hebrew national league

One of my favorite seasons is Baseball Season…and it is here! There is nothing I enjoy more than a cloudless sky, great seats, the smell of grilled onions in the air, and drinking some cold beer in the middle of the day! That was my reality last Friday at the Cubs vs. Cardinals game at Wrigley Field.

Chances are if you ever had a conversation with me and the topic of

baseball came up it immediately defaulted to Wrigley Field’s kosher hot dogs. I have been to many different ballparks and I have yet to find better hot dogs than at Wrigley Field. Now let me clarify...I am not talking about the hot dogs you get at the concession stands but the ones that are cooked alongside fresh onions on an open grill right in front of you at what I call the red stands. They are grilled to perfection then nestled in-between a poppy seed bun and for the piece de résistance topped with Guldens Spicy Brown Mustard. I guarantee it will be the best five dollars you ever spend.

You can’t say you have been to Chicago until you eat one of these dogs. I feel I must also mention the stand called Big Dawgs I discovered last year that has the best cheese fries ever! A boat of deliciousness will cost you $5.75...but it is totally worth it!

Club box seat: $65.00
Cold beer: $6.50
Kosher hot dog & cheese fries $10.75
Enjoying America’s favorite pastime: priceless

so let it be written...so let it be done

One of the greatest epic movies of all time is Cecil B. DeMille’s masterpiece, The Ten Commandments. With such talents as Charlton Heston, Anne Baxter, Yul Brynner, and Edward G. Robinson this film…with a running time of 4 hours…tells the story of Moses and his journey to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. Although I'm not very religious I have always loved this film and it has become a tradition to watch it every Easter Sunday.

The film is visually stunning with its grand scenery…vibrant colors…and special effects that are quite good for a film made in 1956. The parting of the Red Sea is one sequence that should be seen at least once by every film aficionado.

As great as this film is…every time I see it I can’t help but become frustrated with how easily led the Hebrews are. One minute they believe Moses to be the deliverer and the next they want to stone him. Even after Moses parts the Red Sea in front of their very own eyes a few words from Dathan and they are making a golden calf to worship and partaking in all sorts of debauchery. It really makes you look at the power of leadership and the power of fear.

I always come away from it though...at the very least...being reminded to be thankful for my own free will and the ability to think for myself.

my favorite brand!

Last night I had a dream about Russell Brand. I lost my purse and he was helping me find it…and then one thing led to another…and well lets just say it turned out to be a very good dream!

I have to admit that I love Russell Brand! He is intelligent, charming, very good looking, sexy, has a great English accent, and is hilarious! What's not to love? Not only does he have a successful career as a stand-up comedian, but he has also been in such films as Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which I might add I only saw because he was in) and Bedtime Stories. If that was not enough he has also made it onto my reading list with his book entitled My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up. Sort of a Jack of all trades if you will. Now if he will only come to Chicago...I assure you I would be first in line for tickets.

p.s. we never did find my purse!

eclipse chapters 7-14

Book: Eclipse
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Chapter(s): 7-14

Page 158…Rosalie is telling Bella the story of her last night as a human and recalls…“And so I remember this, when so many pleasant memories have faded away completely.” This is one thing I will never in all my days understand…why is it that the happiest of memories seem to have an expiration date but the worst can be recalled as clear as if they just happened?

Page 167…Rosalie goes on to tell Bella about finding Emmett…“I got luckier than I deserved. Emmett is everything I would have asked for if I’d known myself well enough to know what to ask for.” This thought scares me. How do you know when you really know yourself? Maybe I have been asking for the wrong things?

Page 177…Jacob is explaining the whole imprinting thing to Bella and says…“But you have to see her – the one that’s supposedly meant for you.” What I wouldn’t give for imprinting to be real…that would make things SO much easier.

Page 194…Bella is questioning Edward about past love interests and he says…“I prefer brunettes.” Well isn’t that something…I happen to be a brunette. Just saying…

Page 275…Bella tells Edward…“I’m not that girl, Edward, The one who gets married right out of high school like some small-town hick who got knocked up by her boyfriend!” This bothers me. All she talks about is being with Edward forever so why the resistance? The fact that she is so worried about what everyone else is going to think kind of contradicts the idea that Bella is this unique individual.

Page 277…Bella thinks…“I was just having Anne of Green Gables flashbacks.” I only point this out because I love Anne of Green Gables!

Page 325…Bella thinks about getting married…“Then, just for a second, I saw that same odd vision of Edward and me on a porch swing, wearing clothes from another kind of world. A world where it would surprise no one if I wore his ring on my finger. A simpler place, where love was defined in simpler ways. One plus one equals two…” I don’t really understand what she is talking about. I don’t think love is or ever has been simple. I could better understand if she was saying something like, “I know what people will think about us getting married so soon but I don’t care I love him and it feels right,” but she never says anything like that. The kicker is that no one even really cares once she does tell them…not even her scatterbrained mom. Not that I don’t think marriage is serious but she seems to be making it a bigger deal than it needs to be. If I was so sure about the person I loved I would not have a single care about what anyone else thought.

Page 327…Jacob confesses to Bella…“Bella, I love you. And I want you to pick me instead on him.” You have to give Jacob props for putting himself out there and laying it all out on the line…that takes guts. Honestly…if you ask me…I think if anyone is a masochist in this story it is Jacob.

may you rest in peace…

Maybe it is just me...but I feel like nothing good is on TV anymore. This lament got me reminiscing about all the good times I used to have with some of my favorite shows that sadly are no longer on…but thanks to TV on DVD I can still enjoy…and without commercials!

Batman Beyond

On for 3 seasons, Batman Beyond takes place in the future where an elderly Bruce Wayne passes his cape to Terry McGinnis, a high school teen who happens upon the Batcave and discovers the millionaire's secret identity. They came up with some really cool new villains including my fav, Inque, and revamped the Bat suit. Will Friedle (the older brother from Boy Meets World) does the voice for Terry and I am not ashamed to admit I have a crush on a cartoon!

The Commish

For 5 seasons Michael Chiklis played police commissioner Tony Scali in this slightly offbeat police comedy/drama. Set in a small town, Tony's easygoing manner and clever intellect are much more useful to him than weapons in his fight against crime. Comedy and drama…you can’t go wrong…and who doesn’t love Michael Chiklis?!

Coupling

When Susan and Steve get together they join a crowd of best friends and exes who talk about all aspects of sex and relationships on their never-ending quest to find true love…result…4 seasons of non-stop hilarity! Jeff is definitely my favorite but all the characters are amusing and nothing short of self indulgent!

Dark Angel

Created by James Cameron, Dark Angel stars Jessica Alba as a genetically enhanced superhuman named Max who escapes from military confines and tries to live a normal life in a post-apocalyptic America. We follow her as she tries to avoid government agents who want to bring her back and search for others of her kind. It can’t go without mentioning Michael Weatherly and Jensen Ackles also star as the resident eye candy! Only on for 2 seasons I am still left with so many questions as to the fate of the transgenics.

Degrassi Junior High/High

What better way to relax after a hard day then watching 5 seasons of Canadian teens deal with the trials and tribulations of adolescence…and in the 80’s no less! Drinking, drugs, sex, teen pregnancy, leg warmers, over sized sweaters, and teased hair make this one of my all time favorite shows! No New Generation for me...I am old school baby!

Felicity

They are very few shows that I watch religiously…but Felicity was one show I never missed. Kerri Russell is Felicity Porter…a high school senior whose whole life has been dictated by her parents. After graduating she changes all that and follows her long-time crush Ben to New York and spends the next four seasons, going through the long and difficult journey toward adulthood. Anytime I feel life getting rough I pop in Felicity to help make sense of it all. But even after all these years...and as much as I love this show...I still can't forgive her for picking Ben over Noel…what was she thinking??!!!

eclipse chapters 1-6

Book: Eclipse
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Chapter(s): 1-6



To begin with, I really enjoyed this third installment of the Twilight Saga. Reading about Rosalie and Jasper’s past was definitely the highlight and I really liked how Meyer waits until now to go into detail about it instead of revealing everything in the first book.

Pages 28-29…In New Moon Meyer references Shakespeare and in Eclipse she goes with another classic, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Again, Edward offers another interesting analysis...“I don’t understand why you like it. The characters are ghastly people who ruin each others’ lives. It isn’t a love story, it’s a hate story.” Edward goes on to question Bella as to why she reads it over and over which she replies, “I think it’s something about the inevitability. How nothing can keep them apart – not her selfishness, or his evil, or even death, in the end…” Edward then says, “I still think it would be a better story if either of them had one redeeming quality.” Bella answers, “ I think that may be the point, their love is their only redeeming quality.” So this made me think…is that all it takes…is that all you need? Could you essentially be selfish and or evil and get away with it as long as you had one redeeming quality? It does seem easier to focus on one quality then a handful.

Page 40…Bella narrates…“Edward was quiet, playing absentmindedly with a strand of my hair.” I love that! I would instantly be in love with anyone who played with my hair!

Page 49…Edward tells Bella…“The outside world holds no interest for me without you.” On the surface that sounds like a sweet thing to say but underneath it speaks to the unhealthy part of this relationship. I think it is important to have interests outside of your relationship otherwise you become too dependent and alienate the other people in your life. Not to mention that Edward is always on Bella’s case to be human but he really isn’t letting her be.

Page 64…Edward and Bella get into a fight and Edward tells her…“Shut your window if you want me to stay away tonight. I’ll understand.” Bella goes upstairs and slams the window shut. She then thinks…“I stared at the shivering black glass for a long moment until it was still. Then I sighed, and opened the window as wide as it would go.” This was the first real mature thing I have seen Bella’s character do and for some reason it made me look at their love in a new perspective and see it developing. It takes a lot in a relationship to focus on what is really important and let go of little arguments.

Page 92…Bella thinks…“Someone like me shouldn’t be human. Someone with my luck ought to be a little less helpless." I don't know...I can't put my finger on it exactly...but this kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It sounds like she trying to rationalize her own shortcomings by saying that humans are essentially helpless?

Page 95…Edward leaves Bella a note on her pillow that reads…“I’ll be back so soon you won’t have time to miss me. Look after my heart – I’ve left it with you.” Now what I find interesting about this is that if I were to receive a note like that I would melt, be giddy like a little school girl, and be running to tuck this note away in my wallet so that I could carry it with me everywhere! However the very next sentence is Bella thinking…“So now I had a big empty Saturday with nothing but my morning shift at Newton’s Olympic Outfitters to distract me.” It doesn’t even faze her! He might as well have written, “be back.” It would be here where I would have to agree with my friend who thinks Bella is a snob.

twilight the movie vs. twilight the book

At last it is here! March 21st marked the release of the Twilight DVD. After seeing it 7 times in the theater I was anxious to finally own it so I could watch and re-watch it during my many sleepless nights.

As it is often the case...it is almost needless to say that the book is better than the movie but I enjoyed the film nonetheless.

What I liked:

Edward! Of course! I know some people were not crazy about him being picked to play Edward Cullen but I have no idea why because besides being gorgeous I thought he did a fantastic job bringing the character to life. He has a James Dean quality about him that helps add to the mystery of the character. One of my favorite scenes is in Biology when he introduces himself to Bella. His smooth voice and great laugh makes my heart race.

The dinner scene at the Bloated Toad is also one of my favs. Mainly because I want to eat there so bad. It looks absolutely charming…and that mushroom ravioli sounds delicious! What was up with the hair on that waitress though?

I also really enjoyed the scene when Bella goes to Edward’s house to meet his family. Who wouldn’t want to live there! I thought the mural of graduation caps was awesome…and I would kill to have Edward’s music collection.

The baseball scene is fantastic! It was so fun and I just thought it was all around cool!

Alice. I think she is so pretty and would love for her to be my best friend!

Esme. I just love her and wish she were my mom. It is almost too hard to believe she is a vampire.

Jasper. First off all I think Jackson Rathbone is so cute and I can’t wait until Eclipse comes out since he plays a big part in that book. I think his character is really interesting…so more Jasper please!

The prom scene is just visually stunning. It is hard to ignore the awe of the whole setting.


What I wasn’t crazy about:

Bella. There are some scenes where I thought she was good and then there are others where I can’t stand her in. For example in the beginning when Charlie gives her the truck I cringe at her reaction and at the end when she is in the hospital. I think she plays Bella way to awkward and I lose patience with her stammering and inability to form a sentence or even tell a joke. Like when she “jokes” about being kicked out of Arizona for not being tan…she looks like she is about to kill herself rather than adding comic relief. Then when Bella is at Edward’s house and he says, “What did you expect? Dungeons, coffins, and moats?” and she dryly replies, “not the moats.” This would have been a perfect opportunity to show another facet of her personality with a simple charming and shy smile while she says her line but she says it so serious the joke is lost. It is all about the delivery. I think that visually her and Edward look good together but she has got to lighten up. I really liked her hair and these really cool gray gloves she wears though.

Renee. I do not like Bella’s mom in the film with all her “Awe baby this and Ohhh baby that.” She sounds so condescending…my mom stopped calling me baby when I was one year old. I seriously hate all the scenes she is in.

In the book you learn about Esme, Carlisle and Alice’s past but they leave that all out in the film. They also left out the fact that Jasper has a special gift too. Knowing about each vampire is one of the most interesting things about this whole story so I am disappointed it was neglected.

They added the nomadic vampires killing people, which doesn’t happen in the book but didn’t bother me…I thought it was a nice addition to show the contrast between the two covens.

Overall I would say that what we are left with is what I like to call the Twilight Trifecta…great book…great soundtrack…great movie!