Well…

Yes, we all love movies, but we almost never agree on which one to watch. One daughter loves rom-com, another daughter likes sci-fi, hubby likes action, and for me, if it wasn’t made in the 80s then I’ll pass. So you would think it would take some sort of romantic, butt-kicking space pirate in a Duran Duran muscle shirt to unite this movie-loving family.

As it turned out we just needed an astrophysicist.

I was so excited to see Neil deGrasse Tyson at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post because my hubby and I are HUGE fans. We read his books, watch his documentaries and listen to his podcast so I knew we had to see his show in person. What I didn’t expect was how much my two teenage daughters were going to love it. I had a feeling my sci-fi-loving daughter would like him but wasn’t too sure about the rom-com kid. Luckily his show was an entertaining, fun breakdown of how our favorite movies got the science right and how some got it wrong. The Wizard of Oz, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, The Lion King, and even Love Story (yup rom-coms have science in them) was explained. We watched clips, learned a little science and math and he even chatted up the audience with some fun back and forth.

The show was great but what was even better was seeing it at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post. We usually have to trek into Manhattan for an experience like this but being only a short car ride away with plenty of parking made for a fun movie-lover night without the movie (or the traffic). The stadium seating held about 2,000 and guaranteed that there wasn’t a bad seat in the house. The show was interactive, thought-provoking, and really quite funny.

We went a bit early, grabbed a drink at the bar, and listened to a live local band playing before the show. I even got to dance a bit and totally embarrass my kids. Don’t worry if movies or science aren’t your thing, the Tilles Center really does have something for everyone. So if you’re looking for a fun date night or family bonding time (like we did) make sure to check out their awesome upcoming schedule.

Future Events:

• January 7: Space Oddity – The David Bowie Experience
• January 10: Dancing with the Stars
• January 27: America
• January 28: The Tortoise and the Hare
• January 29: Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
• February 18: Lviv National Philharmonic
• March 7: A Conversation with Trevor Noah
• March 17: Wings Dublin Irish Dance
• March 18: The Sicilian Tenors
• March 19: Patti LuPone – Don’t Monkey with Broadway

About the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post:

Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post in Brookville, is Long Island’s premier concert hall. For almost 40 years, Tilles Center has been host to more than 70 performances each season by world-renowned artists in music, theater and dance. Tilles Center was the first to bring the New York Philharmonic to Long Island and Bruce Springsteen’s legendary “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” was recorded onsite.

Tilles Center is located at LIU Post, 720 Northern Blvd in Brookville, NY. For more information on how to purchase tickets, call 516-299-3100.

Tilles Center provided my family with complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review. We absolutely loved going and all opinions expressed are my own.  

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So there I was, a fresh-faced budding young woman of 14. I was at the movies with some friends, and that’s when I first saw him. He became very important during my “formative years” and was often on my mind as I drifted off to sleep…Jake Ryan.

When Sixteen Candles came out in 1984, I thought the story was cute, the dress was awesome, but Jake was dreamy. Somewhere over the years his dialogue with Long Duk Dong got all mixed up in my head, and my friends and I started referring to Jake as the “oily bo-hunk.” (Molly Ringwald purists will remember that it was actually Samantha’s sister who was marrying the oily bo-hunk, not Jake. But after thirty years, I’ll blame my memory and not the wine.)

Fast forward almost 30 years and my life has changed. I used to think about Jake Ryan while I was in the shower. Now I think about him after I get out.

That’s right…I’m talking about moisturizing.

One of my ongoing STDs (Shit To Do, people…relax) is taking better care of my skin. Most of us wait until our hands feel like sandpaper or our heels could strike a match before we think about lotion. Moisturizing on demand is a little like flossing the night before a dentist appointment. Better late than never, but it’s not exactly a long-term strategy.

So here’s my new snake-skin-begone routine.

I take a shower and towel off, but not completely. I leave my skin just a little damp, then rub on a thin layer of good old organic coconut oil. I have some sensory issues, so I can’t get dressed if I still feel greasy. Thankfully the coconut oil soaks in pretty quickly, and before long I’m good to go.

I know some people moisturize every single day. Good for them.

I can’t.

I’m lucky if I have time to eat two meals some days, so I’m keeping this one realistic. Three or four times a week is something I can stick with, and I’d rather build a habit I can maintain than aim for perfection and quit after a week.

Like I always say, do what you can. If you can do it every day, fantastic. If you can only manage a couple of times a week, that’s still better than not doing it at all.

A couple of weeks after I started my new routine, my husband reached over while we were watching TV and rubbed my leg.

“What are you doing differently?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your skin feels really soft.”

I smiled.

“Dancing with Jake Ryan.”

He looked at me like I’d completely lost my mind.  Some jokes are just for me.  The important part was that he noticed.

So now every time I step out of the shower and reach for the coconut oil, I smile and think of my teenage crush from 1984.

Not a bad way to start the day.

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