• Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  Friends,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz

    My Meeting With Tim Gunn (And Other Stories)

    I am a big “Project Runway” fan. Total understatement. It’s one of my favorite shows: I’m totally obsessed. I’ve watched the show, now in its tenth season, since the very beginning. Right after Season Three I took a trip to New York City with my sister and got to lay eyes upon the winning designs from the season, on display in the window at Macy’s. A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Bennett (season three finalist) upon the release of her book, “Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday?” I love so many things about the show. I love Heidi Klum, I love the judges’ critiques (especially…

  • Childhood Memories,  Favorite Things,  Random Thoughts

    Finally, The Popularity of the Reality TV Genre Is Explained.

    I’m turning on a dime today, switching gears and providing the reason why reality television is so popular. You’re welcome. But first, go back in time with me, will you? The road is long and winding. Billy Joel’s “My Life” came on the radio yesterday. Every time I hear that song I think of the early 80s Tom Hanks/Peter Scolari sitcom “Bosom Buddies”, because a version of “My Life” was used as the theme song: I adored that show. The premise is arguably ridiculous: two guys who dress in drag (and take on the names Buffy and Hildegard) in order to live in a women’s-only building, and everyone other than…

  • Childhood Memories,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz

    The Brady Bunch

    My absolute favorite show when I was little was, hands down, “The Brady Bunch”. I don’t remember when I started watching it (the five seasons originally aired from 1969–when I was one year old–until 1974 and then syndication began immediately, making the shows available almost every day for years and years), but I watched it all the time. I watched “The Brady Kids” (the animated show), “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour” (singing and dancing in kooky outfits? yes please!), “The Brady Girls Get Married” (reunion tv movie!), “The Brady Brides” (so wacky!), “A Very Brady Christmas” (classic!), and even “The Bradys”, the hour-long drama that aired in 1990, depicting Marcia…

  • Childhood Memories,  Family Fun,  Music,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    In Concert

    Considering that Jim is into heavy metal and rock, D is into alternative and rock, J is into electronica, and I’m into pop and electronica (mostly), the fact that there are a few select recording artists that all four of us really, really like is pretty amazing. Related: I will tell you that Jim and I have dreams for our boys. Concert dreams. For years, we have told the boys that their first concert would be that of one of these select few artists, so we could all go together. You see, I have always wanted my sons’ first concert experience to be wonderful, because I am a little embarrassed…

  • Fun in Chicago

    When Any Seat Is A Great Seat At A Chicago Blackhawks Game

    I recently had the good fortune to be a guest of General Motors’ Driving the Midwest at a year-end celebration of their “Our Town, Our Heroes” program, which spotlights Illinois folks who donate their time and resources to people and causes in need and “drive positive change in the community”. The event happened to take place in a Penthouse-level suite at United Center during a Chicago Blackhawks game. Much like the time I got invited to watch a Cubs game from a rooftop, watching a (2010 Stanley Cup Champions) Blackhawks game from the eighth floor in total luxury was something I have never before experienced, and appreciated from the depths…

  • Best Thing Ever,  Childhood Memories,  Fun in Chicago

    Willy Wonka And the Chocolate Factory: Reunited And It Feels So Good

    As you know, my sister and I have made it a semi-regular habit to attend celebrity appearance events at our local theaters, Hollywood Palms and Hollywood Boulevard. It was only two months ago that we met Henry Winkler, Penny Marshall, and Eddie “Carmine ‘the Big Ragu” Ragusa” Mekka. In the spring, we met Burt Reynolds. This weekend there was another event we couldn’t resist: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” on the big screen, in honor of its *cough cough* 40th anniversary. This film is a huge one with my family in general, but it was also the first movie I saw in the theater, ever. Though we have watched…

  • Friends,  Music,  Too Funny To Ignore

    Reestablishing Chicago As The House Music Capital of the World

    I had a conversation on Facebook yesterday that made me positively giddy. I was in a back-and-forth with my friend who you might remember: Jane the Phoole from the Bristol Renaissance (Ren-AY-sance) Faire. One of the things I adore about “Jane” is that she may spend her summer days dressed up in 16th century chic, but she spends her nights listening to House music, which is SO NOT 16th century. The juxtaposition of Jane’s (whose real name is Ann) Facebook statuses cracks me up on a regular basis, because how funny is it to see that one day during Ren Faire season she’s posting something like this: “Join Jane the…

  • I'm Apparently Old.,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  Travels

    Ice Is Nice.

    I am a huge fan of the Today Show. If I’m home Monday through Friday mornings, I always start my day watching it. I was thrilled when I started seeing promos a while back about the 10th Anniversary of “Where in the World is Matt Lauer?”, which is five days’ worth of Matt traveling around the world and inviting viewers (as well as Ann, Al, and Natalie) to figure out where he’s going from a clue given the day before. It’s a great way to learn about some fantastically beautiful destinations, some of them familiar by name and some not. Monday morning, I sent out a tweet asking that people…

  • Random Thoughts

    The Rules of British Royal Succession Change, And I Bore You To Death By Writing About Them.

    Today is a great day. Not only is it Friday, but some rules that were as antiquated as…well, let’s just say they’re really old (as in, from the 17th century!) have been changed to reflect general 21st century beliefs and thus hints at the modernization (finally) of the British Commonwealth. (Note: If you’re new here, you may not have known that I am a total FANATIC about the British monarchy. It’s a blessing and a curse: don’t be scared. I’m harmless.) First, the rules as they were: Succession rules indicated that boys were given precedence to the throne over girls, just because they were, well, boys. Let me give you…

  • Amazing People,  Childhood Memories,  Family Fun,  Fun in Chicago

    Happy Days

    Tuesday nights in the early 1970’s meant one thing in my house: “Happy Days”. I wasn’t the only one who loved the show: my parents, having spent their teenaged years in the 1950’s, were also huge fans of Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph, Joanie, Mr. and Mrs. C, and–of course–The Fonz. A couple of years after “Happy Days” premiered, “Laverne & Shirley” spun off and joined the Tuesday night lineup on ABC. I always wanted to be Laverne: assertive, outgoing, and sassy. One Halloween I even dressed up as Laverne, and a friend of mine who was cuter and much smaller than I dressed up as Shirley. Seriously. So, knowing that,…