Busy Day On Broadway

Started off with seeing Irena's Vow, starring Tovah Feldshuh. Great performance all around. Will get into it later on. Off to Ripley's Believe It Or Else! Okay, Believe It Or Not. Weird shit...but quite interesting items. Had dinner at the View Restaurant at the Marriott Marquis. A bit too tired to tell you all that I tasted. Will get to that later, too. Only revolving restaurant in Manhattan and on the 47th Floor. Cool going up and down on the express elevator...as if in a hot air balloon with windows and no hot air. Then came the second Broadway show right there at the Marriott Marquis. I saw 9 to 5 and it was just wonderful. Review later. Speaking of View...Barbara Walters was there. She doesn't like to talk with people...not that she's stuck up or anything. I gave her a joke to give to Joy Behar and she had me give it to this guy, who I believe is a p.r. person for the View...tv, not restaurant. The joke said. "If an Orthodox Rabbi gets the swine flu, would he be breaking the kosher law?" Let's see if Joy uses it. Gave the guy my business card.

What's Happening!

Went to the New York Sharks game on Saturday the 25th. They lost 21-7 against Boston. Did a book signing and sold some. Lots of stuff for the fundraiser and great ideas for my radio show this Thursday. Continuing with the Cell-nique 21-day challenge. Combination of energy and mellowing but feel healthy. Here in NYC we've gone from winter to summer...or so it seems. No in between. Tomorrow I get to see Irena's Vow and 9 to 5. I think I'll go to Ripley's Believe It Or Not in between. Radio show this week will have Theo chocolate and company that just produced garbage bags and such that are "green". Won't just sit on the land. This week's Queens Times has a review of Cirque du Soleil's Kooza and the Broadway show, Rock of Ages along with a thing on Cell-nique. Hopefully Yelo spa will call in as well.

A 21-DAY CHALLENGE

One of the products that I came across at the Go Green Expo was a drink called, Cell-nique. Nourish. Cleanse. Alkalinize. Live consciously. These drinks contains 31 different veggies/fruits. Now I know that V-8 and a few other have come out with veggie juices with add fruit or the other way around. So, what make this different? All of the ingredients are organic and instead of sugar they use agauve, which is not a sugar substitute like that stuff they are getting from plants that look like sugar. They come in flavors like: apple, tropical fruit, vanilla citrus, pomegranate, and kukicha tea. As for taste...I'd say that they are pretty good! Great served cold. A bit fibrous...but who cares?

So, what's this 21-day challenge about? I am going to drink a 12-oz bottle per day and see the results. Not only should it help cleanse my system, but give me energy and curb my appetite as well. April 24th is day one.

GO GREEN EXPO!

Happy belated Earth Day! Going “green”. Does it mean more than just “saving the earth” or rainforest? How about your own health? Over the past years “green” products have been developed to help rid those that contain chemicals that are detrimental to our health. It will certainly take much to handle the air that we breathe, but at the recent Go Green Expo in New York, there were over 600 vendors and companies waiting to talk about and sell their “green” merchandise or services.

Gay Browne is the founder of Greenopia, a non-paid guide listing and rating thousands of local eco-friendly retailers, service providers and organizations in major metropolitan areas, such as the 325-page book for New York City. It says, “We personally surveyed every corner of the five-borough area to uncover, identify, and evaluate green businesses.” Even the guides are printed on FSC-certified or recycled chlorine-free apper with soy inks. www.greenopia.com

Although there were a few companies with reusable dry cleaning bags, the one that stood out was company called Agreenday.org. In an effort to rid the use of plastic, Darleen Reilly has come up with the solution to all of those plastic bags that come on the hangers of your clothes when you have your cleaning done. The way it works is that you place your bag upside down on a hook placing your soiled clothes in the bag. Bring the bag and leave it. Once you’re ready to return to the dry cleaners you have your clean items returned in your very own bag eliminating the use of plastics in the dry cleaning industry (and the fabrics used are from the USA). Product include: 100 % organic cotton bag; the Celebrity Global Bag with great fab design, and the Green Sleeve, 100% Nylon material that’s water repellent and can be recycled. www.agreenday.org

Nada Chair is a unique line of back support systems designed to use your body to support itself. They are in the business of easing and preventing back pain. The Nada-Chair is the chair that you wear. That’s right! This slouch-busting sling lets you sit comfortably for hours with effortless good posture. When you sit forward, the back support follows. Since the Nada-Chair follows your body with every move, you constantly enjoy firm, adjustable and dynamic support hugging your low back. They have a variety of “chairs” depending upon that “non-activity” that you’re engaged in, from sitting at your computer to fishing. Great idea if you’re going to a sports game with no back support! www.nadachair.com

Salute Sante grapeseed oil. Here’s the 101 on it all. Salute Santé! Grapeseed Oil has long been the secret of gourmet chefs who love its light and nutty, yet neutral flavor. It has the unique ability to enhance the flavors of ingredients instead of overpowering them and leaves no greasy aftertaste! It makes savory marinades and salad dressings that will not cloud when chilled, so you can use them right out of the refrigerator. The high smoke point (485 F) makes it ideal for hot food preparation which means you can sauté, fry or bake without any smoking, splattering or burning. The excellent emulsification properties make it ideal for whipping mayonnaise and creamy dressings that will not separate when chilled. The Salute Santé! Infused Grapeseed Oils shine with delicious fresh flavors, making them ideal as a liquid spice in all your cooking or as a simple and delicious dip for bread in place of butter or margarine. The oil is an ecologically sound product that is made from the seeds of grapes after the wine is pressed. There is no need for hybrid or genetically engineered crops, nor does it require new farmland, crops or water to produce.

Salute Santé! means “to your health” in Italian and French. Grapeseed oil is high in vitamin E and is 76% essential fatty acid, linoleic acid (also known as Omega 6). It is low in saturated fat, contains natural chlorophyll and valuable antioxidants (known as proanthocyninidins). Studies have shown a unique ability that may significantly raise HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol), lower LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) and triglycerides; the effect of which may lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and impotency, something that no other food product has been known to do!
It contains NO cholesterol, NO sodium and NO preservatives such as TBHQ or BHT. It is NOT hydrogenated and contains NO solvents, NO trans-fatty acids or free fatty acids.
Now, let’s add that Salute Santé! Grapeseed Oil is 100% natural Italian grapeseed oil. We sign off with our quality logo on every new batch of grapeseed oil which assures you the freshest and best quality grapeseed oil available. We guarantee a two year shelf life in our special dark glass bottle which filters out ultra violet light, unlike commonly used clear glass or plastic bottles. Try the lemon, roasted garlic, rosemary or basil infused!

Oh yeah. Did I tell you that they also make this unbelievably delicious grape juice called Vin Jus? It’s a white grape juice taken from the grapes that are grown for wines. Virgin grape juice that’s just sweet enough and much better than non-alcoholic wines! www.grapeseedoil.com

Theo Chocolates! When I met the guy I told him that I am a chocoholic and he admitted to being one also. They use green energy sources to power their factories and sustainable packaging and printing methods. Pure ingredients. What’s even more important is that they are doing their own roasting of the cacoa beans, which means that Theo sources it’s own chocolates rather than gets it from another “bulk” company. So, how good it is? I tried the fig fennel and almond bar; cherry and almond; orange (oooh…orange and chocolate) and the 70% cocoa. www.theochocolate.com

Olivier was there. They are an olive oil soapery located in the province of New Brunswick, in Canada. I interviewed them on my radio show a while back. That's a photo of them on the top right. The owner is the guy with the curly hair in the middle.

More to tell you about.

Jewish Alliance For Change event

I got some tix from Goldstar.com to attend an event called Broadway For a New America: Standing Up for Marriage Equality & a Progressive Agenda for Change. It was presented by the Jewish Alliance For Change and held in the upper West Side. Stars included: Richard Belzer, Scott Blakeman, John Bucchiono, Mike Burstyn, Mellissa Errico, Tovah Feldshuh, Cheryl Freeman, Malcom Gets, Robert Klein, Linda Lavin Anne Meara Phyllis Newman, Christine Pedi, Billy Stritch and Noah Weisberg. Groups: The Accidntals; The Broadway Boys; The Broadway Tenors - Matt Farnsworth, Brian Lane Green and Kevin Spiritas; Circle Squared and the NYC Gay Men's Chorus.

A TEARFUL CAT TALE

When do you really notice the signs of your cat’s illness? Cats throw up. It’s their thing to do, especially when they have hairballs. It’s about cleaning themselves. They don’t care where they barf, and they simply walk away and expect you to clean it up and move on.

Mallory seemed to be throwing up just a little too much those days and it wasn’t just hairballs. It’s interesting that just the way humans sneeze twice, a cat barfs in duplicate as well. The idea of taking her to a vet was upsetting. Other than this behavior, the rest was perfectly normal. Spend some time sitting at a spot that had sunlight. Sleep. Eat. Drink. Meow at me. Meow where I wasn’t. Pee. Sleep. Meow when I was on the computer to let me know that she wanted attention. Eat. Drink. Sleep.

Mallory developed this one particular habit of “requesting” me to lie in a certain chair. She would then jump up and take a walking tour of my chest. Then, just stand there making sure that some part of her was covering my vision from the television. I would then have to grab her legs and make her lie down. At that point she would get into a position that made it so that I could put the palms of my hands under her paws and she would place all four paws in my hands. No, she wasn’t a kitten. At this point she was 12 years old and having already suffered the loss of her brother, Mickey.

I remember that loss and how she would spend time grieving by going down to the basement and sitting next to the carrier that I last brought him in to the vet. I knew that Mallory was clear that her brother was quite ill before the end came.

I also knew that when I brought Mallory to Dr. Luger’s office that it wouldn’t be an “I can fix her” thing. Enlarged liver, blockage, she was eating cat litter. A few days later and after an ultrasound, it was determined that I could take her home for a few days having had a cortisone shot. I thought about the trauma itself of her having never gone out of the house and now staying at a strange place. I had to take her home and spend the last few days, letting her know how much I loved her and appreciated the absolute love that she gave to me. When life was giving me negative behavior from the human world, the comfort of Mallory was my blessing. Yes, I have had to do this many times with cats, but this one seemed to hit the hardest.

While I was at Dr. Luger’s office, I had noticed a sign posted that someone by the name of Ellie had a male and female from the same litter and were four months old. I thought about it and having enough friends advising me to get another pair of cats, finally decided to call her, three weeks after obtaining Mallory’s ashes.

Ellie, said that she gave away the female cat, but that the person she gave her to said that the cat was “nervous”. Of, course. You just separated her from her brother! Ellie said that she would call the woman and ask if she still wanted to keep the cat and that if she was willing to return it, I would be able to get them.

It was about 9:30 a.m. when Ellie called, saying that she had both cats. She offered to come to my home and see if I wanted them after checking them out. It turned out that she lives in, I think it was either Middle Village or Glendale, neither which is more than ten minutes from my house. “What was there to check out”, I thought. When I was getting Mickey and Mallory it was someone who had to give them up due to their not being able to be in an apartment. They were four years old and I had no thoughts of not wanting them. The owner brought the cats and everything they owned or slept on.

I simply told Ellie that I expected to keep them and that the only thing I didn’t have was a litter box. Ellie said that she would bring me food, etc., as well, hoping that I would take them from her on the spot and have everything needed. She showed up not only with the litter box but: litter, dry food, wet food, tags, toys. She offered to put the tags on the cats. Me? I just felt that she needed to do this and allowed her to do so. Tags? I told her that I don’t allow my cats to leave the house.

The cats were walking about. I picked each one up to pet. I wanted them to explore the house a bit and realized that one of the first things I needed to do was fill the litter box. A bowl of water was already out. The male cat made his way down the steps to the basement and headed to the carrier that I brought Mallory in. He walk on it, sniffed around, etc.

The female cat was vocal. Ellie was commenting that she was vocal. Ellie was commenting that the house was big. I told her that my cats always get the run of the house and has never been a problem. Back upstairs Ellie asked if I wanted the carrier that she brought them in. I would have said, “no”, since I had two, but thought it would be a good idea to have the one item that has the cats’ scent on it…the only familiarity in a strange home. Ellie then decided that she wanted to think about it. I said that she was placing more trauma on them by doing this and asked if she intended to give them to someone. She assured me that it was her intent and not only took them home, but everything she brought with her.

I later called her asking if she was being judgmental. Ellie denied it and giving me a tale of how she decided to keep them feeling that they were her “family”, etc. I told her how awful it was that she had put me through this. She expected me to understand. I don’t. She was able to give away one and could have taken her back and then decide that she wanted to keep them along with the other cats in her apartment. I spoke with my friends and we all concluded that I had not offered her money. Is that what life is all about? Did I ask her to buy all of these things? If it’s true about the money thing, I don’t think she would fess up. I will, however, follow up at some point and ask about the cats. I’d be curious as to whether she did keep them. Mallory is not here to comfort me from the ASPCH (Humans).

New York Theatre Week and Half Price Tix

In an effort to spike New York theatre attendance and highlight great shows, Goldstar or www.Goldstar.com will be hosting Goldstar New York Theater Week, April 13-17, 2009. For five days Goldstar will be giving away free tickets on Twitter and Facebook to the first people to answer simple show-related trivia question. Trust me, they aren’t too difficult.

Each day a different show will be featured with different trivia questions going out at 11am, 2pm and 4:30pm on Facebook and Twitter.

This Goldstar New York Theatre Week is just a little treat for New Yorkers. But, there are 700-900 events on the site each week for other cities around the country for people to enjoy anytime getting tix for half the price and sometimes, free.

IT WAS A NUTRISYSTEM DAY

Breakfast consisted of my mixing 1/3 cup of fat free milk with: wheat flour, oat fiber, corn flour; polydextrose; dried egg white; wheat gluten, contains 2 percent or less of the following: potassium bicarbonate, high maltose corn syrup, corn syrup solids, whey protein concentrates, soy lecithin, modified starch, maltodextrin, mono & diglycerides, xanthan gum, salt, sucralose, monocalcium phosphate, and sodium aluminum phosphate.

Lunch consisted of my mixing water with: pre-cooked split green peas, barley, omegasol (dextrin, oat bran , citrus fiber, refined fish oil [anchovy oil, sardine oil, fish gelatin {tilapia, sardine, and anchovy}, sodium polyphosphate, sodium ascorbate, canola oil, natural flavor, tocopherols, sunflower oil, citric acid], microcrystalline cellulose, xanthan gum, konjac flour), yeast extract, natural flavors, vegetables (onion, potatoes, garlic, parsley), sea salt, black pepper, lemon, and citric acid.

Dinner: water, cooked beef (beef, slat) enriched egg noodles (water, enriched durum flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, whole eggs, wheat gluten, egg whites glyceryl monostearate), baby corn, carrots, water chestnuts, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, pineapple, modified cornstarch, teriyaki sauce powder (fermented soybeans, wheat, salt), maltodextrin, chicken extract, spices, caramel color, vitamin E, potato starch, vinegar, toasted sesame seeds, hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat protein, dehydrated garlic, xanthan gum, dehydrated onions, caramel color, citric acid, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, flavoring, and sucralose.

You’ll have to excuse me while I pause here to deal with my eyesight. I tried my best to read the ingredients with a magnifying glass, but I am unable to do that and type at the same time. Back to the next.

Dessert: water, sugar, wheat protein isolate (wheat gluten, phosphate, lactic acid, sulfite), whole wheat flour, enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), egg (chicory) inulin, soybean oil, glycerol, corn fiber, maltitol, contains 2 percent or less: nonfat dry milk, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch and monocalcium phosphate), sodium carboxymethlcellulose, sunflower lecithin, tocopherylacetate (vitamin E), propylene glycol mono-and diesters of fats and fatty acids, mono-and natural butter flavor (maltodextrin, natural butter flavor, annatto and turmeric [for color], “conatins milk”), sucralose, salt, potassium sorbate (preservative).

In other words: pancakes, split pea soup, beef and noodles in teriyaki sauce and golden pound cake. How do they do it? How do they get all of those ingredients into the small portioned meals?