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All posts for the month March, 2013

Service of Darkness

Published March 30, 2013 by Maryanne

Service of Darkness

Last night, accompanied by my husband, I attended my first “Service of Darkness” as a Christian.

It was powerful.

It was done so well that it was easy to let your imagination take over and feel that you were right there, watching Jesus as he died and bled blood and water.

The service began with one of my favorite classical tunes: Gymnopedie No. 1 by Eric Satie (my favorite classical composer).

Prayers were spoken,hymns were sung, the choir performed, bible verses were read and the seven last words of Jesus were read as seven candles were extinguished throughout the service.

The first word: “Father, forgive them.”; Luke 23:32-38: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

The second word: “Truly, I say to you …”; Luke 23:39-45: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The third word: “Women, behold, thy Son”; John 19:23-27: “Here is your son. Here is your mother.”

The fourth word: “My God, my God”; Mark 15:23-39: “Why have you forsaken me.”

The fifth word: “I thirst”; John 19:28-29 “I thirst.”

The sixth word: “It is finished.”; John 19:30-37 “It is finished.”

The seventh word: “Father, into your hands …”; Luke 23:44-56 “Into your hands I commend my spirit.”

After the seventh candle was extinguished, you heard the closing of the tomb. And the church was dark.

We adore you, O Christ, we bless you, by your holy cross you have redeemed the whole world.

All left the church in silence.

Anticipating Easter

Published March 28, 2013 by Maryanne

Easter 2011Easter 2011

(Note the bunnies on my dress! And the scarf is Peter Max!)

In just a few minutes I’ll be off to church for Maundy Thursday; tomorrow night I’ll be in church again for Good Friday and again on Easter Sunday. One of my favorite places to be and I get a triple dose this week — yay!

Pastor Carol’s services are so creative, I can’t wait. She’s the best!

This is my first Easter as a Christian and I am looking forward to the intensity of the services as we approach Easter Sunday.

After church on Sunday, my husband and I will be dining at Park & Orchard restaurant (http://www.parkandorchard.com/Home.html) where we spent our Easters since 2011. I’ve been going there since the 1980s and it’s one of my favorite New Jersey restaurants. I’ll probably go for the dairy and wheat-free lasagna.

For those who celebrate, I want to wish all of you a very Happy Easter. I love chicks and bunnies and chocolate too, but please take a moment to reflect the true meaning of the Easter season.

Paterson students find inspiration at workshop on political involvement

Published March 25, 2013 by Maryanne

SAM_0409Paterson student, Danielle Lowery (Photo by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta)

Friday afternoon I had another most rewarding experience covering a political workshop for teenage girls in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey.

It was awesome interviewing teachers, politicians and the students!

Check out my article: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Paterson_students_find_inspiration_at_workshop_on_political_involvement.html?page=all

Highlights from Resintopia, Saturday, March 23, 2013

Published March 24, 2013 by Maryanne

SAM_0427Model by Vincent Bordogna, Resintopia CEO and Founder

All weekend long the Resintopia extravaganza was held at the Crowne Plaza in Fairfield, New Jersey.

My husband Dennis and I got there just as they were closing shop for the evening, but with well enough time to hit the lounge, have a beer and some snack food and see the amazing New York surf band, The Octomen, with our friends Nick Conti and Ed O’Brien; as well as Vincent Bordogna. And we got to meet actor, Jeff Yager (see photos below) who also makes models and sculptures. He came from California to be a part of this fabulous event put on by Vincent Bordogna.

A good time was had by all, as The Octomen performed two great sets and people mingled.

This was the second year for Resintopia. Next year will be even bigger! We had a BLAST!

SAM_0428Model by Vincent Bordogna

SAM_0430Model by Vincent Bordogna

SAM_0419“Six Feet Under” and “Seinfeld” actor, Jeff Yagher and Resintopia CEO Vincent Bordogna

(Photo by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta)

SAM_0426Me and my husband, Dennis (Photo by Ed O’Brien)

 SAM_0421

The Octomen drum kit — how cool is that?

And from another show, but just to illustrate how great the Octomen are, check out this video I found on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbyU3iw9wqk

Westfield Community Players: A Hidden Gem in Westfield, New Jersey

Published March 23, 2013 by Maryanne

Westfield Community PlayersPhoto courtesy of Westfield Community Players

Here’s another article I just had published in the Westfield Alternative Press: http://www.thealternativepress.com/articles/discover-westfield-community-players-a-hidden-ge

Good Old Songs or Good Ole Songs? There IS a Difference!

Published March 21, 2013 by Maryanne

Squeek SteeleMy client, Squeek Steele

In addition to writing, book editing, marketing/promoting, I also manage entertainers.

The entertainers I manage are all retired or semi-retired seniors and I get them gigs at assisted living facilities, hospitals and libraries. Some have been with me since 2009.

Squeek Steele is an amazing pianist who performs the old rag time music on piano. I call her “flying fingers” because her fingers fly across the piano.

Check her out:

Squeek is from Virginia City, Nevada, and whenever she ventures out to New Jersey, she’ll call me to book her some gigs.

I gave her website to an assisted living facility that often has coffee socials and called them back a few days later to follow up.

The activities director said, “We would LOVE to have that handsome gentleman come perform!”

I was confused.

“Handsome gentleman? Squeek is a lady,” I said.

“A lady?” The activities director was confused too.

I was wondering if she had the right person, so I asked her if she was at a computer. She was. I gave her Squeek’s website and spoke slowly to make sure she got it right. Squeek’s site is: Good Old Songs dot com (http://www.goodoldsongs.com/).

Well, turned out, the activities director went to Good Ole Songs dot com (http://www.goodolesongs.com/) which is the website for entertainer, Tommy Schlein — all the way from Victoria, Texas!

TommyTommy Schlein

After having a good laugh with the activities director, I checked out Tommy Schlein’s website and was very impressed with his talent. And since this story was so funny, I decided to reach out to him with an email, explaining what had happened.

Within a half hour, Tommy called me! We had a great conversation and a great laugh. Turns out, like myself, he’s a Christian too.

It just goes to show how funny life can be when you’re least expecting it — and how you never know the nice people you’ll meet along the way. And if Tommy ever decides to visit New Jersey — he already is building his fan base, with me and the activities director it’s a pretty good start!

NOTE: The activities director wanted to book Squeek too, but the dates she was available didn’t jive with what the director had open on her calendar.