Now I've Had The Time Of My Life....

 And I owe it all to you....What woman hasn't fantasized about being the female that leaps into Patrick Swayze's waiting ripping with muscles arms?

I have been a long standing fan of Patrick Swayze and feeling so sad that one of the few celebrities I truly liked has passed away. My favorite movies of his include Dirty Dancing, Ghost, The Outsiders,Red Dawn and not to be forgotten his movie debut as a cross dresser: Too Wong Foo.

Can any of us forget the squeeze we felt in our heart as Johnny charges over to the table and reaches for her saying, "Nobody puts baby in the corner"?

At our house every eye in the house can't resist stopping whatever they are doing to watch this climactic scene.

About a year after this movie and the music became popular my cousin Jim returned from the Navy to marry his sweetheart Alicia. They shocked us all at the reception when the dj put the famous song on and they danced and sung to each other for their first dance. Of course they didn't do the infamous lift at the end, even though the bride was an itty bitty thing. I suppose she could have jumped on his back and rode him around like a spider moneky on the dance floor but that may not have looked so good in a wedding dress.

Later on during my travels to North Carolina I visited the resort area of Lake Lure, North Carolina to learn about the filming process they used to make the movie in this idyllic mountain paradise.

Turns out the filming there wasn't ideal, it was very rainy and as a result delays occurred. Hollywood used a lot of local talent to help fill in the cast. Many of the dancers we saw humping their way though the movie were local theatre students.

I read recently that the town of Lake Lure was holding an honorary memorial service to celebrate Mr. Swayze's contribution to the area.

My vote for the most truly sensuous scene would have to be the pottery scene in Ghost with Demi Moore. I loved the chemistry between this pair not to mention their interaction with Whoppi Goldberg in this movie.

By the time Swayze made this film he had fully developed that mature manned sized muscled body that had females all over the globe swooning.

One of the sweetest things I observed in recent years was when Swayze surprised guests on Oprah who were practicing to use the famous dance from Dirty Dancing as their first dance in their wedding. Onto the stage walks THE MAN that none of the mere mortal grooms could ever compare to. The audience went wild and Swayze took a few of the future brides through those famous steps right there on Oprah's set. It was very touching.

When Swayze's new series The Beast began filming in Chicago 18 months ago my daughter had just moved from NYC to Chicago so there was a lot of buzz about the show, his cancer, their plans for the series. There were a lot of sightings around Chicago of Swayze and his wife. When it debuted on TV I watched intently but I never did warm up to the show. The characters didn't grow on me and it seemed that there never was an explanation of the back story to make the viewers feel like they knew who to root for. I guess that is all moot now.

From the Mayor's household we all say God Bless You Patrick Swayze and may you rest in peace.

The Mayor Takes A Free Ride

Or The Wily Temptress does Chicago with a gang young enough to be her children. Oh, wait, they are her children: 

The female chatter in the car helped the drive to the windy city pass quickly. All the way from Detroit in 3 1/2 hours to sitting on the freeway for 35 minutes only 5 miles from our destination. The secret to doing a quick weekend away is to leave by noon and arrive in time to settle in and prepare to get the most out of your 2 nights away.

That means food and your pre-night on the town cocktails. Being the practical woman I am, I had drug all of the ingredients for dinner in my cooler. It wasn't mommy benevolence that motivated me to plan ahead. I didn't need ESP to know my daughter would slink in from a week of travel for work and need to be revived if she were to be any good to us at all.

Chicken breasts were thrown on the grill and pasta was quickly made with an overpriced but yummy jar of Williams-Sonama's Creamy Florentine Sauce. Some of those good old North Carolina tomatoes were sliced up, seasoned and we had a fantastic meal to go along with our our sassy margaritas. We sipped and people watched from the second floor balcony fabricating stories about the people passing by.

Feeling refreshed we spilled out onto the sidewalk in the cool night air and off we went to find fun in the Fulton Market District. And I assure you there is plenty of fun to be found there. We ventured deeper into the Meat Packing district to the children's favorite low key hang out, The Fulton Lounge.

Justin, a gorgeous young man welcomed us at the door and asked for ID. "Surely you don't need mine young man." I do believe he was flirting with me when he said, "Missy, that most definitely means you too." He said it in such a sincere way that I took a liking to him right there on the spot. He smoothly chatted us to the perfect area in the lounge for our group of 6.

The lounge is situated in a hundred year old building, a former book binding factory just a few blocks north of restaurant row on Randolph making it a perfect place for before or after dinner drinks. Even though the space is urban and expansive it's thoughtfully furnished to provide a low key vibe, totally sophisticated but not pretentious in any way. Music plays in an unobtrusive way and the staff is attentive without taking over the show.

I like a place that knows it's mission and sticks to it. I'd surmise there objective is to have an environment that's conducive to intimate conversation and cocktailing within the community. I had a hard time choosing from their unique martini menu but I went with the Fulton Essence. It was made with Sky Melon Vodka, watermelon elixir, home made sour and fresh lime. The night was off to a great start.

I was reluctant to leave as soon as we did but I had given control of our travels over to the locals. Next thing I knew they popped us all in a Taxi to head over to the River North District's hot spot of the evening, Zed 451. I moaned a bit about not staying in their neighborhood so we could walk around instead of paying cab fare and they were all, "don't worry mom we'll get the Zed bus to take us home." I know when my leg is being pulled but I just let it go because I was determined to milk every drop of enjoyment out of the evening.

When I'm wrong I say I'm wrong. Zed 451 had a wonderful mojo going on. It was energizing but not overwhelming with a constant flow of different groups coming and going on their way to somewhere else.We ordered up a plate of Spicy Chicken Empanadas with dipping sauce. They were a great taste bud tease arriving piping hot and crispy.

The bartenders know how to handle themselves and keep things moving which really is a feat when you observe them making their specialty cocktails.

They have a a juicer built into the bar where as quick as a wink they'll have whatever fresh juice needed for your selection squeezed into their magic mix and served up in a perfectly chilled glass.

I was sorely tempted by our friendly bartender to try the Blueberry Thyme martini, but I had already committed to trying the Kiwi Basil Martini.  As he chatted with my daughter I realized he was retelling the incident that had occurred the weekend before when another visitor of my daughters got involved in some loud drama with her jerky boyfriend.

We piled back out into the lovely summer night air and was about to suggest we do a little city strolling. But  what to my wondering eyes does appear? There really is a Zed bus, willing and able to drive us back to the apartment. It felt totally decadent to be carted home in our very own bus.

We offered to bring our driver down some freshly baked banana bread and a couple of North Carolina tomatoes but he thought I was just being polite. I guess he doesn't read Sasstown or he'd know I don't say things I don't mean and I really appreciated the Free Ride.

Which led me to think about that old Edgar Winter song, Free Ride. Click hear to see the psychedelic You Tube of the official 70's party song. We were a little delirious by this time since we had all been up since dawn to make this trip happen to celebrate my sister in law's 65th birthday. The night was topped off at home with a crazy little dance party. A week later and I'm still recovering.

48 Hour Leave Of Absence

Alternative titles: How to Blitz Chicago In 48 Hours. How To Spend Quality Time With Adult Children.

Day 1:

1. Pick up new car from Ford dealer at 3:30 p.m.
2. Drive like a bat out of hell to try and make it to Chicago before the Wings game starts.
3. Arrive to the West Loop apartment at 7:40 p.m.
4. Wow doorman with my new ride, unload car and park in deck lot.
5. Greet my Smart Cookie daughter.
6. Saunter over to Vivo for a fantastic meal (chargrilled asparagus with shaved parmesan, shrimp/basil linguine and a fillet to split) and outstanding bottle of Zinfandel). It's a sure bet for a nice meal in a swanky setting on Randolph Street.
7. Stumble down Randolph back to apartment.
8. Check out Conan O’Brian in his new role as host of the Tonight Show.
9. Fall asleep relatively early(1 a.m.) since all had put in a full day.

Day 2:

1. Answer the phone at 5:30 a.m. when my baby calls from home while getting ready for school (6:30 a.m. in Michigan).
2. Tell her “have a good day but DON’T CALL BACK UNLESS SOMEONE IS BLEEDING”.
3. Return to sleep.
4. Arise, slip on exercise clothes and go for a brisk walk on my own, hitting Starbucks on the way home.

5. Exclaim how the same latte I get in Michigan for $3. 60 is $4.07 here.

6. Meet up with the 2 adult children and decide to go out loafering about, shopping and lunching for the afternoon.

7. Walking along the river, appreciating the boats and architecture.

8. Stop by the University Of Chicago Graduate Business School book store for a license plate holder for my new car. I figure I ought to get as much milage as I can out of having my first born in one of the most prestigious MBA programs (even though her employer, not parents are paying for it).

9. Have a very tasty lunch before shopping.

10. Boring my son to death while uncharacteristically spending over an hour in Anthropology.

11. Being out voted on walking home so we crowd into a cab.

12. Being made fun of for my Justin Timberlake ring tone (it’s the baby calling, schools over for the day, “when are you coming home”)?

13. Handing the phone off so she can talk to her older sister.

14. Strewing shopping bags and putting feet up while enjoying the Chicago skyline view out of her 26th floor apartment window.

15. Freshening up for our night out, “lets see how much of a ruckus we can raise” blitz of the Fulton River District neighborhood.

16. Phone call from lawyer who now has my cell phone due to it being left in cab, rendezvous options discussed.
17. Stroll over to Carnivale around 5 p.m. Their web site is definitely worth perusing. Bold neuvo Latino cuisine and wildness abounds, just not at 5 p.m.

18. Patio, overlooking Fulton Ave and I-94, tres (3) margaritas, ceviche (tuna tiradito) which featured tuna, jimica, serrano chile and avacado( delicioso) were consumed for about an hour and a half while waiting on previously mentioned lawyer who has my phone to call us. Watching the street we couldn’t help notice when a wine distributor pulled up with a trunk full of vino in a space pack type set up. I guessed he was Czechoslovakian. I then had to sit through a mini lecture (from my smart cookie who majored in Russian and Eastern European History at University of Michigan) on how that is a misnomer. You can be Czech or Slovac, not both. So he was Slovac, very mysterious in his behavior I thought. We made fun of the waiters we had with their super short ties which looked utterly retarded.

19. Bathroom at Carnivale. It’s way too early in the evening to have a crowd but they have a restroom attendant in there, which is something that really creeps me out in a bathroom with no other patrons peeing. I also have learned to budget every dollar in this recession/Michigan depression thing so I don’t want to pay a buck to use the potty when I’m paying a premium price already for my drinks and appetizers.

20. Daughter in the meantime has met up with phone nabbing lawyer. Turns out he was a little socially inept in face to face communication, but I am grateful he grabbed the wayward cell phone out of the taxi and went out of his way to get it back to me.

21. $160 later we sashay ourselves down Fulton Ave into the Fulton Market district to do a little bar hopping. Do guys sashay? I don’t want to misrepresent the prince. He accompanied us on our sashay and it was a beautiful evening.

22. Upon exiting the restaurant I spied an Audi RS4 parked out front for exactly what it is: a undisputed example of automotive heroin. 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, it’s stupidly fast. To quote The Truth About Cars, “Audi has used every trick in the playbook to get the RS4 to handle near perfectly. There are not enough superlatives to properly describe the vulgar joy of an RS4”. I got the Smart Cookie (aka Princess #1) to lick it. I asked the Prince to lick it but he’s tired of my shenanigans and refused to cooperate.

23. On to Publican we went. This place just fascinated me from the moment we walked to it. First of all it’s on the edge of the West Loop, a neighborhood still a bit sparse and on the gritty side. We decided to make a pit stop at their unique bathroom set up. Tall, solid wood doors open to each private compartment. Once you are done with your business you exit and wash your hands at a circular troth type set up.
24. On entry into the restaurant proper we were ushered to these VERY PRACTICAL tall round tables that featured hooks for your purse (or pocketbook for you southern belles) and a shelf underneath for anything else you might be toting (like a sweater). How cool is that ???? Then our cute waitress introduced me to their bar area specialty, #1 was oysters to which I said “ no thank you”. Then she went on about how they featured ham at this smoke house type venue in the meatpacking district of Chicago. Did you say HAM?

I love ham. No kidding. I just endured weird ceviche (with sushi grade tuna slices instead of all diced up) at our last stop. I was so excited, I’ll take the HAM sampler and a vodka/soda. Turns out this establishment is owned by the chefs of renowned West Loop restaurants Avec and Mockingbird. I was disappointed by the razor thin sliced ham when I was expecting a southern style slab of moist ham. We ate it anyway and I was accused of annoying the snot out of everyone with my picture taking.

25. Last stop for the night was La Sardine, across from Harpo studios, for a night cap. Only I did not need a night cap, I was way past my middle aged drinking capacity for the evening. I inquired about a Chocolate martini, but they didn’t do them here. What kind of a place did you bring me to? I ordered some water and my companions insisted on ordering the famous Le Queue de Boeuf (braised oxtails with potato gnocchi). After a long wait it arrived to our place at the dark polished wood bar and it struck me as HILARIOUS. I have no idea why, but I laughed so hard at the mini sized bowl of yumminess that I couldn’t even operate the camera.

26. Begrudgingly we called it a night. Smart Cookie had a whole day of class in the morning and I had a Saturday evening plan I had to be home in time for. Did I say how great it is to just be able to WALK home after a night out?

27. The next morning we all made it out of the apartment on time. I started my mad dash of a drive home. I have to admit I was zipping along the Indiana Tollway (seriously, are we really to believe the speed limit is 55?) Third car in a pack of 4 we were cruising 75-80 when we came around a curve to the left to see a State Trooper. My heart sunk and I slowed down and got in the middle lane and sure enough here he comes with lights flashing. He pulled over the pickup that was at the head of my pack and then made these funny hand signals to some of the other cars to pull over. He can’t possibly mean me, can he? I motor on while silently practicing my dumb blond stay at home mom act in case another trooper is called to catch up with me. Slick on some plum brandy lipstick with a top coat of Philosophy Kiss Me lip gloss, change my CD to some cheerful contemporary christian music and I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.

28. Stop holding my breath when I cross the Michigan border. Stop at Culver’s at exit 32 for a bathroom break and some root beer. Pry the really pretty but dead as a doornail bird out of my front bumper with my nail file (then threw it all away) so my girls won’t have kittens when I pull into the drive way in 2 hours.

29. Give about 5 seconds of thought to back tracking to take a picture of a highway directional sign that advertised “VIP lounge & massage” for a truck stop. That’s got to be a good blog story right there, but I’m too focused on my mission to turn around.

30. After one slight traffic back up I pull into my driveway on schedule and promptly unload my bags into my house because that is just the way I like to operate. It's about 3:45 p.m.

That my friends, is how it is done.

Smart Cookies

I graduated from high school a year early and began my college career commuting to Eastern Michigan University from my parents home. The neighborhood in which I grew up was working class and we were an anomaly with only 2 children. I was the first person in my extended family to graduate from college and I am grateful for that opportunity.

Well, a few decades later my children can’t comprehend college years without travel abroad, a DVD player, laptop computer, i-Tunes/ i-Pod/ i-Phone, and parents that can pay their way. Our oldest daughter has always excelled at school. When I begged her to play high school basketball she was masterfully persuasive when she explained that academics were her “thing” to be a first string participant in. She entered University of Michigan with a semester and a half of AP credits and avoided my advice to major in something practical (meaning something where you’re employable upon graduation). Instead she pursued a Russian and Eastern European History track that included living in Russia. And of course I was right, despite graduating with honors she had a difficult time finding a job (note my 95% being right reputation).

That means I can be wrong 5% of the time and this was one of those times. Because she is not only intelligent but extremely hard working and ambitious she was able to think out of the box and find a path that led her to a successful career as a Senior Investment Associate at a major consulting firm. Recently I had the opportunity to attend an open house at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business that included good food, champagne and a chance to meet some brilliant classmates. My dear child is beginning a new milestone in our family. Not only is she pursuing her MBA at one of the top business schools in the world, the company where she is a highly valued full time employee is PAYING FOR IT! I am excited for her and for me.

My daughter and I are both smart cookies with an above average IQ. To my immense pleasure she’s been parlay that intelligence into a much broader range of experiences
than I ever dreamed of for myself. And she’s been very generous to share many of them with me. Luckily I am a witty and entertaining companion and only minimally intrusive.

Here's my smart cookie with an up and coming smart cookie (or maybe I should say smarty pants for now).

Good & Bad News

The good news is first. Some of you may have noted in previous post that I have had a bit of a contentious relationship with the City of Chicago in terms of their parking enforcement protocol. I received a parking ticket in July for parking during “rush hour”. I contested the ticket because there were no signs posted to that effect . Recently I was very pleased to read that according to the Administrative Law Office my case was reviewed and it was found that “a violation did not occur and consequently I am not responsible for the fine.” So for that I am celebrating.

The bad news I mentioned is trivial. I mean I am in no way comparing my complaint to the serious problems we are facing in our country. It is totally superficial but here it goes. My Trish McEvoy Blueberry & Vanilla #9 perfume is running on empty these days. I am not a big fan of perfume, cologne, body spray or what ever classification of scented liquid you might prefer. More often I find myself annoyed when a set of elevator doors open and the cloud of smelly stuff precedes the person wearing it. My other issue is being allergic to bee stings I am loathe to apply anything that would attract the devils. For some reason, and this is purely anecdotal, I don’t think the bees really like this particular product.

So it is without logic that I have come to have an unusual fondness for Trish’s #9 scent. In the past I’ve had bottles of perfume sit my counter for years only to eventually find a home in a closet. In my whole adult life I have never run through an entire bottle of perfume, much less a jar of the scented body cream. There are some contributing factors to the rapid depletion of this addictive substance:

1. This particular scent seems to be suspended in liquid that is probably water soluble as opposed to something that is oil based, therefore having more sticking power. Consequently, I have been more likely to indulge in the habit of another spritz later in the day to freshen up.
2. As my daughters who are still at home get older I have noticed an increase in the pillaging of my cosmetics and bath luxuries.
3. I now have a 120 pound hound dog who is not shy about demonstrating his intestinal fortitude when he follows my husband into our bedroom in the evening. By the time I banish him to the hallway the damage to my usually clean and fresh environment is already done. I’ll admit to occasionally spray my pillow so I can settle down for the night in olfactory peace.

I know I will have to break down and replace my supply. The only hold up is that it is a pricey product and the salespeople in the cosmetic department at my local Nordstroms annoy me with their constant hovering and the lack of price tags on their products. Sometimes I’d like to evaluate their goods on my own, without their input unless it’s requested (a little pet peeve of mine). Hopefully one of my very astute family members will read this and remember this post when the holiday season comes screeching in. After all, half the battle of buying a present for your mother is just figuring out something she really wants and hasn’t bought for herself.