A Woman of a Certain Age Goes to See Bruce Springsteen: Baby Boomer Concert Tips

As you know, Hubby and I like to go to concerts, mostly of the rock & roll variety. I mean, c'mon, we're Baby Boomers.  We invented rock and roll! 

Every year we go to the outdoor concerts at our local winery, the Chateau Ste. Michelle and the occasional big venue concert (I wrote about one concert year in "What I Did On My Summer Stay-cation: My Summer in Concerts").

That year in a big arena we saw Lionel Ritchie

 
and Cher

and at smaller venues Steve Winwood, ZZ Top, Ringo, Crosby, Stills and Nash and others. 

 

Since then we have seen Paul McCartney,

 

Chicago (yes, that's us with the band),

Gregg Allman,

The Four Seasons,

and of course, Hall & Oates (Hubby's favorite).

There have been so many others I can't keep track. 

Let's just say that even though I don't have a bucket list for life (which I wrote about a couple of years ago in "My Unbucket List"), I did have one for bands - and Bruce Springsteen was one of the last ones on the list.

 

When I heard he was coming to Seattle (and he hadn't been here since 2008), I knew we had to go even though I have come to loathe the big arenas (more about that later).

But concert-going can be a bit tricky for those of us of a certain age, not to mention getting tickets.

So if you are like me, teetering on the edge of old age, but you still like to rock, here are some tips to help make the experience a good one.

 

***Baby Boomer Concert Tips***

• Getting Tickets

So, yes, when musicians come to town and you want to see them, you first have to get tickets.  Now that may seem like one of those, "duh moments," but believe me, that first step to see your favorite artist is NOT a no-brainer.  And for those of us of a certain age, it has become difficult indeed.

Getting tickets for concerts for artists in high demand these days, well, good luck!

The Adele ticket debacle was a wake-up call.  When tickets went on sale, it took 10 minutes just to get onto the Ticketmaster site and by then the tickets were all gone.

Remember that you are competing with not just the Internet bots, but younger people who know all of the tricks for maximizing their computers and smart phones to get tickets.  

At the very least, if you know tickets go on sale at 10am on a certain date, you need to be at your computer or on your smart phone or both ready to rumble so that when 10am rolls around you are competitive.  (Here is what Ticketmaster advises.  And here are some other Ticketmaster tips from a third party). If that all sounds like too much for you, get your grandkids to do it for you.  But you have to be poised and ready, if you want to not only get good seats, but any seats at all.

When you get on the Ticketmaster site, I suggest you choose Best Available and let the site choose your seats.  This is not a time to be picking specific seats or being cheap.  Then you need to decide.  Do I jump on these even if they are not so good?  Or try again?

For a concert like Bruce Springsteen (and considering I got shut out of the Adele concert), I didn't want to take any chances.  I bought the first tickets that popped up.  They were OK seats - top row of the first section at the back of the stadium.  Good thing I did because when I went back in to see if I could do better, the show was sold out!  That was within minutes.

In my experience, no seats at an arena are all that good unless there are chairs on the floor and you get in the first couple of rows.  Unfortunately, these days those first rows are usually held for very high prices or Meet and Greet packages.  In this case, Bruce decided he wanted a mosh pit on the floor so General Admission was standing room.  We learned later that even with that, where you would stand was on a lottery system. 

And for those of us of a certain age, we must decide if we can stand for three hours (and actually in this case, Bruce played for 3 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES)!  Also during the concert, Bruce decided to do some crowd surfing.  It was fun to watch from above, but can you imagine if you were down on the floor and Bruce's body moved over on top of you and you were the one responsible for dropping him? 

And if you can imagine yourself standing down in that crowd for almost four hours, you are more of a rocker than I am!

Bottom line for Ticketmaster:  Have an account with your credit card info already set up (when you find your tickets online, they only hold the tickets for a few minutes), be there when the tickets go on sale and don't dawdle!

Latest news:  Ticketmaster will be selling tickets for some concerts on Facebook. Not sure if that will up us or hinder us.

For smaller venues, some of the same rules apply. 

I mentioned that we like to go to a local winery to listen to concerts on beautiful summer evenings.  Even those tickets are getting harder and harder to get.  We have already have seats for Paul Simon, Don Henley, Steve Miller and Culture Club (Remember Boy George?).  And those concerts are already sold out.  We could not get tickets for Tears for Fears.  Who? I know, what's the deal with that?  Baby Boomers still love the 80's, I guess.  That one is now sold out too.

The seating at the winery is divided between reserved seats in front of the stage and general admission for sitting on the lawn. I call the people who choose the lawn, "Lawn People," and they bring their blankets and chairs and portable tables and mini-fridges, all kinds of things, and set up camp.

The lawn tickets are marginally cheaper than the reserved seats and when you factor in that it's first come first served and ticketholders for the lawn must get to the winery in the early morning to get a place in line for the best spots on the lawn, forget it.  Whatever savings I might get for the tickets would be lost having to get up early on a Saturday to stand in line in the sweltering heat. 

And then there is the actual sitting on the lawn thing.  The spaces on the lawn are over on the sides of the stage and in back of the reserved seats.  So the vantage point is not that good but sitting on the lawn?  No thanks.  I know some people actually enjoy that whole experience and are not interested in the reserved seats.  Not this gal, and if you have aches and pains and creaky knees, I don't recommend it for those of us of a certain age, either, unless you really have your act together with chairs and tables and all of that.  But do you really want to stand in line for hours to get your place to set up camp?

At our age, spring for the reserved seats...and one other little perk for the reserved seats at the winery, reserved seats also include using the toilets in the winery.  No porta-potties for me.  I feel sorry for "the lawn people" when they try to get into the winery to use the toilets and are directed to the porta-potties.  On second thought, I really don't.

• Check out the set list ahead of time

I had mentioned that Bruce played almost four hours.  We sort of knew this going in because Hubby is obsessed with looking up the set list for the tour's previous performances, which you can do, too, at setlist.fm.  (Hubby is also known to stroll up to the stage when the roadies are setting up and taking a look at the set list which is usually sitting on the lip of the stage). Online, he saw that Bruce played 35 songs in L.A.  Though the set list probably varies somewhat from venue to venue, that site is usually a good indicator of what you can expect.  Bruce's tour is called "The River Tour," because he sings the entire "The River" album - and it's a double album! So when he was in Seattle, he sang that album and then ANOTHER 14 SONGS! 

Bruce is not alone in this.  When we saw Lionel Richie, he warned us that he was going to sing "all night long" and he did!  Likewise, Sir Paul was up on stage for three hours straight! And no intermissions! Bruce is 68, Lionel is 66 and Sir Paul was 70 when we saw him.  Those guys love to perform and you practically have to get a hook to get them off the stage.  Except for Sir Paul, they outlasted us!

So do a little research and know ahead of time how long the concert will be.  You can decide if you will be able to hang or not.


OK, so you have your tickets and you know what you are in for. 


The next important tip is to...

• Arrive on time

Many people think they can figure out the line-up, as in when the main attraction will start playing, so they can time their arrival just as the headliner starts and skip the opening act. 

Don't.

For a Gladys Knight/O'Jays concert you would think that the O'Jays would open for Gladys, right?  She was the headliner.  Wrong!  She came out first right at 7pm.  If we had not been interested in the O'Jays and thought they were the opening act and decided to come late, we would have missed Gladys.

I think we will see more and more of that as our idols also get older.  They want to get back to the hotel and go to bed!

And arriving late is also annoying to those of us who go there on time and disrespectful to the performer.

• Potty Breaks and Drinks

Do whatever you need to do so you don't have to get up out of your seat and make me get up out of my seat while the concert is going on. 

If you can't hold your wine, don't drink it... or wear Depends.  And bring enough liquid enjoyment to your seat (where allowed), so you don't need to get up for more.  I have never seen so much activity up and down the aisles of concerts.  It's not only rude to the performer but it's distracting for those of us who are there to hear the music. Do what you have to do, but don't be crawling over me when I am trying to listen to Ringo singing "The Yellow Submarine!"

At the Springsteen concert, we were probably about seven or eight people in off the aisle and when the show started, in stumbled a white-haired couple.  They ploughed over us to get to their seats and already had the glassy expressions of people who had done a bit too much drinky poo already.  I didn't think much of it, even when the man was up out of his chair rockin' and rollin' like mad, splashing his drink all over the people in front of him.  It started to get a bit irritating, though, on his third trip over us to get more drinks and that was just in the first half hour.  Then he didn't return.  Later, though, security showed up to talk to his wife.  Something must have happened to him on that last wine run.  Unfortunately, his wife was passed out in her seat!  These two were at least in their 70's!

Just remember, sex, drugs and rock & roll looked great when we were in our twenties and thirties.  Not so much now.

• Standing

And speaking of standing...if you are not in a standing room only area, keep your standing to a minimum.  I know you still want to show your rock and roll cred by standing up and rocking out. That's OK, but please don't do it for the entire concert unless everyone else is up out of their seats. That shows a complete lack of concern for your fellow concert goers.  I don't need to have your big middle-aged butt in my face for the whole concert. 

• Talking

Don't. 

I can't tell you how many times we have had people behind us who yakked through the whole thing.   I have this theory that some people go to these concerts just so they can say they were there.  They actually don't have any real interest in the show. And, yes, when you are at a winery and the wine is unlimited, it is easy to forget where you are, but if you do and you are talking, talking, talking, don't be surprised if I turn around and tell you to shut the you-know-what up.  Because I do want to hear the music.  Constantly talking can also be interpreted as old people not knowing how to behave at a rock concert.  You don't want that, do you?

• Get up close and personal

If you have the opportunity to get down in front of the stage (and some musicians allow it), do it.

The lighting is just right to make us women of a certain age look good so you might even get a wink from Harry or a guitar pick from the lead guitarist

or a drum stick from the drummer. 

I have high-fived with Ringo

and been bestowed the drum stick by the drummer from INXS.

 

And even a sweat towel from one of the O'Jays!

(It was actually a fresh towel)

• Don't delay.

With the recent deaths of David Bowie, Glenn Frey and other Baby Boomer rock stars who have died before making it to 70 (we Baby Boomers call this "dying young"), don't put off seeing your favorite rock bands from the 60's and 70's.  Like the rest of us, they aren't getting any younger.  We have had "Who" tickets for almost two years now because Roger Daltrey got sick right before they were supposed to perform here, and they had to cancel their Seattle concert (we see them next month).  Don't think you will catch the band the next time they are in town because there might not be a next time!

• Look fabulous!

You may be old but you are not dead, so put on your finery and get ready to rock!

Remember, we are the Baby Boomer generation. We rocked, we rolled and we were never going to get old!  So represent!

Here's the bottom line for going to concerts:  If you can't get there on time, you can't handle your booze or your continence, you want to stand up in front of me and shake your big butt or you want to talk through the whole concert, then please, not only don't sit by me, but don't come to the concert.

But if you are there to enjoy the band, look fabulous, and want to have fun, come sit by me!

 

See you there!

 

What rock bands are on your bucket list?

 

 

 

 

Thanks for Reading!

 

See you Friday

 

for my review of Melissa McCarthy's new movie 

"The Boss"

 

and

 
The Week in Reviews

(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)

 and the latest on

 

"My 1001 Movies I Must See Before

 I Die Project."

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, email it to your friends and LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer

 

 

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" as well as DVDs "Freeheld" and "Legend."  The Book of the Week is my new favorite cookbook "Cravings" by Chrissy Teigen.  I also bring you up-to-date on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project" with the Japanese film "Onibaba (The Demon Woman)."]




My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

The Portokalos family gets together for another Big Fat Greek Wedding - 14 years later.

This is a sequel and you know how I feel about sequels, so I was prepared to hate this movie  -- and I did!  Ugh.  Awful.

Here is the rule for most sequels (and I said "most" - I know "The Godfather" sequels were brilliant):  Take a small, charming film that surprises everyone and then make the same film again except this time add clichés and really unfunny jokes.

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding (the first one)" was the highest grossing romantic comedy EVER.  For that reason, I am surprised it's taken someone 14 years to remake this thing, but Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson (who is also in the film) stepped up to the plate and here we are again.  Too bad.

In the first one, Toula Portokalis (Nia Vardalos) is a Plain Jane who at 33 feels like her life is over because she hasn't found a husband.  You see, supposedly in the Greek culture - did I mention that she is part of a big fat Greek family? - marriage is not just an important thing for a woman, it's the ONLY thing.  She is stuck working in the family restaurant, Dancing Zorbas.  However, she gets inspired when she meets a local school teacher, Ian Miller (John Corbett).  She cuts her hair, gets contacts and gussies herself up a la Bette Davis in "Now, Voyager" and then of course that's all it takes to get her man. But here's the hook:  he's not Greek so Toula tries to keep that fact secret, but when her father Gus (Michael Constantine) finds out, all hell breaks loose.  But it wouldn't be a proper rom-com if it wasn't eventually sorted and a "big fat Greek wedding" ends the film.

So here we are 14 years later, and Toula is married to Ian and their daughter is about to leave for college...and everything else is pretty much the same.  Same cast of characters, same big fat intrusive family, same obsession with all things Greek, more Windex jokes and basically the same story except this time it's Toula's mother and Dad who are getting married.

Toula has reverted back to her Plain Jane look because, hey, she's married now. She can let herself go.  Ian is now the principal of the school and both are so busy, their marriage has suffered.  Toula is the go-to in the family, looking after everyone, and that appears to take precedence over her husband. Their daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris), is heading to college and Toula doesn't know what she is going to do without her. So we have the sandwich generation, Toula and her husband, who on one side have elderly parents that need more care and on the other, a dependent child leaving home for college.  Add a wedding to that and that's pretty much it.
The wedding?  Well, you see Gus is trying to prove that he is a direct descendant of Alexander the Great, and, while going through some papers, discovers his marriage certificate, and the fact that it was never signed by the priest so, horrors, he and Maria, his wife, are not married. 

The comedy here is supposed to be the antics of this tight, intrusive family that does everything together and pokes their noses into everyone's business.  They all live next door to each other. Also there are the usual jokes about old folks trying to use a computer and being obsessed with sex.  Is it funny?  No.  Is it even cute?  No.  Did I laugh even once?  No. 

I am not Greek, but I can't help but wonder what Greek people feel about these over-the-top stereotypes that abound in this film.

Vardalos wrote the screenplay for the first film and also wrote the script for this one, but surprisingly, this time around didn't really give herself much to do, which is strange because she is supposed to be the star.  John Corbett, as hunky and handsome as he is, also doesn't have much to do, so the very thing that made the first MBFGW a success was the romantic comedy aspect which is completely lost to the antics of the supporting actors - Lainie Kazan and Michael Constantine as Toula's parents and Andrea Martin as her aunt and others.  They are good but just doing what they did in the last film, Windex and all. Newcomer Kampouris is a stand-out but doesn't have much to work with.

Rosy the Reviewer says...the white hairs in the audience seemed to be enjoying this and it's doing well at the box office, which is Greek to me.  I thought it was awful. That's why my hair is not white and it never will be, if I can help it!

 

***Some Movies You Might Have Missed***

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)!

Now Out On DVD

Freeheld (2015)

True story of the battle police detective Laurel Hester, who was diagnosed with incurable cancer and who waged a campaign with her local New Jersey Freeholders to secure her pension for her domestic partner, Stacie Andree.

Julianne Moore stars as Hester, a hard-working and decorated cop in Orange County, New Jersey. 

In 2002 Hester meets a much younger Stacie (Ellen Page) playing volleyball.  They fall in love and set up housekeeping together. There is the usual lovey dovey stuff when a couple falls in love.  They buy a house together and the film shows them happily renovating until the other shoe drops - Laurel is diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. Knowing she doesn't have long to live, Laurel wants to pass her pension on to Stacie so she will be able to keep their home after she dies, but it's denied even though they are Registered Domestic Partners. Though the Domestic Partners Act was passed in the state of New Jersey, the Orange County Freeholders would not recognize it and denied her request.  Laurel and Stacie have to fight the local government to get their relationship recognized by the Freeholders.

This film is one of those very earnest films.  It means well and that is the very thing that hurts it.  This is the kind of film that gives Julianne Moore a chance to give a long dramatic speech at the end.  Steve Carrell plays Steven Goldstein and gets to show his versatility as an actor again here (as he did in "The Big Short" and "Foxcatcher") as a representative from Garden State Equality. He is a gay Jew who wants to get gay marriage passed in New Jersey so Laurel's and Stacie's fight becomes a cause celebre.  So Steve gets to make an impassioned speech too. So does Laurel's cop partner played by Michael Shannon, who was outstanding in "99 Homes."  But none of that is enough to give this film real drama. It's more of a reciting of events.

Moore has always been lured to edgier roles and playing a lesbian would probably fall into that category.  She also plays the entire film with no make-up, but good cheekbones certainly help. She has one of those faces that would look great no matter what. Moore is always good as is Page, but I never quite believed the romance.  Speaking of  faces. Shannon's face alone is worth watching.  He has a memorable face. This guy is turning up everywhere and is an excellent actor.

This true life event took place ten years before gay marriage was law and was an important precursor to gay marriage for everyone.  The film is the expanded and dramatic version of a documentary short by Cynthia Wade that won an Oscar in 2007 and that's what it feels like. The film directed by Peter Sollett is a faithful reenactment of events by screenwriter Ron Nyswaner who also wrote "Philadelphia," but it lacks the dramatic depth of that one and feels more like a documentary. The characters are noble and so is the fight. But no matter how noble the cause or the characters, when the film is over, one must ask, "Did I connect?  Did I feel anything?" 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Earnest and noble but, despite good performances, very "Lifetime Movie."
 




 

 

 

Legend (2015)

Reggie and Ronnie Kray were identical twin gangsters who ruled London's gangland during the 1960's.

What could be better than a movie starring Tom Hardy?  Why, a movie with TWO Tom Hardys.  This movie about the infamous London gangsters, the Kray twins, stars Tom as BOTH Krays.

Reggie was the dapper charmer; Ronnie was the vicious nutter.  But no matter how crazy Ronnie got, Reggie backed him up because "he is my bruvver."  Ronnie is also gay and makes no bones about admitting it, even back then when it was illegal in the UK to be gay until 1967.

While Reggie and Ronnie are running London's gangland, Reggie meets sweet Francis (Emily Browning) and falls in love with her and gets married.  She wants him to go straight so Reggie tries to tamp down the gangster life, but Ronnie, who is jealous of Reggie's relationship with Francis, is just out of control and keeps pulling Reggie back in. By the way, Ronnie isn't just a nutter, he is certifiable.

The Krays' arch rivals were The Richardsons and once Ronnie and Reggie got them taken care of, The Kray Twins were the gangster Princes and even made deals with our own gangsters. Chazz Palminteri (does he ever play any roles other than gangsters?) shows up representing one of our own gangsters, Meyer Lansky, who wanted to turn London into the "Las Vegas of Europe."

This film reminded me a bit of "Black Mass," the film about Whitey Bulger's stranglehold on Boston.  Whitey managed to run amok in Boston because he was a supposed FBI informant. The Krays had carte blanche in London because they compromised a member of Parliament, but when Ronnie kills a guy, Scotland Yard decides that is crossing the line.  Prostitution, gambling, protection racket, torture, blackmail, intimidation, fine.  Murder a guy and we find out about it?  Not having it! 

Directed by Brian Helgeland (he wrote the screenplay too), the story is told from Francis' point of view to dramatic effect when the final scenes are revealed.

Don't be fooled by the lovely British accents. British gangster films are some of  the goriest and most perverse and give movies like "Good Fellas" a run for their money.  This one is no exception. Guy Ritchie, you know him, Madonna's ex, made a name for himself with some gritty hardman movies like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch," so never underestimate the British hard man movies.

Speaking of accents: If you are not good with London's East End accents, you may find yourself wishing this film had subtitles.

Pros and cons of this film:

Cons - hard to understand dialogue, disjointed story, lots of violence and as famous as the Krays are in the UK (so famous in fact that there was actually another film about them in 1990 - "The Krays" - starring the Kemp brothers from the rock group Spandau Ballet - I saw that one too), Americans have never heard of them.

Pros - Tom Hardy, Tom Hardy, Tom Hardy, one of the most amazing actors working today.  He can do anything.  (I take credit for first noticing him in the one-man show "Locke.")

Veteran British actors - Paul Bettany, Christopher Eccleston and David Thewlis - round out the cast.

Despite Hardy, this film seemed to be buried.  I had not heard about it until I saw it on DVD.  Probably not large distribution because it was a British film and Americans don't know who The Krays were.  They will now.

Rosy the Reviewer says...no matter what the cons, any movie starring Tom Hardy is worth seeing.

 

***My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project***

 

253 to go!

Have YOU seen this classic film?





Onibaba ("Demon Woman" - 1964)

A Japanese horror film about two impoverished women - a mother and her daughter-in-law - living alone in 14th century Japan who survive by killing lost Samurais and selling their weapons and armor.  However, when a man shows up, lust and jealousy abounds.

A mother (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter-in-law (Jitsuko Yoshimura) live alone amongst the reeds in a hidden hut.  It is a time of war and the son, Kichi, has been conscripted. To survive, the two women hide in the tall reeds and kill lost and wounded Samurai, dumping their bodies in a nearby hole and then selling their weapons and armor to Ushi, one of their neighbors.  Soon Hachi (Kei Sato) another neighbor shows up. He had gone off to war with Kichi but has come back alone, telling the story of how Kichi died. Kichi hasn't had a woman in awhile so naturally he lusts after the younger woman, causing jealousy in the mother.

One day a samurai appears at the old woman's hut and asks her to lead him through the reeds.  He is wearing a scary mask.  She kills him and when she removes the mask, his face is hideously deformed.  The old woman puts on the mask and pretends to be a demon in order to scare her daughter-in-law away from Hachi but when she tries to take the mask off, it won't come off.  She admits to her daughter-in-law what she had done and begs her to help her get the mask off.  The daughter-in-law uses an axe to break open the mask to reveal the old woman's face, covered in sores.  The daughter-in-law runs from her mother-in-law screaming that she is indeed a demon.

Why it's a Must See:  "Kaneto Shindo's [film] portrays history as a tale of unmitigated horror...In so doing, he makes an allegorical statement about life amid both scarcity and class and gender antagonism, and also reveals the ideological impulses behind the horror genre itself."
---"1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die"

You have to get used to the occasional over-acting which is reminiscent of Kabuki but Kiyomi Kuroda's black and white cinematography is gorgeous and along with Hikaru Hayashi's jazz soundtrack creates a dark, forbidding atmosphere.  This is an allegory for how animalistic humans can become to survive.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a slow-moving but eerie horror experience.

 

***Book of the Week***

Cravings: Recipes for all the Foods You Want to Eat by Chrissy Teigen (2016)

My new favorite cookbook!

Chrissy Teigen is probably best known as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and the wife of John Legend.  But she is also a co-host of the new TV show "FabLife," Tyra Banks' foray into daytime talk.  Chrissy, who is the resident foodie - something I find ironic considering she is a MODEL! - is joined by three other co-hosts - Joe Zee (the fashion expert - I reviewed his book back in October), Lauren Makk (Interior Design) and Leah Ashley (DYI).  The show wants to be a one-stop show for all things FAB-U-LOUS but doesn't look like the audience stopped there, because the show will not be renewed for a second season.  It didn't help that Tyra, who originally hosted, dropped out of her own show after only the first few!

That's too bad, in a way.  The show is OK but I LOVE Chrissy.  She may be a model and married to a Legend, but she is more like the girl next door than a celebrity.  She has a fantastic sense of humor about herself, something I admire in everyone and she can certainly cook.

And that's good for us since she has published her own cookbook, which is my new favorite.  Her subtitle is right on the mark because I want to make every single thing in it.  What's fun, too, is that she uses her self deprecating sense of humor to introduce each recipe.  She is very funny, sometimes risqué, but always down to earth.

To introduce her "Creamy Parmesan Skillet Eggs" she says,

"These eggs are my personal go-to for brunches (Can we just all call brunch what it is?  It's morning alcohol.  We're boozing in the morning).  The cream in the pan makes these eggs easy to control without overcooking for all your bourgie, brunch-loving friends!  Plus, I love cream's flavor punch.  Combined with the chees, it caramelizes into a sort of crust under the eggs.  What's the point of a bite unless it's one of the best possible?"

Chrissy is half Thai so there is a whole chapter on Thai recipes that are very accessible to the beginning cook, but the rest of the book is filled with recipes that really are things you crave - well, I do now.

Who can resist?

• Pull-Apart Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
• Pot Pie Soup with Crust Crackers
• Split Pea Soup with Crispy Hot Dogs
• Cheesy Jalapeno Bacon Cornbread
• Cheesy Jalapeno Tuna Casserole with Potato Chip Topping

(she likes that cheesy jalapeno)

I had already tried her "Done and Dump Ramen Salad" that uses uncooked ramen and veggies to make a delightful and delicious salad.  My new fave!

Rosy the Reviewer says...I am going to try every one of these recipes!  Wait, I'm on a diet!  Grrrrr

That's it for this week!

Thanks for reading!

See you Tuesday for

"A Woman of a Certain Age
Goes to See Bruce Springsteen - And Lives to Tell:
Baby Boomer Concert Tips"

 

 

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Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.

Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). 

Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Once there, click on the link that says "Explore More" on the right side of the screen.  Scroll down to External Reviews and when you get to that page, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list.

NOTE:  On some entries, this has changed.  If you don't see "Explore More" on the right side of the screen, scroll down just below the description of the film in the middle of the page.  Find where it says "Reviews" and click on "Critics." Look for "Rosy the Reviewer" on the list.

Or if you are using a mobile device, look for "Critics Reviews." Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under "Rosy the Reviewer."