Good food, good cause, good stuff!

On Wednesday, April 27th from 6-9pm at the Italian Center (1620 Newfield Ave), there's a fabulous event you won't want to miss. It's Fairfield County Eats!, and CT Bites - one of their generous sponsors - gives you the rundown. There's a crazy number of restaurants and other folks participating, including some near and dear to my heart like:

- Tawa Indian Cuisine
- DiMare Pastry
- Fairway Market
- Coromandel
- Colony Grill

The event benefits The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, which is a great organization supporting the people who need the most help in our community. You can buy tickets for $45 now, or $50 at the door. If you bring a bag of groceries to the event (just throw 4+ cans in the bag) you'll get a free raffle ticket worth $5...and potentially much more!

Make your plans by visiting the Food Bank's website or by calling 203-358-8898.

CP(t)R(aining)

You're at work, you pass your colleague's office, he's passed out on the floor - what do you do?!?! You call 911 - now what?? If only you knew CPR!

Be prepared by taking advantage of free CPR classes given by Stamford EMS at First County Bank in Stamford and Darien. Starting on April 2nd and running through May 14th, you can take advantage of free hands-only cardio pulmonary resuscitation courses. What's so great about CPR, you say? It can help keep a patient's blood flowing when their heart has given out. If someone goes into cardiac arrest away from professional medical care, the odds of survival may be double or triple if they have the help of CPR. This version does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, and is just as affective.

Training is between 9am and noon at the following locations on the following dates:

- April 2: 275 Hope Street in Stamford
- April 9: 2950 Summer Street in Stamford
- April 16: 1042 High Ridge Road in Stamford
- April 23: 1110 Hope Street in Stamford
- April 30: 1980 West Main Street in Stamford
- May 7: 637 Shippan Avenue in Stamford
- May 14: 1006 Post Road in Darien

Join in and gain the tools to save a life!

(photo from energetic omphalos, flickr.com)

Arty Party

My friends and I had a fabulous time on Friday at the opening of Fernando Luis Alvarez's newest exhibit. It's the solo show of Turkish artist Damla Tokcan Faro. She contrasts the ideal world of advertising and suburban tranquility with harsh reality using fanciful images of fairies, fairy tales and the natural world. Not only that, but she's also a lovely person! The show is on display until April 30th. Check it out!!

Get the Skills to Pay the Bills

A little while back I told you about a local group called M.O.D. Success. They are a resource for young professionals interested in education and networking, and they have a new event coming up called The Power of Distinction
Master Strategies to Stand Out in the Job Search Process. I've been both interviewee and interviewer, and there's no question - there are a lot of ways to do it wrong. It's tough to sell yourself, but it's even tougher to get ahead without learning to say "I'm awesome! Here's how..."

The event is hosted by career consultant Karen Hinds, CEO of Workplace Success. She will talk about job hunting techniques, common resume mistakes (and solutions!), and how to dress to impress.

AND to help you put together that winning look (winning in the non-Charlie Sheen sense of the word), K&G Fashion Superstore is offering a special trunk show for attendees.

If this is the event for you, pencil it in for Tuesday, March 29th at BUtterfield 8 (112 Bedford Street) from 7-9pm. The event will run you $10 (or the first tiny bit of pay from your brand spankin' new job).

(photo from Pink Sherbet Photography, flickr.com)

Giant Apes!

How would you like to see a six story tall orangutan?? Check out The Maritime Aquarium's newest movie, "Born to Be Wild," and you can do just that.

The aquarium features a ginormous 2-D IMAX® Theater with a 10,000-watt digital surround sound system. Their newest film offering premiers on April 8th.

It's narrated by Morgan Freeman, and it's a documentary about orphaned elephants and orangutans - and the people who are working to save them. The movie takes place in the rain forests of Borneo and the savanna of Kenya. Take a peek at the movie trailer here (note it's 2D not 3, but the IMAX screen promises not to disappoint). Tickets range from $4.50 (child member rate) to $9 (adult non-member). To purchase your own, visit the aquarium site or just pop by 10 North Water Street in Norwalk.

Thanks Coalhouse!

I guess it would have been embarrassing if I licked the goat cheese off the pizza tray, but I certainly wanted to. Thanks to Coalhouse Pizza for a FABULOUS meal. The lamb was amazing and the "ugly cookie" sure tasted pretty. The beer pairings were clever, fun and unique - and the music set the party tone. Hard to think of a better way to celebrate the end of the Monday workday. Well done!!

Monday is Better with Beer

Coalhouse Pizza (85 High Ridge Rd) feels your Monday-related pain, and they have engineered a plan to make it better. They are featuring beer pairings from Oskar Blues Brewery (whose website is intrinsically awesome because it has a pig playing a guitar) along with a menu featuring:

- Sweet Potato & Beet Chips with homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- Spring Fennel Salad (paired with Mama's Little YELLA Pils - clever!)
- Split Pea Soup (nice and springy!) (paired with G'KNIGHT Imperial Red Double IPA)
- Goat Cheese & Asparagus Pizza (that made me want to lick the screen) (paired with Dale's Pale Ale)
- Lamb Tenderloin with Miso-Chili sauce and mustard greens (paired with OLD CHUB Scottish Ale - that sounds vaguely scandalous, no?)
- Stout Ice Cream & Cookie - how cool is that! They make beer ice cream? And they paired beer with ice cream! My mind just got all boggled...

There will also be live music to make you think that Tuesday is even sooner. They were kind enough to invite me and my husband gratis, but the going rate is still pretty darned good for all the amazing things you get: $60/person. We'll be there - to join us, call 203-977-7700. Hope to see you over the edge of my glass!

(photo from k.ivoutin, flickr.com)

Saltwater Thrills

There's some pretty sweet stuff going on at the Saltwater Grille (183 Harbor Drive). I've been there a few times, and it's a pretty location on the water with pleasant surroundings and a bartender who didn't skimp.

- On Friday nights, they're hosting Freshwater Fridays. It means no cover, DJs playing pop/house/electronic beats and a reverse happy hour! I'd never heard of that, but it means $4 drinks, beers and wine from midnight to 2am. Nice! They also offer a heated outdoor dance floor so there's heat on your feet while you feel the beat.

- This Friday, March 18th from 7-9pm join them for France vs. California and compare wines from both regions at what they're calling a wine mixer. There will be passed hors d'oeuvres from both areas and live jazz music. Part of the proceeds will benefit Marvin Elementary School student Sebastian Hernandez and his fight against leukemia. Admission will run you $30 for a good cause and a good time.

- Looking for somewhere to enjoy a nice Easter Brunch? They may just be your destination. On Sunday, April 24th they will have a $30 all you can eat seasonal event.

Stockett To Me

Maybe it's because I'm from the South, or maybe it's just because I like a good story as much as the next gal, but I was a big fan of the novel The Help. It's a page turner set in the early 1960s in Mississippi when times were a'changin. The stories of black and white women who ordinarily know each other only as maids and employers become much more interesting when a secret journalism project changes everything. The book is not without controversy, but it's also not without a significant fan base.

If you find yourself in either category, you'll be glad to know that author, Kathryn Stockett, is headed to the Stamford Library. She will be in our backyard on Thursday, May 12th at 7pm (doors open at 6:15pm). You can register for the event by visiting the Library site. For more information, call The Friends of The Ferguson Library at 203-351-8275.

Organ-izing Your Weekend

If you're much more sophisticated than me, you may be interested in musical history and - in particular - pipe organs. For the first time in 20 years, you can hear the Johnson Opus 339 organ, built in 1870 this Sunday, March 13th at 4pm at Stamford's Unitarian Universalist Society (20 Forest Street).

The refurbished historical piece will be brought into the musical present day by talented musicians well versed in making this very special instrument shine:

- Julia Morris-Myers, organ (from the St. Saviour’s Episcopal Parish in Bar Harbor, Maine and the Acadia Choral Society).

- Maureen Ferrara Higle, piano (from our own Unitarian Universalist Society).

- Louise Schulman, viola (founding member and principal viola of the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble (since 1974) and Orchestra of St. Luke's).

- Darwin Shen, violin (Yale and Juilliard trained private teacher and chamber coach).

You can learn more about the organ here and more about the concert here. Suggested donations for the event are $15.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Signs around town announce that on March 12th, we can expect a little local color in a shade of green when the St. Patrick's Day Parade marches through town.

There's not a lot of detail online, but Moffly Media confirms that it begins at noon and our Grand Marshal will be Carl Shanahan (founder of the band Wild Geese).

The Stamford Advocate reports that the parade route will start on North Street between Summer and Bedford and roll along Summer Street toward Main.

The parade will include 80 marching bands and will be followed by a party in the Old Town Hall with Irish dancers along with an Irish band. I have been wondering what's behind that crazy new wall in the Old Town Hall (hey, that rhymes!), and this is a great opportunity to find out.

(photo from Avia Venefica, flickr.com)

Could It Be??? For Real and For True???

It's hard to accurately capture the suckiness of commuting to New York City these days. There are fewer trains, fewer seats, grumpier people and more schmutz on the seats than ever. I saw a guy literally just sit there as the ceiling dripped on his head - there was nowhere to go and he may have lost the will to live. AND THEN the New York Times reported today...and I can barely bring myself to say this for fear of the jinx...that the very first of the sparkling new M-8 commuter trains left the Stamford station today at 10:30am.

Ok so they are two years late and s l o w l y filling up the tracks, but (allegedly) there will be 80 new cars making up 10 trains by the end of 2011 with 380 sometime-er-other after that - no later than late 2013.

The Times' description seems too good to be true. There will be light, space, electrical outlets for all, comfortable seats and a "pleasant, clean odor" - you don't say??!! Colors and shapes are modern. Windows are bigger. And if that's not enough to make you swoon, bathrooms are free of stink cooties! It's a magical, magical time, citizens.