DON'T MISS "ALL THE LADIES SAY" FILM SCREENING AT WALTER READE THEATER ON JAN 30TH & 31ST

I saw lady breakdancer Ana Garcia a/k/a Rokafella several years back in Innaviews, a show she wrote and performed with husband, Qwikstep. Innaviews is one of many projects that have taken place under the banner of FullCircle Productions, Rokafella and Quikstep's Hip Hop / Dance /Theatre Company that's been going strong since 1992.

I'm psyched to announce that Ana's documentary, All The Ladies Say, is appearing as part of the annual Dance on Camera series at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center on January 30 and 31st at 6:00 and 4:00 respectively.

For info about TICKET SALES and more information about this not-to-be missed film event CLICK HERE.

Hope to see ya there!

From All the Ladies Say blog:

All The Ladies Say is a film that highlights the lives of six iconic female street dancers from San Jose, Atlanta, Miami and Chicago, who havcarved a niche in the physically challenging, male dominated breakdance world. Discussions about motherhood, sexual tension, femininity versus masculinity and the rap industry/mainstream images are a few of the themes explored by the documentary’s main characters. International dancers not only make appearances but also add their two cents about life as a B Girl in the Hip-hop world.

MUPPET CUPCAKES

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TINY BUDDHA: 50 WAYS TO OPEN YOUR WORLD TO NEW POSSIBILITIES

I just subscribed to a blog called Tiny Buddha. Love the title!

And then opened up an article called 50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities.

Here are suggestions 11-16:

11. Walk to work and open your eyes. You may find a gym you want to join, or an organization where you’d like to volunteer.

12. Talk to someone while waiting in line and ask what they do. You don’t need to wait for a specified event to network.

13. Make an effort to connect with people you pass—smile and make eye contact for a little longer than usual. Being even slightly more open can open up your world.

14. Learn a new skill. Start taking piano lessons or karate classes.

15. Say yes to something you always talk yourself out of–sing karaoke or take a kickboxing class–even you’re afraid of you’ll feel embarrassed.

16. Take a walking lunch. Walk around your neighborhood for a half-hour, with no destination in mind, and then eat at your desk when you return. You never know what will happen when you get out without a plan.

THE POWER OF AN UNEXPECTED GIFT

At the end of a workshop I attended last weekend, my friend and artist Lisa Ingram walked up to me with a small gift in her hand. She extended the gift to me.

"What is this for?" I asked with delight and surprise.

"It's a belated birthday present and you've been so great."

When I got home, I unwrapped the ribbon and tissue to find a small, beautiful painting that Lisa had created and mounted on a small canvas. What an honor to now have her work in my home. How lovely to receive an unexpected gift after the rush of the holiday season.

Inspired by Lisa's gesture, I decided to act on an idea I had had for a while to give the security guard at the school where I work a small pot of Daffodils to keep on her desk. She sits by the front door, so she can't really keep decorations around. I thought it would be nice for her to have the bright yellow right in front of her and for families to get to see the flowers right when they come in.

She loved the daffodils and it felt great to give a small expression of my appreciation for everything this woman does to help make people including myself feel so welcome at the school.

Outside of annual birthdays, anniversaries, and other annual events that you help people celebrate, remember the joy of giving the occasional (or frequent!) surprise gift. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, just a heartfelt expression of your appreciation for that person.

Photo credit: Design Sponge.

BALTHAZAR, TACOMBI, AND WENDY WILLIAMS - ALL IN ONE DAY!

I get a lot of creative energy from hanging out in SoHo. So imagine the dreaminess of getting to go to two fun, and totally differing, food hangouts in one day.

First, thanks to my brother Adam's gift to us for our one-year anniversary, we had breakfast at Balthazar, which is a SoHo institution. I loved the dark wood paneling and our corner seat where we could see most of what was going on. There was a constant influx of people; never a dull moment at this place. Remember that tv show Will and Grace? This was their fav. place to go for brunch.

We then waded through the snow and slush in search of a winter jacket, only to find a lot of picked -over merch.

Later in the day, when we needed a little protein to sustain ourselves, I remembered a place I had passed by and wanted to try. A guy outside sweeping pointed us in the right direction and we finally found Tacombi, a loft/garage with a taco truck inside. Truly heaven. It was spacious, fun, warm(!), inexpensive, and they were showing The Endless Summer. Since Mike and I are both from CA, we felt right at home here.

Mike somehow mustered up the energy to move on to The Brooklyn Museum. Me, I was craving the warmth and quiet of our Brooklyn apartment. So I came back home to sit in the late afternoon sun and watch Oprah and The Wendy Williams Show.

THE MOST MEANINGFUL HOLIDAY GATHERING THAT I ATTENDED

The most meaningful holiday gathering I went to this season was the end-of-the year meeting of Creative Conversations. This is a group of women visual artists and writers that I helped launch almost two years ago. We get together every month or so to explore different aspects of being women artists, and take turns facilitating the meetings. It is a fantastic group of women; everyone is supportive of everyone else in a totally genuine way.

Two women facilitated the first portion of the evening and called it 2010 in Review. There were three parts to the Review. They were as follows:

1. A look back at this past year's accomplishments. Each woman was asked to list accomplishments she was proud of in areas such as creativity, business/career, family/friends, finance, and adventure.

Some items I listed were sticking to a stretch routine and going to pilates classes; year one of marriage; putting together a great gift for my mom's 70the birthday; collaborating with friends on an art party; getting a job that I love; staying in touch with my great aunt.

2. What am I thankful for? Who? What?

We each wrote out a list and mine included my new job at PS 29; this group; my husband who is kind and funny; hot running water; episodes of Shean the Sheep ; nice neighbors; and The New York Times.

3. Looking to 2011: What do I want to achieve? What do I want to try? What do I want to do differently? What do I want to keep on doing? What old goals can I let go of?

On my list of wants was a fitness routine that I love in the company of friends; seeing friends more often; a new art form to explore; a second form of income that has some room for creative expression; a way to learn how to cook different dishes.

After each woman shared some of what she had written from these three items, we moved on to the Gift Exchange. Each woman had brought a wrapped gift which symbolized something that had given her creative strength or inspiration. Each of us took the wrapped gift which most appealed to us. Keep in mind that we did not know the content of the wrapping. Amazingly, each woman received a gift which in some way related to her goals/wants for the year 2011. Talk about serendipity!

This gathering was the perfect way to celebrate all the wonderful relationships we had built with each other over the course of the year.

DONALD, THE FALLEN MAN & LEMON MERINGUE PIE

I decided even in the swirly whirls of the blizzard to go out to SoHo in Manhattan yesterday. On the way back, the train's last stop ended up being two stops short of my subway stop. When I got out, there was a man lying in the snow with one woman kneeling down beside him. It turned out that he was a city employee who was shoveling show off the steps descending to the subway. He had fallen into a big patch of snow against the wall at the bottom of the stairs and was afraid to move because he was in so much pain. It also turned out that he had a heart condition. The woman and I stayed with him and kept checking in to make sure his supervisor (very gruff guy) called 911. We kept hearing that 911 was extremely backed up and the wait for help could be hours.

The whole vibe down there with his colleagues was pretty rough. Kind of a dog-eat-dog vibe.

At some point, a male nurse joined me and the other woman and he was really great, a kind and gentle soul. Donald, the guy who had fallen, finally could not take the cold of lying in the snow anymore and asked us to move him out of it. Another bystander came and helped the nurse move Donald to a dryer spot. I said "Donald, you win the prize for having the worst Monday" and he laughed.

Donald felt light-headed so the nurse suggested we find something sweet for him to eat. I said "I have a pear and a lemon meringue pie in my bag." Lisa told me that while I was down the street getting the ambulance she gave him some of the pie and he said it was delicious. You never know when a lemon meringue pie will come in handy!

I went up the stairs to the top of the subway station several times to call Donald's family and pull in help. The third time I went up, his supervisor was waiting for an ambulance. I looked way, way down the street and said "Isn't that an ambulance down there?" I jogged (carefully!) down a couple of blocks and sure enough there was a volunteer ambulance just sitting there. I told them we had a situation down the street so they made a U-turn and came around. Just as I was walking back to Donald, a second a larger ambulance came. So this huge crew of people came at once and took Donald away to the hospital. As they were carrying him away, Lisa and I muscled our way past the crew of burly guys and said our good-byes to him.

Sometimes the inconvenience of a snow storm and the ways it gets us to slow down is a good thing.

Donald, Lisa, and Male Nurse - you are all in my thoughts!

THE PLEASURE OF PLAIN BROWN PAPER

Yes, it's quicker to order gifts online and have someone else wrap and ship. But, ya know what? It is ever so satisfying to hand wrap gifts (I like to choose fun, non-traditional colors in wrapping and tissue paper over traditional red and green) and then cover the boxes in smooth brown craft paper. Icing on the cake is creating hand-made shipping labels. Now the boxes look like they came from a person rather than from a huge factory.

Bonus: during the time it took to do all the hand-wrapping and mail prep, I got to watch Martha Stewart and Jamie Oliver cook up some awesome holiday treats on the telly while the mister and I made irreverant jokes.

EAT PIE & SHOP: A FUNDRAISER NOT TO BE MISSED THIS SUNDAY IN COBBLE HILL BROOKLYN

Guess what, y'all? My hubby and I are running a table this Sunday at PS 29's annual Eat Pie & Shop fundraiser. Mike is selling limited edition prints of his paintings and will also be selling brand new paintings of PIE created just for this event.

The event is on Sunday, December 5th from 11am-5pm at PS29, 425 Henry Street (between Baltic and Kane Streets) in Brooklyn.

I am an assistant teacher at PS 29 and love this school to pieces. The parents work incredibly hard to raise funds for all kinds of programs here.

Come on over to our table and visit us! Here is further information about the event, from Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn.

EAT PIE & SHOP

Eat Pie and Shop is PS 29′s fundraiser/pie competition that’s judged by a who’s who’s list of Brooklyn foodies like Gail Simmons editor of Food and Wine, Francois Payard of Payard Bakery, Dannielle Kyrillos of DailyCandy, and local restauranteur Jeff Lederman of Boca Lupo (amazing bread pudding), Strong Place and Nectar.

The event will also feature 20 local vendors selling arts and crafts, including Mike Sorgatz, a painter and Art in Brooklyn blogger, who will be selling pie portraits (pictured above). Sorgatz will also be selling limited edition prints of New York cityscapes.

The event is on Sunday, December 5th from 11am-5pm at PS29, 425 Henry Street (between Baltic and Kane Streets) in Brooklyn.

PAPER SOURCE GRAND OPENING IN BROOKLYN

I've been okay with finding greeting cards in my neighborhood Rite Aid, but I was thrilled when I learned that a "for real" paper store would be opening up within walking distance.

I was there on the first day that Paper Source Brooklyn opened to the general public. The staff was really nice and pulled me aside to do demos of their products, including a gadget that turns anything into a sticker.

I didn't buy anything, but did gather lots of inspiration and ideas. In a time where it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on gifts, it does make sense to figure out how to embellish on the act of card-giving. Make the card a bit fancy and special!

Here is information about their Grand Opening Activities:

Paper Source Brooklyn's Grand Opening Celebration!

Saturday, December 4, 2010 · 10:30 am - 4:30 pm
102 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Stop by to learn clever tips & techniques from our creative samples experts (schedule below), and enter a raffle to win cool Paper Source goodies.

DRESSING UP YOUR ENVELOPES · 11am - 12pm
Create your own unique envelopes - we'll show you how! Think elegant liners for invitations and festive letters sure to entice even the mail carrier. We make it easy with our signature collection of decorative papers and envelope liner and template kits. Signed, sealed, and delivered!

EMBELLISHMENTS & FAVORS · 12:30pm - 1:30pm
They've been called lovely, delightful, impressive and simply fabulous... Come discover how our favor boxes add that special something to any occasion, and learn how embellishments of a few stamps, brads, hole punches or stickles can turn them into showstoppers!

RUBBER STAMPING MADNESS · 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Our rubberstamp designs cover every form of expression from quirky to elegant. We'll show you how to add stamped designs to note cards, invites, and place cards - sure to wow your friends and really make a statement!

FABULOUS PAPER SOURCE KITS · 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Kit fun for everyone! Create a colorful bouquet of paper flowers, a whimsical party crown, an original accordion book, or your very own collection of paper doll friends using our assortment of creative kits, the possibilities are endless!

Do Something Creative Every Day!

MIKE SORGATZ SELLING PRINTS AT EAT PIE & SHOP ON SUNDAY, DEC.5 AT PS 29 IN COBBLE HILL

Good news for Brooklynite lovers of pie, art, crafts and also for supporters of the public school system: Sunday, Dec. 5, from 11 am-5 pm, Mike Sorgatz will be selling prints of his paintings at PS 29's huge annual holiday fundraiser Eat Pie & Shop. Mike and I will be there together all day; please do come visit us at our table!

Here's more info:

On December 5 from 11am to 5pm, PS 29 in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, will host the second annual “Eat Pie and Shop” Holiday Gift Fair and Pie Social, to benefit the school. Proceeds from this family-friendly Holiday event will support the school’s PTA.

The Pie Social is sure to be a delicious and entertaining afternoon event with local bakers – both amateurs and professionals – supplying a wide array of pies. Be assured this event is not only for those with a sweet tooth, the pies will cover all categories including fruit, creamy, savory and nut, so shoppers can come to shop, eat lunch and get dessert!

One of the most exciting parts of the day is sure to be the pie competition. Bakers are invited to bring pies to be judged by parents and a panel of celebrity judges.

The panel will consist of Gail Simmons, Food & Wine and “Top Chef,” Dannielle Kyrillos, “Top Chef: Just Desserts,” Francois Payard, co-owner of Francois Payard Bakery, Francois Chocolate Bar, and Payard, Jeff Lederman, owner of Cobble Hill’s Strong Place, Boca Lupo and Nectar and Brooklyn’s own Borough President, Marty Markowitz. The winner will receive a gift package from Food & Wine, Payard, Fork & Pencil and bragging rights for the year! Judging will take place at 1pm.

The Gift Fair will highlight local artisans, craftspeople and merchants, and promises to provide a huge variety of handmade, local and sustainable gift-giving choices, from jewelry, to clothing from Half Pint Citizens to handmade toys from Fork & Pencil. More than twenty different vendors will be displaying and selling their wares.

Thank you to our event sponsors Fork + Pencil, Half Pint Citizens and Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain.

TWO GOOD RESOURCES FOR FOCUSING ON GRATITUDE

Hey there, folks. 'Tis the season to be thankful so I am sharing two good resources on the topic of gratitude.

1. In the Wall Street Journal today, the article Thank You. No, Thank You: Grateful People are Happier, Healthier Long After the Leftovers Are Gobbled Up.

2. A book I just bought, On Gratitude, in which 42 celebs (mostly pretty thoughtful ones) share what they are most thankful for.

I like the opening quotation from actor Kristen Bell: "I'm grateful that my mother knew what to do with a tiny tomboy who wanted everyone to call her Smurfette when she was three years old."

Other contributors include Dolly Parton, , Samuel Jackson, Kurt Vonnegut, and Alicia Keyes.

FEELS NICE TO BE THANKED

After working with an organizing client today I was thinking "Oh, I really should go to pilates class at the Y(MCA)." But another voice told me to drop in at Barnes & Nobles. It had been a long time since I had been to the one on the Upper West Side.

I went upstairs and saw lots of people assembled for a reading. After gathering a bunch of books about creativity and such, I leaned against a wall in the craft section to browse through my findings. I couldn't see the folks doing the reading, but I heard someone introduce Erica Jong and then heard Erica Jong introduce the author. I was happy to stay with my pile of books.

One of the reads I looked through was my friend SARK's newest book called Glad No Matter What: Transforming Loss and Change Into Gift and Opportunity. I was pleasantly surprised to see my name on the thank you page. I have not seen SARK in years but I send her cards and occasionally leave messages on her Inspiration Hotline. I met her almost 20 years ago and she took me to lunch. Shortly after, I accepted an offer to be her assistant in her first workshop in New York. There was a snow storm, so the workshop supplies never made it out to NY. On the morning of the workshop, I went out into knee-deep snow in search of supplies. Although I never found some of what we needed, the participants were totally accepting of what had happened. I loved that SARK was so open about her imperfections. She taught me that it's better to be open about that stuff than to try to pull it all together.

Anyway, thanks for the thank you SARK!

GOOD NEWS FOR MAIRA KALMAN & LYNDA BARRY FANS

While browsing the book store, I discovered that Maira Kalman has a new book out: And the Pursuit of Happiness.

Here's Amazon.com's description:

And the Pursuit of Happiness is beloved artist and author Maira Kalman's yearlong investigation of democracy and how it works. Energized and inspired by the 2008 elections, on inauguration day Kalman traveled to Washington, D.C., launching a national tour that would take her from a town hall meeting in Newfane, Vermont, to the inner chambers of the Supreme Court.

As we follow Kalman's wholly idiosyncratic journey, we fall in love with Lincoln alongside her as she imagines making a home for herself in the center of his magisterial memorial; ponder Alexis de Tocqueville's America; witness the inner workings of a Bronx middle-school student council; take a high-speed lesson in great American women in the National Portrait Gallery; and consider the cost of war to the brave American service families of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The observations she makes as she travels charm and inform, and-as we have come to expect with Kalman-the route is always one of fascinating indirection.

Kalman finds evidence of democracy at work all around us. And the cast of characters we meet along the way is rousing good company, featuring visits from Benjamin Franklin,Eleanor Roosevelt, and many others. And the Pursuit of Happiness is a remarkable tribute to our history and a powerful reminder of the potential our future holds, from a true national treasure.

I also discovered - and why I did not hear about it before I do not know - Lynda Barry's new book called Picture This: The Near-Sighted Monkey Book.

THE BEAUTY OF TOSSING THE TO-DO LIST

There is a great story in the children's classic picture book Frog and Toad series called The List. In The List, Toad writes down all the things he has to do that day and crosses each item off of the paper as he completes the task. Suddenly, the list blows away and Toad is deeply distressed. "What will I do without my list?" he asks his dear friend Frog.

Today, I woke up and felt obligated to start checking items off of a mental to-do list which included taking out laundry, cleaning the apartment, buying food, and more. But I also woke up tired from having thrown a big party the night before. My body felt achy, and I knew I needed some TLC. So I made it my first priority to do things that would help me relax and re-energize.

I went to the gym to hit the sauna and to do a bunch of stretches. I ate a healthy lunch. I got a chair massage and a foot/leg massage with some birthday money from my great aunt. I read the Sunday NY Times on a bench in the sun. And guess what? I still had time to buy food and tidy up the apartment AND to watch Tina Fey receive The Mark Twain Prize for Humor.

So glad I tossed that to-do list. Had a great day as a result!

NAMETAGS: THEY MAY SEEM CHEESY, BUT THEY BUILD COMMUNITY

This fall, I helped host a couple of gatherings for the parents in our kindergarten classroom so they could get to know each other better.

My contribution to each event was to make nametags for each parent. Their nametags also had the name of their child, so everyone could link a parent with their child.

The nametags served as icebreakers and also helped everyone, including myself, not feel worried about remembering names. Seriously, I think this is a big barrier at social functions. Most folks are not great at remembering names after an initial introduction, especially if there's a lot going on in the room.

There's a guy named Scott Ginsberg who is known as The Nametag Guy because he wears his nametag everywhere. It tells people that he is approachable and it serves as a conversation-starter. I think this guy is onto something.

Even for purely social (not business or networking) events, I think it makes sense to have nametags. It helps people dig right into the chit chat without having to stress about remembering names!

Excuse me while I run out to Staples to buy some stick on nametags for the party I am throwing tomorrow - a double birthday plus one-year anniversary fiesta!

FREE INTRODUCTORY GROOVE & STRETCH CLASS THIS FRIDAY AT TRIOMPH - JOIN ME!

Stephanie Battle has a history of being a professional dancer (in Lion King, etc.) and she is also a wonderful teacher, totally non intimidating, knows how to break everything down into simple steps.

I went to her Stretch and Groove class at Triomph - a gorgeous loft space on the border of Park Slope - and had a blast.

Her choice of music is great! Stuff with a funky beat, not that sped up to 100 RPMs stuff you can get at some gyms.

Here is the info. Please join me this Friday for a FREE INTRODUCTORY CLASS!

Groove and Stretch
Friday, November 12
6:15 PM
Triomph
540 President Street
Between 3rd the 4th Avenue

"0ne part jazz dance, one part cool down & stretch;Groove and Stretch is a fun and engaging class that introduces approachable, dynamic dance moves with an emphasis on body alignment, rhythmic expression, endurance and flexibility – all to the sound of great music!"

CHECK OUT COLLEEN NEWVINE'S GRATITUDE CONTEST WITH COOL PRIZES!

Colleen Newvine Tebeau, who writes the sharp and thoughtful personal/professional development blog Newvine Growing, is sponsoring a very cool contest.

Let her know who you are grateful for and why and she will consider you for some lovely prizes appropriate for the Thanksgiving season. Go to her contest by clicking HERE.

In Colleen's own words:

"In the first week of Month of Thanksgiving, I’ve expressed gratitude for things including democracy, traditional jazz and New York City.

I also gave thanks for my trainer, and there are plenty more people in my life who make me grateful.*

Who are you grateful for? And why?

Maybe you thought of your spouse, or your best friend, or the best boss you’ve ever had?

How about the mechanic who you trust totally to never rip you off? The author whose books bring you joy? Your favorite waiter at your favorite restaurant, the one who makes you feel like a VIP?

Tell me who you’re grateful for and I’ll help you say thank you to the people who make your life better.

Comment on this blog post telling me who you’re grateful for and why, and I’ll choose my favorite and send that person a thank you gift during Thanksgiving week — a flower arrangement or a Zingerman’s treat, your choice."

THERE IS MAGIC IN THE WINDOWS AT NIGHT

There is something magical about the store windows of SoHo, especially on the side streets. The windows tend to be small and carefully put together in an artful way. So very different than the big department stores which rely on mucho over the top sensory overload. Love it when one piece of clothing, or just a few curated items are featured.

The magic escalates at night. Case in point: the luminosity of this white dress.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NERVOUS ENERGY

I had a lot of nervous energy today starting from the time I got up in the a.m. So after work, I decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and then take the subway into SoHo where I explored different streets and had a healthy meal at Aroma before walking all the way into the lower east side for a class.

It was great to be out on the bridge, just get out of the paths that I tend to traverse. Lots of people were out there, tourists included, taking photos and enjoying the sun.

I could have just stewed in the nerviosity (new word) but it was much smarter to get out and WALK IT OFF!!!!