Bonni Brodnick Blog

I have nothing more to say ... More snow is on the way.

Many are counting the days before this polar vortex-y, snowmageddon-ish winter 2014 is over, and Wednesday, February 26th is one of the last days of the month to really whoop it up with "Inconvenience Yourself Day." What to do to celebrate? Try to put someone else before you. "Inconvenience" yourself by letting the other person go first at the light (for extra credit: flash the peace sign or a thumbs up), write (not email) a thank you note, give someone you love an extra-long hug, hold the door for an elder, or call a friend you haven't spoken with in awhile. Feel free to enact some other/any random act of kindness today. You've got 24 hours to prove yourself a better person. * To read more, scootch on over to my  Huffington Post blog and  click here --->    "February: Let's Have Some Crazy Fun!"

... needs to get on the right side of history. ( Click here. )

Are you still feeling a little blues-y from winter? Especially with a forecast for more snow next week? Check out my WILTON MAGAZINE story, "Under the Wire: An Uplifting Look at Brassieres." Because, let's face it: bosoms have been enticing men ever since Eve first tempted Adam in the Garden of Eden. But it wasn't until the ancient Greeks came along in about 2500 B.C. that "the girls" finally got the recognition they deserved. Greek men worshipped the female form and Grecian ladies played up their assets by wearing bras and displaying their breasts in ways no toga could. Be sure to take a peek at the end of the article for results to the incredibly scientific survey I conducted. (Click here .)  You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll immediately want to wear a bustier! (... or at least be hell-bent on figuring out which one of your friends is wearing one under their business jacket.) 

                                                                                        --> Hit PLAY arrow to view  Jean Paul Gaultier is best known for his eponymous design house and his seven-year tenure as head designer at Hermès. The exhibit at Brooklyn Museum, "From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk," was the perfect setting for this toujours -a-forerunner designer who embraces bold, sexy, original and outrageous. ---> For more on JPGautier, go to Artsy.net .  

My daughter is months away from completing her first year as a corps member of Teach for America . Her assignment:  teaching 6th grade math and science at a middle school on a military base in Hawaii. While reviewing the homework in one of her student's science notebooks, "Ms. Brodnick" found this note slipped between the pages: Who wouldn't feel appreciated with a note like this?  I told my daughter to enjoy every single "love note" from her students. Do you show your appreciation to mentors, colleagues, family, best friends?  Tomorrow is the day to let them know you truly appreciate their thoughtfulness/friendship/go-getter-ness and loyalty. Your gesture of appreciation will make you feel good. It will make  others feel good. It truly gets down to the granular: Expressing gratitude makes the world a better place. Go ahead.  No, you go first.  Okay .... I'll go. Thank you, kind readers, for reading Bonni Brodnick Blog .

The newly opened Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges  -- formerly Emily Shaw's Inn -- is a sophisticated fusion of urban/rural. The attentive wait staff, decked out in down-home plaid shirts, add to the laid-back ambiance of this high-dining restau that brings new life to the hamlet. With integrity and flair, celebrated restauranteur Jean-Georges Vongerichten continues to make culinary history by honoring Pound Ridge past in this Westchester town that is often referred to as "God's Country." In the following excerpt from my book,  POUND RIDGE PAST: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk ,  former Pound Ridger Jean Ensign, recalls ...   "In the 1950s, Emily Shaw's Inn played a big part in our lives. On Friday nights, I remember walking up to the Inn after dinner and meeting friends. Somebody would be playing the piano and we would all sing. On some nights, you'd find Tallulah Bankhead there. Emily Shaw sat in back at the cash register and observe every...

Jimmy Fallon killed it at 30 Rockefeller Plaza/Studio 6B on Night #1 as new host of "The Tonight Show." He's got the all-around talent of what makes an ideal late night host... comic, shticker, dancer, musician ... and it's only going to get better. In case you missed the first show, here is Jimmy's humble opening as he takes a moment to honor the past and acknowledge the shoulders on which he stands:  Jack Paar, Steve Allen (I used to work with him), Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and back to Jay Leno. Here's very first guest of the very first show, Will Smith . He and Jimmy got stanky together in " The Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing" montage. Note the cool garb:  matching over-the-shoulder overalls and hip hop boots. (And BTW: Will Smith has a great laugh.) U2 blasted with a roof-top performance o f "Invisible" and later showed they had the goods with an amazing acoustic rendition of "Ordinary Love." We h...

                                                                                                        Sochi @ Night “In the spirit of the Sochi 2014 Olympics , I have been trying to brush up on Russian. ” But you know how things often get lost in translation?  Here is the above highlighted sentence in Russian: "В духе Олимпиады-2014 в Сочи, я пытался освежить русском языке." And then Russian translated back to English: "In the spirit of the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014, I tried to refresh the Russian language." I would never try something as bold as that. But see what I mean?

Do you sometimes feel as if all the figure skating sportscaster coverage at the Sochi Olympics could be merged into one?  Except for the rare trip or crash, the skating commentary is becoming auditory blur. Tom Hammond , Scott Hamilton and Sandra Bezic , the once-venerable threesome, sound like they are reading from the same playbook. (And can we mention briefly ... could they just shut up sometimes and let us watch the skating instead of yapping through every leap and jump?) In "A Skater's (Any GOOD Skater's) Sochi Moment," or "Конькобежец в Сочи Момент (Любой хороший фигуриста)," " he " can be replaced with " she ." If you change it to the plural pronoun " they ," and adjust the verbs accordingly, the coverage is the same for pairs as well. I'm all over it in this piece. "S/He has been" (or "They have been") cool and composed throughout the week at the Sochi 2014 Olympics . Here he comes out o...

I know about stiletto, kitten, cone, prism, spool, wedge, pump, sling-back, platform and sandal heels ... but First TOAST Heels ?  (Am I the only one out of this fashion loop?) I don't see one thing that is "toasty" about this ... neither the texture, the style, the taste nor the color. Fashionistas: please step in with your thoughts.

Show the love.  :p)

Lotsosnow. Lotsnlotsofit.  Up the periscope.

Hang on for more snow.  Beaucoup. Mucho. Heavy nor'easter expected to hammer us with 18-inches of snow.  It will be a snowpocalypse. A possible snowmaggedon.  Here is a look at what's to come:  * *   *   *  **     *  * *   **   *   *      *         * *    *     **    *     *   *  *    *  *      * * *   **   *  *       * * *   *   **        *  **     *    * * *   **   *     *    *     *   * * * *  **    *   *  *  *      *   *  *      *    *  *   **   *     *    *    *    * *   *  *  **     *   ...

When The Beatles made their U.S. debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, two things freaked me out: 1. their long hair 2. the word "invasion" Getting a manned mission to Mars was a big topic in 1964 and I seriously thought The Beatles might be an "invasion" from Mars. Nonetheless, the Fab Four soon won me over and the swooning began.  (I still love Paul McCartney.) I share with you herein, my Beatles scrap book from 1st grade:

Here's the spiel on the box of "The Settlers of Catan" :  " Picture yourself in the era of discoveries: after a long voyage of great deprivation, your ships have finally reached the coast of an uncharted island. Its name shall be Catan. But you are not the only discoverer. Other fearless seafarers have also landed on the shores of Catan: the race to settle the island has begun." This game is Fun (with a capital "F"). Anyone else delving in? (If so, give me your sheep, your grass, your bricks and your ore.)

What’s the big deal about La Petite Occasion ? Oh, just that it’s possibly because they make the  best caramel you’ve ever tasted in the entire world. What makes them so special? They are chocolate caramels with pink Himalayan salt … and there’s something magical going on between the sweet chocolate and the pink salt that makes these confections delectable. La Petite Occasion don’t stick to your teeth, as do most caramels. In fact, they are almost like fudge  the way they melt on your tongue. A new basket-full of beautifully wrapped La Petite Occasion arrived this afternoon at  Plum Plums Cheese  ( 72 Westchester Ave, Pound Ridge, NY 10576,  914.764.1525). Come stop by this weekend and shop early for Valentine’s Day! 

Cloudy, sleet, snow, cloudy, sleet, snow . .. I'm no weatherman, but are you detecting a pattern here? Get ready for the next big snowstorm on Wednesday. And once you're plowed out from that, get ready for the huge snowstorm lined up for this weekend. Batton down the hatches. Fill the hurricane lamps. Fluff up the down blankets. Be sure you have extra batteries for the flashlights. Practice alternative ways to keep your hands warm:    1. Blow on them.    2. Sit on them.    3. Have someone else sit on them.    4. Put them under your armpits. (My brother told me he learned this in Boy Scouts.)    5. Hug your cat or dog (and don't let go until your digits have defrosted). Most importantly, to prepare for the next winter storm, be sure there is chocolate in the house. (It warms the soul on the most blustery day. Studies have proven it. I swear.)

What could be more special than waking up to a huge snowstorm on your birthday?   And merci beaucoup to my adorable husband for playing The Beatles "Birthday" song as he came through the swinging door in the dining room with a carrot cake alit with candles that relight once you blow them out. It's been a grand day. Thank you, family and friends near and far, for your wonderful good wishes, cards and calls.  You made my birthday all the more special. xobb

What the heck is "Hoodie Hoo Day"?  Or "Wave All Your Fingers At Your Neighbor Day"?  February is stoked with holidays and is the month to go crazy.  Literally.  Check out my new Huffington Post . . .    "February: Let's Have Some Crazy Fun!" Tags:  "National Ice Cream For Breakfast Day" , "Wave All Your Fingers At Your Neighbor Day" , " Get Out Your Guitar Day" , "Get A Different Name Day" , "Cow Milked While Flying In An Airplane Day" , Elm Farm Ollie , "Northern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day" , "Inconvenience Yourself Day"

Here's the link to bone up on everything you'd ever want to know ... and even wish you didn't know ... about American football. Get the standings, the stats, the dish ... everything from Peyton Manning to Richard Sherman. What's the deal with those babe-ilicious 2014 Pro Bowl Cheerleaders?  Check out this  round-up.  What should you be watching for on the field? In the stands? In your living room? Want to impress everyone with some trivia? Wow the local crowd here . How about throwing around some historical statistics for extra points ? Need some recipe ideas to tame the crowd?  The Buffalo wings/chili/taco/beer cheese dip/bacon whizzies recipe sounds like a good starter. Tickets , running $2200 for field-side and up to $2955 for upper/upper seats,  are still available. (Want to meet at the gate?) Turn on the chili at about 4:00 p.m.. 7:01:30 minutes until game time.