Hats off to this amazing photographer who can shoot pinup models, harlequins and Fabios!

MORE after the jump!  

Also, thanks to Miss Sara Jean and Jen Brown for making my hair and makeup (respectively) look damn hot!

If you have any awesome romantic novel cover titles for these pictures, please let me know! I’m photoshopping more of these pics as novels soon! :o)

Until next time…

Dev :o) xx

Totally ready for a Date Night Marathon!

Now that it’s autumn and our schedules are back to normal, we decided to make up for our date drought by going on a Date-a-Palooza: A three night date bender that would give us the bonding time we missed out on over the summer.

After much thought, we chose the following schedule:

Friday: Dinner at home, a night at iO Improv to see the Improvisational Shakespeare troupe

I’ve only been to iO Improv a couple of times, and have never been disappointed by the comedic talent there. What better way to end the week than laughing out loud to the musings of the Improvised Shakespeare troupe? I had no idea what to expect, and my guy was a little afraid that comedy in iambic pentameter would not only be confusing, but just wouldn’t work. After much debate, we bought tickets, took a shot of whiskey (Okay, maybe two…cheers!) and made our way to Wrigleyville.

At the theatre, the IS troupe asked the crowd to shout a title for a play that they would make up on the spot. “Julius Pizza” was the title most shouted and then we witnessed the world premier of a brilliant Shakespeare play, complete with the best prologue with pizza references that was funnier than anything Shakespeare has written. Watching the all-male troupe play female parts and giggle at their own jokes as they materialised made the whole night thoroughly enjoyable. I was amazed how in sync the men were, never cutting each other off and always having the perfectly timed aside that both jived with the current event, and set up the next scene brilliantly.  There ended up being,  as I expected, a lot of jokes about the male member, but nothing too eye-rolling. We left in good spirits, wishing that we remembered all of the lines we laughed at, and agreed that it was one of the best improv shows we’d ever been to!

Saturday: Green City Market and an extended dinner/drinks at Hopleaf

A visit to Green City Market makes a great day date (just don’t ask your guy/gal to meet you at 7am) because there’s endless amounts of people/dog watching, ready-made delicious food (Sunday Dinner’s burgers….yum!), live music, chef demos/tastings, and it gives you a great excuse to invite someone to come back to your place…for a local, seasonal home-cooked meal, of course! We hung out and picked up some local fare to make homemade peach jam and a delish lunch.

Dinner at the Hopleaf is a great date for anyone who likes great craft beer and the bar’s specialty…mussels and fries! The side of stilton mac-n-cheese is the best, ever(!) and the venison meatballs…well, they were tender and earthy without being even a bit gamey. We agreed that the vibe of Hopleaf (there’s no blaring music, the lighting is soft, and if you score a table on the upstairs Mezzanine, you can look over the restaurant and people watch while feeling like it’s just the two of you. Romantic? Not quite…but it is intimate and the food is to-die-for!!!!

Sunday: A 6 1/2 hour movie marathon: Brew and View at The Vic.

A TOTAL GEM! How I walked by The Vic every day and DIDN’T partake in Brew and View is ridiculous!!! You MUST go here! The catch? You pay $5 or $6 (depending if they’re offering two or three movies, respectively, that week) per person to watch two or three movies back-to-back(-to-back). The movies are either cult classics (think Grease or Rocky Horror Picture Show), or second- and third- run movies, but if you’re like me, you probably didn’t get around to seeing them the first time they were out.

I took a survey on their website and got a 2-for-1 admission, which made TWO tickets…$6. To top it off, there were drink specials, a concession stand and you can order in food from their list of delivery spots. There’s no shortage of good delivery in Lakeview, so it’s totally worth it to order something. Talk about a cheap date! Brew and View is totally casual, you can talk during the movies, make fun of them (not in a hushed voice!), eat and drink a beer while enjoying someone’s company. We watched all three movies (a 6 1/2 hour affair!), but it was perfect for the dreary weather we had on Sunday.

We left the theatre with sore butts and limbs that had only recently “woke up”, but we also left laughing as we recapped silly movie moments and patting ourselves on the backs that we had found such an awesome date place. We’ll definitely be back before too long – hopefully bringing a crew along to brew and view with us!

If you have other great date ideas, let me know! In the mean time, Trev and I are booked for a tandem kayaking experience down the river….I’ll let ya know how it goes!!!

Yay for Chicago! Until next time…

Dev :o) xx

The Avalon String Quartet

I will openly admit that the first time I saw the Avalon String Quartet, I was skeptical. I had never seen them play and had also never been to the tiny Gottlieb Hall of the Merit School of Music to see any performances, by anyone. The venue was rather small and I thought for sure that the quartet would produce a tiny sound to go along with the tiny venue.

I was very, very wrong.

Instead, this dynamic quartet knocked the socks off of everyone and produced one of the most moving musical performances I have ever seen. Their passion and excitement for the music they handpick is evident in every bow stroke.

According to the programme I received, the performance will open with Anton Webern’s Langsamer Satz, “a late Romantic work with soaring melodies and rich harmonies”, and will continue with Alban Berg’s “Lyric Suite”, and Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden, where Bentley will join the quartet singing the part of the Maiden, “pleading with Death to pass her by, while Death in response sings his own song of imploring for the Maiden to not fear his embrace”.

Certainly, nothing will get your lovebug to hold onto you tighter as they contemplate your ultimate demise. Not even Saw IV will get someone to nuzzle closer!!

The Viennese Song programme will close with Schubert’s String Quartet in D Minor, “a work that ranges from light and lyrical to dark and compelling, ending with a dramatic tarantella”.

When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of love, which makes me think of music. Surprise your darling with great music, and well, you might have this holiday in the bag!

Dev xx

"SQUEEZE THE CHEESE!"

Enjoy the playoffs! GO BEARS!

Dev xx

I could not help but cringe. It was at that moment I realised that Making Chicago Home needed to kick back into high gear. With all of the fun, amazing and unique things happening around our fair city, we have no one (and nothing!) to blame but ourselves if we are not having a great time!

When I want to kick the blues, I turn to something that always makes me feel better: music.

Yesterday I had the pleasure to shake off the chilly, rainy weather and park my tush in Symphony Center to hear the Chicago Sinfonietta present A Dream Unfolds, their annual tribute concert to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The concert opened with pieces by Ulysses Kay (Theater Set) and George Walker (Lyric for Strings), both conducted by Music Director Paul Freeman.

Maestro Paul Freeman, photo by Ken Carl

The real magic of the evening was kicked off by Reginald Robinson’s Concerto for a Genius, made up of four movements: Mr. Murphy’s Blues, Janet, Ansaar and The 19th Galaxy.

Robinson creates music that makes you want to flirt with someone you really love. His fusion of classical, jazz, blues and ragtime make his compositions expressive, inspired and intelligent: he had everyone in the audience tapping their feet and bobbing their heads. Even the usually restrained and composed violinists were gently swaying and had huge smiles on their faces!

Reginald Robinson

My personal favourite, Mr. Murphy’s Blues, sounded like two lovers dancing playfully around the kitchen while making dinner. The beginning was classically calculated and started slowly and quietly, progressing into a fuller, richer sound. Robinson then threw in elements of ragtime and blues, creating something flirty and downright sexy. Just when you think Symphony Center had transformed into a bar, Robinson tosses you right back in the heavy classical roots, making his concerto…genius!

The night would not have been complete without George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (Concert Version), where we were entertained with the gorgeous voices of Soprano Lisa Daltrius (LOVED her!!), Baritone Donnie Ray Albert, Tenor Chauncey Packer and the Chicago Community Chorus.

Maestro Freeman ended the night by leading the orchestra, singers and all of the audience members in a rousing sing-a-long of We Shall Overcome. It was beautiful to see everyone holding hands, singing and swaying with the music while celebrating the life of MLK and how far our society has come, together.

It’s little things like this that really help to shake off those winter blues and be a part of something bigger than yourself: A diverse Chicago community that comes together over local music that celebrates something great!

And while you might have to wait until the warmer months to pack a picnic lunch and once again enjoy free concerts at the Pritzker Pavillion, there are plenty of rockin’ venues around the city packing their schedules with great local bands.

One to check out this Thursday at Martyrs’ is local band Board of Governors. Check them out and see you there… :o)

Dev xx

The tag on the ornament says that it is an old German tradition to hide a pickle ornament in the tree and whichever child finds it gets an extra gift on Christmas morning. According to several urban myth sites online, this is a bunch of BS, and it probably is. I am sure the Germans are getting a good laugh as we all “ooh” and “ahh” over glass pickles, hiding them in our trees and patting ourselves on the backs for integrating an “old German” custom into our very American ways of celebrating the holiday. Yes, how worldly and cultured we are with our German pickles!

Just for a chuckle, check them out. They come in all shapes and sizes, colours and covered in glitter! Fun!

Dev :o) xx

The holiday season is upon us! And to kick off my 25 Days of Holiday posts, I would like to start by wishing everyone a Happy Hanukkah!

The massive Menorah in Daley Plaza in the Loop

Check out the gigantic menorah in Daley Plaza and have yourself a great holiday!

Dev xx

"After the Rain" ft. Victoria Jaiani and Fabrice Calmels - Photo by Herbert Migdoll

Of course since I rave about the ballet every time I attend, I feel it necessary for me to elaborate as to why this particular set of performances it not to be missed.

“After the Rain” is not performed until after the first intermission, but it was easily the best performance of the night. It nearly moved me to tears. Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, New York City Ballet’s resident choreographer, “After the Rain” was incredibly sensual and resembled Love in ballet form. Parts of the dance looked more like figure skating as the women were swept across the floor, limp in the mens’ arms, toes still on the ground. Every magnificent leg stretch that the women executed made the audience sigh with awe, and the men were there to act as supportive, loving, kneeling rocks.  The pas de deux was exquisite and featured the very lithe Victoria Jaiani and “the Tank” Fabrice Calmels (ran into him on the street today, by the way, the guy is MASSIVE!).  The pas de deux been described as air and earth falling in love. For me, it looked like two lovers taking their first breaths after a coma, and reuniting.

"After the Rain" ft. Victoria Jaiani and Fabrice Calmels - Photo by Herbert Migdoll

While every move was slow, calculating and possessed the technically demanding side of classical ballet, Wheeldon is able to mix in a greater range of movement, allowing for both dancers to stretch and entangle themselves into each other. It was absolutely the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

“The Concert”, set to music by Chopin and choreographed by Jerome Robbins was hilarious and the perfect way to end the night. The performance begins with a pianist coming onto the stage (there is a piano set up) and entertaining the audience by preparing to play. One by one (or in some cases, two by two), different characters come onto the stage to set up chairs and listen to the concert. The whole cast of characters is there: A crotchety old woman who is caught scratching her backside; a group of giggling, rowdy gals; a dreamy music enthusiast who insists on hugging the piano; a wimpy man and his controlling wife and others. You just have to see it to understand why it is so absolutely funny!

The night started out wtih “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” choreographed by George Balanchine. The choreography perfectly complemented the expressive and haphazard music of Igor Stravinsky, and the dancers looked like marionettes, fluttering across the stage with exaggerated extended limbs. Some of Balanchine’s choreography looked awkward, like the crazy hip gyrations in Toccata or the mime-like dance that occurred in Aria 1. The pas de deux in Aria 1 was especially odd to me, and almost painful, since I prefer the more classical, rigid ballets. But in classic Balanchine style, this pas de deux was wildly animated and April Daly and Miguel Angel Blanco resembled that eccentric couple who lives on your cul de sac: They looked slightly bizarre, but somehow it worked. The best part was a sequence of Daly folding herself backward into a bridge, just to roll over, stand up straight and do it again…and again…and again. How people can move like that is beyond me!

Tarantella, another Balanchine creation was distracting right from the beginning, and the least impressive of all the dances. The dancers themselves were flawless, but Balanchine’s choreography calls for dancers in this pas de deux to be carrying tambourines, and it came off so cheesy, it hurt. I was almost waiting for someone to come out with a confetti gun! Costume choices for this piece were bizarre, too. A pirate getup for the guy? A gal in a peasant hat and tutu? No thanks.

All in all the night was a complete success and I left Auditorium Theatre completely blown away by opening night of the 2010-2011 season. After that performance I am thrilled to see everything that the Joffrey puts on and can only hope that you take the time to see All Stars for yourself.

For ticket information, visit the Joffrey website!

Dev :o) x

Did I call? Of course I called! The automated guy on the line dishes advice to both women and men; single and in a relationship; and you can even hear advice (if you are a guy) on how to get a girlfriend. I waited to hear a pitch for the new movie, Easy A, but no such luck, which just confuses me even more. What is this for!?

So I visited the website, thevirginityhit.com . Yup. Clever marketing for a new Sony Pictures movie coming out.

While you wait for the release, give the hotline a ring, virgin or not. It’s pretty funny!
Dev xx

Pretty clever! I want to know who creates custom stickers to vandalise pedestrian walkway signs! I’m not sure that’s a very lucrative business, but I could be wrong!!! :o)

Dev xx