Steampunk Granny Interviews Actress/Dancer Dawn Noel

                                                                

I recently had the chance to interview a very talented young lady. Not only is Dawn Noel an amazing dancer and actress who is also working on producing movies, but she is from my old neighborhood in South Philly and shopped at my parent's grocery store.

South Philly has produced its share of Stars and I was lucky to get this interview. Check out parts one and two of my interview with Dawn Noel


http://biffbampop.com/2014/11/17/steampunk-granny-interviews-actress-dancer-and-producer-dawn-noel-part-one/

                                                              

http://biffbampop.com/2014/11/20/steampunk-grannys-interview-with-dawn-noel-part-two/

Princess Mia & Cinderella Party...South Philly Style

                                                                    

I was born and raised in South Philly and although I’m a South Jersey girl now, having moved to Audubon after my husband retired from the Fire Department; my heart belongs to the City of Brotherly love, Cheese steaks and block parties.

I love Audubon, New Jersey, because we have enough small pockets of wooded area to attract hawks, migrating birds, ducks, fox, possum, raccoon, native honey bees, butterflies, and of course, Turkeys. No, I’m not talking politicians. I’m talking wild turkeys. There are several males and females who stroll up and down our street.

                                                   

Every once in a while, I have to get back to my roots and I do that whenever I visit my family. My sister and brother and their families live in South Philly. Sometimes, I’ll go to Sunday mass at St. Monica’s church with my sister. If you remember from my “Life with Fred & Lucy” Episodes, my siblings and I went to St. Monica’s school. There were no lay teachers back in the day. We had NUNS! The good sisters of the order of the Immaculate Heart had to deal with the entire Maratea family which included all my cousins from the Tempesta and Deluccia Family. I know without a doubt that we kids drove the nuns crazy.

                                   Princess Mia with Mom and Dad

                                                                          

This past week, my brother’s granddaughter, Mia Rose, turned four. Mia is a cutie pie and a diva. I love this kid. My niece, Rita, and her husband, Eric, had a street party celebrating Halloween and Mia’s Birthday.

                                                                          

South Philly knows how to party and when we party, we do it right. There was a DJ playing music, several bounce rides and toss games, and of course, plenty of good food.

My niece hired a costume character to drop by and offer Mia a birthday wish. She had contacted www.tgifparties.com  Mia loves Cinderella and was very happy when the Disney Princess showed up.

                                                                    

I’m guessing that Cinderella had no idea what she was getting into when she dropped by. Most hired characters make an entrance, take pictures with the birthday child, play music and do a few games and then they leave. Not with my family.

                                                                   

Mia Rose, all four years of marvelous, took Cinderella by the hand to show off her bedroom, and then, her playroom in the basement. Cinderella was coerced into playing doll baby and doctor. Mia then declared that Cinderella was in need of a nap and had the princess lie down and go to sleep. It was hilarious watching this whole scene.

                                                                     

Cinderella may have expected this job to last maybe 30 to 45 minutes. I think she and her audio/video assistant were at Mia’s party for way over an hour. Mia was in her glory and I was impressed with Miss Deena, Cinderella’s alter ego.

                                         Mia, Cinderella and Uncle Mike                        

                                                     

One of my jobs at the Academy of Natural Sciences, www.ansp.org  before retiring was the Coordinator of the Birthday Program. I had a staff of delightful, caring people who were well-trained and well-versed in accurate natural history facts. My “Birthday Angels” made the Birthday Party Program one of the most successful programs at the Academy and it was because they made the birthday child, family and guests feel like royalty.

                       Princess Mia with brother, Jason and cousins

                                                                       

Deena did an outstanding job of going with the flow and, happily participated in all requests made by our family’s little princess. If I was still working at the Academy, Deena would have fit in perfectly with my “Birthday Angels.”

If you need a Cinderella for your little princess then please contact www.tgifparties.com  

Ask for Deena and tell them Aunt Marie sent you.

Life with Fred & Lucy, Part 17: Riding the Trolley

                                                                      

My earliest memory of visiting my dad at his job has to do with the Philadelphia Transit Company of which my father was a driver. His working outfit consisted of a uniform, hat and a coin changer.

                               Mom carrying me to Dad                                                         

 I would always play with the coin changer that hung around his waist on a belt. Mom took me to ride on Dad’s trolley route when I was around three years old; Jane was an infant. It was four years before Fred bought the grocery store.

                                                                 

It was one of the older trolley’s where there was the driver in front and a man at the rear to collect the money?? Not too sure on how that worked, but right after that ride, my father’s route was updated and he got to drive a newer trolley.
                                                                         

The amazing thing about these trolleys was that it was eco-friendly and clean. No pollution!! The trolley ran on tracks and it hooked up to the wires overhead. If for some reason the connection was broken, the driver would leave the trolley and with a long stick; reconnect trolley to wire.                                                                       

To encourage people to use public transportation, the powers in charge began building amusement parks at the end of the lines. Willow Grove Amusement park was one of them and there was a smaller park right here in South Philadelphia on Broad Street. I don’t know the name, but there was also a Drive In down the street. If anybody has pictures of the South Philly Amusement Park, please contact me.

                                                        

                                                                                          

When I was a teenager, my friends and I would take the trolley to Willow Grove Amusement Park and spend the day there. Good times and the prices of the rides were cheap.                                                               

My best memories of taking a trolley ride with my father was after his shift, he would take us to eat at the Horn & Hardart Automated Restaurant in Center City.

                                                                        

Since I wasn’t tall enough to reach the coin slots, he would lift me up in order for me to deposit my ten cents for a slice of apple pie.

                                                           

      

Everything was behind glass and people would slide their trays along the metal rail picking out what they wanted and paying for it as they went. I guess you could call it America’s original fast food, but the food was freshly made and healthy to eat.
 

I don’t know what got me started on thinking about riding on the old trolley cars…maybe it was the conversation I had with my grandsons. We’re all worried about global climate change and how we can help and that started me telling them about my childhood and how Philadelphia at one time was able to move a city with cheap, clean transportation.  Sometimes progress isn’t that good for the soul or the planet.

                                                                          

Author Loretta Lombardi Talks about her "I'm Hot, You're Hot" Cookbook for Lovers

                                                                          

I’ve known Loretta Lombardi since we were both kids. We both grew up in South Philadelphia’s St. Monica Parish and we are both Italian, which means that we love to cook good food. Loretta has published a cookbook for lovers. What a great gift for Valentine’s Day!

                                                               

While Loretta prepared a delightful lunch for us, we chatted about her book and why she feels eating the right foods will not only fix what ails us, but put more oomph in our sex lives.                                                                     

Marie Gilbert: “Loretta, before we talk about the book, tell us about your teaching career.”

Loretta Lombardi: “I’ve taught school for forty-one years and one of the extracurricular activities close to my heart while teaching parochial school in South Philadelphia was the drama club for the seventh and eighth graders. We would have competitions with other catholic grammar schools for a one act comedy. We had all year to practice our choice of play then perform at Bishop Newman High School. Lo and behold, with a lot of hard work and a lot of fun times, we put on a lot of good plays and, two of the four years that we did the competition, we got first place trophies. It was a worthwhile part of my life and they were like my own children.”

                                                         

Marie Gilbert: “After retiring from teaching, how did you get involved in cooking and what prompted you to write the I’m Hot Your Hot cookbook?”

Loretta Lombardi: “A few years ago, a friend of mine was over for a nice lunch topped off with a couple of glasses of wine, and she said to me, “You know, you’re a really good cook. Why don’t you sit down and write a cookbook?”

I never ever thought of myself writing a book, but soon after, we had a horrible snowstorm in November of 2009 and plus I had an accident. I fell and hurt my foot and so I was left with the options of sitting and doing nothing, or doing something constructive. The seed was planted and I started writing poetry. I’m not a poet per say, but on occasion I might write some poems in my journal which led to me writing some food poetry, but, I was thinking what am I going to do with this?                                                                 

I’ve only been learning about whole foods for six years, so I wasn’t the most experienced in the business of writing. But, I had enough knowledge and I was willing to do the research. I picked out some of my recipes, looked at some others and modified a few things that I would like to make. I got started and tested a few and if they tasted good to me, I’d invite friends to taste a recipe or two and if they liked it, I’d include it in the book and that’s how I got started. 

I wanted this book to be for lovers because everybody is a lover not only of food, but of each other. This book is especially for couples so they can take the time to express their affection through food and know how good it tastes and how satisfying it is. Food is just a stepping stone to sensuality. It is sensual in itself and promotes sensuality in a relationship.”

                                                                

                                                             

Marie Gilbert: “Because they are healthy?”

Loretta Lombardi: “Because they are healthy. So, that’s how the idea started to work. I decided to write some love quotes. I wanted the love quotes to come from me and I wrote some one and two liners that I would like say to someone in my circle of intimate partners. I continued writing some kitchen and bedroom poetry and then I began with the recipes. I wanted to create a cookbook that contained simple but delicious recipes that were easy to make with a recipe for each month.”

Marie Gilbert: “One for each month?” as she flicked through the pages.

Loretta Lombardi: “Yes, for lovers, whoever they are, in an intimate relationship to set aside one day a month and have a book that was already planned out. The recipes are simple, nutritious, and energetic and have aphrodisiac qualities. I set the atmosphere and ambiance on how to set the table and what wines and beers to serve with what foods; they (the couple) could take it from there.

At the very end I got in touch with Christina Pirello, author of macrobiotic cookbooks and star of the television series “Christina Cooks”. This came about because I was on a Holistic Cruise...”

Marie Gilbert:  “Was this a special cruise?”

Loretta Lombardi: “Yes, one that I’ve been taking for many years. “Holiday at Sea” takes us to the Caribbean Islands, east or west, every year. They close off half the ship and have one dining area for people who just eat macrobiotics like vegans and vegetarians, and the other half of the ship eats regular food.

                                                                     

On this trip, one of the chiefs was Christina who I’ve seen several times on the cruises or conferences and she’s even been at the Essene Café at 719 S. 4th Street in Philadelphia doing monthly workshops back in the day. There was a talent show for all the macrobiotic and vegan people the night before our last day of the cruise and I volunteered to read a couple of poems from my book saying these poems were from my holistic cookbook that contained love and sensual poetry. There must have been around seven hundred people there and they were applauding and one man shouted out that he wanted to be the first to buy my book.”

Marie Gilbert: “But, you’re book wasn’t out at that time?”

Loretta Lombardi: “No, it wasn’t, I was just feeling out the crowd with my poems.”

Marie Gilbert: “You were testing out the water.”

Loretta Lombardi: “Yes, testing out the water, putting my book out there and planting the seed. The next day, Julia Ferre, who has a foundation out in California with her husband and also writes the magazine “Macrobiotics Today” said she wanted to publish my poems, but I wanted to hold off until my book was published and then release the poetry for her magazine.

That night at the farewell party on the ship my friends called over Christina Pirello’s husband and I introduced myself. He had written a book called “Bones” on how to reverse osteoporosis. He and Christine had sent out flyers looking for volunteers for an educational program. I was speaking to Mr. Pirello about my helping at the school when Christian walked up to us and asked if she could read my manuscript; we met later and I gave her my hardcopy. The next time we met up, Christine told me that she liked the way I had set up the book with the poetry and recipes, but wanted to know how I was going to explain to Joe Blow from South Philadelphia that this was a book that he would like to read.”

Marie Gilbert: “So, what did you say?”

Loretta Lombardi: “Well, I guess I have to find a way to motivate him on the idea that whole foods are not only good for his body, but it would make him more sexually active because everything would be in working order, so to speak.”

 I decided  on adding headers to each recipe which not only explained the nutrition in my recipes but the energetics using a combination of history and folklore and the food’s aphrodisiac qualities with each recipe ending with how I felt the couple would feel after eating one of the meals. After four years, I finally got this book together. I didn’t use photographs because I wanted people to zone in on the headings to motivate them to cook the recipes. It gives them their own visual of what the food is about.”

Marie Gilbert: “I like that idea. So, you went from teaching to writing this cookbook. You’re certified in macrobiotics?”

Loretta Lombardi: “Yes, I started macrobiotics in 2003 and did an intensive workshop with Denny Waxman, who is head counselor in macrobiotics, and his wife Susan Waxman, head chief of the Strengthening Health Institute, SHI.

I was so enamored with the philosophy of the workshop and it was an incentive for me to take better care of myself and encourage others to heal themselves. I’ve always wanted to help my family and friends heal themselves. People get to a certain age and take their bodies for granted thinking their body is supposed to fall apart, but according to this philosophy; that is not necessarily so. You can reenergize your cells because number one, your cells have a memory and secondly food is healing. Hippocrates, the father of medicine said, “Let food be thy medicine.”

The ancients used herbs and food to heal throughout history and people would die of natural death and not from all these crazy diseases that we have today. They had a diet that consisted of grains, vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts and fruits; this was their mainstay and it wasn’t until much later in history that meat became so popular especially after World War One with the promotion of the Beef Industry, which has come to the ruination of our Western Civilization especially the United States of America.”

Marie Gilbert: “So, you feel with this diet, it would reverse certain diseases?”

Loretta Lombardi: “I think it would promote healing and whatever ailment the reader would have, it would give the reader the incentive to do research on their particular ailment, if they are diabetic, or have heart disease or cancer. If they are terminal and in the later stages of their disease than I would recommend them getting a top nutritionist like Denny Waxman from Philadelphia, who has been doing this for over forty years. I’ve seen with my own eyes, people come back their illnesses reversed.

Marie Gilbert: “Would you consider meeting with people to help them with their diets?”

Loretta Lombardi: “Yes, I do private counseling and one on one cooking classes in my home; I also do lectures for groups who are interested. My book is about the energetics of food and what part of the body the food will help with vitamins, minerals; the way food was used back in the days of old in different countries.

                                                                               

With specific ailments, there is one very good book called, “The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health" by Michio Kushi. This is the bible of health books. This book explains the cause of the illness according to Chinese medicine, it tells you the symptoms and then how to reverse certain conditions using certain foods and drinks. Another book which I recommend is “The Complete Guide to Natural Healing” by Tom Monte.”

                                                                    

Marie Gilbert: You’ve made me a delicious lunch today. Would you like to tell my readers what you prepared for us?”

                                                                       

Loretta Lombardi: “We’ll start with the soup, which was pureed butternut squash, parsnip, carrot, miso and chopped cilantro on top. For the beans, I used pinto beans cooked in boiling water and as the beans came to a closing, I added mustard and a postage size amount of kombu which is a seaweed and helps you to better digest beans and not worry about the gaseous results.
                                                                    
Then we have a Chinese vegetable, which is like a mustard green, sautéed in olive oil and added delicious cut up apples and added an ounce of pumpkin ale. We had French couscous, and for dessert, we had sweet potato, parsnip and Japanese potato all cut in three quarter of an inch slices that are steamed and drizzled with a light cover of rice syrup topped with nuts.”

                                                                 

 
Marie Gilbert: “I was surprised that you used the rice syrup instead of honey.”

Loretta Lombardi: “Honey is a simple sugar and in whole foods we lean towards complex carbohydrates and two very good sweeteners used in macrobiotics is rice syrup and barley malt.

                                                        

                                                

Marie Gilbert: “Loretta, will we be seeing more cookbooks from you?”

Loretta Lombardi: “I’m restudying the five elements of nature concerning food and there are certain foods that would help, for example, in Chinese medicine if you had back problem you find a food that pertains to the water element. That element has foods that strengthen the kidneys. The metal element that is also on that element wheel has foods that strengthen the kidney.

I’m studying this more and more every day because these elements would also help with emotional problems. If you’re exhibiting erratic behavior or you’re not able to focus; there are foods that could help in this area as well.

I would like to use the five element chart to address pre-teens and teenagers through rap music or video to teach these children the right way to eat. The school lunches for the most part are not nutritious and they are making the kids sick; they’re lethargic, sleeping in class.”

Marie Gilbert: “Thank you so much Loretta for being a guest on my blog and for this lovely and healthy lunch. For all my readers, Loretta’s book can be found on Amazon and if you order it now, you’ll have it in time for Valentine’s Day. Bon appetite!”
                                                                    
You can find Loretta's book here. Below are the tentative dates for her book launch.

Tentative Book Launch/Lecture in March of 2014 at Essene Café 719 S. 4th Street, Philadelphia, Pa 215-922-1146
Book Launch /Lecture on July 17, 2014 at 7p.m. at Daily Grind Café 261 Old York Road, Jenkintown Pa. 267-287-8243

 

Zombies are on the way!!

                                                                   

On April 7th, this coming Sunday, there will be lots of zombies looking for nice juicy brains to eat. Would you care to help them? Only kidding, but there will be a Zombie Run in Philadelphia at the FDR Park in South Philly. Check this out!!


Zombie Run-Philadelphia
           

                                                                        

Episode Fifty-nine of Lilith's Escape

                                                                           

“The king of England and his people have fought the Illuminati tooth and nail. You might not recognize London because of the bombings, but the king has kept his people free.” Scouter’s revelation lifted the weight that was hanging over Edward ever since he arrived in this time and place.

                                                                      

“First good news I’ve had since arriving here. Is England the only place to survive?”

“Israel, Germany, the northern part of France, the Swiss, parts of Canada, and here in our country, several Native American tribes who have formed a resistance group at the Bitterroot Mountains,” Scouter replied.

“We’re ready, move it guys,” Rita, interrupted their conversation as she entered the area.

“Will you be okay?” Edward asked Rita.

“We’ll soon find out,” she bravely replied, but her expression told him otherwise.

                                                                   

After Edward, Scouter and Rita joined the others, Tzaddik gave the signal and the trek to a new location begun. Fear hung heavy in the air, and even the children were unusually silent. The plan was to move underground, using the subway system until they would eventually come above ground. The destination was a museum which was located in the southern part of Philadelphia, in a park known as the ‘Lakes’.     

The Zombie Run-Philadelphia

                                                                                    

I’m pretty sure that my followers have figured out how much I love zombies, right? Will this year, my grandsons and I will be participating in Zombie Run- Philadelphia this April.

                                                                              

Josh age 16 and Nathan age 10 wanted to run away from zombies, but as I explained to them, “Granny can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.” So, this year, the three of us will be zombies, and on April 7^th, we will be chasing our next meal at the F.D.R. Park in South Philly.

I had the opportunity to interview one of the people responsible for promoting and pulling together The Zombie Run. So join me my little zombie snacks as we meet Director Carrie Snyder and find out a little bit about the upcoming apocalypse.

Hi Carrie, thank you so much for joining me. Tell us a little about yourself.

Before joining Dave Feinman and Andrew Hudis, I had met them at other Philadelphia events. I was the Director of the Ragnar Relay Series, and my other race projects included the ODDyssey Half-Marathon and the Yuengling Light Lager Jogger.

What was the inspiration behind Zombie Run- Philadelphia?

Dave and Andrew , the brains behind this project called me in to direct and promote the race. We wanted to base the race on something that was popular at the time, something from a movie or T.V. show. With AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, we found the perfect venue with widespread popularity. Everyone loves zombies.

How is this race different than other races?

Our race focuses on a story, like a Disney World Ride, we’re creating an alternate reality. The Zombie Run creates a running narrative on a racecourse designed like a Hollywood Apocalypse movie set. Participants either run the course as Zombies or living Zombie prey.

                                                                   

Since my grandsons and I will be zombies, who will do the make-up on us?

Professional make-up artists will be on site to transform warm-blooded runners into blood sucking, flesh eating zombies. Some of the artists have worked on the yearly Eastern State Penitentiary Halloween Terror Event.

Who will the race benefit?

The Zombie Run benefits Active Heroes (www.activeheroes.org) a volunteer-led charity helping veterans, active duty military and their families. A portion of the proceeds from each event will also be donated to a local charity.

Philadelphia is the place this event will launch from, but how many cities are involved?

Right now, there are 11, but we plan to have 16 in 2013, more will be added on and you can check them out on our site, www.thezombierun.com

                                                                     

Why did you pick this particular site (my favorite) for the Philadelphia Zombie Run?

The Franklin Dell Roosevelt Park is a beautiful little known gem that is part of the Fairmount Park System. This green oasis and is located at 1500 Pattison Ave and is home to the American Swedish Museum. This park can be reached by the Broad Street subway and bus line and it’s easily reached by the main highways.

                                                                        

Thank you Carrie for spreading the news about this amazing event, and for you little zombie snacks who live in or near the Philadelphia area, yeah I’m talking to you, New Jersey, Delaware and New York, come watch the race, or better yet, become a runner.

I’m hungry and need brains to eat.

The movies

Last week, I vented about turning 65 and my stages of denial and finally acceptance(maybe), but this week I would like to talk about the movies, how much I love them, and how they helped me to see the world as it really was and what I wished it to be.

Growing up in South Philadelphia, there were two movie theatres within walking distance. One was the Broadway Theatre located at Broad and Snyder and the much smaller one located on south 11th street, the Colonial. Every Saturday morning at 11, I left the house with my younger sisters and brother and we walked from Broad and Porter to Broad and Snyder. The streets were so much safer then, and we knew nothing about drugs, guns or pedophiles. They existed, we just didn't know about it. We each carried a brown paper bag that contained our lunch, consisting of a ham and cheese sandwich, an apple, and a candy bar from the grocery store our family owned.

The price at the time for the Saturday matinee was 25 cents. Can you believe that? 25 cents got you cartoons and a double feature. I was ten years old and since I helped my parents in the store, I had extra money to buy my siblings some popcorn. Although we were in some ways, quite naive, the movies allowed us to see the world as it was. We learned from the creature double features all about monsters and that some monsters earned our sympathy such as King Kong, while others deserved our fear (Bela, you scary fella). Musicals were my favorite and there were plenty to see. By the time I was a teen, West Side Story was out and the price was up to 50 cents. I know all the songs and dance routines because I saw the movie twelve times within two weeks. I loved Bernardo.

The Broadway Theatre is also where I received my first kiss, from an usher who was two years older and looked a lot like Bernardo. Do movies still have ushers??? I don't think so, but they were there to quiet the noisy crowds and to help people to their seats and they looked so handsome in their little usher outfits....now where was I? Oh yeah the movies. We learned what was really going on in the world outside of South Philly. We learned about racism and why it was bad, we learned about war, magic, dreams, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Movies to me were treasures to be cherished, loved as much as I loved books.

Tonight I treated my husband to dinner and a movie for his birthday. We went to see Hugo. Please take the time to see this wonderful movie because it is magical and you leave the theatre feeling like a child again. I believe in magic, but in today's cruel world we tend to forget, busy with the economy, Iran's threats, climate change, etc. etc. but there is magic, just ask a small child, and sometimes a good movie helps you remember there is.

Calling all Alumni of Saint Monica's School in South Philly

My sisters, brother, cousins and friends, all of us went to Saint Monica's School, located at 17th and Ritner Street in Philadelphia. We had it good, but I didn't realize how good until now. With all the problems discussed on television and in the newspapers about the failings of our education system, I look back and marvel at how one nun with no teacher's aid could manage 90 children in one classroom and still teach. The sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary are super heroes and that is with a capitol "S".

Now of course I didn't think of them as heroes when I was in school because they kept a tight reign on us and God forbid if we got in trouble in school, our parents waited at the door with admonishments of "What did you do to that poor woman?" Believe me, with the sisters and parents working as a tag team, you thought twice before doing something stupid.

Saint Monica's put on elaborate school musicals every year and they were a big success in helping to pay the cost of running a parish, but the shows were also inspiring for the children. The sisters taught us the tunes and the dance steps and all the grades from 1rst to 8th participated. We learned all about art, and the different artists from the sisters, these women were multi talented.

What I enjoyed most of all was being part of the Saint Monica Waves. This was our school's version of the girl scouts, and all the girls were given official uniforms and every Friday we would practice our marching routines. We looked forward to marching in every St. Patrick's Day Parade. So any of you Alumni who were part of the Waves, give out a shout.

I know there are many of you who went to Saint Monica's Camp every year. My parents, eagerly...well more like desperately, looked forward to the peace and quiet they were lucky to have while their four active children spent good quality time at this wonderful place. This is where a city kid learns about "Daddy Long Legs" and lives to tell about them. Does anyone remember the camp song? I do.

Saint Monica needs our help. They need donations, and guess what fellow Alumni, this is a way for us to say thank you. I live in New Jersey, but still try to attend mass there at least twice a month and I promised Father Kelly today at mass that I would use my blog to spread the word.

Contact Sister Helen Marie Gates, IHM at 1720 Ritner Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19145  or reach her by e-mail at hmgates@juno.com

and stop by and visit my blog, Gilbert Curiosities:    http://gilbertcuriosities.blogspot.com

If anyone remembers the words to "An Army of Youth", one of my favorite songs, let me know.