Category: Music that moves me

Fun Things to do in Connecticut – Part II

There are plenty of fun things to do in Connecticut, no matter what the season, hence why I’m sharing Part II…

 

Low Cost Indoor Event:

Attend the annual Northeast RV & Camping Show at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT

The RVs are sweet and much larger on the inside than they appear on the outside!  Also some of them have showers,  mood lighting, ambience – definitely a must see event!

 

 

Free Family Fun:

Go to the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New Haven, CT

In March of 2018, I had the pleasure of driving around News Anchor Jocelyn Maminta on the New Haven parade route.  I drove one of the News 8 vehicles – a Range Rover.  Jocelyn had recently sustained an injury and could not get around so i was her driver for the day.  What an incredible experience actually being in the largest parade in Connecticut!

 

What a great sight to see!
Happily driving in the parade
Jocelyn Maminta was born to be in a parade!

 

Loved hanging out in the Range Rover with Jocelyn Maminta, Mark Davis and Keith Kountz in the Greater New Haven 2018 St. Patrick’s Day Parade!

Good (One Price) Eating:

Check out a restaurant or two or three at the bi-annual (Spring and Fall) New Haven Restaurant Weeks – New Haven, CT.  There are so many good choices (all with Prix Fixe Lunch and Dinner prices.  We ate at one of my favs:  Pacifico where I had the salmon, a side dish, beet salad, a glass of Malbec and coconut ice cream for dessert- yum!

In past New Haven Restaurant Weeks in the Spring or Fall I have eaten at Harvest Wine Bar and Restaurant where I also had the salmon but this time with julienne carrots and beets, a side salad, a dessert and water with lemon.

 

Brew Baby:

Hang out at one of Connecticut’s most talked about new breweries:  Brewport – Bridgeport’s Connecticut’s Brewery and Restaurant where the only things on the menu to eat are specialty pizzas and gourmet salads…

Yummy Pizza
Me and my girls getting ready to grub!
Delish salad!

 

Connecticut’s Live Theater:

 

Here;s the Six Pack: The Bushnell, Waterbury Palace Theater, The Garde Arts Center, Shubert Theater, The Stamford Palace Theater and the Warner Theater

 

This season you can check out Cameron Mackintosh’s version of Phantom  – Waterbury Palace Theater – Waterbury, CT this season – it’s spectacular!

 

Or Beautiful  (Carole King’s story) at the legendary Shubert Theater, New Haven, CT – a must see!!

 

Or try on Crowns for size at the Long Wharf Theater, New Haven, CT.  It’s a gospel musical celebration which appeals to theater goers young and old alike.

 

Me and my girlfriend Mia at Crowns at Long Wharf Theater

 

That’s it for now.  So remember, there are plenty of fun things to do in Connecticut all year long and some are even low cost or free so enjoy!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

 

Count Your Blessings…

I can’t believe it’s August already which means that Summer is almost over, Boo!  To add insult to injury, the changeable weather in Connecticut has me feeling kinda blah…If you too are finding yourself feeling some kinda way and are looking for solutions,  here’s my list of ways to shake it off (smile).

First things first, Count Your Blessings.   I’ve been known to throw a pity party and not invite anyone but myself and that never ends well.   The quickest solution is to start counting my blessings no matter how large or small.  Works like a charm…

 

 

Take a Mental Health Day – sometimes you just need to forget about work and take the day off, strictly for the purpose of resting and relaxing your mind…

 

 

Get organized  – Declutter – Put things back where they belong – sometimes just getting organized takes a load off your mind and makes you feel accomplished (smile).

 

Surround yourself with positive people.   Life is too short to be made miserable by another person(s).  You can truly ‘do bad all by yourself’ as mama used to say (smile).

Listen to music that you absolutely love – the 70s is my Go-To decade so you’ll find me listening to one or more of the following musical genres:  Soul, Rock, Pop, R & B or Disco.  It instantly puts me in a good mood.

 

 

This is not necessarily going to be easy but try turning off the desktop, the laptop, the cell phone, the iPad, etc.,  for even a few half hours  at a time.  You’ll be amazed at how good you feel.

 

 

Read a book by your favorite author or grab a self-help book.  Either one will do the trick.

 

 

Take a power nap – quick, short naps not only rejuvenate you but they improve your mood, alertness and performance.

 

 

Exercise for life – make working out a part of your daily life – not a dreaded thing to do.   Whether you belong to a gym, or work out at home, it’s one of the best ways to stay in shape, be healthy, combat stress, reduce fatigue and improve your sleep.

 

 

Get involved in a sport that you have not played in years.  I used to be able to jump rope for hours at a time as a child so trying it again recently brought back some fond memories.

 

 

Play with pets –  whether they are your own, your friends or your neighbors  – pets can easily bring a smile to your face and make your worries go away.

 

 

And finally, Count Your Blessings, again…if you have a sound mind, good health, family, faith, friends and work, you’re already ahead in the Game of Life.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

 

Yoga Anyone?

As I mentioned before in Check out my blog post:  Cave Girl, I work Monday through Friday on 100% commission in media ad sales, a super stressful, extremely competitive industry.   Consequently, on the weekends (or even some weeknights) I’m on the look-out for new ways to de-stress.

 

 

 

Yoga has become a new ‘old way.‘  Full Moon Yoga with Gong Meditation that is.  It’s my new go-to when the gym (Edge Fitness in Hamden) although helpful in terms of working up a sweat, building lean muscle, burning calories and fat, etc. still leaves me with a busy mind…

 

 

 

At this point I’m looking more for something that helps me to relax to the point of emptying my mind and filling it with good clear thoughts.

 

My solution has become Full Moon Yoga with Gong Meditation.  It’s offered once a month at the Yoga Community Center in Hamden, on the Friday closest to the Full Moon. It’s  held from 7pm to 9pm.  It’s wise not to go on a full stomach and light refreshments are served afterwards.  It costs $22 for one session or $60 for three sessions.  Everything takes place on the second floor in a large yellow walled yoga studio with soft lighting and relaxing music.  Mats, blankets and other yoga equipment are provided if you do not have your own.  Quick tip: don’t forget your water bottle.  Kundalini Yoga is practiced in the first hour and the second hour (while you are now lying on your mat, covered in a blanket with your eyes closed) focuses on deep sound healing and relaxation via Gong Meditation.  This is where you hear an actual gong being struck repeatedly for a good hour.  The gong vibrations (after two or more sessions) will cause you to experience deep relaxation.  The goal of  each of these sessions is to “elevate awareness and rebalance your physical, emotional and spiritual bodies.”  I remember the first or second time I went I felt like I was walking on actual clouds for at least an hour after the session (smile).

 

Here’s the room where all the magic happens…

 

If interested, you may register online at yourcommunityyoga.com or call them at (203) 287-2277.  Drop-Ins, however, are always welcome.

Namaste!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

Made of Wood…

I’m listening to a ’70s station on the Sirius radio the other day and one of my favorite songs by The Dramatics comes on, “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get,” and it really got me thinking…

 

They don’t make music like they used to…

 

It also served to remind me that I grew up in a time when records were made of vinyl and album covers (LP or “long playing” covers) were a small piece of art.  Records (disc formats: 33s, 45s and 78 RPMs) were played on boxy turntables back in the day and we even owned one that had a needle that needed a penny on top of it just to keep it stable (smile) and they were affordable!  A 45 single could run you somewhere between 75 cents to one dollar and a whole album (LP) could run from eight to ten dollars… Also, your favorite song wasn’t as accessible as it is today.  There was no Google or other search engines to go to when you just had to hear your song.  You actually had to wait and hope the DJ would play it on the radio or better yet, your parents owned the record so you could play it at your leisure.

 

I loved Saturdays though because although we did not have YouTube, what we did have featured a lot of Rhythm & Blues & Soul music all in one place.   It was called Soul Train (the musical variety show on TV).  It was the center of my world back then and my show!  I planned my Saturdays around it.

 

 

I marveled at the dancing, the fashions, the too-easy-to-solve word puzzles, and Don Cornelius’s ability to use his charismatic personality to captivate audiences each and every week.

 

I wanted his job, as it seemed like it was more a labor of love than a daily grind.

 

At any rate, the 70’s were a special time, there were no smart phones for people to listen to music out of and dare I say, we were far less distracted as a result.   Plus, music seemed to possess real meaning, as we sang along to heartfelt lyrics which oftentimes conjured up deep thoughts.

 

‘Watcha See Is Watcha Get’ by The Dramatics is just one example from the ’70s of a heartfelt song with meaning.   As it turned out, it was far more than a song lyric, it was a way of life for me, a pre-teen coming of age in the small town of Groton, CT…

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL