A Nutrition Workshop with A-List Chef Alex

Mice at Play is thrilled to welcome A-list nutritionist Alex Jamieson of Super Size Me-fame! Celebrated author of The Great American Detox Diet, Alex will share her nutrition and lifestyle secrets to keep Old Man Winter from fattening us up and beating us down. This informative, inspiring and interactive nutrition workshop will give you the tools to keep your body and soul on track for the cold months. You will also come away with a goody bag of some of Alex's hand-picked health and beauty products.

About Alex:
Alex Jamieson is a professionally-trained healthy gourmet chef and in addition, she is a certified health and nutrition counselor. She studied with ground-breaking pioneers in the field of nutrition. Alex is a nationally recognized television personality, author and the editor of the Nutrition for Empowered Women blog. She has been seen on Oprah, The Final Word, 30 Days and The National Health Test with Bryant Gumble. She was featured in the award-winning documentary Super Size Me. Her new book Living Vegan for Dummies will hit the shelves just one day after our Mice at Play workshop.











What people say about Alex’s workshops:

“Alex did a fantastic job making the material accessible, relevant and entertaining.”

“Her presentation is informative, entertaining, funny and, at the heart of it, forces you to ask questions about why you eat what you eat.”

“Feedback from our attendees was glowing, and we walked out of the room with a much better understanding of how the foods we eat affect our overall health.”


Where:
433 13th Street
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215

When: December 15th, 2009, 7pm

Haiku Dare

Last night, eleven Mice attended Nicole’s surreal performance. She challenged us to write a Haiku on a color of our choice, and she read it aloud to the crowd.

Mouse Sarah C. chose the color “Silver.” Here is her Haiku (bravo Sarah!):

Bottle tops glisten
Ring in a circle of love
Magpie flies to you

La Souris des Souris wrote about the color Red:

Baisers d’amour fous
Qui battent en chamade
La chanson d’une joie

What the Mice say about the night:
“Dear Chief Mice, Thank you for the opportunity to do something different and exciting! It certainly wasn’t my typical Monday night but I really enjoyed myself. I thought Nicole’s performance was haunting and very beautiful. She seemed so ethereal, wandering around in a wedding gown, playing her transparent accordion – surreal but wonderful. I really relaxed and of course enjoyed chatting to old Mice and meeting new Mice, too.”

For those who want to try their hand at a color Haiku the rule is 5 syllables, 7 and 5. Send it along to info@miceatplay.com!

Surreal Performance with Nicole Renaud néosoprano, Nov. 23rd

On, November 23, acclaimed Neo-soprano Nicole Renaud, the “captivating Parisian songbird” (TONY) with an “ethereal soprano voice” (NYT) will perform songs off her new album “Couleurs.” Her multimedia concert will involve projections of colors and translations onto a transparent screen above the stage and the playing of her new one-of-a-kind lincordian: a transparent luminous accordion designed by British internationally renowned artist engineer Paul Etienne Lincoln.

Exclusively for Mice at Play, we have negotiated a special entry price and drink voucher. Additionally, Nicole will be offering her latest CD, “Couleurs” at 30% off to Mice at Play members.

Attention: Mice love playing on the edge, right? Exceptionally for the creative Mice Muses, Nicole has prepared an audience participation dare!

RSVP by November 18 to reserve your spot at: miceatplay@gmail.com.

Here are the performance details:
Monday, November 23rd
Galapagos Art Space, DUMBO
Doors: 7pm/Show: 8pm

Nadia and Sara

We raised close to $1,200 for the Park Slope Women's Shelter!

Last Friday, our Mice at Play charity event was a big success! Thanks to your generosity, we were able to raise $1160. We had set the bar at $600, and so, BRAVO, Mice for having well-exceeded what was already a lofty goal. The total amount collected will go to the CAMBA organization which manages the Park Slope Women's Shelter.

It seems we've left the Shelter speechless. Here are their comments when they learned of our large gift:

"I can only say, wow! I am rarely shocked in my profession, yet always amazed at the generosity of fellow human beings, and how simple gestures can restore faith in humanity. How wonderful! Thank you!" Candace Bowen, Creative Arts and Recreation Coordinator

Our original idea had been to pay for the Thanksgiving feast at the Shelter. But, we hope you will be as proud as we are to learn that our donation has the ability to do even more! Shawn Young, the Shelter Director told us it could pay for two projects that will have a greater and long lasting impact.

First, we will buy Move-Out Kits for the women who are about to settle into their own apartments. The kits will empower women to start their new life, and ease what is otherwise a scary transition. Due to recent city budget cuts, the Shelter has not been able to continue to afford the kits. We will help bridge that gap.

Second, Shawn noted "even though a shelter is a temporary home, it doesn't have to be sterile." He believes that creativity is a great healer. He, therefore, proposed that we create two beautiful murals for the Shelter, side-by-side with the women who live there. If there are Mice who are interested in participating in the creation of the mural in either an advisory or artistic role, please let us know.

The Shelter is always thrilled to have volunteers anytime. Feel free to contact:
Candace Bowen
Creative Arts and Recreation Coordinator
CAMBA: PSWS
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718.369.7226 x249
candaceb@camba.org
www.camba.org

Jacinta's delicious Barm Brack cake recipe can be found on her great website: www.thelookotheirish.com. Look for the posting: Irish Barm Brack: Take 2! Saturday, October 24, 2009.

For photos of the night go to the flickr slideshow.

On November 6, 2009

The Mice Are Rising from the Dead

For the Joy of Giving!

Mice at Play organizes
its first benevolent fundraising event!

All proceeds will go to the Park Slope Women’s Shelter
to fund their Thanksgiving Dinner!

It has been nearly a year since we women of Mice at Play, have gathered for a night of exquisite cocktails at the Hide Out. We have been missing you all. So here we are, with a fabulous occasion to gather again…

As Samhain (the Celtic New Year) is nearly upon us, it provides the perfect excuse for us to commune with the spirits... and each other. Samhain is traditionally the time when the veil between the worlds of the dead and living is the thinnest. This ancient celebration of gathering and rituals also coincides with November, the month of giving. This night, the spirits will be with us to share their wisdom, offer their protection, and welcome our generosity towards our larger community.

And this is why, on November 6th Mice at Play is delighted to invite you, free-of-charge, to a night of enchantment during which you will:

• Listen to Megan Elias, Professor of History, read a tale about Celtic feasting
• Dare to pick a story from a hat to become a reader yourself
• Clear your mind and heart of one regret in a unique ritual ceremony led by Cathy Towle, a renowned intuitive
• Meet amazing women who share the same eagerness for exciting experiences and challenges.
• Learn about our new calendar of creative events for Mice at Play 2009/2010!

But that’s not all! On November 6th you will also experience the joy of giving by helping Mice at Play raise money to fund the Park Slope Women’s Shelter's Thanksgiving Dinner. What do you need to do? You simply need to show up at the party with your contribution in a red envelope (suggested donation: $15) and enjoy the night!

Mice, we need your help to make this fundraiser a success. Bring a friend or three—friends as special as you! The only requirement for new Mice is that they possess an enthusiasm for new things and compassion and generosity towards their fellow Mice.

Thank you.

PS: Don’t let babysitting problems stand in your way—we can provide the best sitters in town!

PPS: As a bonus, if you wish to know about your "Shadow Self," Cathy will ask you to pick a Tarot card from a deck that she will read for you. You may give her a token of your appreciation at your discretion.

Location and date

433 Thirteenth Street (between 8th Ave & 7th Ave)
Brooklyn
November 6, 2009
Arrive between 8:30-9pm, but not a moment later or you might be greeted by a bolted door!
RSVP at miceatplay@gmail or call Sara at (917) 855-8623.

About Our Special Guests

Cathy Towle is an international business and life coach, healer, and intuitive. She works with individuals and businesses to help them create balance, establish purpose and access their intuition. Dedicated to supporting women and their causes, Cathy has decided to offer her blessings and perform a Celtic ritual at no expense to the Mice.

Megan Elias is Associate Professor of History at Queensborough Community College where she teaches a course in food History as well as various American history courses. Her book, Stir it Up: Home Economics in American Culture, was published in 2008. She is also the author of Food in the United States, 1890-1945. She has a surprising amount to say about sandwiches.

Be ready for "La Rentrée"

Dear Mice,
I am working on an exciting calendar of events for 2009-2010. Hold on to your seat... You'll be blown away!

Happy New Year Mice!

Dear Mice,

Happy New Year ! I wish each one of you a year full of
friendship, thrills, creativity, discoveries and adventures! Mice, in
2009, let's cherish our intrepidity and lightness of being!

Since I believe that each event should have the purpose of challenging
or nurturing a side of us, and create wonderful experiences/memories,
I have been coming up with ideas for the 2009 Mice events (see margin). Let me know which
one you like and you are welcome to suggest your ideas.

Mice you have many talents which you must tap into. Don't be
intimidated by doing something that you 'think' you are not good at or
you won't like. Mice at Play is very much about pushing ourselves to
do something new or going outside our comfort zone. Why? Because the
thrill and excitement you'll get from the experience will keep you
"crisp" and upbeat. You'll be amaze at your own accomplishments. As
well as your peers and loved ones. You'll keep a wonderful memory of
it. And you'll share it with new friends. Indeed you'll get all the
support of a united group of nurturing but daring women. The Mice
will give us strength to do things you would not normally do. If one
can do it, why not you?

So Mice, the first event which seems to make a lot of you nervous is
the Acting Class with George C. Heslin, an incredible play director.
Don't be turned off by fear of the stage! There won't be any. We will be
in an acting rehearsal studio, all together, for 3 hours during which
we'll uncover and stimulate a new type of creativity--our acting
ability. It is going to be a lot of fun. And you will be in the right
hands. I saw how in 1 hour he transformed Manon's acting. It was an
amazing transformation. Who knows? You may overcome your fear of
speaking in public, gain confidence, and more.

So Mice, have the courage to challenge yourself. Make space and time
to nurture your creative skills. This is a chance to say YES to George's
acting class on Sunday, January 25th! Reply to me at: themiceplay@mac.com.