Yes/No Detroit

Today is April 25th so it's not too hot and not too cold—all you need is a light jacket. (bonus points if you know what movie that is from!) April 25th is also my mom's birthday, plus my cousin's, plus his wife's, so it's a memorable day all around. We are headed to Indiana later for the birthday celebration weekend (after I crank this out, and we pack some more stuff), and it should be a fun time. Pizookie Platter at BJ's, Livonia What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout. Last Friday, my husband and I drove 25 minutes to MOD Pizza Livonia—the Northville location is now permanently closed, and we had $20 in gift cards to use from Christmas last year. On the way there, we also got cheap gas at the Costco across the street (like $2.65 per gallon!) and checked out JoAnn Fabrics—all of their stores are in the midst of permanently closing, so they had some good deals, and I even got some earrings.  On Saturday, he and I and my parents went to BJ...

Captain America: Brave New World is now available on digital platforms, and will make its debut on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 13. Read on for my review of the movie, and enter to win a digital code for the film!  Film synopsis In Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World , Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) – who now wields the shield of Captain America after events in “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” – meets with newly elected U.S. president Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) and soon finds himself in the middle of an international incident. In a race against time, Sam must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red. Bonus features: Deleted Scenes: A Heartfelt Thanks The Mission Stick Around Assuming the Mantle Old Scores, New Scars Gag Reel Audio Commentary *Bonus features may vary by product and retailer My review I saw this one in the theater back in February, and overall enjoyed it. The cast was great, ...

Somehow it's already April 18th, and today my Alexa said the high is going to be 78 degrees, which is kinda nuts because this week it's been like 35-40 degrees at most ...  What I've been up to this week: Some big news. I had been holding onto this secret for a while, though we started telling family and close friends at the end of December. I'm currently 21 weeks pregnant, due with a baby girl at the end of August! My husband and I found out in early December (and it definitely happened AFTER our Louisville trip, which was a lot of drinking, haha) but I wanted to wait until baby's 20-week anatomy scan, which was Friday, before telling my Facebook and Instagram friends. We are both very excited to meet her, and I feel like there's still a lot of things to do before August, but we have the whole summer to get things done. Pictured above is the announcement I posted on FB/IG (Momo can be cooperative for photos, Gregory the tabby cat usually is not, so she got to b...

April seems to be flying by, which is bad because I have a lot of things I still need to do, LOL. No travel this month at least, although we are going to Indiana at the end of the month to celebrate my in-laws' birthdays. Pesto chicken pasta at Pops for Italian, Ferndale What I've been up to this week: Birthday party for a friend . A friend had her birthday party at Painting with a Twist in Ferndale last Saturday, which gave me an excuse to visit Ferndale—I hadn't been in a while, but parking was a PITA because there was also a protest going on (it was a national day of protest). I've only done a Painting with a Twist-type of place one other time, in 2016 for a friend's bachelorette in New Orleans, and it was a lot of fun, even though I am definitely not artistically inclined, haha. I ended up taking home two paintings, actually, because I won a contest they had going on, and the other painting was more professional-looking, and I really enjoy it. We also went to Po...

I have been a fan of Postmodern Jukebox for a long time, and finally got to see them in concert last summer at the Fillmore Detroit. This year, they're coming back to Detroit, this time at the Fisher, and one of my lucky readers will win a pair of tickets to attend! About the show: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox: Today’s Hits Yesterday is coming to Detroit’s Fisher Theatre Tuesday July 22, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 11 and will be available online at BroadwayInDetroit.com at 10:00 a.m. When New York City pianist Scott Bradlee created Postmodern Jukebox out of a basement in Queens in 2011, his goal was simple: to remake the pop hits of today into the classic sounds of the legends of yesterday. Miley Cyrus became The Platters. Bruno Mars became Frank Sinatra. The Spice Girls became The Andrews Sisters. Guns ’n’ Roses became Bessie Smith. Now, nearly a decade later, Postmodern Jukebox has grown to become a pop culture mainstay in its own right, having play...

March went by super fast, I'm not sure how it's already April. This week was moderately busy, and the weekend will be very busy, as I'm going to a friend's birthday get-together tomorrow, and then meeting other friends for dinner on Sunday night. Madtown Grilled Cheese at HopCat, Royal Oak What I've been up to this week: Touring Ford House . I had never been to Ford House before, but I did a blog post for them a few months back in exchange for tour tickets ($20 each, normally), and my husband and I went to check it out on Sunday. The grounds ended up being very beautiful—if you're a member there, you can walk them whenever you want, and even bring your dog—and they had a shuttle to bring you from the main residence, to the garage area (five classic cars!), back to the Visitors Center, so that was super useful too. I highly recommend checking it out sometime—from me, it was a little bit of a hike (Grosse Pointe, MI, so about a 40-minute drive) but was worth it. T...

I had to miss Beetlejuice the Musical the last time it was in town, because I had COVID, so I'm excited to see it this time - it'll be at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit from August 5 to 10. Read on to see how to win tickets to opening night! About the show: It’s showtime! Back by popular demand, the ghost-with-the-most is returning to Detroit in this edgy and irreverent Broadway musical comedy. BEETLEJUICE will play Detroit’s Fisher Theatre August 5 – 10. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 2 and will be available online at BroadwayInDetroit.com starting at 10:00 a.m. Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. With an irreverent book, an astonishing set, and a score that’s out of this Netherworld, BEETLEJUICE is “SCREAMINGLY GOOD FUN!” (Variety). And under its uproarious surface (six feet under, ...

Another busy week, and today I'm working in the office (about a 30-minute drive, including parking in the parking structure in Birmingham) so I have to crank this week's post out quickly. The weekend is shaping up to be a bit busy too, including a Ford House tour; I've never been, so I'm interested in seeing it. Steak board! At WL Socialhouse, Kzoo What I've been up to this week: Cooking . We finished up a Blue Apron box from last week and we had Green Chef this week. Green Chef used to be one of my top favorites, but it was a bit expensive; I got this box for $32 or so, which isn't bad, but I do feel like they're a little more limited now in meal choices compared to their sister companies, Hello Fresh and EveryPlate. Last night we cooked an Asian peanut chicken and udon noodles meal, and sometime this weekend we still have chicken tacos to cook.  Friends get-together . On Saturday night, we headed to South Lyon to hang out with some friends, one of whom is...

I can't believe it's already March 21st—this month is flying by. I'm looking forward to resting a bit this weekend, but we are seeing friends on Saturday night and I usually see my parents on Sunday nights, too. 4-sq. lunch pepperoni pizza from Buddy's What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout. Last Friday, I met up with two friends for lunch at Buddy's in Farmington Hills—I don't usually go out during work, for lunch, but a different friend was supposed to be visiting that weekend and then was unable to make it, plus I had a doctor's appointment in the AM, so I kept my lunch plans and worked a half day. On Saturday, I went to check on my condo and drop my HOA check, so I swung by Pink Garlic to get us Indian takeout. On Sunday, I was at a birthday party and we had sushi and Hungry Howie's pizza, and on Wednesday, I was in Ann Arbor (more about that below) and had Chela's takeout for lunch.  Returning to U of M. I'm a 2009 Un...

*Disclosure: I have been given tickets to the show in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I have seen David Sedaris live in person maybe four to five times now: the first few were at Hill Auditorium, in Ann Arbor (on UM's campus), and I've seen him twice at the Fisher Theatre. His readings, just like his work, are very entertaining, and it's always great to meet him after the show to get one of his books signed.  He'll be at the Fisher Theatre next month, on April 8th - read below for more info! About the reading: David Sedaris, author of the previous bestsellers Calypso, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim , and regular National Public Radio contributor will be appearing for one night only at the Fisher Theatre on April 8, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. following the release of his newest books, Happy Go Lucky and Pretty Ugly. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 6 and will be available online at BroadwayInDet...

This week has been super busy; the weekend will also be, but I should have time to sit and relax a bit as well. Pesto pizza from Bigalora, Southfield What I've been up to this week: Doctors appointments. I had one yesterday and I have my annual physical today. The one yesterday was very quick but they took bloodwork, which I wasn't expecting, and I'm pretty sure I have to do bloodwork today too ... and I had my Crohn's infusion last Saturday ... so for those of you keeping count, that's three (bloodwork) pokes in one week. Yay.  Seeing Peter Pan at the Fox. On Tuesday, myself and three friends went to the Fox in Detroit to see Peter Pan . Oddly, I have never seen the musical, although I've seen most movie iterations of the show, and probably have read the book before. The musical was a bit chaotic/action-packed, for lack of a better description, but overall I liked it. I'll be at the Fox until Sunday, and you can read more info at my blog post . Seeing Kimbe...

I spent the first half of this week in lovely Miami for work, where it was nice and warm (except for one day where it DOWNPOURED on me as I walked back to my hotel from the conference hotel ...). Looking forward to relaxing a bit this weekend, except I have my Crohn's infusion tomorrow so I have to be up early-ish for that. Chai-spiced macaron (left) and delicious Reese's tart What I've been up to this week: Traveling to Miami for work . I had a very early flight on Sunday, at 7am (had to get up at 3:30am and be in a Lyft by 4:30am...) because the other choice was 2pm, and the conference kicked off around 5:30pm. I stayed at the Residence Inn Aventura Mall, which is where I stayed last year as well—the conference was at the JW Marriott resort across the street, so it's a quick walk. The conference was mostly Monday and Tuesday, and then Wednesday I flew home. Dining out/getting takeout.  On Friday, I went to go check on my condo and then I got Pink Garlic takeout for my...

Another busy week, and today is finally the last day of February. I'm heading to Miami for a work trip on Sunday (yay, warmth!) but my flight is at 7am, which is going to be tough ...  Cactus Blossom from Texas Roadhouse What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout. Last Friday, I had a free cheesy bread coupon from Green Lantern to use - and I always forget they have a Southfield location on Telegraph now—so we double-dipped, so to speak: we picked up my bread, and then got Buddy's takeout as well, which was tasty, since we had some holiday gift cards to use. On Saturday night, we were seeing a movie at Emagine Novi, so we went to Texas Roadhouse around 7pm after for dinner. TXR is always tasty, but my husband and I both agreed we won't be going back on a weekend night for dinner anytime soon; it was a 50-60 minute wait (not a big deal; we put our name in on their online wait-list, and stopped by my parents' house for a second), and then when we got t...