As a mom, I am thrilled to plan amazing birthday parties for my daughters. When I stopped by Duff’s Cakemix one Saturday afternoon, I was intrigued by their process and the organized fun that was happening inside.

Just a few years out of culinary school, Duff quit his day job and launched a custom cake business out of his one bedroom apartment in Baltimore, Maryland. Duff and his team at Charm City Cakes pushed the limits of cake decorating, sculpting a dazzling array of awe-inspiring works from life-sized elephants to race car replicas. The wild creations and off-beat company culture soon became the subject of the hit Food Network show, Ace of Cakes, inspiring an entire generation to roll up their sleeves and decorate.

“Pursuing his passion for inspiring creativity in others, Duff founded the first ever do-it-yourself cake and cupcake decorating studio in Los Angeles. At Duff’s Cakemix, we believe there are artists in all of us and that cake decorating is an act of love, especially when done with or for others. The world wants to create, the world needs to create, and more than anything, the world needs cake. We’re here to help.” Duff’s Cakemix Team

This year we decided to celebrate my daughter Ella’s 6th birthday at Duff’s Cakemix. She and her sisters and friends enjoyed the opportunity to create a design for their cake, participate in decorating it, and tasting the frosting. The Duff’s Cakemix team in El Segundo was very helpful for our small group. They demonstrated the process and gave us step by step instructions via a handout of our cake model. I strongly recommend this party for families and small birthday parties.

Last year Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that allowed for six more casino licenses in the state and to make horse racing venues able to provide casino games. This year’s horse racing season starts in March, but there’s another, and much bigger, sports wagering event coming up this month.

The NCAA Tournament, colloquially known as “March Madness,” generates billions of dollars in wagering, according to the AGA (American Gaming Association). It’s easy to see why Gov. Pritzker wants to get legal sports betting up and running in the Land of Lincoln in time for the tournament, which begins in earnest on March 19. If Illinois doesn’t get going, they are likely to fall behind other Midwestern states.

Take Kansas, and why not since we’re on the topic of college basketball, and it’s the state that is home to the sport’s founding father, Dr. James Naismith. Legal sports betting is one step closer to coming towards fruition in the Sunflower State after their Senate passed a retail and mobile bill on Wednesday.

The bill, SB 283, just beat the chamber crossover deadline on Thursday. If Kansas Governor Laura Kelly agrees to the terms and signs the bill within 10 days, SB 283 will become law. Income from sports betting in Kansas is expected to bring in anywhere from $360 million to $600 million annually. However, even if the bill is not approved, residents of Kansas can still wager legally online at operators such as Chumba Social Casino or Monkey Knife Fight. Either way, a lot of money will be wagered, both legally and under the table, in a totally basketball crazy state like Kansas this upcoming month.

Another state in the region, one that actually borders Illinois, Iowa, legalized sports wagering last summer. Since they went live last August, the state has seen $270 million in sports wagers, which have have added an additional $1.5 million in tax revenue.

So as Iowa moves full speed ahead and Kansas gets their ducks in a row, how are we coming along? The most ambitious goal, originally, for getting legal sports wagering in full effect in Illinois was the Super Bowl, but obviously that didn’t happen. Coincidentally, the beginning of discussions on legalizing sports betting in Illinois coincided with the start of last year’s March Madness, according to Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Zalewksi.

To go from that stage to in the words of Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars “fully operational,” would convey a decently streamlined legislative process, but to make a painfully obvious pun, don’t bet on it.

Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No,  I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation. 

You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.

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It’s the shortest month of the year, I’ve turned up the heat to get things done! And had lots of progress.

296. How is the mast standing? Why didn’t it fall over while sailing?  I don’t know!  A clevis pin on one shroud is over length and at quick glance one might think it is falling out, not just long. I get a new one of the right length, loosen the shroud, remove the old, put in the new and???? The pin in the shroud was 3/8″ in a 1/2″ hole. That means we had about one-half the strength pin in the hole as required. Starting all over, I order a new 1/2″ pin and go check all other pins on the shrouds which are fine.  When the new pin comes in, I install it and re-tighten the shroud. Gulp.

297. We have been without a usable tachometer on the engine. I order a new one and install it.

298. It’s closing in on three years since the boat was purchased and new batteries installed then. I make it a habit to clean the battery terminals on my car annually, and figure its time to do the same to the boat. One battery is for engine starting. Then we have two other batteries in parallel deep cycle batteries called the “House” batteries that run everything else on the boat underway. Not one to leave anything alone, I do not like the way the battery boxes for the House batteries are installed. One of the battery boxes is hanging off the edge of the shelf by about 1/3. Also, the strap that holds them in place goes under the boxes and the slide latch on the strap is really really hard to open.  I install a larger plywood platform, move the battery boxes having to trim and cut things to fit. Then cut slots in the shelf so the new strap with metal latch goes under the shelf for extra security to hold the batteries regardless of the heel and pounding the boat goes through in waves. Also I use the hole saw to run wires and cables under the shelf to make it look clean. And cleaned all terminals applying a light coat of lithium grease to them.

299. In a storm on the mooring in the fall, the cover for the LED display of the autopilot blew off and overboard. I ordered a new one and installed it.

300. An utter oddity, the throttle for the engine has to be pulled backwards to speed up, and pushed forwards to slow down. I contact the Edson who built the wheel and pedestal where the throttle is located to see what they could offer. Their answer was, “None.”  I contact the engine maker, he said that on engines that have been returned for rebuild, he notices a few of them have an extension on the throttle bar on the side of the carburetor sticking out the opposite direction with the throttle cable attached to that. I have some 1/8″ stainless sheet, cut out a long bar, drill holes and install it on the existing throttle bar. Then the throttle cable has to be moved after, the bracket that holds the throttle cable re-adjusted with final testing of this once the boat is launched. Lastly, the labels on the wheel pedestal replaced showing the new direction of faster and slower.

300!  Time to party?  Nope, things just go on and on when restoring an old boat.

301. Before the boat cover was put on for the winter, the hoses in the shipyard were still running, so I washed the deck and topsides. My neighbor thought it odd, but I said I want less work to do in the spring! The shrink wrap specialist shows up on what must have been the rainiest day, and tromped sand and dirt all over the deck (the ground is gravel/dirt). I couldn’t wash it again, because the shipyard removed the hoses and blew out their water lines so they wouldn’t freeze. This hampers the prep work of sanding, stripping some varnish, and getting the remaining 1/4 of the deck ready for painting come warm weather. So I take a dry scrub brush and the vacuum to clean as much would come off, so I can proceed with the prep work.

302. When I made the new main hatch last summer, it was on a tight deadline. There was excessive caulk that needed to be removed, but there just wasn’t time for it. The easiest way to remove the caulk is to remove the hatch and flip it upside down, remove the caulk, flip the hatch right side up and reinstall.  Done.  Added bonus – the gasket material sticks heavily to the hatch opening making it really hard to open the hatch each time. Since it’s upside down, I put black electrical tape onto the gasket material so the non-sticky side of the tape now rests on the hatch opening. We’ll see how that works this summer.

303. The engine and bilge pump exhausts out the back end are bronze. They are heavily patina’d, so I tried Barkeepers Friend to polish them.  Didn’t put a dent on them. Then the internet suggested lemon juice and baking soda.  Each application made them one shade lighter. Could not get them back to original mustard/yellow.  Done.

304. Greased the head of the rudder post turning wheel from side to side while filling it with a grease gun.

305. The front hatch had seen better days. The plastic dried out, crazed and not clear anymore. The wood has its varnish coming off and black in some spots. Time for an overhaul. First remove the plastic lens and the fittings from it. The varnish is stripped off the wood, and the wood cleaned with Teka. Some joints are falling apart and re-epoxied. A good sanding, then five coats of Cetol (4 coats applied 4 days in a row, dry for 3 days, sand, then re-coat). Buy a new sheet of plastic, the new lens requires 29 holes drilled including the large hole for the solar vent and is assembled with Sikaflex caulk mating it to the wood. The hardware is cleaned to remove dirt, tarnish, paint or varnish, then remounted with Lifecaulk. New gasket installed and the “magic” electrical tape applied to it so it doesn’t stick to the deck.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

306. When I built the new battery shelf and hooked all of the wires back to the batteries, I knew all of the wires I attached, except one. It’s been bothering me wondering what it goes to? I traced it and found it goes to the voltmeter on the panel.

307. Sailboat racing requires extra safety gear above and beyond the USCG required safety gear boats must have. Hanging on the back end of the boat is a yellow horseshoe lifering with a drogue, strobe light and pole with a flag. Theory being, if someone went overboard, this would be deployed as a meet up spot for the boat and the victim. It’s a lot of stuff. A company called Switlik makes a Man Overboard Module (MOM) that includes all that stuff in a small plastic box. Pull the pin, the stuff pops out overboard and self-inflates. We decide to declutter, bought one, had it re-certified, bought the brackets that hold it to the pushpit and mount them. Ready for summer!

308. Found a little loose tabbing under the starboard berth. Re-epoxied it.

The work list is now at 29 items (a few small ones got added this month), 8 items are “wishes.”  7 items can be done in cold weather, 14 items require warm weather. Wish me luck in March to get all of the cold weather projects complete!

The next owner is really going to enjoy this boat.

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The Cosby Show became a staple in many black families’ households on September 20, 1984. The sitcom aired for eight seasons until April 30, 1992, and it focused on an upper-middle-class African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York. The Cosby Show painted a picture of hope for black people as to how we wanted the world to see us as an educated, intelligent family that can easily blend in with white America. However, even with that depiction, racial profiling of African-Americans is still a deeply troubling national problem within the United States.

Playwright Tracy Conyer Lee, who is known for writing plays on relationships and family dysfunctions, shares an intimate and thought-provoking play called Rabbit Summer. Redtwist Theatre is where we peek into the lives of Wilson, Ruby, and Claire. Set in the suburb of Ohio in 2020, we meet Wilson (Kevin Tre ‘Von Patterson) and Ruby (Brooke Reams). Their daughter is away at summer camp, and Wilson, who desires to have a son, see this time as the perfect opportunity to expand his family. He seizes the chance to kill the rabbit—a term used to get a positive pregnancy test result, but Ruby has other intentions.

To all intents and purposes, their marriage seems perfect. Wilson dotes on Ruby and worships her as his wife, but Ruby feels Wilson doesn’t share his emotions and hides behind his fears of not wanting to be like his father. Feeling helpless and trapped in her Huxtable-like existence, she comes up with a secret plan, reshaping their views about life and redefining their marriage, which is now under fire by new lies and old secrets.

Additional complications arise when Ruby’s friend Claire (Deveon Bromby) loses her husband due to a controversial police tragedy. Ruby offers her home so Claire can recover; however, her visit causes a dysfunctional reunion were fears of love, life, and lies start to crack a seemingly picture-perfect marriage and friendship.

Rabbit Summer is a fast-moving tragicomedy that is well-written and performed by three exceptional actors. On the night we were there, only a few people in the audience by the cast gallantly performed like the house was fulled. The triple threat performances of Reams, Bromby, and Patterson were flawless as they flowed effortlessly through the script. It was like peeking into the lives of three people fighting to survive the injustice against African-Americans. Bromby is phenomenal as Claire, who’s heartbroken, and depressed masking her feelings of sorrow with fury. Reams fits prefect as the quasi Betty Crocker wife and the closet rebel, aka Bonnie (to Clyde) personality as Ruby. The centerpiece of the trio is Wilson. Patterson, as Wilson, who is fighting to be more like Cliff Huxtable, then the reality of his father, Reggie, provides a haunting remember the pain a child feels feeling fatherless. Each role shines a light on the frustrations and fears of African-Americans.

Patterson’s role as Wilson shines a light on how men as fathers feel when their fathers fail to properly train up a child, regardless of the color of their skin. Reams’ role highlights the agony of trying to live up to the desires of others, albeit in a relationship or life, and what a person will do while facing the fears of not meeting those expectations. Bromby’s role shines a damning but necessary light of injustice. How surprisingly, still today, African-Americans are paralyzed by the difficulties of living while black.

A theater friend recommended us to see this play, and we were so happy that they did. Rabbit Summer is another play that shines a light of the violence, brutality, and the negative views about African-Americans by whites and those behind the blue shield. It’s just sad that these eye-opening plays, including ‘Kill Move Paradise,’ by playwright James Ijames and directed by Wardell Julius Clark, are shown only during Black History Month.

From an interview with the playwright, Lee expresses her feelings of frustration but reminds the readers that helpless and hopeless is not her style. She does this by using characters with the audacity to speak about what needs to change in our society.

The question this play asks the audience is, “Can you bear the weight?” The weight of being black and blue, dealing with police shootings, infidelity, selfishness, daddy issues, marital strife, and whether or not to have children. After seeing the robust performance of three characters coming to life in Tracy Conyer Lee’s play ‘Rabbit Summer,’ you will walk away wondering if anyone can say yes.

Let’s Play ‘Highly Recommended’ Rabbit Summer at The Redtwist Theatre.

Redtwist Theatre
Rabbit Summer
by Tracey Conyer Lee
directed by
Christopher Burris
Through March 22, 2020

It’s time for the Day (or Night) of the Living Ales, a chance to sample LOTS of beer served from firkins, steelies and kegs. Get in some early parade watching and drinking ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. And releases for International Women’s Day from women brewers.

A week or so ago, the North Side cider mecca The Northman announced it had been sold. The new owners, who ran the previous Bohemian House restaurant, have quickly rebranded the space as “Cobblestone.” The intent is to keep most of the favorite entrees from the Northman, but the new chef will be bringing in more bistro fare. The focus will remain on cider, however. The new Cobblestone is at 4337 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Details in this Chicago Tribune article by Louisa Chu.

Friday, March 6

Saturday, March 7

Sunday, March 8

As I look at this picture with my two childhood best friends, I wonder where the time has gone. How has forty years really flown by in just an instant? I try to remember when the last time that I saw either of them was, and I realize that don’t I know much about their lives as adults. I have been thinking about this all day, wondering why that is. I realize that I seem to have lost myself in relationships and even when I became a new mother. I stopped hanging out with my friends and quit doing things I loved to do. Part of it was that all consuming excitement of the new relationship, but I also think there is not enough time in a day. I enjoy being with people one on one or in very small groups, so sometimes with work and family commitments, I know there isn’t much time for friendships. I can also be a little introverted. Maybe I’m more of a social introvert, but I definitely need my alone time to read and just think. Leslie sent me this picture of us yesterday, and today is Kay’s birthday so I just want to tell them that I miss them and love them. My absence in their lives over the years has never been about them. It is about my shortcomings and also because there is not enough time in a day, days in a month, months in a year and years in a life. Lois Wyse explains how I feel perfectly with this quote, “A good friend is a connection to life.” Know that whether we talk frequently or have not spoken in years, you matter deeply to me.

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And read more positive thoughts Looking For The Good

All through my day, no matter where I go, or what I do, I am always looking for the good in people, in the world, in my life or even just in my day.

Having seen this movie before as an expatriate living in the third or developing world, I have a sense of what to expect in the second worst case scenario of the coronavirus.

In the first worst case, I would be dead before it came to town.

Abroad we planned for things that might happen, so I’ll start from those skills.

• The power might go out as it did everywhere we lived in the developing world. In Mexico it happened (yet again) as we were about to sit down for dinner party at our home, with 50 guests.
• The water might stop running as it did in Mexico and Ecuador, making the pool water of the latter quite useful.
• Deliveries might disappear from groceries and other shops leaving them with empty shelves, a reality that often happened on the sunny island of Curaçao. It’s an experience to watch fresh broccoli rot on the grocer shelf to an unappetizing brown. But I learned to buy ahead non-perishable items.
• So like then, I will stock up on things we use anyway, just more than I’d usually keep about.

Cans and jars of foods, dry goods like pasta and rice, a container to store drinking water (if needed), long shelf-life items like UHT (ultra high temperature) almond milk, wine and dark chocolate. Prescription medications that our stingy insurance allow us to order more than one unit at a time. And things without expiry dates like tissues, toilet paper, soaps for everything from our dishes to clothes, hair and body washes.

But what I most assuredly will not stock on, is panic. Panic is not helpful for my primary immune deficiency that needs weekly infusions to be normal like other people’s. That isn’t a medical statement, just a life lived in challenging countries statement.

So I’ll stock up on reliable, science-based information. Not the voodoo of social media and poorly sourced internet junk, or the magical thinking of a friend who is hanging onions about the house to keep coronavirus away.

But don’t listen to me. Go to the CDC coronavirus website to read and learn. Read a book, like John M. Barry’s The Great Influenza. Take a FREE beginner course online like my 9-year-old British grandson at Coursera. (Full disclosure, a relative works at Coursera.)

Knowledge is power and also assuages fear.

You’ll be busy, because you lose an hour Saturday night as we spring into daylight savings time. So much music, so little time.

Tuesday, March 3.

A presentation in honor of International Women’s Day on Folk Festival with Lilli Kuzma, 90.9 FM, or www.wdcb.org. 8 PM.

Thursday, March 5.

Dave Spector at Hey Nonny, 10 S. Vail St, Arlington Heights. 7:30 PM. $10 – $30.

 Donna Herula at Smoke Daddy, 1804 W. Division St, Chicago. 7:30 PM.

  Mark Dvorak at the Izaak Walton Preserve potluck dinner/concert. 1100 W. Ridge Road, Homewood. Dinner at 6, concert at 7. $10 for both, $5 for concert only.

Friday, March 6.

  Chris Vallillo at Two Way Street Coffee House, 1047 Curtiss St, Downers Grove. 8:15 PM. $10.

Annie Suma performs a house concert in Oak Park. [email protected] for details. 8 PM. $20.

Mulligan Stew at Irish-American Heritage Center, 4246 N. Knox, Chicago. 8 PM.

Richard Gilewitz and Pierce Pettis at Uncommon Ground, 1401 W. Devon Ave, Chicago. 8 PM.

Saturday, March 7.

Steve Dawson and Emily Hurd at Elevated Songwriter Series, 925 W. Diversey, Chicago. 8 PM.

Bernie Glum and Friends at Edgar’s Place, 70 Sycamore, Park Forest. 7:30 PM. $15.

Mark Dvorak performs a house concert in River Forest. [email protected]. Donations of canned good, unopened household items, etc.

Sunday, March 8.

Did you get up at 2 am and set your clocks ahead?

Ladysmith Black Mambazzo at Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago. 6 PM. $45.

Mark Dvorak at Schuba’s brunch, 3159 N. Southport, Chicago. Noon.

If we lose an hour on the weekend, can Spring be far behind? We’;ll be whining about the hot weather before you know it.