Starlets In The Making

A ‘laugh your ass off’ kinda story!

Just take a gander at these photos.  You can guess what kind of story THIS was.  Haha!  Until last night Heather and Melyssa (photo above) had not even met one another.  But after a few glasses of wine, you can see how the story they created together turned into somewhat of a hilarious stage production!  Who knew they were actresses?  That’s what Girls’ Night StoryClub does!  Anytime you get friends (old and new) to create something together, the fun always ensues.  At StoryClub, We call it connecting, creating, and simply, laughing your ass off!  Now this particular story, 50 Shades of Whatever, had it all…drama, intrigue, suspense, and sex.  A kind of who-done-it where we’re still not exactly sure if it was Sara Margaret, the aggressive real estate agent who had just finalized her messy divorce, or Parker who was a very dubious stockbroker, or even Gordon after his three-martini lunch.  In any case, there was a hilarious mix of “oh-no-she-dii-ent” with a whole lot of silliness.  What a fun night!  But it got me thinking.  What is it about people that gets them so caught up in the moment (usually alcohol induced) that it seems a whole different person takes over their body?  So much so that you look at them and wonder, WHO are you?  For me, at very specific times, that complete alter ego transformation has been Roxie Hart from the musical Chicago.  More specifically, Renee Zellweger’s little number in the movie version.  And even more specifically, the part where she’s singing about how one day she will be so famous that her name will be on the tip everyone’s lips.  Here’s the bit. Yeah, I had that shtick down pat (or so I thought) many moons ago.  I don’t know what possessed me (probably alcohol mixed with girlfriends egging me on), but the last time my “Roxie came to life” was on a boat party.  She appeared well after the clock struck midnight.  Today I thank the good Lord that cameras had not been added to cell phones yet.  Oh the horror of it.  So, here’s what happened on that boat.  All the guys were up on deck hanging out smoking cigars and us girls were downstairs cackling like a bunch of hens.  I had controls of the music which not only played lower deck, but also blared upper deck.  So I queued the Roxie song, ran up the stairs and got into position as I was going perform my little number, for my girlfriends, as I sexily  (at least I thought) walked (probably stumbled) down the stairs.  Just like Roxie would have, right?  So I got through it and everyone cheered.  They loved me, right?  I’m a star, right?  At least that’s what sloshed around my brain.  So I thought, what the hell?  Let’s do it again!  An encore, right?  In reality, I’m sure it was more like oy vey, isn’t one time enough?  Yet, once again I queued the song, ran to the top of the steps to begin.  This time surely I will outdo the last.  But as I got halfway down the stairs the song changed.  What?  Oh blasted!  So I restarted it and the same thing happened.  I even tried a third and the song changed, this time right after the first two couple beats.  Well, I was just one frustrated starlet being denied her spotlight dammit!  I ran up to the deck to tell my  husband that the stereo is broken.  “It keeps changing my song,” I yelled!  Well, wouldn’t you know?  He also had controls of the music from the upper deck and was the one changing it!  “But I want to do my routine again for the girls,” I clamored.  Probably more like slewed…  “No Honey, that’s enough.  Nobody wants to see Roxie again.  In fact, it’s time she go away.  Far far away for the love of God,” he nicely suggested.   So there you have it.  A starlet’s dreams squashed right before her very eyes.  And Roxie has been in hibernation ever since.  Probably a good thing.  Yet, now that I think about it, perhaps it’s time for a comeback.  Perhaps Roxie will make a guest appearance at the next Girls’ Night StoryClub?  Hmmm.  Rehearsals beginning soon.  But don’t tell the hubs.

A Girls’ Night Gift for Mom’s Day

So here’s the deal.  You can get the Mom’s in your life flowers. Yawn, same old same old.  Or candy.  Way too many carbs and half the box sucks anyway.  Or a massage, which is nice, but she hardly has the time in her day to squeeze it in.  OR…you can get her something innovative.  Fun.  An exciting experience that is guaranteed to get her AND her girlfriends laughing their asses off.  It’s StoryClub.  The hilarious new girls’ night that is being touted as “Sex and the City meets book club.”  Women love it!  A perfect gift for your mom, sister, wife, girlfriend, aunt, etc.  And while you’ll be scoring major points for the lovely ladies in your life, you’ll be doing a really good thing as 5 bucks for each sold game goes directly to The Center for Women…an amazing organization that helps women succeed everyday!

Dear Sisters,

…..from one of my lovely ‘sisters’.  Thanks Steph!

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day,
drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As
they talked about life, about marriage, about the
responsibilities of life and the obligations of
adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her
glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance
upon her daughter..

‘Don’t forget your sisters,’ she advised, swirling
the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. ‘They’ll
be more important as you get older. No matter how
much you love your husband, no matter how much you
love the children you may have, you are still going
to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now
and then; do things with them.’

‘Remember that ‘sisters’ means ALL the women…
your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other
women relatives too. ‘You’ll need other women. Women
always do.’

What a funny piece of advice!’ the young woman
thought. Haven’t I just gotten married?
Haven’t I just joined the couple-world? I’m now a
married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely
my husband and the family we may start will be all I
need to make my life worthwhile!’

But she listened to her mother. She kept contact
with her sisters and made more women friends each
year. As the years tumbled by, one after another,
she gradually came to understand that her mother really
knew what she was talking about. As time and nature
work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman,
sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world,
here is what I’ve learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don’t do what they’re supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.
BUT………

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how
many miles are
between you. A girl friend is never farther away
than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you
have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life
will be on the valley’s rim, cheering you on,
praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on
your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the
valley’s end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk
beside you….Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,
daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,
Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended
family: all bless our life!

The world wouldn’t be the same without women, and
neither would I.. When we began this adventure called
womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or
sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we
would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on
to all the women who help make your life meaningful.

Full House of Stories

Here’s to one of my best girlfriends from childhood and today. Debbie Glassberg had a dream. As an industrial designer she acted on that dream and designed and built a house out of shipping containers. Yes, those giant transatlantic boxes you see at the ports that contain all that China ships stateside. And, I must add, I think her creation is, hands down, the most stylish of homes. I expected it to be as even as a young girl, Debbie has always been one of the most creative people I know. Her 2,600 square foot container home not only geothermal heated (which means her utilities are pretty much zero, but her entire yard and roof gardening is filled with edible veggie, fruit, and flower shrubs and trees. I  know that every square inch of the property has a story to tell. Click on the link above and you’ll see how chic shipping containers can be. Major Props Deb! For more info, click here to see Home Contained!

Love + Deception = Hollywood

StoryClub on YouTube

Click here to see what all the fun is about!

Does love really conquer all?

Garret wants it all. Fame, fortune, and love. But being such a public figure keeps him from outwardly having all three. The fame and fortune are easy as his well-known last name is synonymous with one of the world’s great oil fortunes. It’s his secret love with Claudia that no one can know about. She is the beautiful and glamorous hostess at the city’s exclusive Russian Tea House. But that’s not all Claudia is. She is an international spy. She employs a bevy of high-caliber beauties masquerading as elite escorts. But really, these ladies are expertly trained to collect powerful secrets from the city’s top business executives to which Claudia transmits back to her homeland. Garret, being a regular customer at the Tea House, has fallen deeply in love with her. And breaking Rule #1 with her employer, Claudia has returned his affections. Behavior that results in fatal consequences if learned. Could she ever truly and fully commit to Garret? It would mean breaking every rule she’d every known. Could they escape or would they be running for their life forever? Does love really conquer all?

Girls night in. Girls night out. Tomato. Tomoto.

Who cares really?  Whether is a night in or a night out, just do it!  Make the time ladies.  We’re all exhausted, multitaskers with way too many responsibilities.  Getting together with your girlfriends is terrific therapy.  Girlfriend therapy.  Here are a couple of ideas/reasons to get together that are guaranteed to erase the drama of your daily life … even if it’s only for just one night.

 

 

*  StoryClub Gather your girlfriends for a couple of hours of literally escaping life’s drama!  This new girls’ night game is all about writing stories with your friends.  Oh, and laughing your head off!  It comes with starter cards and people, places and things cards.  And a storybook!  Risque?  Depends on your girlfriends.  And wine consumption of course.  Thirty bucks at http://storyclubgames.com.

*  UnMomClub Leave the homework, dinner, laundry with the hubs and head out with your mom pals.  Every gathering has a theme.  Something to do with being a mom…but not about mothering!  Remember, we’re trying to escape our worries for a night.  So, perhaps a theme is high school prom.  Everyone brings photos and stories to giggle over.

*  PokerClub Hey, ladies.  It aint just for the guys.  Learn to play, it’s a blast!  Especially when there are pretty effervescent cocktails and decadent nibbles.

*  CultureClub No not the Boy George type!  For those who really want to escape reality for a night.  Head to the theater, gallery, symphony, or any other artsy-fartsy gig that’s going on in your town.  Make it a group thing where you all doll up and grab a bite before or after.   Good for the sole and mind.

*  CelebrateAnythingClub I got a raise! Woohoo!  It’s Joanie’s birthday. Yippe!  It’s Thursday! Hell yeah!  Come on ladies.  Look around and celebrate the little things in life.  They’re all around you.  Especially when girlfriends get together.

Girls’ Night StoryClub a la Disney

Pearls, Guns & Cannolis

People only knew of Delilah.  She and her current husband, Deangelo, had quietly moved into the penthouse in The Plaza Hotel a few years back.  Word about town was that she’d been widowed twice and was possibly one of the wealthiest women in America.  Some say he could be traced back to one of the most influential Sicilian mafia bosses in history as it  was rumored that his mother’s maiden name was Vizzini.  The couple lived a reclusive life.  And while he was a mystery, stories and photos of her circulated all over the internet.  Delilah was an old world glamorous beauty.  Every portrait of her revealed her love for multi-strand  opera length pearls.  Of her previous husbands, the first was a sheikh who met his unfortunate end in an airplane crash for which the cause was still unsolved after 20+ years.  Her second husband was a wealthy Italian businessman who, in the midst of a monumental business deal, died of a sudden heart attach.  Each leaving Delilah with billions.  The hotel daytime concierge, Jason, had not had a request from their suite all week long.  This was highly unusual as he normally attended to their needs multiple times each week.  Worried, he conferred with Amir, the hotel manager.  “Perhaps they’re out of town,” Jason said.  Yet, both of them knew something was amiss as it was common knowledge that the couple had not shown their faces in public since the day they moved in.  Amir called the police who had already received a puzzling email about the couple.  Yet, as they entered the suite, they found no sign of the couple.  What they did find on the bureau were Delilah’s pearls perfectly draped over a Smith & Wesson, and a partially eaten cannoli…