As y’all know, I LOVE holidays, and Easter is my favorite – I think it’s the colors and all the cuteness. This year was a real milestone for us, as we have now started attending a church that we really like. We decided to make this shift from non practicing to practicing Christian behavior because our Critter was getting upset that we were not practicing the Jewish holidays. YOU try explaining why there’s no Hanukkah at your house without actually going to church. I remember taking the child to his first Sunday school class and when I dropped him I explained “We are trying to give him a cultural identity. So far all he knows is that Jesus is the boss of Christmas”. I think they probably pegged me for being a prime candidate for attending what we now call “cool church” as opposed to the traditional Episcopal service that we attended until cool church was called to my attention.

Since November, we have come to really enjoy Barry Taylor’s perspective widening sermons that relate real contemporary life to Biblical times. Barry is very interesting – legend has it that he used to be a roadie for ACDC, and sometimes my fave crooner Chris Mann sits in on the mostly music service. On Palm Sunday I grew to love cool church even more when Barry explained that he originally found religion in Stevie Wonder, which really validates my playing my Innervisions cd in my car over and over so the Critter is learning all the words. I really want my kid to have soul.

As time marched up to that day of Jesus’ (aka the boss) resurrection, I began to prepare for what has become an annual event at our home, where I go insane for two weeks choosing everything Easter and figuring out a menu I can serve to the usual twenty or thirty folks of all faiths who come to my place for good Southern food and fun. They all cram into our condo and I always worry that it’s like Holly Golightly’s apartment. This year carried on the tradition, and I had a ball putting it together.

The Easter service was really wonderful – Chris sat in, as you can see from the quick clip above. Our guests stayed at our home up until about eight o’clock, and then Spring Break officially began. You can see from the photos that we found lots of fun things to do to keep ourselves entertained, including Kathryn Ireland’s new fabric launch at Scalamandre, Taekwando, an awesome evening at H.O.M.E. Beverly Hills (SERIOUSLY – check out this video), playing with some cool new toys – in general having enough fun that we really didn’t take the break! The Critter returned to school yesterday. I think I’m going to take a cue from Louis XIV below and take a nap before I head over to Natalee Thai to hang with my mommyblogger peeps!

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Y’all know my history with Chris Mann, and you know how much I love PBS, so you can imagine how thrilled I was when I got the invitation from Barbara at One2One Network to attend the taping of his upcoming PBS Special! I went to Sony last night and watched and listened to him BRING IT for four hours, and I can assure you the special will be something…special. I thought this about Chris since the first night I heard him play and am so happy to see all the great things that have happened since then – that he’s in the skilled hands of the production people at PBS is also very reassuring. I know that they’ll “get” him and create a wonderful program with all his hard work. His voice is in top condition, and every note her delivers is rich and clear. My favorite songs he performed? Cuts from his new album Roads: My Way ( Frank Sinatra and his grandad would be proud), and Cuore (it really doesn’t matter if you know what he’s saying, just close your eyes and listen). After seeing this special you will also want to add his Christmas album to your permanent collection – his version “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” is just amazing.

Here we are together after the show – I got to give him a hug and tell him how happy I am for all he’s achieved since that night at Genghis Cohen…

Remember my post last year about my “date” with Chris Mann? I sat with four people at Genghis Cohen and he played his heart out for us, even though we were such a small group. I am so happy that I got to know him now, because he is now on the road to superstardom. A HUGE congrats, much fan love, many hugs and kisses to the guy I knew would be a star – you deserve it!

See the whole broadcast!

As I mentioned in my previous post, My Perfect Husband and the Critter had boys’ night last night so Mom could go check out this Chris Mann person as the final event of the 5 Minutes for Mom Ultimate Block Party ‘10. Immediate reactions? He is disarmingly charming, smolderingly handsome, and seriously talented. I was thrilled to be able to sit about two feet from him while he performed a live stream concert for the blogosphere – and he can really work those tunes. He clearly is a person who embodies craft – the music and rhythm flow naturally from him, as easily as his conversation. I think if he didn’t have the keyboard and the tracks it wouldn’t matter – he could just snap his fingers along with that voice and we’d love to listen.

Over dinner after the show Chris and I discovered that we attend the same church (when I attend, that is), and that he went to Vanderbilt and that he lives in a Melrose Place type apartment building with lots of the young creative types supporting one another. He says he’s not much of a clubber, but he has his two gal pals to clue him in when it’s cool. All you Glee fans, get ready, Chris is coming – watch out!

Thanks so much Chris, for sharing this with me, and thanks to Barbara of One2One and 5 Minutes for Mom Network for sponsoring such a cool event!

Tonight I am going to Genghis Cohen, a place I have been many times to eat firecracker shrimp, to drink cocktails, and see live music. The first time I went there was for a private party with one of my fabulous vendors from NEWH when I was a newbie designer in town. I wasn’t sure of what to expect, but it’s pretty self explanatory – it’s a Jewish / Chinese Restaurant with a rocker bar music venue. All good things! I have memories of a terrific night when I took my husband to see Sean G. play at Genghis when we were dating. That was the first time my friends met the man I would marry about a year later, a man I met on the internet, who I now refer to as my Perfect Husband (he really is – I have to remind him of that tonight). So today I ponder this whole Genghis Cohen – meeting people for the first time paradigm as I gear up to go to there tonight to meet people I’ve never met.

In four short hours I will be attending a special performance by Chris Mann to the women of the Ultimate Blog Party. I can’t begin to explain how this all worked out, but I am strangely excited to meet these gals – it reminds me of internet dating! No doubt there will be more to report on this…

Right now I have a couple of hours to do anything I want to do. I have before me:

• Beverly Hills Community Services Bulletin – and pore over pages six and seven – I can stress about whether the Critter is properly stimulated prior to entering preschool.
• Read
I, Rhoda Manning, Go Hunting with my Daddy

, by Ellen Gilchrist, which causes me to miss the South and all its decadence
• Work on painting for page 15 of “Louis of Beverly Hills – The Adventures – Part One ‘
• Watch something on in demand like a marathon of “Project Runaway” or “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” and learn How It’s Done from the masters.
• Take a nap
• Get into it on City Mommy

I”ll Twitter later and let you know what I decided to do…