1 Flash Mob, 1 Wedding, and 1 Ice Cream Wish

FLASHED: I was occupied with the super-nuptuals of Jen and Mark Dietrich yesterday, so I didn’t stop into the West Side Market at 2 p.m., but I did manage to talk Ryan into taking a video for me, so I could check out Cleveland’s most recent Random Act of Culture when a flash mob of hundreds of singers broke into the “Hallelujah” chorus in the middle of the market’s busiest shopping day of the week. If you’ve every secretly wanted life to be like a musical, something like this must be so amazing. And I’m willing to bet that’s more people than who will admit to it. There has to be a reason that “Glee!”, “High School Musical,” and “Wicked” are so popular. This is the most recent flash mob in Cleveland, but apparently, there have been others, like this Cleveland dance group who broke into choreographed dance moves circa a recent episode of “Modern Family” or any scene in “Mamma Mia.”

HITCHED: Jen and Mark’s wedding was gorgeous and small and cozy. They had cupcakes from Main Street, the best little cupcakery in Cleveland, poetry from e.e. cummings, a stellar view of Cleveland, and, thank god, my speech wasn’t a disaster. Despite teaching high school English for six years, I still have a massive fear of public speaking when I’m not talking in front of teenagers. I made Ryan listen to my speech about 37 times, and I was still worried about it, but everything went pretty well. My favorite line was the last one that had maybe my best pun to date. I read part of Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 116 (Love is not love/Which alters when it alteration finds,/Or bends with the remover to remove:/O no! it is an ever-fixed mark/
That looks on tempests and is never shaken). So my last line was: For Jen her first love is just like Shakespeare described, an “ever-fixed” Mark. I know, it’s kind of awful, but we teach English. And I can validate our subject to students in one more way (ie: someday you’ll need poetry when you give a toast at a wedding). Congratulations to Mark and Jen! You were both beautiful, and the dance floor was packed until the lights turned on — a true sign of success. And one more thank you to Sara who, at more than 7 months pregnant, stayed until the end, and drove five people home. You’re the best mom! Shout outs to Darren, Ann Marie, Bananas, LIG, Adam, and Larissa — I love your company!

FROZEN: And, lastly, I’d like to take a moment to discuss ice cream, a topic that I feel especially attached to given my brief yet magical time working at Ripple Creme in Elyria in 1998. I’ve heard rumors (some more credible than others) that Jeni’s Ice Cream is opening a store in Cleveland. The owner, the other Jeni Britton, has stores in Columbus (Kyle actually introduced this one to me), but she’s supposedly opening a store in Chagrin Falls next year, according to her blog. In the mean time, it seems Jeni’s has started selling at Heinen’s, which is amazing news if you’re at all interested in something that sounds like this: Goat Cheese with Cognac Fig Sauce Ice Cream. The Salty Caramel is pretty phenominal, too. Tote them along to a holiday party, buy them for your own, give them as a gift. Everyone will be happy to see you.