(l-r) Patti Stanger, The Millionaire Matchmaker, gave Angela Olsen, Groton, advice on attracting her perfect mate at her Boot Camp.
by Angela Olsen
photo by Alexis Ann
February 14th this year, marked the return of my favorite straight-talking, no B.S. East Coast born, third-generation matchmaker, Patti Stanger of Bravo’s “Millionaire Matchmaker.” The Universe must have heard my pleas, because when I picked up the Resident, I discovered that Patti Stanger would be at Mohegan Sun for a book signing on Valentine’s weekend. Her new book “Become Your Own Matchmaker: 8 Easy Steps for Attracting Your Perfect Mate” was my Valentine to myself.
Alexis introduced Patti to readers in the last issue. She owns The Millionaires Club, and uses old-fashioned courtship rules to help people find true love. The rules are firm. The millionaires must take the person they select on a five-star date, and let me be clear, sex is not allowed unless the client is involved in a committed, monogamous relationship. Also, gold-digging or asking for cash is forbidden.
I am 31 and single, without a date for two years, after the breakup of a long-term relationship. Known for her sharp tongue and not mincing words, I was curious to hear what Patti had to say. Am I damaged goods? Too fat? A shrew? I know that I was not getting honest answers from friends and family, and there had to be some blockage on my part to have a two-year dry spell. When I met Patti, she told me to “Bring my A-game with questions to the Boot Camp.”
The Boot Camp was her first ever; the room was cozy, with complimentary cocktails, sort of like one of the “mixers” on her show. There were women spanning several generations, a few straight men who were dragged along by their spouses, and a small number of gay men. In the front of the room were “fame-seekers,” one of which was a 23-year-old woman who kept interrupting Patti, and posing à la Paris Hilton.
I listened to her fish for compliments until I nearly choked on my complimentary Bellini. Twenty-three-year old girls, who wear a size zero do not need advice on how to meet men! I decided to throw myself into the shark tank.
I stood up, in my ill-fitting jeans, a gray top washed too many times and my distance glasses, which I thought were quite fashionable. Motivated by the airhead, I decided to ask a real question. “Patti, in the first chapter of your book, you say that healing from past relationships lasts for 30, 60, or 90 days. I left a 9-year relationship in which I did not receive the commitment, aka the ring, for which I was hoping. It’s been almost two years, and I am not sure where I fit in. I have been dressing like a ‘shlumpadinka,’ and kind of lost myself. What should I do?”
She had a field day with me – cutting me off and telling me I am depressed! She said I am giving off bad energy, “Just listen to yourself, ‘I didn’t get the ring.’ GET OVER IT!” She said I am no longer in “Dating Detox,” but in the following chapter, “Mirror Mirror,” which is about “bringing sexy back.”
She told me to stop complaining about dressing like a shlumpadinka beacuse it gives off a negative vibe. She told me to lose the glasses and opt for Lasik surgery or contact lenses. Patti encouraged exercise because it produces feel-good responses in the brain. She also suggested I purchase a product made by Panasonic which, how shall I say this delicately, will help me begin to feel sensual again.
Immediately following the Boot Camp, the fame-seekers scattered and I was bombarded by women, real, live, adult women. They were moved by my question and also by Patti’s response. Some women felt the need to protect and comfort me, and others thanked me for asking because they had similar experiences. I did not feel victimized, I felt empowered. I knew that Patti Stanger was not going to sugar-coat anything for me, and that is such a massive part of her appeal!
I stopped Patti to thank her for her candor, and when we were alone, she said, “If you were hot once, you can be hot again. You have a movie-star face. I wish I had a face like that.” I left feeling energized, because now that I am in my thirties, I would not want to be the vapid, jaded, and self-absorbed twenty-something I once was, I like my mind so much better now, and yet I think many women can identify with a physical fall from grace.
Apparently, the power to attract the perfect mate is in my hands. It was an insightful afternoon. I am going to implement her advice and her club rules into my own life and see where it takes me. It was also refreshing to have a famous woman who lives in Los Angeles, surrounded by “Perfect 10’s” give me such a lovely compliment. Honestly, it felt good!
“...Even though I can tell a story, writing it is completely different.” - Monroe S Tarver
by Roger Zotti
For Monroe S Tarver, the most difficult things about writing children’s books are “choosing the right words and knowing who you’re writing it for. Though I can tell a story, writing it is completely different.”
Monroe aimed his entrancing “Imagia and the Magic Pearls: Tales from the Mapmaker” (Wizarding World Press) at four to eight year olds. He explained that “parents are the ones who usually make the choice about buying the book. So, you have to appeal to them. They’ll ask questions like, ‘What is the book going to teach my child? Is it easy for them to read? Something they’re going to be interested in?’”
Actually Monroe – with his captivating and vigorous illustrations – was an artist before he became a writer. “The writing came much later,” he said. “I would draw different characters that never had a big story behind them.” But when he was working for a company in Winston Salem, North Carolina, a co-worker saw his work and suggested he create a story for his characters. “So, I wrote my first story and everybody loved it – and that’s when it all started.”
In “Imagia and the Magic Pearls,” the main character, Imagia, is an elf princess who’s black. As Monroe pointed out in a press release, “The recent controversy over Justine Labalestier’s cover reinforces that skin color still matters in publishing.” Justine’s book, “Liar,” is about a short-haired black female, but her publisher decided to put a long-haired, light-skinned female on the cover because he felt it would sell better. Justine disagreed but was overruled. Monroe said he and his publisher “both felt it was important to place my ethnic elf princess on the cover of my book. We are really going to be testing this.”
Imagia “spends most of her time studying,” Monroe said. “She’s getting ready to become a queen, doesn’t have any friends, and is instructed not to leave the palace.” But one day she discovers a tunnel, crawls through it, and finds herself outside the palace. Enter a “thinking fluttery” named Flutterwalk, who has blue hair and “two large purple antennas … Its wings were yellow and orange … soft and shimmery.” Soon her adventure with her new friend begins.
Later, we learn that Imagia and Flutterwalk “were being watched by the evil Queen Baddora” – who sees “the large pearl in the center of the crown on Imagia’s head.” The wicked Baddora exclaims that the pearl “will be mine!” She knows it will grant her powers “greater than anyone else in the world.”
What the immensely talented Monroe S Tarver hopes readers take away from his book is the importance and power of imagination. “Today there are so many things going on in the world that kids don’t get a lot of time just to imagine,” he said. When he was young, Monroe’s parents gave him time and encouragement to imagine, and he believes, “If parents give their kids encouragement to use their imaginations, there’s no telling what kids can do when they get older.”
Leslie Tryon, Westerly, author and illustrator of the Albert Series, reads from Albert’s Alphabet as children sit in rapt attention.
story & photo
by Maren Schober
Despite this cold blustery wintry day in Niantic, children with their parents pour into the Children’s Museum of Southeastern Connecticut on Saturday, February 6th. Excitement is in the air. The children are eager to meet some of their favorite Connecticut children’s authors and to listen to their stories.
“This is our first time hosting this event,” Melissa Gula, Director of Guest Services, tells me. “We are very excited about the opportunity!”
Connecticut Loves To Read Day is sponsored by the Southeastern Connecticut Reading Association whose goal is to promote literacy. It is celebrated every year. Four gifted authors are on hand to read and interact with the children today.
Leslie Tryon, Westerly, author and illustrator of the Albert Series, is on hand to read from Albert’s Alphabet. Albert the school carpenter is assigned a task that seems virtually impossible! He has to build an alphabet for the walking path on the school playground by six o’clock using all twenty six letters. How is he ever going to finish in time? The children listen in rapt attention.
“I began drawing almost as soon as I learned to walk,” Leslie comments. “I toddled into my father’s art studio and discovered his art supplies! I wrote and illustrated my first full story when I was in the fifth grade. I am delighted to know that my books are embraced by teachers and librarians.”
Joe Podurgiel’s Fresh Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes is a delightfully dramatic tale of a young robin whose love for blueberries gets him into trouble with Farmer Brown who loves blueberry buttermilk pancakes. The illustrations are outstanding watercolors by Katerina Green.
“About ten years ago I went on a business trip,” declares Joe, who is from Quaker Hill. “During that trip I decided to try and write a story to bring home to my kids. I wrote this story in 45 minutes.”
Cheryl Kling, Branford, reads from her book Nature’s Royal Tea Party. “In my story characters from Nature’s Royalty are invited to the May Queen’s tea party. The little Firefly is the messenger who delivers invitations to Queen Mum, Ladybug, Queen Bee, the Frog Prince, the Monarch Butterfly and other royal characters who prepare to celebrate with a secret guest of honor.”
Bob Crelin’s Faces Of The Moon is treasured by school teachers and librarians alike. This book teaches about the Moon and its phases. Each turn of a page the reader watches the moon change. Bob is from Guilford.
“Do you wonder, when you see the Moon, at dusk, or dawn, or midday noon, just why her face is curved, or round, or why she sometimes can’t be found?” reads Bob. “I probably was first inspired as a baby, when my father would always point out the Moon in the sky with me in his arms. ‘Moon’ was the first word I spoke.”
“Everybody, young or old wonders about the Moon in our sky,” Bob continues. “It is the nearest world to Earth in our universe, and is there for all to see-no matter where they live. Learning that the changing Moon is actually telling us clues about her orbit in space is fascinating to any child – from age 5-105!”
“My thoughts were short, my hair was long,” Kid Rock sings.
by Alexis Ann
Kid Rock, the self proclaimed “Devil Without a Cause,” performed in the Mohegan Sun Arena on February 13th. His intriguing mix of rock, hip-hop, country, and funk left the crowd screaming for more.
Kid’s awesome talent and endless energy amped up the crowd as he moved from one instrument to another ending with his drum solo.
Kid performed his worldwide hit single, “All Summer Long” – a song reminiscent of Lynrd Skynard’s “Sweet Home Alabama” – and a variety of covers including “Everyday People” (Sly & The Family Stone) and “Tumblin Dice” (Rolling Stones). Midway through the concert, Kid brought Peter Wolf, lead vocalist for the J Geils Band, onstage to rock out to “Must A Got Lost” and “Love Stinks.”
The crowd howled and stomped the bleachers, the noise reverberating throughout the 10,000 seat arena, as they begged for an encore. Kid responded with “So Hott” and rock anthem “Bawitdaba.” At the end of the concert, Kid, shirtless, sweaty, and just barely keeping his pants up, shouted, “God bless and ROCK ON!”
On February 5th, Aaron Lewis, lead singer and co-founder of Staind, performed his 36th show at Mohegan Sun. Prior to the concert, Aaron was inducted into Mohegan Sun’s Walk of Fame. Aaron performed solo acoustic versions of his well-known hits, as well as, covers of popular songs requested by the audience. The fan favorites were “It’s Been A While” – the most played song of the decade on Rock radio – and a cover of Alice in Chains’ “Rooster” that did Layne Staley proud. This amazingly talented songwriter and musician even diverted from his usual rock style to play an impromptu version of Kermit The Frog’s “Rainbow Connection.” With only a stool and a guitar, Aaron Lewis proved why he is the innovator of some of the most memorable songs of the past decade and Mohegan Sun is the perfect venue to enjoy his talent.
