can and we hope more friends and family members will come to visit us, as well. We have a guest room, and we're not far from DC at all. Lots to see and do. (Hint, hint...)