Date #16 - Drinkin' and Drawin'

Date #16 is ranking up there among our favorites.

We started the date at a Thai restaurant in Newton and then, after a quick change into play clothes (we were coming from a wake), we walked next door to:

The logo above is from their website

 below is my blurry photo of their front entrance.

This is hands-down one of the best ideas I've heard for a date. It was so much fun!

And inexpensive too:
Price list:  $35-class/supplies; $5-beer/wine; $1-snacks/water

You really can't get much cheaper than that...but we actually did.
Thanks to Groupon vouchers, we paid only $17 each for the class.

The basic concept is that you sit in a storefront/studio with a blank canvas, five brushes, and a cardboard palette of acrylics, and you paint along to very simple instructions from artist Jackie (a talented young girl in her 20s who plays very cool music) while her Mom, Jill, tends bar. And after a few drinks, a lot of laughs, and some minor spills...you actually create a work of art that you can take home.

Normally, the entire class paints the same picture. However, we signed up for a 'Couples Nite' where two different paintings were available: Boston Skyline by Day, and Boston Skyline by Nite.
This was the only class of its kind on their calendar, but I guarantee they'll be adding more because it was a packed house. And you probably can't tell from the photo below but, other than the bartender and TH and me, there wasn't another person in the room who was born before we were married LOL.

Since it was a crowded room with not much space to maneuver, Jackie did warn us in advance to be very careful not to confuse our wine cups with the plastic water cups provided for rinsing our brushes. We all laughed, but despite the warning I came quite close several times!

Commercial interruption: I almost forgot to mention that the bar served not only beer and wine, but Prosecco. Yes! It was a little more expensive ($9) but I was psyched because NEVER EVER do I find my drug of choice when only beer/wine are being served, and I'd already resigned myself to drinking only water all nite. (Serendipitous change of plans).

Now back to our date: We started by painting our sky and then our water. I was working on a daytime scene and TH was painting the night. Here we are just underway......

Jackie was a great instructor, taught us how to use each brush, and had us moving along at a great pace. I'm not sure if it was the great music, or the adult beverages, but the place quieted down considerably as the evening went on. Jackie attributed it to the presence of men in the room. Apparently, this is a popular venue for Girls' Nite Out....and she commented that there is a lot more laughing and chattering when the girlfriends are together. I will definitely be back with some female friends! But with the guys on board, everyone buckled down and was engrossed in completing their projects. Even TH was so involved in his work that he didn't share his usual collection of stupid jokes or puns. Who knew?

and here are our finished  products.....

as you can see by our workspace...we weren't the neatest painters. Good thing we wore our play clothes! They do provide smocks, but they don't cover a whole lot.

Below are close-ups of our paintings...and what they were SUPPOSED to look like.

                                         here's my final product

and this is theirs

                                      here's TH's masterpiece

and what he was trying to replicate!



All in all....I don't think we did a bad job. We haven't found an appropriate place to hang them in our home yet (they are currently propped on our kitchen counter) but most likely the attic or basement will be their final resting place and our sons can throw them in the trash fight over them when we're gone.

Jackie and Jill took pictures of the class to post on their facebook site, but we chose not to be included cause we are old and just don't "get" social networking or trust letting others post our photos in cyberspace. But if you want to see our younger classmates, You can check them out here. This really was a fun date and we highly recommend it, no matter how old you are.

The morning after this date I attended a funeral for the mother/grandmother of dear friends of ours. It was a lovely send-off, but I've concluded there is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing an old man cry in mourning. (Who can ever forget Prince Ranier at Grace's funeral?) S and his bride R had been married more than 63 years and, as we left the grave-site, he sadly told me they had really hoped for and were trying to reach their 65th anniversary. (Oh man...pass the kleenex.)

I can't even imagine 63 years together, let alone hope for 65!

35 years has seemed like an eternity (Yes we're already combing grey hair together) and while it's scary to contemplate that we might still have another 30 years together, it's even scarier to think that we might not! 

Which brings me to another couple that was in the news this past week for ending a 25 year marriage. I am not even going to mention his name because it disgusts me that another powerful man could not keep it in his pants. If Maria had some shortcomings that caused this man to stray, he could have terminated walked away from the marriage instead of humiliating his wife and children and then deceiving them for almost 15 years. Instead, this woman who gave up her high profile position to support his political career will forever more (no matter how much good she continues to do in the world) be known as the woman who's husband fathered a child with their housekeeper in the same week their own son was born. I guarantee, just like Elizabeth Edwards, it will be the lead paragraph in her obituary. How sad! 

Date #15 - Slow Dancin'...Swaying to the Music

We can't dance.
Not together anyway.

There I said it.

Pretty embarassing, but our dancing together consists of maybe getting up once or twice during a slow song at a wedding, after many adult beverages, and moving together in a circle, round and round and round. The white man rotation dance.

I do love to fast dance, and I will do so with my female friends all wedding long, and while I'm not quite as bad as Elaine Benis (Watch her here), I will admit that my husband married the only girl with Latin blood who cannot shake her booty.

While I have no desire to replicate the moves on Dancing with the Stars... I never even watch the show... it would be nice to get on the dance floor with TH and actually move around without completely embarassing ourselves.

So date #15 was a private couple's ballroom dance class. Such a deal, only $25 with a Buy With Me voucher. So off we went to Ballroom in Boston, which happens to be neither. It is a mirrored dance studio in a non-descript brick building that also houses a gym, karate studio, and bakery....and it's in Newton.

It was just a 45 minute class, where we learned the Rumba. The owner/instructor was a young girl who really did a great job....given that she didn't have much to work with. It didn't take long for us to master the basic Rumba box steps,  however I can't imagine we'll ever do it in real life without counting out loud LOL!

Because we were so advanced and at the head of the class, our instructor threw in a Rotation, and a Sway. Whee....watch us now! We were without a doubt, the best couple in the room. Okay, we were the only couple in the room...it was a private lesson, remember?

All too quickly our class was over and, of course like most of our dates, it ended in the souvenir shop. Not really, but the instructor did produce our exit card with prices for future lessons. You know, in case we need a refresher course. Our class was a bargain at only $25 and well worth the investment. But I think I can safely guarantee that we won't be shelling out $85 for the next private lesson.

Of course we still haven't done any of our homework, which was to practice for 5 minutes a day. But TH has been showing off his dance skills to anyone who will watch.

So now, for the next 35 years, catch TH and me on the dance floor as we dance in a box (no longer in a circle going round and round), with the occasional rotation and sway. We'll be the couple counting out loud 1,2,3,4,5,6!

Because our voucher was set to expire and I had already cancelled once before, our class was scheduled for 5:15pm. But as early as it was, date #15 unceremoniously concluded at 6:00 because I had another date waiting. (I always wanted to say that)!

My BFF (MC) and I had tickets to the Wilbur Theater later that evening to see Frankie Valle in concert. Now there's a white man who can dance. Well maybe not so much anymore. The concert was two days after his 77th birthday, and old Frankie did not move too well on stage looked great. He stayed in place and swayed, often holding his back, while his new and improved quartet of young studs replicated all the old Four Seasons' signature moves including the finger snapping and popping on their toes.

The concert was lots of fun singing all those old songs and walking down memory lane. And, even though Frankie still has his amazingly high falsetto singing voice, I don't think he can yell out the loud notes anymore. The audience may not have noticed, but everytime a song needed a loud shout-out, he would hold the microphone towards us and let the audience sing out phrases such as I Love You Baby, or Walk Like a Man, or Rag Doll.

And though the younger generation may possibly only remember Frankie from his character on the Soprano's, the Wilbur Theater audience (with an average age of 70) knew every word to every song in his repertoire. And  more power to Frankie for riding the coat-tails of the Jersey Boy success into concert sellouts in his 60th year in the business.

Here's a photo from his official website.

Date #14 - Come on Down

Two days after our exciting Date #13 at The Ellen Show, it was back to Hollywood...

...this time to the CBS Studios for

The CBS Studios are directly next door to The Grove, the trendy outdoor mall in Hollywood where you are sure to spot a celebrity or two. From The Grove's parking garage, you can look right down into the CBS Studios back lot

and, if you are there on taping days, you can watch the prizes for the show as they are wheeled in and out of the studio. On many of our past visits, we'd also seen the long lines for the contestants and I'd made a mental note to someday apply for tickets. The 35 Dates project seemed as good a time as ever. 

Several months before our trip to L.A. (and before I knew we were going to see Ellen), I went to The Price is Right web site and discovered they were having a special Mother's Day taping on one of the days we'd be on the west coast. I called the number to see if my son J and I could be contestants, but they already had a full audience. However, the woman I spoke with offered me guaranteed seating to the following day's taping for the three of us. It was that easy!

I received an email with all the rules/instructions:

we would have to arrive no later than 12 noon;

look for the employees in red jackets and tell them we are on the 'guaranteed' list;

no cameras, cell phones, or computers allowed anywhere on the studio property;

and all potential contestants had to present their social security cards and go through an interview process.

Now I haven't watched The Price is Right in years, and never since Bob Barker retired, but I did remember that contestants often wore tacky T-shirts on the show. So I ordered a set for TH and me, in bright tangerine, to maybe increase our chances of making it up on stage. I included the url for this blog on the back and, since I didn't want Th to see the shirts in advance, I had them delivered to our son's home in Santa Monica.

As always, TH was a good sport about wearing them (remember, this is a man who wears velour in April...not a fashion plate) and, when we learned we had tickets to Ellen in the same week, we decided to wear the shirts to both shows.

Here's a photo of us wearing them in the waiting area for Ellen.

While sitting there, TH happened to read the back of my shirt and could not figure out what the small print said. Finally it dawned on him that it was a web address for this blog. He asked for a pen and paper, but of course I ignored him. When we finally made it across the street and into the studio, however, one of Ellen's production assistants came over and told us we couldn't wear the shirts in the audience. Really??? I asked. He just repeated that we couldn't wear matching shirts, and I wasn't going to argue with him. Luckily we both had other shirts underneath. I quickly stashed the shirts in my bag out of site (and out of TH's mind).

Two days later, we donned them again and headed for CBS. Our son had to work, so it was just the two of us. We parked at The Grove and made it to the studio gates about five minutes before noon and saw a line that stretched down the street. However, with our guaranteed seating, we were able to bypass the line and were immediately ushered onto the lot where we were given numbers 111 and 112.

From there we were directed to benches where the employees in red jackets had us fill out a brief form, checked our identification and social security numbers, and issued our Official Name Tags. It was a young man who handwrote each and every name tag and I was very impressed by his neat printing. TH was really perturbed that they used his full name, but that is one of the requirements (for tax purposes, I guess).

After that we waited. And waited. And waited.

Like The Ellen Show, CBS also had a food cart on the lot so TH was happy that he didn't have to miss lunch. I was happy that I'd brought Tina Fey's book with me...and I read the ENTIRE book in one sitting while we waited. That's how long we waited.

I think there were ultimately about 350 of us waiting to enter the studio. There were several large groups, all with matching shirts, and there were quite a few show-offs in the waiting area. Apparently they thought if they were excited and energetic in the waiting area, that they would be selected as contestants. They danced in the aisles, they raced down the rows high-fiving everyone, they danced down the rows with their ass sticking out for everyone to pat them, they hooted, they hollered, and some of them made damn fools of themselves. And you know what....not one of those bafoons were asked to 'come on down.'

They moved us around quite often during the wait process, to different areas outside the building, so that occasionally we stood up and actually thought we were going somewhere. One of the stops was a photo session.... where they took photos of every group against a green backdrop. Finally, after more than 3 and 1/2 hours, we made it to the interview process which consisted of one man walking behind a barricade while his assistant took notes. They lined up about a dozen of us, called us out in order by the name on our tag, and asked us each our occupation. That was it....didn't ask where we were from, didn't ask why we were there, didn't even ask about our silly tangerine shirts.

But that was the final step in the wait process as we made our way around the back corner of the building and into the studio. Once inside, I was shocked to see how small the seating area actually was....it always looked much larger on TV. And once again the seat fairies were kind to us as the ushers escorted TH and me all the way down to the front row....directly next to the money seats! Wow...that was (almost) worth the wait.

From there, everything moved very rapidly. The seats were filled, we were given instructions for cheering, applauding, running down the aisles, etc. The announcer was introduced, and then it was showtime. The announcer started to call the first four contestants, but it was so loud in there you could barely hear him. Luckily, there are two producers on stage with giant cue cards that they revealed every time a new name was called. That's why the contestants look so confused on TV. You are trying to hear your name above the noise and read the cue cards in all the excitement. Very surreal.

And then it was time for the host's grand entrance. I was quite shocked to see this tall, skinny gentleman appear. I think the last time I saw Drew Carey was when he had his own sitcom and he was a fat slob of a guy with plump overly made-up secretary. This Drew Carey was almost anorexic. They are not kidding when they say the camera adds pounds! And our seats were so close we could easily reach out and touch him (but we didn't).

The show moved along at a rapid-fire pace. There was absolutely no down time. As soon as one game ended (and they broke for commercial) there was a frenzy of activity on the stage as they set up for the very next game. I always presumed the process took much longer, but they move along at an amazing clip. And Drew Carey stays on stage the entire time chatting with the audience. He was really funny and personable, and didn't require any touch-ups to his make-up or any bathroom breaks.

It turns out that the day we were at the taping was April 20th, and the show started to tape at 4:10pm. When the first game ended about 10 minutes later, Drew Carey asked the audience if we all knew what the date was. Then he looked at his wrist, asked if it was really 4:20, and pretended to take a toke. He pantomined smoking during several of the breaks in the show....but I don't think half the audience got his joke. (TH didn't until days later when we were on the Venice boardwalk and he saw the 420 signs everywhere).

I'm sure you figured out by now that we were never called to 'Come on Down' but it was still a fun date. Other than the excessive almost 4-hour wait to get in, it was a great experience. It was fun watching the big wheel and the showcase showdowns, and fun yelling out prices even though absolutely nobody could hear us. But truthfully, as I watched the prizes up for grabs at each game, or even to get up on stage, I decided I wouldn't want to take any of that crap home with me (other than cash or cars), especially if I had to pay taxes before I could enjoy them. It was the thrill of the win that provided the excitement.

I won't tell you if there were any big winners on our show. But you can watch for yourself this week. Our episode airs on Wednesday, May 11th, so set your DVRs. I'm guessing that TH and I will be on camera as we were sitting directly next to the money seats (that's where the bidding contestants sit while they wait to make it up on stage). If you are looking down from the stage, we are to the left of those seats, wearing our bright tangerine shirts.

Remember those group photos we posed for in front of the green backdrop?

Date #13 - Ellen de Generous

Date #13 was our first official 'group' date. It was also our first 'west coast' date.
And it was, hands-down, the BEST date we've had so far.

The Ellen Show.

We were in Santa Monica for two glorious weeks visiting our younger son (J), his lovely wife (K), and our precious 6 mos grandson (M). We also hung out with their great friends and family members.

J has a fabulous female friend and former roommate (D) whom we absolutely love. J&D went to college together, and they were born in the same week which has meant years of celebrating birthdays together.

D works on one of our favorite TV shows that is filmed at NBC Universal. One of her co-workers went to high school with Ellen's brother, Vance. So, despite the months-long wait list that even studio employees must sit on for tickets, this friend-of-a-friend-of-a-brother scored us four VIP passes to a taping for the Ellen Show.

Unfortunately our daughter-in-law had to work and couldn't join us, but her mom (B) was kind enough to keep our grandbaby so that J and TH and I could attend the taping with D.

Our day started at the Universal Lot where the guards actually had our names on their clip-board and gave us passes and reserved parking.

How cool?

(I covered D's name with a straw wrapper.)

After we picked D up at her office, we toured the lot a bit (right past all the tourists on the Universal Studios Backstage Lot ride) and then we drove over to the Warner Bros. studios where The Ellen Show is taped. The show wasn't taping until 3:30, but we had to arrive two hours early. Fortunately, we were able to sit in the area reserved for VIP guests while we watched all the other audience hopefuls (with guaranteed or stand-by tickets) wait in maze-like lines that snaked through the holding area.

That's J's hand giving the thumbs-up!

While in the holding area, we learned that the guests on the show were Tina Fey and Mike Posner. Now I didn't have a clue as to who Mike Posner was, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TINA FEY! This was too cool. Two of my favorite ladies on the same stage in living color....Ellen and Tina. I knew that Tina would be promoting her new book, Bossypants, and I secretly wondered if maybe Ellen gave her guests freebies (like Oprah) and maybe we would score a copy of the book.

From the holding area, we moved across the street where we had to pass through security and metal detectors. They confiscated all cameras and Ipads, but strangely enough allowed everyone to keep their cell phones. From there we went into the lobby of the studio, which also happened to be the gift shop, where they sold all things Ellen. We had another wait period there...apparently they wanted to allow sufficient time for everyone to buy souvenirs. And then it was showtime.

We filed into the studio in order, with VIP guests leading the way. The assistants took our VIP passes, verified our names on the clipboard, and then escorted us down the stairs towards the stage. And they didn't stop until we'd reached the second row. We couldn't believe it....awesome seats. And sitting directly behind us was....Ellen's mother (we had better seats than she did, tee hee)!

And although we had great seats, we actually spent very little time sitting in them. We were on our feet dancing constantly...before the show started and through every commercial break. Reminded me of Mama Mia (the stage play) where the entire audience dances through the final number. It was such fun! Even TH, who never dances, Mr. Rhythm himself, was on his feet and swaying.

But that was only the beginning of the excitement. Before Tina Fey came onstage, Ellen did a segment called 'Tweets and Asks' where her fans ask questions via Twitter. One of her assistants read the tweets using the new Blackberry Playbook which was going on sale the next day. And since the show she was taping was going to air the next day as well, Ellen announced that she had bought 400 playbooks for every member of the audience. WHAT!! This really was like Oprah. That's $200,000 worth of technology the audience just scored. And all I had been hoping for was a book.

And then it was time for Tina. She was hysterical....and so talented (and pregnant). She did not miss a beat. Both women are comic geniuses and it was truly entertaining. Together they did an improv skit that was hilarious. I can't imagine a better guest I would have preferred to see with Ellen. And then, YUP, my wishes came true when Ellen announced we were all getting our very own copy of Bossypants. I was almost as excited as I'd been about the Playbook!

The musical guest was Mike Posner. I didn't recognize the name, but I knew his music and he serenaded Ellen with a rousing performance of his hit, Bow Chicka Wow Wow. Once again we were up and dancing....the fun never stopped. Watch his performance here.

And then to top it all off....Ellen announced that each member of the audience would also receive a copy of Posner's newest CD. Wow, this was like Christmas in April!

But wait....Ellen wasn't finished giving out freebies. Turns out that the next day (when the show would air) was also the day that the King's Speech would be available on DVD so, Yes, you guessed it, as the credits were rolling Ellen let us know that we were all taking home a copy of the Oscar winning flick.

And then it was over. What struck me most about the show was that Ellen was truly as genuine in real life as she appears on television. Not once during commercial breaks did she have her hair and make-up touched up. Neither did Tina Fey. I'd been to tapings of the David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel shows and the hair and makeup folks were constantly hovering around the show hosts and their guests. But not Ellen and Tina.

As the audience members filed out, J snapped a photo of the set. He was immediately reprimanded by a production assistant, and for a minute I was afraid they were going to confiscate my cell phone, or at the very least ask me to erase the shot. But they didn't, so here it is.

As we left the studio, we were handed our loot. 

And nobody complained that we didn't get a bag to carry all our swag.

We took home a lot more than memories from this date....lucky #13.

...Special thanks to D for making this date possible, and for taking these photos.

She makes it to our list of Angels Among Us