tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48822725403582082282024-03-14T03:04:56.257-07:00Jenny on the PageUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-30192719913004699832014-10-29T21:47:00.001-07:002014-10-30T09:20:20.085-07:00 "Oh Wow!" and Discovering Your Ultimate Orgasm on #SexTalkTuesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2Kx8Do7XFVwlLQmGMbfkAZ3ASmA0vqFTKJPIvbKp2vD93nxOiwMfQ_04Qm-AHXX9CLcnFYGhU99CYpcGrIdFolr9pRia3k23Ii9iJYR0AOvz7rUILDj1KJpdqsrTwYEwBvz4k1Aim7Tt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-29+at+11.41.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2Kx8Do7XFVwlLQmGMbfkAZ3ASmA0vqFTKJPIvbKp2vD93nxOiwMfQ_04Qm-AHXX9CLcnFYGhU99CYpcGrIdFolr9pRia3k23Ii9iJYR0AOvz7rUILDj1KJpdqsrTwYEwBvz4k1Aim7Tt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-29+at+11.41.01+PM.png" height="285" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am SO excited! <br />
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I’ll be moderating an exciting discussion about one of the most important aspect of human sexuality – your ultimate orgasm! SexTalkTuesday, the Adult Twitter Chat from Sssh.com, will be hosting the discussion live online and I sure hope you will join me and participate in the conversation.<br />
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My new book - "Oh Wow!" (Cleis Press 2015) is all about getting what you want, how you want it, and I want to talk to you all about it! <br />
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Previous moderators have included: Nina Hartley, Midori, Sara J Benicasas, Chanel Preston, Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals, Natalie Star and Desiree Burch. So you can imagine how honored I am to be the newest moderator in a long line of esteemed female hosts.<br />
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Sex Talk Tuesday has already done a great job at the forefront of the Sex Positive revolution online and their efforts have earned a massive audience among a loyal community of forward thinking people seeking a greater understanding of their own sexuality.<br />
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With more than 100 active participants during most discussions generating 1,000 tweets per hour and better than 7 Million impressions per hour, it’s my honor to be a part of setting an enlightening tone for their 800K tweetreach #SexTalkTuesday chat on November 4, 2014 at 3:00 Eastern.<br />
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I’m really looking forward to interacting with everyone able to attend online that day.<br />
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To participate just follow <a href="http://sextalktuesday.com/event/jenny-block/" target="_blank">#SexTalkTuesday</a> and add the hashtag to your tweets.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-56337189607719390792014-10-29T21:39:00.001-07:002014-10-29T21:39:19.948-07:00Oral Fixation's "Train Wreck"!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q0xWO0xwBtTQdXw8Un0p5HyBEGzxIsrfr9IVAs8aJGS5pXBmnPURCojjsBXebjATpxxcWX_dqOh31OfrEQIfX7Ea4Si4lbgc7mk6NrdODgPk2CF3Qii4EY1O-buNK7Z19I3apfIAv6nS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-29+at+11.38.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q0xWO0xwBtTQdXw8Un0p5HyBEGzxIsrfr9IVAs8aJGS5pXBmnPURCojjsBXebjATpxxcWX_dqOh31OfrEQIfX7Ea4Si4lbgc7mk6NrdODgPk2CF3Qii4EY1O-buNK7Z19I3apfIAv6nS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-29+at+11.38.38+PM.png" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This sounds like SO much fun! I will definitely be submitting a story soon. In the meantime, maybe I'l' see you at this "Train Wreck"!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The
cast of “Go With the Flow” had barely taken their final bow when it was time
for Dallas super-buzzy live <span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">storytelling</span> series,
<u>Oral Fixation (An Obsession with True Life Tales),</u> to cast the second
show of Season 4. Things sure are moving fast around here — one might say they
are moving faster than a speeding train. Which brings us to our November theme
— “Train Wreck” — and our fabulous cast. Headlining the show: the
lovely <b>Bri Crum</b>, president and publicist at Plan B PR, and co-host
and creator of Inside Entertainment TV on KTXD47. Bri will share with <span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">courage</span> and <span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">vulnerability</span> how she<span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">’</span>s navigated mental health obstacles to
get to a place where she no longer feels like her life is a train wreck about
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Joining her for two nights of fun: <b>Glynn
Wilcox</b>, the rare witness to an actual train wreck, talking about his
marriage ending and accidentally catching his house on fire. <b>Paul Scott</b>,
an Oral Fixation veteran, recalling his second honeymoon at a couples’ resort
that was a total disaster.<span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Caroline North</span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> discussing
a train ride to visit her half-brother, a former meth addict, that forced to
face her own addiction and make an important decision. <b>Linda Thomas</b> professing
how her life became a train wreck after she moved to California and found
herself pregnant, hungry, and hopeless. <b>Nan Kirkpatrick</b> outlining
the web of lies that led her to realize she’s an alcoholic. And <b>John
Mathews </b>sharing how his life of crime and addiction took him to prison
four times before he turned things around with the help of the Dallas-based
Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP).<span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">These topics may seem heavy, but in the grand
tradition of Oral Fixation, we promise you many laughs, too. So join us on
Monday, November 3, at the Wyly, or Wednesday, November 12, at Texas Theatre.
8pm. Tickets are on sale now. Get them before this train leaves the station.<span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #107eaf; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What is
Oral Fixation, anyway? Check out this video of director and producer Nicole
Stewart, explaining the show to the audience:</span></b><span style="color: #107eaf; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Oral Fixation is now accepting story
submissions for all remaining Season 4 dates/ themes:<span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">“Outside the Box” <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Monday, December 8th & Wednesday,
November 12th<span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">“Slippery Slope”<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Monday, January 19th & Wednesday,
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9th & & Wednesday, February 18th<span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></span></div>
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Wednesday, March 18th <span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">“Happy Camper"<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Monday, April 20th &
Wednesday, April 22nd<span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">*No writing or performing experience is
necessary but stories must be true and on theme. For details and
deadlines, visit </span><a href="http://www.oralfixationshow.com/"><span style="color: #000047; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">www.oralfixationshow.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">.
Follow us on </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/oralfixationshow"><span style="color: #376eff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> and </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/OrallyFixated"><span style="color: #376eff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">!<span style="mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The Arts District show will be held on Monday
11/3 at Level 6 of the Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora Street, Dallas, TX <span style="color: #000c17;">75201. </span>Park underground in the Lexus
Silver garage (accessible from Ross on Jack Evans St) or at a meter on
Ross. $25 individual tickets and flex subscriptions can be purchased at
2353 Flora Street, (214) 880-0202, or </span><a href="http://www.ticketdfw.com/"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">www.ticketdfw.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">. Group and student
discounts are available.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Oral Fixation show
page: </span><a href="http://oralfixationshow.com/portfolio-item/train-wreck/"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">http://oralfixationshow.com/portfolio-item/train-wreck/</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Ticket page for Wyly
11/3: </span><a href="http://www.ticketdfw.com/whats-on/2014/train-wreck/"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">http://www.ticketdfw.com/whats-on/2014/train-wreck/</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Ticket page for Texas Theatre
11/12: </span><a href="http://prekindle.com/promo/id/23543011513694640"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">http://prekindle.com/promo/id/23543011513694640</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Facebook page for Wyly
show 11/3: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1570587893164547/"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">https://www.facebook.com/events/1570587893164547/</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Facebook page for Texas
Theatre show 11/12: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1498611390414154/"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">https://www.facebook.com/events/1498611390414154/</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Twitter: @OrallyFixated </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Instagram: @oralfixationshow </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/oralfixationshow"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">https://www.facebook.com/oralfixationshow</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-49849622221193588442014-07-15T16:15:00.002-07:002014-07-15T16:17:33.885-07:00Blue Box! What you call it when you leave a girl hanging...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEcLYi9D1ZNnyNob3FAa6ZP9zYI9Lwzyn-CUTRI-UOoFNwiJHvR3w6IOgGeR4nSBvE3Z7ptlzbaUg0PUwrcUIJQPsiAk7VV6scUc5Mb0E2k3_UiH_vzR8SCvipCITtpicRYxskJ8-nwk_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-15+at+4.14.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEcLYi9D1ZNnyNob3FAa6ZP9zYI9Lwzyn-CUTRI-UOoFNwiJHvR3w6IOgGeR4nSBvE3Z7ptlzbaUg0PUwrcUIJQPsiAk7VV6scUc5Mb0E2k3_UiH_vzR8SCvipCITtpicRYxskJ8-nwk_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-15+at+4.14.50+PM.png" height="300" width="320" /></a></div>
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(nope. not that kind of blue box...)</div>
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Today I was working on my new orgasm book for Cleis Press (due out in February 2015!) when my little sister helped me coin a new phrase - blue box. As in, "My partner had me all worked up and then came and it was game over, left me with total blue box."<br />
<br />
Yup. You heard it here first. And, yes, girls get that too. Your partner in crime gets your motor running and then gets off him or herself and then rolls over and falls asleep leaving you with, you got it...<br />
<br />
blue box.<br />
<br />
You're welcome. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-75206822505683909312014-07-10T00:01:00.000-07:002014-07-10T00:03:05.473-07:00Sex and Night Diving: What I learned from diving in<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oOfBl_l0AOz7RkiToUut96EV0aPq21RMlDjvHLkwgV0RAvd-VX4OOMaLXLID3CXkXhfMpRZh0HZV7BbEunz60OAIuRC81Iz5WBkpSncOquy6ujCe4YuLWoZunOz7mUqoxdBGWLIW_uSB/s1600/P1030332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oOfBl_l0AOz7RkiToUut96EV0aPq21RMlDjvHLkwgV0RAvd-VX4OOMaLXLID3CXkXhfMpRZh0HZV7BbEunz60OAIuRC81Iz5WBkpSncOquy6ujCe4YuLWoZunOz7mUqoxdBGWLIW_uSB/s1600/P1030332.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">It's pitch black. Martin interlaces his fingers with mine. I take a
long deep breath and let it out slowly. My senses are heightened. I feel
acutely aware of every sensation. Every sight and sound. Every feeling. I'm
excited and scared and so present I can't imagine anything before this moment
or after. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Martin isn't my lover and we're not having or even about to have
sex. He's my dive instructor and he's taking me out on my first night dive. The
whole arrangement is surreal. I flew from Brisbane, Australia to Hamilton
Island, Australia in the Whitsundays. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">An outfit called </span><a href="http://www.cruisewhitsundays.com/great-barrier-reef-experiences.aspx"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Cruise Whitsundays</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> has taken me by
boat out to a permanent pontoon on the Great Barrier Reef, at Hardy Reef to be
exact, called Reef World where I've spent the day diving. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">It's spectacular, as you would expect. Gorgeous fish, both enormous
and minuscule. Unreal coral. Everything around me living and pulsing and
swaying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">And tonight, I'll sleep in a swag (a very Australian rig that's a
mattress, sleeping bag, and tent all in one) under the stars, all but alone on
the top deck of the pontoon under a vast canopy of stars, the Milky Way winding
through. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But before I rest, I go out on my first ever night dive. It's
exhilarating and terrifying. I can see only what the light of my torch blazes
on. The plankton in the water sparkles like stars, making it feel as if I'm
floating through outer space, weightless and alone in the universe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">"We're three of the luckiest people in the world right
now," Martin says to Victor, another instructor, and I as we prepare to
get in the water. He couldn't be any more right. And as I glide through the
water, catching glimpses of beautiful coral and fish playing in the reef, I am
suddenly struck by just how profound experience this is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">It's incredibly dangerous in some ways. We're out in the middle of
the ocean, at night. No boat or copter at the ready should there be an
emergency. And yet, we're also incredibly safe. I'm PADI certified, meaning I
am fully trained and prepared for this dive. My instructor and his colleague
are insanely experienced and trained. All I have to do is the easiest - and the
hardest - thing in the world. All I have to do is trust. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">It's that realization that makes me think about how much night diving,
or diving in general or any number of other adventures for that matter,
requires precisely what is needed to experience the kind of truly intimate,
mind altering, life affirming sex that too few people enjoy but that everyone
should experience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The five tips for great sex that I learned from night diving. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">1. Trust your partner. Martin is my instructor. My life is in his
hands and, to some extent, his in mine. There is no one else down there to rely
on. I trust him completely. Only then can I really enjoy the experience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">When it comes to sex, when you trust your partner fully, you can let
go in a profound way. The best sex, the fullest, most intimate, most
mind-blowing sex comes from giving yourself over completely to the person
you’re with. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">2. Trust your equipment. Your dive equipment is literally your lifeline
when you're diving. You check it completely before you get in. But once you're
below the sea, you have to trust that it will do what it's designed to do, take
care of you while you're below the surface. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Our bodies were made for pleasure. People have a bad habit of not
fully enjoying all the bits and parts we've been given, not trusting that we
have the right and the privilege of reveling in the amazingness of all of our
"equipment." But if you trust your body, it will take care of
you and bring you great pleasure. All you have to do is give in to it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">3. Mind your breathing. If you gobble up air when you're diving, you
have to come up way sooner than you would otherwise. If you hold your breath,
you could damage your lungs and ears. Underwater, you have to breathe with
intention, listening to your breathe sounds and being conscious not to hold
your breath or hyperventilate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Sex is all about breath. Focusing on your breathing can intensify
orgasms greatly. Breath deeply and with intention. Play with how your body
feels when you breath deeply versus more shallowly versus holding your breath
all together. (Not recommended during sex and an absolute no-no when you dive.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">4. Be ever present. It's easy when you night dive to get lost in
worry. Is there something scary around that next mountain of coral? Will you
have enough air? But if you spend your time thinking about that, you'll miss it
all. Instead, you have to be in the moment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The same goes for sex. Forget about the mail you didn't open. To
hell with any nagging body insecurities. Explore every sensation. Let yourself
sense everything and take it all in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">5. Ride the unknown. This was my first night dive and my 8th dive
ever. Everything about it was unknown. Even for Martin who had done this dive
1000 times, couldn't really know what we were in for. The sea is new every time
you enter it. To truly enjoy it, you have the relish the unknown. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Each time you have sex it’s a brand new experience whether you're
with a familiar partner or a brand new one. Whether you're trying something for
the first time or enjoying the rhythm of familiarity, let the possibility of
the unknown excite you and allow yourself to follow it wherever it takes you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I came up from that dive exhausted and exhilarated and so proud of
myself, allowing my sense of adventure instead of my penchant for fear and insecurity
guide me. If you do the same when it comes to sex, you'll be amazed at the
pleasure that's in store. All you have to do is dive in...</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-40599069081355159582014-01-07T10:05:00.001-08:002014-01-07T10:05:56.687-08:00Win tickets to Dinosaur Zoo Live!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQ3PkZ8ixJGdNhkFsfInqCU__ZDwzCj2NwwAzmPm3Yc1wIfkobVhZtdkjylZos4bMGLlrKiQ-jRHm3-EEKosWS6CgkgGOBFMBnP8_OEwyzyf07NcDAhRN-14fVSlqovm8X2soRAjpIyyV/s1600/Dinosaur+Zoo+FINAL+V4sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQ3PkZ8ixJGdNhkFsfInqCU__ZDwzCj2NwwAzmPm3Yc1wIfkobVhZtdkjylZos4bMGLlrKiQ-jRHm3-EEKosWS6CgkgGOBFMBnP8_OEwyzyf07NcDAhRN-14fVSlqovm8X2soRAjpIyyV/s1600/Dinosaur+Zoo+FINAL+V4sm.jpg" height="309" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Enter to Win a Family Four Pack to Erth's Dinosaur Zoo Live! At the Majestic Theater in Dallas on Saturday, January 18th at 10am ($200.00 Value!)<br /><br />Erth’s DINOSAUR ZOO Live brings an awesome array of prehistoric creatures to life on stage. Observe and interact with extraordinary, life-like dinosaurs in this entertaining and educational live show.<br /><br />Enter by Tuesday, January 14, 2014 for your chance to bring the Family to this one-of-a-kind event!<br /><br />To enter, like my page at:<br /><br />https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-Block/118385024943309<br /><br />And leave a comment under the contest announcement there. Get a friend to like the page and get an additional entry for each friend who likes it. Just send me a private message with their names!<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-20531194438857510572013-09-05T10:28:00.001-07:002013-09-05T11:56:08.562-07:00I commissioned a portrait of my puppy<style>
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I’ve always had a dog but I never considered myself a “dog
person.” That is, until I met Walter. He’s 12 pounds of Chihuahua/Cairn Terrier
mish mash that gives new meaning to the phrase “ugly cute.” I love him more
than a person probably should love a dog. But there’s something about that tiny
smirk and warm, fuzzy body that he curves into a comma against my side while I
write, that makes me feel loved in a way that I’ve never experienced before or
since.</div>
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Walter adopted me 4 years ago. So it wasn’t until very
recently that I ever seriously considered the whole pet portrait thing. I liked
the idea of it. But it also sort of freaked me out. Was I really “that girl”?
Apparently, yes. </div>
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A friend posted a painting that Denise Kemp from Iridescent
Moon Gallery had done of this handsome German Wire Haired Pointer and I was
hooked. I commissioned two pieces, one watercolor and one acrylic. I love them
both but the watercolor in particular really captures the spirit of my little
man. </div>
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Maybe it’s the eyes or his quiet smile. Or the way she
captured his disobedient fur, whose true nature is almost hidden by his haircut.
Maybe it’s the way he’s laying down in the piece, face flat to the floor, like
always. There’s something about Kemp’s eye for detail and the tenderness with
which she guides her brush. I don’t know what the magic is. But I know she
worked it on Walter.</div>
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The piece inspired my girlfriend so much that she commissioned
one of her late and long-adored cat, Coco, and of her mother’s beloved puppies,
Jackson and Pearle, who passed this year as well. The likenesses Kemp created
are uncanny both in appearance and spirit. </div>
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I suppose there’s no fighting it now. I’m officially a dog
person. </div>
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You can find Denise and her work at:</div>
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<a href="http://www.iridescentmoongallery.co.uk/">http://www.iridescentmoongallery.co.uk/</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Iridescent-Moon-Gallery/225603174200507">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Iridescent-Moon-Gallery/225603174200507</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-35856764385314203032013-07-30T11:56:00.001-07:002013-07-30T11:56:30.277-07:00Ecuador by train!<div class="MsoNormal">
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--I don''t </style><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don't generally post press releases. But I had to share this one. I love the idea of traveling by train. Would you take a journey like this? </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Since 1994, </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.destinationecuador.com/">Tropic Journeys
in Nature</a></span> has led tours through the country’s most
engaging landscapes. Now it is hosting four-day/three-night journeys on
Ecuador’s Tren Crucero (cruise train) that launched in early summer 2013. <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.destinationecuador.com/quito-ecuador-train-tour.html">http://www.destinationecuador.com/quito-ecuador-train-tour.html</a></span></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Already Tren Crucero is being singled out to join a pantheon
of the world’s top train journeys. Guests experience Ecuador’s stunning
landscape using vintage transportation, enroute enjoying accommodations at hand-selected
haciendas and colonial lodgings that immerse them in regional cultures glimpsed
from train windows. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">The per person rate is $1,270
inclusive of a b</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ilingual naturalist guide, daily
train and bus excursions, three nights lodging and all meals. </span><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">While on the train guests can enjoy drinks and tapas while seated
comfortably or reviewing the landscape from an open-air car. An on-train safe
is available for storing valuables. Departures are from June through early
September and from December through February.</span></strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">The luxury journey begins in Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in the Andes crowned by majestic Cotopaxi Volcano, and ends in Guayaquil
on the Pacific. Traversing 450 kilometers along the Avenue of Volcanoes, an
early 20<sup>th</sup> century steam-engine locomotive pulls passengers to heights
of 3,600 meters and down to sea level. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tren Crucero rolls out of Quito’s Chimbacalle station at 8
a.m. on a Tuesday, stopping at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">El Boliche where a modern
coach ferries guests to a hike near Limpiopungo, a glacial lake in Cotopaxi
National Park that shelters a variety of Andean wildlife: Andean gulls, Andean
dear, wolves, the unique bear of South America, and the magnificent Andean Condor.
Overall rising 6,000 meters above sea level is Cotopaxi volcano. After an
hacienda lunch, guests view a dance festival at Lasso train station and
overnight with dinner at La Cienega Hacienda once lodged Simon Bolivar who led
four countries to independence from Spain. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On Wednesday from Latacunga
train station guests travel southward to explore a rose plantation and learn
the history of Ecuadorian roses, a major contributor to the country’s gross
domestic product. Lunch follows later at Roka Plaza hotel, an ancient colonial
house, in Ambato. Conditions permitting, there will be views from a safe
distance of the very active Ttungurahua volcano that is currently spewing ash
and gas daily. The afternoon presents Urbina at 11,840 feet above sea level,
the highest train station in the country. Here an ice trader will explain his
daily craft of digging ice from a glacier on the Chimborazo volcano. Overnight
and dinner are at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Abraspungo
Inn.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Riobamba was once
Ecuador´s capital. Thursday’s departure from here is via an impressive restored
steam locomotive pulling guests across fascinating Andean landscapes to the Colta
community. There’s a short stop at Balbanera church, the first Christian
landmark made here some 500 years ago. The destination is Guamote’s indigenous
market, one of the last authentic markets in the Andes, with traders exchanging
products as they did 4,000 years ago. Impressive geological formations begin in
Alausi as the train zigzags 535 meters in altitude over 12 kilometers down Devil’s
Nose, the track itself an engineering feat hailed as the most difficult in the
world. The overnight in Huigra. a small village between the Andes and the coast
is at Eterna Primavera lodge.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Friday transitions from the Andes to the coast along the Chanchan riverbed,
stopping in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bucay to visit the Shuar community that migrated many years
ago from the Amazon basin. The journey continues to Durán, passing through
banana, sugar and rice plantations. The final destination is Guayaquil near the
coast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">For info<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, go to: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><a href="http://www.destinationecuador.com/">http://www.destinationecuador.com/</a>.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-72765930973434001122013-07-29T12:11:00.001-07:002013-07-29T13:42:20.664-07:00On Being Skinny Fat<style>
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</style>I've gained nearly nine pounds recently that have been
making me very unhappy. I don't feel good in my clothes. I don't like how I
look naked. I feel self-conscious about what I imagine other people are seeing
and thinking. So sue me, I care what I look like and I care what other people
think. I want to be attractive. I'm not alone in that. At all. Although I
certainly feel very alone in admitting it. <br />
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<br /></div>
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Although nine pounds might not seem like much, it's a lot on
my 5' frame. It's 10 percent of my body weight, 10 percent that I simply don't
need to be lugging around. I'm a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers. I have
been for more than 10 years. I went on WW after I had my daughter, at which
point I weighed 176 pounds. I was beyond miserable. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I tried to convince myself that I was fine with it. "I
have a great life and a beautiful, healthy family. That's all that
matters." "You are the only one who cares about your weight and why
should you care?" "You are not defined by your weight." But the
truth was I wasn't healthy. I did care. And, in some ways, I am my weight.
Whether I want to deny it or not, how I take care of myself is a big part of
who I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And based on my build, that
number on the scale, at least in terms of my body make-up, meant I wasn't
taking care of myself. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The thing is, we can only really know if we're healthy if we
get a truly accurate assessment like a DEXA scan, for example. (Too many of the
other available tests, like caliper testing, are painfully inaccurate.) Dexa is
dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, which uses X-rays of two different energies
that scan the body. Fat absorbs one more strongly than the other allowing a
computer to determine body composition, body fat percentage, and bone mineral
density. </div>
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I finally had one of those scans and it has changed me.
Completely. </div>
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I went to <a href="http://www.canyonranch.com/miamibeach">Canyon
Ranch Miami</a> to do a four-day detox program. You know, no alcohol, healthy
eating, some yoga classes, a few spa treatments, some detox juices, and
meetings with a nutritionist and a doctor. Honestly, I didn't expect much more
than a pampering weekend that would give my system a break from my usual
less-than-healthy habits that included tons of Splenda, too many sweets, and
skipped meals in an effort to make up for my sins.</div>
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What I got was a whole new way of looking at my weight, my
health, and how I eat. I wasn't planning on getting a DEXA while I was there.
But when I heard they had one, I was really anxious to check it out. You lay on
a table and the machine moves slowly down the length of your body, x-raying
every inch of you. You can't hide from the DEXA and that's what makes it so
great. </div>
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It doesn't judge you. It doesn't have any preconceived
notions about you or about weight in a social context. It doesn't care about
anything except your age and the make up of your body. As I lay on the table,
listening to the machine whir above me, I tried to chat calmly with the guy
operating the scan, my exercise physiologist at Canyon Ranch Miami, Jeffrey A.
Dolgan, MS, CSCS, HFI, RCEP. But I was too nervous about the results to focus
on the conversation. </div>
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It wasn't designed to detect a specific and defined
life-threatening medical issue like a brain tumor or a blocked artery. But it
was going to tell me my true body fat percentage and distribution as well as my
bone density. And there would be no way to deny the results. I think I was
equally afraid that it would tell me I was fine just as I was terrified that it
would say I needed to lose weight. </div>
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Before I saw the scan, my goal was to lose eight pounds and
some change and, go figure, that was precisely what the results of the scan
recommended. There’s a name for this phenom - "skinny fat." I’m skinny
fat. I look "fine" but my body fat percentage is 37 percent, which
means I am only 1 percent away from being in the "unhealthy" range
according to Dolgan.</div>
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Two things struck me at that moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One, it's true: You cannot tell a person's
health just by looking at them and, two, I know my own body. I also felt
incredibly empowered by having the facts. I have every right to be unhappy with
my body because my body was unhappy with itself. And frankly, I felt relieved
that I have every "right" to express my discontent because now it has
a medical backing. I'm not just whining about being too fat. I am too fat. I
may not be overweight. But I am overfat.</div>
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Who would have thought that hearing someone call me fat
would actually be a happy thing? Ok, I wasn't happy exactly, but relieved.
There was no guessing. There's nothing "just in my head." I need to
lose eight pounds of fat and, ideally, gain eight pounds of lean muscle as well
(although the latter is going to take me significantly longer). Dolgan
recommended a series of strength training exercises to do every other day, as
well as advised me that I needed to get some kind of cardio every day for 30
minutes. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
But that was only part one. Then it was time to talk to the
doc and the nutritionist. I was scared to death of what they'd say and they
both said exactly what I didn't want to hear. I had to change the way I eat. I
had to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After I revealed all of eating habits and digestive
complaints, my nutritionist at Canyon Ranch Miami, Larisa Alonso, MS, LN, CNS,
insisted that I give up Splenda because it is effectively making holes in my
digestive system. She prescribed a two-week hiatus from sweets because of my
addiction to them. She gave me a list of veggies that I needed to buy organic.
And she drew a picture of how my plate should look at lunch and dinner -- half
veggies, one quarter (3 ounces) of meat and one quarter (half a cup) of starch.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She told me no more skipping meals and no more fruit
binging. She recommended food sensitivity testing due to all of my stomach
issues and suggested staying away from BBQ and fried food. I could have cried.
I love Splenda and sweets and carbs. And I hate veggies. She told be everything
I didn't want to hear. She called me an addict and a disordered eater and it
felt like a relief, once again, to hear it out loud. It's my truth and
pretending it isn't wasn't helping me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The doctor, Karen Koffler, M.D., had, not surprisingly,
remarkable similar things to say, adding that I should avoid microwaving things
in plastic and should start using a "green" dry cleaner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also suggested taking probiotics, eating
more cruciferous vegetables, and talking to my doctor to see if my body is
estrogen dominant. In other words, I needed a complete overhaul. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I moped for a couple of good hours. Why should I have to do
all of these stupid things? Why can't I just eat what I want? Why does it have
to be so hard? Then I got over myself and decided to commit. Seriously commit.
I wasn't hurting anyone but myself with what I was doing. But I was doing some
serious harm that was only going to get worse as time goes on. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So here I am, almost eight weeks later. I haven't touched
Splenda or sweets and 85 percent of my lunch and dinner plates look like her
Alonso's drawings. I've only had alcohol on two occasions since my visit and
fried food has only twice made its way from my dish to my stomach. I am still
working on the daily cardio and every other day strength training. But I am
getting darn close to the schedule prescribed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm already down to 101.8 pounds and I already feel totally
different, both because of being lighter and because my digestive system is so
much happier with me. It hasn't been easy, especially since I went to Disney
World and Sea World the days following my time at Canyon Ranch Miami. But I
have already learned to simply say, "No, thank you" to what I would
have usually said, "Yes, please." And I have learned to ask for less
of what I shouldn't have and more of what I should.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Am I giddy about it? Not at all. I hate it. But I hate
feeling uncomfortable with my weight even more. Sure, it would be great if
being healthy was my main or only focus. But looking fit and being happy with
the numbers I see on the scale and on the tag inside my jeans is important to
me. And even my nutritionist said that she doesn't care what keeps me eating
healthy, as long as I do it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When it comes to our bodies, it has to be about whether our
body fat percentages fall into the healthy or the unhealthy range. When it
comes to food, it can't just be about what we want, it has to be about what our
bodies need. When it comes to our doctors, it has to be about the truth, even
when it hurts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I feel better than I have in a long time, and I cannot wait
to lose the rest of those eight pounds of fat and gain some lean muscle. I can
already see the changes in my body and the muscle delineation beginning to show
itself. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I look forward to checking back in at the Ranch and getting
gold stars from my doctor and my nutritionist. I look forward to lying on that
scanner table again and having my exercise physiologist remove the "skinny
fat" label and replace it with "healthy." I, of course, am the
only one who can then apply the "happy" label. But that should be no
problem when those extra pounds of fat are a thing of the past and nothing but
good health is waiting for me in the future.<br />
<br />
<div class="fb-like" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-Block/118385024943309" data-send="true" data-show-faces="true" data-width="450">
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-59642787859797157062013-07-23T09:59:00.002-07:002013-07-23T09:59:41.118-07:00Social Media Tips and Tricks you can't - or shouldn't - live without.
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<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Open a Facebook page. Use it. That means posting
daily – pics and posts.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Open a Twitter account.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Set up a blog and/or website. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Open and use a Pinterest account.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Invite everyone you know to like your
FB page and to follow you on Twitter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Include buttons on your website to your
Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In accounts. Include your contact info, as well
as links to your Facebook and Twitter in your email signature no matter who you
are emailing or what you are emailing about.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If we want people to notice you, you
have to have content and we have to have content worth noticing. Sharing what
you do and what you offer is not just about sharing it with people who know you.
It’s also about sharing it with people who don’t yet know about you and/or what
you do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blog. If you have one, use it. If you
don’t, start one. Blog daily, just for a few minutes about what inspires you,
what work you do, what things you’d like to do, etc. And there are great
platforms out there like <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/nianow\.us2\.list-manage\.com\/track\/click?u=3812c5a2d8b704b50fda8418e&id=fc556bb1c3&e=ff16063875\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #2b99ff;">WordPress</span></span></span>
and <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/nianow\.us2\.list-manage1\.com\/track\/click?u=3812c5a2d8b704b50fda8418e&id=e19efa3f60&e=ff16063875\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #2b99ff;">Tumlr</span></span></span>,
among others, that make it easy to use. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Share.
Share, share, share. When you write or post, be sure to add appropriate tags. Social
media is all about linking. If you read something on the web that connects to
your work, like it, comment on it, share it. If you read something about the
work you do on someone else’s page, share it with others on FB. Friend people
you know on FB. Follow people on Twitter and they will likely follow you back.
Anyone interested in the kind of work you do would be a good bet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key is to constantly be expanding our
networks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Talk
about the work you do. I know that sounds simple. And it is. But somehow we
still forget to do it. Tell your friends, your family, your dentist, the person
in front of you in the grocery store line. Give out your cards. Order more if
you’re out. Invite people to visit your site. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Work
your connections. Know someone at your local paper or television station? Maybe
someone at a national magazine? Talk to them about what you do and how you
might be able to partner. The media is a powerful machine. As soon as we get a
few dogs on board, even little ones, the big ones will come barking for sure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Don’t settle. No matter how many customers
you have, remember that there’s always more out there for the taking. But you
have to reach out and grab hold if you want it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And if you’re worried about juggling
all of this, look into a social media dashboard like <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/nianow\.us2\.list-manage\.com\/track\/click?u=3812c5a2d8b704b50fda8418e&id=d7da4170b9&e=ff16063875\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #2b99ff;">hootsuite</span></span></span>
to help you keep it all simple and streamlined. And, don’t worry, there is so
much info online about how to use all of these programs. It’s all about taking
a deep breath and diving it. Trust me, once you get into it, you’ll be hooked.
It really is exciting and empowering to be connected.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is crucial that you look outside of
your general circle of influence and see where else you may be able to discover
new audiences for your message. It's easy to fall into a rut and continue to do
the same kind of marketing to the same kind of people over and over and still
wonder why you aren't gettng anywhere.<br />
<br />
Well, Albert Einstein once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the
same thing over and over and expecting different results." So, why make
ourselves crazy when, instead, we can make ourselves successful.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The key is to talk about your business
in a way you haven't before to people you haven't talked to before. Go to a
different Starbucks. Chat up people you generally don't. Reach out to friends
and family to help you spread the word. <br />
<br />
Remember that Seinfeld episode where George finally decided to do the opposite
of what he would normally do and he got the girl and the job? Pull a Costanza.
Do the opposite. Go where you haven't been. Try what might even seem scary or
strange - that is where the new and the exciting lies.<br />
<br />
Will it take time and energy? Yes. But hopefully it will become part of the fun
too because you are sharing something amazing with the very people who need it
the most - the people who have never even heard of you and the work you do.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just talking about what you do isn't
enough anymore in this crowded market. People don't know why what you do and
how you do it is better until you tell them. You need to let people know what you
can do that specifically meets their needs now and at a great price. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For more, like me on Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-Block/118385024943309" target="_blank">here</a>! </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-43147034353223359342013-04-26T01:28:00.003-07:002013-04-26T01:28:49.462-07:00The Big Wedding - Preview/Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVf5kTOFMz8oQJajyvc5JgZFQIOhnWgmJZkdrqXeshUUFfNeQB4gr8-qV-mPJSQX5tVdiGbKAzgfKCtkVx2qAxrgk3xOfASCbL7fUK3smA8yAxw2QcXrCJKlrweZ_O83kJcglj7Rl3kJp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-26+at+3.25.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVf5kTOFMz8oQJajyvc5JgZFQIOhnWgmJZkdrqXeshUUFfNeQB4gr8-qV-mPJSQX5tVdiGbKAzgfKCtkVx2qAxrgk3xOfASCbL7fUK3smA8yAxw2QcXrCJKlrweZ_O83kJcglj7Rl3kJp/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-04-26+at+3.25.12+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I went to see it because it's packed with heavy hitters - Robert Dinero, Katherine Heigl, Diane Keaton, Topher Grace, Amanda Seyfried, Susan Sarandon, and Robin Williams. And they certainly didn't disappoint. With lots of twists and turns - even one or two unexpected ones - the film is quite funny. But it also manages to carry some weight too.<br />
<br />
The adopted son of a divorced couple is meeting his mom for the first time at his own wedding, his very Catholic mom from who doesn't believe in divorce and doesn't speak English. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that everyone is quite entangled with one another, including the family of the bride to be and there are some messy familial relationships that beg resolving.<br />
<br />
But, as you might expect, all's well that ends well.<br />
<br />
I wasn't too thrilled when one character announces that she's sexually interested in women, calling her desire a fetish. It makes being a lesbian or being bisexual sound naughty or taboo. Not really what we need right now. I know the definition of fetish, and I suppose she could simply be implying obsession. Still, I think a better word could have been chosen. <br />
<br />
Regardless, <a href="https://www.thebigweddingmovie.com/" target="_blank">The Big Wedding</a> is definitely worth checking out. I don't see any Oscars in its future. But I can certainly see it gaining a permanent place on the don't miss romcom/dramedy shelf. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-88184539734494600162013-04-22T10:21:00.000-07:002013-04-22T10:21:07.494-07:00Going Renaissance at Scarborough Faire<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMjOrFcb0fPkG4achP3UznCxcTLmXVTnU-YHrPY4x8UiiNK7fxEHW4g48gKdNMysLnrFsxC-piTBKecbBFZTHB_9HkBRANwd47vVKQBSuLFd-B0BHChU4gj6TnrwJMVMlwgdv24GkdWiP/s1600/J+and+I+SRF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMjOrFcb0fPkG4achP3UznCxcTLmXVTnU-YHrPY4x8UiiNK7fxEHW4g48gKdNMysLnrFsxC-piTBKecbBFZTHB_9HkBRANwd47vVKQBSuLFd-B0BHChU4gj6TnrwJMVMlwgdv24GkdWiP/s320/J+and+I+SRF.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
After living in Dallas for almost eight years, we finally made it to the Renaissance Festival at Scarborough Faire. We had a blast and looked pretty damn good, if I do say so myself thanks to our killer <a href="http://www.halloweenexpress.com/renaissance-costumes-c-435.html" target="_blank">Renaissance costumes</a>.<br />
<br />
For the whole scoop, check out my guest blog at <a href="http://cravedfw.com/2013/04/22/scarborough-faire-for-the-intrepid-spirit/" target="_blank">CraveDFW</a>!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-24041262883845942582013-04-19T10:42:00.000-07:002013-04-19T10:46:38.056-07:00There's a new Salata in town!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszBzlttH_zpiKxeIAuAde3Q9bn5y6burprgalnGFY-mcNegNsRgmfjHhmKmwBicIKOwqtCcBBAwvMtu2Uq_xgUdPxxAzgdWSZFX4LH_NhbY35gYGjbhYM1cgwzlMOGjd2_PMhE1YO9Obh/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszBzlttH_zpiKxeIAuAde3Q9bn5y6burprgalnGFY-mcNegNsRgmfjHhmKmwBicIKOwqtCcBBAwvMtu2Uq_xgUdPxxAzgdWSZFX4LH_NhbY35gYGjbhYM1cgwzlMOGjd2_PMhE1YO9Obh/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I'm not always a salad girl. But when I am, I like them fresh with lots of topping choices.<br />
<br />
A new <a href="http://www.mysalata.com/" target="_blank">Salata</a> opened yesterday on Blackburn in Uptown and it fits my salad bill perfectly. I like my salads like I like most of my foods - with an Asian flair.<br />
<br />
So, I opted for the Salata mix, which has a nice variety of lettuces, cabbage, and spinach. Then I added snow peas, bean sprouts, cranberries, oranges, almonds, pita crisps, and herb-marinated shrimp.<br />
<br />
My salad maker was very nice about adding as much - or as little - as I wanted. Next time I'll remember to ask for more oranges. And the shrimp weren't very exciting. They were a tad bit overcooked and the seasoning didn't do much for me.<br />
<br />
When I hit Salata again, I'll go for the chicken instead (of which there are four varieties - Herb Marinated Grilled, Pesto, Spicy Chipotle, Asian BBQ). My colleague over at the <a href="http://cleansedpalate.com/" target="_blank">Cleansed Palate</a> said the Spicy Chipotle was delish.<br />
<br />
I tasted a couple of dressings and went with the Ginger Lime. It was awesome but a little fat heavy for me. So, I asked for a smaller portion. Next time I'll likely go fat-free mango.<br />
<br />
They also offer salad wraps and soups.<br />
<br />
Considering the size of the portions and the options, Salata is very nicely priced at $8.00 for salads and $7.00 for wraps. Adding chicken adds $2 to the salad ($1 to the wrap) and adding seafood (they also have salmon, krabmeat, and seafood mix) adds $3 ($2 to the wrap), a little pricey for the latter to my mind.<br />
<br />
Bite size brownies and cookies round out their menu, and although I was a good girl and steered clear this time around, I have to say they looked very tasty.<br />
<br />
The new Salata is bright and well-staffed and ideal for a quick bite at a nice price. And if their first days are any indication, this is going to be yet another busy Uptown eatery.<br />
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="locations" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr class="row1"><td align="left" nowrap="nowrap"><div class="lname">
Uptown </div>
<div class="desc">
3000 Blackburn <br />
Dallas, Texas 75204 </div>
</td>
<td align="left" nowrap="nowrap"><div class="phone">
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<br />
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(214) 599-8507 </div>
<div class="fax">
</div>
</td>
<td align="left" nowrap="nowrap">Mon-Fri: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm <br />
Sat-Sun: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-90541326909604036272013-03-18T11:23:00.000-07:002013-03-18T11:30:56.597-07:00Savor Dallas 2013 - International Grand Tasting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlkjU-bdqrC5D2EcdILsg2cTykK1_lMHqmX7w7lWGnke1ivNnnQMQTZTeM3UNB4ynJae8SCNsOUi-fIP5szI4qPyEdTe1B7NQ5AUi9NdJxGrkjUgMMHyhcDqfbGCSn0imvw_uWoq461y3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-18+at+1.26.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlkjU-bdqrC5D2EcdILsg2cTykK1_lMHqmX7w7lWGnke1ivNnnQMQTZTeM3UNB4ynJae8SCNsOUi-fIP5szI4qPyEdTe1B7NQ5AUi9NdJxGrkjUgMMHyhcDqfbGCSn0imvw_uWoq461y3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-18+at+1.26.03+PM.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Saturday night we made our way to the Irving Convention Center for <a href="http://www.savordallas.com/" target="_blank">Savor Dallas</a>' International Grand Tasting and it was well worth the trip.<br />
<br />
I had never been out to Irving really and was surprised at how groovy looking the Convention Center actually is. And it wasn't nearly as far as I had expected.<br />
<br />
This year's event seemed to have more alcohol than food. But that may have just been an optical illusion. Either way, that doesn't mean that there wasn't plenty of food. Not at all.<br />
<br />
There was a ridiculous amount of bites and tastes and treats to be had. Some of our favorites included the ahi tuna tacos from <a href="http://delfriscosgrille.com/" target="_blank">Del Frisco's Grille</a>; the avocado soup from <a href="http://www.parigidallas.com/" target="_blank">Parigi's</a>, and the pizza from <a href="http://www.urbancrust.com/" target="_blank">Urban Crust</a>.<br />
<br />
One of this year's themes appeared to be pork belly, which was being served in various and sundry ways. And you won't hear any complaints from me on that. Another theme seemed to be tacos. Being as they are one of the world's most perfect finger foods, tacos are ideal for an event like this.<br />
<br />
The portions were way to big, as always. But I was very happy to be handed one of those handy dandy food trays that have a holder for your wine glass, an accessory that is nearly impossible to do without at one of these events.<br />
<br />
I was disappointed not to see any highboys where one could balance one's goodies while taking a bite or a sip. The trays were great. But sometimes a girl needs a table too. <br />
<br />
We were able to get our wine glasses etched with our names by the incomparable <a href="http://kenbrown.com/site/HOME.html" target="_blank">Ken Brown</a> at the vent. That was a really nice surprise. And we added to our growing collection of Stella Artois and Hoegaarden glasses, something we need to reign in before it gets scary...<br />
<br />
Savor Dallas is definitely something we will attend again next year. Even if the event didn't have such an incredible selection of food and libations, it would be well worth the trip for the people watching alone. We saw it all.<br />
<br />
Next year though, I think we might finally make it out to some of the other Savor happenings which we never seem to get to. If you have gone to some of those in the past, I would love to hear your thoughts on which events are not to be missed. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-224475461593437842013-03-18T11:03:00.000-07:002013-03-18T11:03:30.230-07:00Pillow Bar - Can the right pillow help you sleep?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrszT9WeFKt6RX9YPLh1Vbp0yQHjg4LZsychRhAtCXIwNtV1-ZYc3qf4vObwR0fmkR5nmRzJbt8viDOzi8mxJ5A2SmhHU1eUSxg7UvAiUhIHXSDXVICCA4y8BN2T-SmmVdqzYW8_C3wI2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-18+at+1.02.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrszT9WeFKt6RX9YPLh1Vbp0yQHjg4LZsychRhAtCXIwNtV1-ZYc3qf4vObwR0fmkR5nmRzJbt8viDOzi8mxJ5A2SmhHU1eUSxg7UvAiUhIHXSDXVICCA4y8BN2T-SmmVdqzYW8_C3wI2/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-03-18+at+1.02.35+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I had no idea how much I didn't know when it came to pillows until I met <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4882272540358208228" target="_blank">Pillow Bar</a> founder Merrimac Dillon. I'm kind of a lousy sleeper. So I've been on the prowl to find out why. Turns out part of my problem might be my pillow. I went to talk to Dillon, to inquire if that really could be part of my problem. Turns out it was a huge part of it.<br /><br />First lesson I learned was about down itself. Much of what is passed off as down is actually just feathers, or mostly feathers anyway. Those things that poke out of your pillow or coat are actually feathers, not down. The pillows from Pillow Bar are 100% Hungarian goose down and you can tell as soon as you feel it. If it's 100% down it's 100% soft and fluffy from the breast of the bird, with nothing to poke you. "Feathers are like the breadcrumbs in meatballs," Dillon explains. <br /><br />Lesson two - size and shape and fill matter. When it comes to pillows, size and shape and fill are not at all equal. Everybody needs a different size, shape, and fill when it comes to a pillow. What you need for a good night's sleep is based on how you sleep combined with what your build is. <br /><br />A side sleeper needs the Dr. Mary, which is L-shaped. Someone with a smaller build needs less volume in the pillow. An athlete would require a more dense pillow. You get the idea. And Pillow Bar makes all of their pillows custom, right down to the protector and cases which are made from 300-thread count sateen. And the protector can be personalized with a monogram or saying of your choice, like "Sweet Dreams" or "I love you."<br /><br />Dillon started Pillow Bar because she couldn't find a pillow that afforded her the night's sleep that she craved. So, she invented a machine that would create precisely what she was looking for and then sourced all of the highest quality materials with which to make the pillows. The secret to the machines is that the down is sucked up into the case instead of shoved down into the case. The result is the softest, fluffiest, most luxurious pillow I've ever laid my head on. Dillon calls it, "Luxury with a purpose."<br /><br />The pillows contain a little sachet of lavender too to help bring on the sweet dreams. Dillon, naturally, imports the best possible lavender she can get her hands on and has the sachets made in Dallas where the Pillow Bar studio is located. <br /><br />Aside from the standard sizes, Dillon's pillows also come in travel versions (which come in grey cases so you don't leave them behind lost in a hotel's white linens), as well as smaller shapes and sizes.<br /><br />Dillon's machines are located in a number of high-end linen stores where customers can walk in and have their pillows made by someone that Dillon and her staff personally trained. If you venture into a location looking to buy one for someone other than yourself, a back sleeper with medium fill is generally a safe bet. But the more info you can give the pillow maker the better. You can also buy the pillows online. Each one will then be custom made and sent out within 48 hours. <br /><br />Dillon tells me that Pillow Bar has a number of celeb fans, including Whoopi Goldberg who is quoted as saying about the Dr. Mary, "If you're a side sleeper this is the pillow for you, baby" and named it one of her favorite things. <br /><br />I had the chance to test out the Dr. Mary pillow myself. I'm both a side sleeper and a back sleeper. So it was tricky to determine what would work best for me. It took me a few nights to adjust to sleeping on an L-shaped pillow. But, once I did, I was amazed at how much happier my back and neck were. <br /><br />The pillow is so soft and so perfectly filled that I don't find myself punching or pounding or squishing it to make it behave. Of course, I guess that's also because I am - finally - asleep.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-72944804535172846442013-02-18T19:13:00.002-08:002013-02-18T19:37:49.782-08:00Camp Starlight - on its own and strong as ever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19wB4ZPeCgH766DYyduZyGerTOeSh5AlBQzY6Nj7tmmn_BolXNjw9TFvTr-yIaVei7InzkXuy3T7vkdZ4sKd1X3XhAH_Wa_7cLQu6ZVXQTN5hNcMEo2QldPOv9O0-_377suc2q0VYy5r4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-18+at+8.54.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19wB4ZPeCgH766DYyduZyGerTOeSh5AlBQzY6Nj7tmmn_BolXNjw9TFvTr-yIaVei7InzkXuy3T7vkdZ4sKd1X3XhAH_Wa_7cLQu6ZVXQTN5hNcMEo2QldPOv9O0-_377suc2q0VYy5r4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-18+at+8.54.49+PM.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
If you want the truth, it's important to go to the source. That's why I wanted to share this press release from Camp Starlight, a camp for kids affected by and infected with HIV.<br />
<br />
My sister is a long-standing member of the camp's leadership team. And, last year, I was the camp's dance teacher. It was a life-changing experience.<br />
<br />
Camp Starlight began as part of another organization that unfortunately went under. Shortly thereafter, camp found an organization to serve as a fiscal agent to process donations for one year while they figured out what to do. At that point, because they believed it was in the best interest of the kids, instead of becoming their own organization, they partnered with Cascade AIDS Project (CAP). <br />
<br />
Recently it became apparent that the partnership was no longer in the best interest of Camp Starlight or the kids they serve. So this year, by their own choice, Camp Starlight has parted ways with CAP and there is some confusion about what that means. Hence, this release. <br />
<br />
The good news is - nothing will change for Camp Starlight! It's alive and well. The old gang running the show is still in place and hopefully all of the volunteers will be back as well. I know I will be. I can't wait to be back with the kids. For some of them, Camp is the highlight of the year for many of the kids.<br />
<br />
Of course, same goes for many of the volunteers too.<br />
<br />
Camp Starlight is a family and although CAP now has nothing to do with camp, nothing has really changed. Camp Starlight is still Camp Starlight. So don't be fooled by the rumor mill or other camp imitations, Nothing will dim the shine of Camp Starlight. <br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAMP STARLIGHT
CONTINUES TO SHINE, </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">CELEBRATES 15<sup>TH</sup>
ANNIVERSARY IN 2013</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PORTLAND, OR (Feb. 18, 2013) –</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">A
thousand stars will shine again this August as Camp Starlight proudly announces
our 15th year of providing a safe, secure, and fun summer camp experience for
children in Oregon and Southwest Washington whose lives are affected by
HIV/AIDS. We are excited to announce that Camp Starlight will once again take
place the week before Labor Day – August 24 through August 30, 2013 – and with
many of the same caring, dedicated and passionate team of volunteers that our
campers and their families have come to know and trust</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">“The week of Camp Starlight has always been a magical experience for
everyone involved,” said Angie Raffaele, Camp Director and co-founder of Camp
Starlight. “And the source of that magic has always been rooted in the
long-term friendships and trusting relationships that have developed over the
years between our campers and our community of volunteer camp counselors. Camp
Starlight is in many ways like a family reunion that happens each and every
summer.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">After 15 years of growth and successful operation of our summer camp, Camp
Starlight recently incorporated as an Oregon nonprofit corporation and is in
the process of applying for its own 501(c)(3) status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have also ended our 7-year relationship
with Cascade AIDS Project (CAP), with whom Camp Starlight has partnered since
2005.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These changes will permit supporters
of Camp Starlight to make donations directly to Camp Starlight and to ensure
that any contributions made to Camp Starlight will be used exclusively for Camp
Starlight and the children we serve. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Camp Starlight’s core group of knowledgeable, compassionate, and devoted
volunteers – which includes medical, educational and mental health
professionals – will continue Camp Starlight’s mission to provide children
whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS the opportunity to enjoy a caring,
safe, recreational, spiritual and fun week-long summer camp experience. Our
leadership team will continue to include:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Angie Raffaele, Camp Director</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> – A co-founder of Camp Starlight, Angie has
served as Camp Starlight’s Camp Director since 1999.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is certified by the American Camping
Association, is a former camp director at Camp Howard, and also currently
serves as camp director for Girl Scouts of Oregon & SW Washington.</span></div>
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</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Dr. Rebecca G. Block, Mental Health Director</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> – An assistant professor at OHSU Knight
Cancer Institute working in adolescent and young adult oncology, Rebecca has
been part of the leadership at Camp Starlight since 2000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She supervises the team of mental health
professionals who are on-site throughout the week of Camp to assure that the
health and safety of our campers remains our #1 priority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Block is a licensed clinical social
worker holding both her Masters and Ph.D. degrees in social work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Melanie Smith-Wilusz, Programming Director</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> – Melanie (or “Mel” as our campers call her)
is also a co-founder of Camp Starlight and has served Camp since its earliest
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A former Programming Director for
Camp Howard, Mel has a Masters degree in special education with expert
knowledge and training in behavior management.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She has years of experience working with children of all ages, and has
been a special education teacher at Sweetbrier Elementary School in Troutdale,
Oregon, since 2003. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Kit Noble, Operations Director</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> – Another founder of Camp Starlight, Kit has
over 20 years of experience overseeing the daily operating functions of summer
camps on both coasts of the country. Since 1999, Kit has made sure that every
meal at Camp Starlight is served on-time and that Camp runs like clockwork. She
also maintains “Kit’s Kaboodle,” our on-site “store” where our campers can go
“shopping” for free clothes, books, games and other items that have been
donated to Camp.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Camp Starlight also maintains relationships with many of our long-serving
volunteer camp counselors – individuals who have committed themselves for many
years to being a part of the Camp Starlight experience and who are familiar
faces to many of the children we serve. We are also happy to invite new
volunteers to be part of our community. Anyone who is interested in
volunteering at Camp Starlight again or who wants to volunteer for the first
time, please contact Camp Starlight at 503-964-1513 or
info@camp-starlight.org.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More
information is available at our website: www.camp-starlight.org. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Camper applications for attending Camp Starlight this year will be
available shortly and will be distributed at that time to the families of our
previous campers, as well as to HIV/AIDS-related agencies and case workers
throughout the region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just look for the
familiar blue-and-yellow Camp Starlight logo!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA;">We look forward to another terrific week of summer camp this year, as Camp
Starlight shines on during its 15<sup>th</sup> year of swimming, canoeing, arts
and crafts, singing, playing and making friendships that last throughout the
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For more information about Camp
Starlight, or to help support our mission, please contact us at 503-964-1513 or
info@camp-starlight.org.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-90936040611655676372013-02-18T16:28:00.003-08:002013-02-18T17:20:23.071-08:00Catch Me If You Can at the Music Hall at Fair Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirQ7sPBZCIPUt6HQepPNwnJazIl3nfQjUN7wpA65paiZ_2e-bu_yg8EPQk5MvQKy8gPXssHpIqB016PURYryGl8mdqqF49C3hh7WRcXzLrjqi6jeKWs6An3f02KdPZ3OYzerohuxkJZ2s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-18+at+6.23.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirQ7sPBZCIPUt6HQepPNwnJazIl3nfQjUN7wpA65paiZ_2e-bu_yg8EPQk5MvQKy8gPXssHpIqB016PURYryGl8mdqqF49C3hh7WRcXzLrjqi6jeKWs6An3f02KdPZ3OYzerohuxkJZ2s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-18+at+6.23.21+PM.png" /></a></div>
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The truth is I didn't know what to expect. Musicals created from movies can really go either way. And even with a good book and a good score, the wrong cast, designers, choreographer, costumer, and/or director and you've got a guaranteed flop.<br />
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Lucky for <a href="http://www.dallassummermusicals.org/shows_catchme.shtm" target="_blank">Catch Me If You Can</a>, none of that is a problem. The book is very cute and the music fun, although you won't necessarily leave singing. The story, of course, is based on the film by the same name, which is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a fraud and con artist who managed to work as a pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, and a college teaching assistant. He was also known for kiting and forging checks.<br />
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It's a serious subject. But both the film and the musical take a mostly light-hearted view. Although the musical does have its dark moments as well.<br />
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The show begins at the end with Abagnale being caught and asking to be allowed to tell his story. The arresting officer says he won't allow Abagnale to put on a show, which of course, ends up being exactly what he does. Literally.<br />
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The show is great fun from the costumes, of which there are many, especially for the supporting cast, to the set and lighting design, which allows the stage to become everything from a police station to a hospital to an airport.<br />
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But what makes this show really tick is the cast. Both Stephen Anthony as Frank Abagnale, Jr. and Merritt David Janes as Carl Hanratty are nothing short of stellar. Anthony's singing voice will literally knock your socks off and Janes is impeccably convincing as the tough cop with a heart.<br />
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And the ensemble is amazing. They have more costume changes and dances to perform than seems possible. But they do it. And it's hard not to smile when they do. And the choreography is delightful to watch. Although it does make it a little tough to sit still!<br />
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It's equally tough not to be sad when Abagnale, Jr. is caught at the end. It's funny how a show can make you root for the "bad" guy. This is a clever, witty, light show that is definitely worth seeing. Word to the wise: it is a little bawdy for the younger set. But I sat next to a precocious sixth grader who loved it. <br />
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Just as an aside, the orchestra, which is also pitch perfect, is on-stage throughout the show. So, it's possible to get seats in the pit. Do it if you can. I thought it would be too close. But it was actually an amazing POV from which to watch the show.<br />
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An excellent start to the <a href="http://www.dallassummermusicals.org/" target="_blank">Dallas Summer Musicals</a> season. Looking forward to what's to come!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-37977919551130377752013-02-18T15:58:00.002-08:002013-02-18T17:13:58.205-08:00Il Cane Rosso - Dallas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdxjY9Mzk65IpoVSV1_CaRP1iQnh5xa-qYtrfkHPPbkZvvvtBc5Hx3LaZ_AyNVYdZ06oz5a-yUtzM8SntOJ1aM8SyrI_dafiJ1-B5BNFK7rKOYkMeadiTZF83t8N0If5_cr96OH5HlNTs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-18+at+5.58.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdxjY9Mzk65IpoVSV1_CaRP1iQnh5xa-qYtrfkHPPbkZvvvtBc5Hx3LaZ_AyNVYdZ06oz5a-yUtzM8SntOJ1aM8SyrI_dafiJ1-B5BNFK7rKOYkMeadiTZF83t8N0If5_cr96OH5HlNTs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-18+at+5.58.33+PM.png" /></a></div>
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I love good pizza. And I wanted to like Il Cane Rosso. Many of my friends and colleagues are huge fans. It's in a super cool Deep Ellum location. It offers a zillion different pizzas, and has an inviting brunch menu. But I just didn't care for the place. Let me count the ways.<br />
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First, there's nowhere to park. We drove in circles to find an open meter space. You shouldn't have to pay to park in a lot in order to pay to eat somewhere.<br />
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Second, there was a long line and a long wait and plenty of tables open. The very sweet hostess explained that they were short on help. So get more help.<br />
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Third, as one might predict, the service was slow and spotty. The waitstaff was all racing around. You had to flag them down to get their attention. I do not like that. At all. <br />
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Fourth, the pizza was exceptionally mediocre. It didn't taste like much and it was limp. Not fold-over floppy. But bodiless limp. Granted I had very high expectations. Regardless, it was subpar.<br />
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Finally, it was freezing in there. The ceiling fans were whirring at top speed and our pizza turned to ice in an instant. I do not care for cold pizza. At all. <br />
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There are too many other good places to eat in Dallas to bother with this one, including great pizza places. I will go back once more however, because everyone deserves a second chance. But this time I will be going without the high hopes. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-42815556654279667062012-11-12T14:40:00.001-08:002012-11-12T14:41:04.296-08:00WEGO NHBPM - Day 12 - Smoking is NOT a right.<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Today’s
Topic - Call BS on something. What’s something that is just ridiculous?</span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">That smoking
is a right that deserves legal protection. That is BS.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Everyone has
a right be who they are. Everyone has a right to access safe and affordable
health care. Everyone has a right to practice their religion, vote for the
candidates they choose, marry who they love, live in a safe place, get an
education. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">But I call
BS on that fact that people think smoking should be considered a right.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">No one has a
“right” to make themselves and those around them sick. No one has a “right” to
become a burden on the health care system. No one has a “right” to die a slow,
agonizing death. No one has a “right” to ruin people’s meals, make others
cough, drive people away from a table or a chair or a bench or other public
space.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">No one has a
“right” to make the parking deck impassable and finding a seat in an outdoor
café impossible. No one has a “right” to take break after break throughout the
workday while everyone else stays on task. No one has a “right” to give their
children cancer. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">There is no
reason to smoke. None. If you want a high, dance, run, bike, hike, kayak, exercise.
Fill your lungs with air, move across the floor, run down the sidewalk, glide
across the water, reach and stretch and spin and paddle and play. If you want
to feel relaxed, meditate. Forget about what’s burdening you, clear your mind,
steady your heart rate. If you want a break, go on an adventure. Slip out of
the world and into discovery and enjoy a break that doesn’t kill or cost.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">It may not
be illegal. But that does not make it a right. It’s a burden to everyone, the
smoker and non-smoker alike and there’s no excuse for partaking. If someone,
somehow feels they simply must smoke, they must insure that NO ONE else is
affected in any way from the smell to the second hand smoke. They must not look
to health insurance to pay for the results. They must work longer hours to make
up for their breaks. When it comes to others, they must make it as if they
aren’t smoking at all. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Smoking is
not a right. Breathing clear air, however, is. It’s an inalienable right, and its
a right that demands protection. No BS.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-40522763650331885132012-11-01T10:43:00.000-07:002012-11-01T10:43:55.221-07:00Guest Post from Megan Wood - the YoFoMat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14mykz5yUcidnX0DFZPniq4wx0JrefRjENZO6Kej5h8pBVYzBoiqV43NOCQD5e5y8hw_Z3EE3p7Xjrz0kt2OqC3Rmc_qdg8PBe_n7C_ycFCvgQ8NjgCxa1yD_RGAcAFYrC3-64A2CY-cy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-01+at+12.38.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14mykz5yUcidnX0DFZPniq4wx0JrefRjENZO6Kej5h8pBVYzBoiqV43NOCQD5e5y8hw_Z3EE3p7Xjrz0kt2OqC3Rmc_qdg8PBe_n7C_ycFCvgQ8NjgCxa1yD_RGAcAFYrC3-64A2CY-cy/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-01+at+12.38.11+PM.png" width="239" /></a></div>
Traditional yoga mats makes terrible travel companions. In an effort to open my hips I've dragged a rolled up yoga mat with me through Belize, to California, and around Argentina. The mat either had to be brought on the plane as a cumbersome carry-on or smashed into my suitcase. Not so zen. Which is too bad, because one of the many perks of yoga is that practicing it is low-hassle—all one needs is their body and a mat.<br />
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When I found out I'd be spending two weeks in Southern France, I abandoned the idea of bringing my yoga mat altogether. I figured I'd just use a towel. (My poor spine.) Then, I stumbled upon <a href="http://www.khataland.com/YoFoMat/" target="_blank">YoFoMat</a>, a foldable yoga mat. I had to have it. I ordered the Travel Yoga Mat, which comes standard in extra long and in a variety of colors. ($37 and free shipping)<br />
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The <a href="http://www.khataland.com/YoFoMat/" target="_blank">YoFoMat</a> folds into a tidy square the size of a textbook and comes in a plastic carrying case. The case with the mat folded inside weighs under three pounds and neatly fit into my suitcase. After arriving in France, I was a little weary of opening the mat for fear I'd never properly fold it back up. I can barely fold a map. But the YoFoMat is designed to fold without any frustration. Best of all, the bottom of the mat never comes into contact with the top surface, meaning I don't have to put my hands or face on a dirty mat.<br />
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After an eight hour flight I did a 20 minute post-travel practice with the <a href="http://www.khataland.com/YoFoMat/" target="_blank">YoFoMat</a> on top of a rug. I found the <a href="http://www.khataland.com/YoFoMat/" target="_blank">YoFoMat</a> to have a sticky grip and enough padding to support my sensitive spine. The material doesn't smell like chemicals, as some yoga mats do. After, I was able to quickly fold the mat back into a square and sit on it as a comfortable alternative to a meditation prop.<br />
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<a href="http://www.khataland.com/YoFoMat/" target="_blank">YoFoMat</a> is now a must-have in my travel arsenal. My hips are happy.<br />
<br />
-<a href="http://meganlwood.com/" target="_blank">Megan Wood</a> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-40006504622770720872012-10-23T21:29:00.000-07:002012-10-23T21:32:22.009-07:00New Seasons 52 opening at NorthPark Center in Dallas<style>
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</style> A new Seasons 52 is set to open on Monday, October 29 at North Park. I had the chance to get a sneak peak tonight at a fabulous media dinner, complete with a wealth of delicious wines.<br />
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Here's the run down! </div>
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We started with apps in the bar, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Flatbread and
Chipotle Shrimp Flatbread. (Sorry, no pic. I'm afraid I was too busy
eating.) We were treated to live music, including everything from Billy Joel to Maroon 5. </div>
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Then it was off to the private dining room.</div>
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For the Amuse Bouche - Crab & Haas Avocado<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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And then it was the march of the courses:<br />
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Organic Field Greens, Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Toasted
Pistachios, Aromatic Truffle Dressing</div>
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Organic Salmon, Lemongrass Sea Scallop & Autumn Farmers
Market Vegetables</div>
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Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli, Roasted Garlic, Basil, Organic
Tomato Broth<br />
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Mesquite-grilled Piedmontese Strip Steak & Manchester
Farms All Natural Quail with Mashed Sweet potatoes & Bourbon-chili Glaze <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></div>
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Mini Indulgences</div>
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Fashioned Carrot Cake, Rocky Road, Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse, Mocha
Macchiato and Pecan Pie</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.
</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Seasonal favorites like our<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><i><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Pumpkin
Pie Mini with Double Gingersnap Crust</span></i> in the Fall</span></div>
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The chef busy at work on the kitchen. </div>
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The food was delicious. The service was great. And the atmosphere was comfortable and upscale at the same time. It's a chain, yes. But it's an excellent one and a great addition to the current NorthPark options. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-88971408171225014862012-10-09T13:06:00.001-07:002012-10-09T13:06:26.992-07:00How to blogPeople often ask my advice about starting or writing a blog. A friend of mine asked me just today, in fact. So, I thought I'd share the advice I generally give.<br />
<br />
These are the two best pieces of writing advice I have ever received -<br /> <br /> 1. Butt in chair.<br /> <br /> 2. Honesty. Always. Or don't bother.<br /> <br />
My writing mentor says that the biggest problem people have is simply not
sitting down and doing it. So, sit down and do it. You'll be ahead of
75% of people who say they want to write but don't.<br /> <br /> She always
always tells us that honest writing is the best writing. Forget what you
think people want to hear or how you think something should unfold or
any of that other stuff that your "inner critic" will torture you with.
Shut down the shoulds. Write what you know. Write the truth. And people will respond.<br /> <br />
<br /> <br />
Check back for more tips. In the meantime - Butt in chair...<br /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-91329709662900748382012-10-09T12:31:00.002-07:002012-10-09T12:31:14.455-07:00Exciting News! The Divinity of Dogs is almost out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4W1G9icJs2p4UTxyeTGONTTaMA422iX96i5vs4APzHFVuufu2vs3Va6BezXvTcUaVjjc-NUPHqQgdBNrwa67TUcgz4edBtkU25HanDY0BabgZ4LgynUxuQeIaJfPJMh1cg2V7VQL12-M/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-10-09+at+2.28.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4W1G9icJs2p4UTxyeTGONTTaMA422iX96i5vs4APzHFVuufu2vs3Va6BezXvTcUaVjjc-NUPHqQgdBNrwa67TUcgz4edBtkU25HanDY0BabgZ4LgynUxuQeIaJfPJMh1cg2V7VQL12-M/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-10-09+at+2.28.44+PM.png" /></a></div>
On October 23, 2012, the new book The Divinity of Dogs will be released... and I have an essay in it! The piece is about my Chihuahua / Cairn Terrier mix named Walter and how he has changed me in so many ways. I wasn't even a dog person until I met him for on!<br />
<br />
Check it out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Divinity-Dogs-Stories-Miracles-Inspired/dp/1451621574/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349810784&sr=1-1&keywords=divinity+of+dogs" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimg2VZ80SgZmmY3MH0eQA2LJHyrT7u9cSHqOWGmzaEQ_tjUSbPAIJ9dp32zArZHqasPMf7hImupDygM1vAA4zIJySwcuoYXWL5lfzIWkJ0y5hyO4rFQMtWWV6058IGE0ZquyP5M3I1cORS/s1600/IMG_5845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimg2VZ80SgZmmY3MH0eQA2LJHyrT7u9cSHqOWGmzaEQ_tjUSbPAIJ9dp32zArZHqasPMf7hImupDygM1vAA4zIJySwcuoYXWL5lfzIWkJ0y5hyO4rFQMtWWV6058IGE0ZquyP5M3I1cORS/s320/IMG_5845.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And this is Walter! Photo taken by the amazing Andy Keye of <a href="http://www.andykeye-whitney.com/index2.php#/home/" target="_blank">Andy Keye + Whitney Photography!</a><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-19233178748786141962012-10-09T12:16:00.001-07:002012-10-09T12:16:15.918-07:00Doug Varone and Dancers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzeaWnyl_mbER9tk-GjiYBLtj14U0sxdpwzfXmy8WcNyaPejdwdH4SwQ5-JTTSvekKPjbw160JaGLZfezyKRQ9EhyphenhyphenOm8Oy7j40kq_8CpLZseckBkptNgdGzE11VMGktqL7jT_IfozAiVU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-10-09+at+2.15.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzeaWnyl_mbER9tk-GjiYBLtj14U0sxdpwzfXmy8WcNyaPejdwdH4SwQ5-JTTSvekKPjbw160JaGLZfezyKRQ9EhyphenhyphenOm8Oy7j40kq_8CpLZseckBkptNgdGzE11VMGktqL7jT_IfozAiVU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-10-09+at+2.15.51+PM.png" /></a></div>
<b>Doug Varone and Dancers</b> overtook the Winspear Opera House with
a performance that left audiences awed. The show opened with little
circumstance. The curtain lifted and dancers in grey and neutral-toned,
street wear-like costumes were revealed. There was something a bit
androgynous about the style on initial impact. <br />
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The work was
markedly contemporary. The choreography is full of the wide, deep plies
reminiscent of Martha Graham; the small, intrinsic wrist moves of Bob
Fosse; and the long, leggy leaps of classical ballet. The dancers
covered the stage leaving the very air around them filled with movement.<br />
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Read the rest at EdgeDallas.com by clicking below.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.edgeonthenet.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=theatre&sc2=reviews&sc3=theatrereviews&id=137184" target="_blank">Doug Varone and Dancers </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-55291309234105376542012-10-09T12:14:00.001-07:002012-10-09T12:18:48.243-07:00Second City Does Dallas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRTDYf5wq0hLuXUrcQxXlmnvqr_DcyfNaAQzknRbIc6mKT_bjPtv1WL4lTzJzwtFJ9p1mVAwAYl7CrGuEs-Ooa8xozIiHTXbHXzB7HdyED11VxyakQnSv9gGzDe3s8KS8-NpqwrTPbrpv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-10-09+at+2.17.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRTDYf5wq0hLuXUrcQxXlmnvqr_DcyfNaAQzknRbIc6mKT_bjPtv1WL4lTzJzwtFJ9p1mVAwAYl7CrGuEs-Ooa8xozIiHTXbHXzB7HdyED11VxyakQnSv9gGzDe3s8KS8-NpqwrTPbrpv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-10-09+at+2.17.57+PM.png" /></a></div>
Second City is like an incubator for some of the country’s best
comedians. Right now Dallas is lucky to have some of those comedians in
town for a show created just for our fair city, <b>"Second City Does Dallas."</b>
The show, presented as part of Dallas Theater Center’s season, is a mix
of the sketch comedy for which Second City is famous, as well as a
little improv, something else for which its cast members are known for
being masters. <br />
<br />
The incredibly talented cast was made up of Second
City actors Frank Caeti, Amanda Blake Davis, Martin Garcia, Scott
Morehead, and John Sabine, as well as Dallas’ own Liz Mikel. The
evening’s sketches included stabs and jabs at all things Dallas, from
the personal to the political and every subject in between.<br />
<br />
Click below to read the rest at EdgeDallas.com.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.edgeonthenet.com/index.php?id=136903&fb_action_ids=271277909658563&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582" target="_blank">"Second City Does Dallas"</a> </b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882272540358208228.post-76382368200231073142012-10-09T12:11:00.001-07:002012-10-09T12:11:52.691-07:00Cirque du Soleil: Kooza in Dallas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This summer, as I flew a kite along the shores of the Outer Banks in
North Carolina, I couldn't remember the last time I had done that. Last
night, as I watched Cirque du Soleil's Kooza at the edge of my seat, I
couldn't remember the last time I had done that either. <br />
<br />
I don't mean the last time I saw Cirque or any other show for that
matter. I mean the sitting on the edge of my seat part. For the first
time, in a long time, I felt as if I was being entranced by actual death
defying feats. And, I have to tell you, it was fun. There is something
darker and more sinister than previous Cirque shows, and I liked it. <br />
<br />
The show's story is loosely based around a small boy trying to fly a
kite and a mysterious "Trickster" who shows him a world of wonders from
funny clowns to teetering acrobats to dancing skeletons. Like most of
Cirque's productions, the show is made up of a series of acts with
clowns performing in between. Kooza held true to the format.<br />
<br />
Read the read at Huffington Post by clicking below:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenny-block/cirque-du-soleil_b_1899153.html" target="_blank">Cirque du Soleil: Kooza in Dallas </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0