Angela Olsen says, “In a pinch, you can use a lid that doesn’t fit the pot quite right, but it just makes a mess!”
by Angela Olsen
Patti Stanger recently announced via Twitter that she broke off her engagement to her love of six years, Andy Friedman. I remember gasping at the exquisite four-carat, heart-shaped, diamond, which Andy traveled all the way to Israel to purchase for her (from a conflict-free region)! Now, as the proverbial cobbler’s children have no shoes, the wedding is off, and the world’s most famous matchmaker is single!
What gives? What went wrong, and why do people break up? Patti Stanger sat in as a guest host on the Joy Behar Show on the 23rd, and dished with several relationship experts. She asked Cooper Lawrence, author of Been There Done That Kept the Jewelry “Why do people break up?” Says Cooper, “People break up because going into the relationship they didn’t know what they wanted and they get into the relationship and go, ‘wait a minute-I didn’t want this!”
I’ll drink to that! In Patti’s book Become Your Own Matchmaker, which she discussed with me at The Mohegan Sun Casino on Valentine’s Weekend, Step Four is “Qualifying the Buyer.” In this chapter, Patti discusses non-negotiables. These are “deal breakers” which for Patti and Andy, was her desire to have children. Andy changed his mind, and now doesn’t want children.
As a woman, I know that this chapter can be a challenge; you’re attracted to someone, feeling the sparks, butterflies in the tummy. Nothing will scare a man off faster than nailing him with fifty-questions about his financial goals, and how many children he wants, etc.. However, if you don’t coyly figure these details out, you can waste months or years of your time with Mr. Wrong. I’ve been there, done that, kept the jewelry!
As a new season approaches, change is in the air. Fall fashion, as my Resident on the Street Lindsey Castelberry says, is reason for great excitement! As I say goodbye to Summer, and one Mr. Wrong, who was courting me, I’m looking forward to what’s next. The Universe is abundant, and Every Pot Has a Lid!
What are your five non-negotiables? Here are Patti’s categories: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual and Financial.
(l-r) Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum, Chairman, Mohegan Tribal Council honors KISS members Tommy Thayer, lead guitarist, Paul Stanley, lead vocalist/guitarist, Eric Singer, drummer and Gene Simmons,bassist/lead vocals, at Mohegan Sun’s Walk of Fame.
by Christopher Annino
Connecticut wanted the best and Connecticut got the best, the hottest band in the world, KISS! They played at the Mohegan Sun on August 19th and a crowd of lucky KISS followers, known as the KISS Army, gathered in droves to witness one of the greatest shows on earth. What other form of entertainment offers a fire breathing demon monster who can jump 50 feet in the air, a flamboyant front-man flying around the audience, a levitating drumming cat man and a man from outer space playing guitar licks that are out of this world?
The band filled arenas and stadiums for 40 years and is a part of Rock-n-Roll history with their legendary stage theatrics and countless albums sold worldwide – including their current one, “Sonic Boom.” With their larger-than-life personas and devotion to their fans, KISS sold millions of albums worldwide.
KISS’s current line-up consists of the original founders, lead vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley and bassist/lead vocals Gene Simmons and new members, lead guitarist Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer on drums.
Minutes before KISS took the stage, the band was inducted into the Mohegan Sun’s Walk of Fame. During the induction, Paul Stanley jokingly said to the crowd, “Why aren’t you all in the arena enjoying the opening bands [Tester, Envy, and The Academy Is]?”
Flames and fireworks spouted as KISS ascended onto the stage on a hovering apparatus. The show was full of their Platinum songs, including, a rare rendition of Led Zeplin’s “Whole Lotta Love” by front man Paul Stanley.
“My first kiss concert was in 1979 at the Springfield Civic Center. I was 7 years old and I was amazed then, and I am even more amazed now with what they can do. KISS is ageless,” said Karen Gianetti, Springfield, MA.
After performing their fist encore, KISS dedicated $170,000 to the Wounded Warriors Fund, for war veterans wounded while serving our country. “The brave men and women who serve this great country of ours are the real hero’s and we have great respect for each and every one of them” said front man Paul Stanley.
KISS then went on to play another two encores before ending with there signature song “Rock and Roll all Night.”
Hank Schwartz’s book won this year’s Independent Book Publisher’s Gold Medal, Sports Division.
by Roger Zotti
If anyone is positioned to write about his work as a boxing promoter and fan of the sport, it’s Brooklyn-born Hank Schwartz. A WWII Veteran, graduate from Brooklyn Polytech, and an expert on satellite and microwave technology, Hank promoted one of the most famous fights of all time – the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the 1974 Muhammad Ali – George Foreman heavyweight championship bout in Zaire. (At the time, his vice-president was Don King.) Hank was also responsible for the 1973 Foreman – Joe Frazier bout in Jamaica and the third Ali-Frazier contest, the ‘Thrilla in Manila.’”
Now Hank and his collaborator, Paige Stover Hague, have written From the Corners of the Ring to the Corners of the Earth: The Adventure Behind the Champions (CIVCOM). Winner of the 2010 Independent Book Publisher’s Gold Medal in the Sports Division, the book is immensely entertaining, exciting and informative – for Hank takes the reader on an often surreal and hilarious journey behind the scenes of “the Golden Era of heavyweight boxing.”
Hank says many boxers – unfortunately – don’t know when to retire because “boxing is a gladiatorial sport … when you fight like a gladiator, you live in a world that, in your own mind, you have a position to defend. So you never want to say or think, ‘Well, I’ve had it. You take it over … and leave me alone.’ When they become mentally put down, that’s the time they’ll retire.” Heavyweight fighters, Hank continues, “almost paint a picture of themselves as being back in the Roman era fighting in the Coliseum against other gladiators … The heavyweight fighter is a machine trained to deliver powerful blows” and today’s heavyweights aren’t as good “as those before because I don’t see any of them as delivering the amount of power and speed delivered by Ali, Frazier and Foreman. If I were back in the industry, I would [search hard] to find better talent in the heavyweight area.” This doesn’t mean Hank believes the heavyweight division is dead. Rather, he hopes its glory can be restored using “the newer technology.” The sport “can be broadcast into homes in high definition television and taken in on the Internet, allowing you to [watch] it on your time.”
One of most laugh-out-loud chapters involves George Foreman, who wouldn’t fly to Zaire – for his title fight against Ali – unless his dog Diego was allowed to sit next to him on the plane. Somehow Hank, reeling in disbelief, persuaded incredulous American Airplanes officials to permit man’s best friend to sit beside George and travel first class. Of course, Ali exploited the situation. (See pages 246-47. It’s Ali at his funniest.)
“Ali’s Last Hurrah” is one of saddest chapters. Before the 1980 Larry Holmes fight, Hank reviewed Ali’s medical records: “I suggested the fight be canceled… this would allow Ali to retire with dignity and in relative good health.” But Ali disagreed. At the end of the tenth round Angelo Dundee, Ali’s trainer, stopped the one-sided bout, proving Ali should never have fought the younger, stronger Holmes.
(l-r) Dodie Milardo, author of “Penelope’s Cruise,”greets Frank and Barbara Burke and Bill and Amber Daoust at the signing of her first novel.
story & photo by Angela Olsen
Historic Downtown Essex was abuzz with foot traffic on a picture-perfect Sunday afternoon on August 1st. Amidst the friendly vendors welcoming visitors was Susan McCann, owner of Essex Books, hosting a signing of Dodie Milardo’s first novel, Penelope’s Cruise. In an age of websites like Amazon.com, it’s refreshing to see that shops like Susan’s are not obsolete. She personally greeted every passer-by with a warm smile, and urged them to stop and meet Dodie, who donates 90% of the net profits of the sale of “Penelope’s Cruise” to charities!
Dodie never imagined that she would pen a novel; she was a math major, and worked for one of the nation’s largest financial firms. Several coincidences took place, one after another, and as Dodie told some of her co-workers about them, they encouraged her to write them down in a book.
In 2006, Dodie decided to start writing her novel, and at the same time, she and her husband found themselves in a secure enough financial position, where she was able to leave her job and focus on the writing. She notes that they are not affluent, rather that living within their means, and differentiating between wanting and needing another dress is the key to financial peace.
“The words spilled out of me! I couldn’t type them fast enough on my computer.” In fact, Dodie was actually invited to a book signing before the book even went to press by the Killingworth Women’s Organization. She used an on-demand publisher and is now living her dream giving love to those in need.
Eager to meet Dodie was 18-year-old Amber Daoust of Cromwell, a pretty, slender, soft-spoken girl who looks to Dodie as a mentor and female role model of sorts. She traveled all the way from Cromwell with her grandfather and their rescue dog, Chuck, a pit-bull/boxer mix, whose previous owners burned the pads on his paws with cigarettes! Chuck travels everywhere with them.
Amber learned of a contest Dodie was having, where the best romance stories would all be published in a book. I looked at the youngster and said, “Romance?!” It turns out that although Amber’s story is not a steamy anecdote, she has lived well beyond her 18 years, raised by her grandfather, and, well, has a tale of survival much like Chuck. Writing is her passion, and Dodie was blown away by her remarkable story and gift for the written word. She is now in the process of applying to college!
For people who love to give, but prefer not to read romance, Dodie Milardo will donate the $15 for Penelope’s Cruise to the charity of the buyer’s choice, and send the book to military personnel. For more information please visit: www.togiveisdivine.com.
Michael Maderia, Stonington High School graduate, 1969, authors a book that simplifies a massive subject.
by Roger Zotti
I taught wine for a long time and I find that people look for an understandable way to approach it, because the subject intimidates them,” said Michael Maderia, author of The Song of Wine: Music as a Metaphor for Wine. Writing his book was “an effort” because it meant “simplifying a massive subject that is intimidating.” So Michael used “another subject – music – that doesn’t intimidate us because we grow up with it.” He added that his musical background “is that of a lover of music. I have no professional background. I’ve played guitar and drums most of my life. But really this book isn’t written from the point of view of a music or wine expert. It’s written by someone whose favorite moments in life – well, music and wine have been a big part of those moments. And I found they go together really well.”
A Certified Sommelier, Michael has worked in hospitality for twenty-five years. In the 1980s, he said, “I took over the dining-room management at Flood Tide Restaurant at The Inn at Mystic and we had a pretty good wine list written by a purveyor. But there was no one on staff who understood wine.” So he educated himself and researched wine “pretty much the way someone would write a term paper – by studying and investigating and making sense of the subject.” And he hasn’t stopped learning and teaching: “I was an inn-keeper for twenty-five years and have taught wine both to wait staff and dinner classes.”
How and where does one start with wine? I mean, I suppose I have to pay big bucks for a bottle of “quaffable” red or white. “No!”Michael said. “This book recommends a procedure exactly for that.” Of the five thousand grapes used to produce wine, Michael suggests learning eight of them – “and I list the eight in the book. Once you learn the eight and reach a comfort level with them, after that you can begin to explore elsewhere.”
Here’s what Michael – who now works as a sommelier at a private golf club in Rhode Island – hopes readers take away from his book: “As we choose the music of our lives, we learn to understand what we enjoy. We love the music that’s part of our lives.” It’s the same with wine. “There’s this worry in wine drinkers they’re supposed to taste and enjoy what someone else likes – and that’s not the case. I’d be happy if people realized that their own favorite wines should be their own favorites.”
Reaction to the book has been good, though Michael admitted “it’s not a subject that will ever be a best-seller. It’s a specialized subject. The people who have enjoyed it – especially young people new to wine – have found it helpful.”
Michael Maderia took a diverse and daunting subject and – in clear, often lyrical prose – demystified it and made it exciting and enjoyable. His metaphoric technique demonstrates his knowledge, passion and appreciation for wine and music. The Song of Wine is a marvelous introduction to wine.
So, folks, forget what Miles, Paul Giamatti’s character in the film Sideways, said about Merlot and instead let’s treat ourselves to a glass.
