Tag: New York

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Don’t Miss Bergdorf Goodman’s Holiday Windows 2024

One of the things I eagerly anticipate every holiday season is the stunning artistry and craftsmanship showcased in the Bergdorf Goodman windows. Each year, they bring a sense of sophisticated and extravagant holiday elegance, making you feel like you’re stepping into a delightful bubble of champagne! There’s just something magical about the way they glow at night, capturing the glamor of New York City.

Did you know that planning for these breathtaking windows starts eight months earlier, back in February?

A dedicated team of about 100 people works together on everything from design to production, with installation taking almost three weeks!

This year’s theme, “Toast of the Town,” is fascinating as it celebrates the 200th anniversary of Fifth Avenue and highlights its vibrant role in New York City’s character. Each window tells its own story.

One window, for instance, honors the city’s beautiful parks that line Fifth Avenue, like Washington Square and Central Park. It’s a lovely leafy oasis filled with vibrant greens, charming creatures, and even some statues! I especially love the giant praying mantis they included.

Another window bursts with bright yellow to pay tribute to NYC’s iconic yellow taxis! It features a stunning starburst made from a collage of cab parts.

Then there’s the magnificent red window celebrates the New York Public Library, featuring the dazzling bejeweled lions, Patience, and Fortitude.

Check out the giant typewriter and minature sculpture of the library!!

A dreamy lavender window showcases chic fashion and shopping from some of the city’s most famous department stores, while a brilliant blue window highlights the landmarks along 5th Avenue, including the Flatiron Building, the Empire State Building, and the Plaza.

And let’s not forget to mention the dozens of sparkling couture pigeons by Burke & Pryde!

They’re sprinkled throughout each window, and no two are the same.

Each one is adorned with colorful sequins and unique patterns that truly dazzle the eyes.

As David Hoey, the senior director of visual presentation for Bergdorf Goodman, shared with the New York Post, “The windows will appear to be a collage from afar, but up close, visitors can appreciate all kinds of ‘micro details.’” It’s such a treat to explore all the intricate elements that make these displays so special!

We’re taking about ways to celebrate a Diabetes ‘BLUE’ Christmas with holiday musical inspiration from Elvis Presley.

Are you feeling blue?

The holiday season triggers mood swings for many of us.  We may stress about finances, fight with family members, feel overwhelmed with commitments, slip into bad eating habits, ignore blood sugars and/or gain weight.

We will be discussing ways to not let diabetes dim your dazzle during the holiday season with our panel of experts.

Mr. Divabetic’s guests include Chilbrook Kennels Breeder Author, Diabetes Alert Dog and Scent Detection Expert, Debby Kay, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, CDN, Mandy Reece PHARMD, CDE, BC-ADM, FAADE, Rachel Zinman,  the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach featuring Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and America’s #1 Energy Conductor, High Voltage. 

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Lilacs & Managing Diabetes In The Morning

Another gorgeous morning in East Hampton, NY, is another reason to show my home state pride. When I was growing up in Rochester, my mother told me lilacs were the official New York State bush, but they weren’t designated as such until 2006. 

Checking your blood sugar in the morning, known as fasting glucose, can help you assess your diabetes self-care plan. This measurement shows how well your body manages your blood sugar overnight. If you take insulin, a morning test can also help you determine how much to take before a meal.

In people with prediabetes or diabetes, morning blood sugar can remain high as the body becomes less sensitive to insulin or produces smaller amounts. This is known as the “dawn phenomenon.”

Some researchers believe the overnight release of certain hormones naturally increases insulin resistance. That causes blood sugar to rise. The hormones are called counter-regulatory hormones because they have an effect that opposes the effect of insulin. They include growth hormone, cortisol, glucagon, and epinephrine.

High blood sugar in the morning may be caused by:

  • Not getting enough insulin the night before.
  • Not getting the right dose of diabetes medicine the night before.
  • Eating a snack with carbohydrates in it at bedtime.

Talk to your healthcare collaborators if your blood sugar is consistently higher than it should be in the morning.

According to Greek mythology, Pan, the god of fields and forests, fell hopelessly in love with the nymph Syringa. After endless advances from Pan, Syringa turns herself into a lilac shrub to protect and disguise herself from him, proving once again how some guys don’t get the message. 

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Easter Parade In New York City

People gather on Fifth Avenue in creative and whimsical Easter finery every year to celebrate the holiday.

Wealthy New Yorkers would stroll down Fifth Avenue following Easter services to showcase their most beautiful dresses and suits.

Over time, the parade evolved to include elaborately creative hats and other crazy headwear, drawing crowds of locals and tourists alike.

Divabetic Image and Style Advisor Catherine Schuller was among the revelers in creative and colorful hats at this year’s Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival.

Anyone can join in the fun. Whether you’ve been planning your ensemble for months, or you just decided to decorate your favorite hat today, go for it!

The Easter Parade feels like a sober Halloween Parade.

It happens in the morning, and most people have left the church. There’s a joyful energy in the air.

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The Divabetic Vault: Mother Love, Jessica Issler and Catherine Schuller

Enjoy another flashback from the Divabetic Vault. We spotlight three fantastic divas: Mother Love, Jessica Issler RD, CDCES, and Catherine Schuller.
Here’s the backstory on how I met these fabulous divas photographed and how they helped me pioneer diabetes outreach for women.
I met comedian and talk show host Mother Love, who is living with type 2 diabetes, while volunteering backstage on the National TV show dLife. Mother Love was one of the four hosts on the program. She was under contract with Novo Nordisk when Divabetic partnered with Novo to sponsor Divabetic’s national outreach program, “Divabetic- Makeover Your Diabetes.” Every show needs a diva, so I chose Mother Love over the other celebrities under contract when Novo Nordisk asked me if we wanted a celebrity to join us at our outreach events in Philadelphia, PA, New York, NY, and Cleveland, OH. She even appeared in one of our Serve, Taste, or Trash! Videos at the American Diabetes Association’s Expo in New York, NY.

I’m so glad I did!! She was terrific on and off stage. She lights up the room. She would join me on stage to host our Glam More, Fear Less fashion shows and host one of the six education stations, The Tunnel Of Love, in the Makeover Maze. The Tunnel Of Love offered advice on love, intimacy, and sexual health issues related to diabetes.
I hosted pre and post-outreach program meetings and dinners in every city for my national team members and their families. Mother Love and her husband would join us for both meetings (which wasn’t in her contract.) She was hysterically funny and always, always made everyone feel loved. At our post-event dinners, I made it a tradition to toast everyone at the table and express my gratitude. After Luther’s stroke, I didn’t want to take a moment for granted. I also wanted people to know how much I enjoyed presenting this program. I consider Divabetic’s Makeover Your Diabetes national tour my biggest accomplishment. And I didn’t do it alone – I had a dazzling team of incredible people who partnered with me.
My parents and I met certified diabetes care and education specialist Jessica Issler  CDCES (second from left) backstage at dLife, too. We met everyone in the diabetes community, including Jessica, while volunteering as audience coordinators at show tapings. Jessica attended a taping with two other young female diabetes educators, whom I nicknamed “Charlie’s Angels of Diabetes.” After the taping, we exchanged contact information after realizing a shared passion for helping empower and educate at-risk people affected by and living with diabetes in fun ways. I invited her to one of our monthly Divabetic Club support meetings at the local YMCA. Shortly after, she began volunteering as a facilitator at several meetings.
Jessica also volunteered as our sole diabetes educator at our first makeover program, Lipstick & Laughter, at MESS Makeup Studios in New York City. She met with women after they received free makeup applications to discuss issues concerning their diabetes.

When Novo Nordisk requested that I create a core National Makeover team consisting of diabetes care and education specialists, stylists, fitness experts, and makeup artists, she was the second name on my list.  Between stops on our makeover tour, Jessica and I created several new, original outreach programs targeting children and their families affected by diabetes with Mount Sinai’s Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Department. All of our programs, like our Makeover program, featured progressive education. Participants would travel from one education station to the next, getting the information they needed to problem-solve issues related to self-care and diabetes wellness.  I am opposed to lecture-style outreach.
Our first program, Walk To The Penguins, featured an obstacle course through Central Park that ended at the Zoo’s Penguins exhibit.
Our second program, the Broomstick Bash was a healthy Halloween party featuring several education stations, Ghost & Boast (goal setting for the holidays, Monster Moves (fitness), Freaky Foods (nutrition), and a broomstick decorating area. The program was first held in the Department offices and moved to Mount Sinai’s main lobby in the following years. The third annual Broomstick Bash was our largest outreach event, with over a thousand attendees.
 Jessica replaced Joy Pape, we met at dLife too, as the lead educator for Divabetic’s Makeover Your Diabetes program from 2007-2009. She also worked with me on another health and wellness program called Energy Up!, targeting at-risk young women. Then, Jessica consulted and created recipes for Energy Up! founder Katie Dolgin aka High Voltage’s bestselling book, The Sugar Savvy Solution.

I’m wearing an Energy Up! t-shirt instead of a Divabetic t-shirt in this photo because I was moonlighting for my friend High Voltage’s Energy Up! wellness program. Early in Divabetic’s history, I chose to focus solely on adult women, not children. Since there wasn’t any diabetes outreach exclusively for women yet, I didn’t want to dilute our message by trying to all things to all people. But I still wanted to help younger people living with, at risk, and affected by diabetes, so I channeled my creativity into helping High Voltage with her programming rather than muddy the waters with Divabetic. I had a great time presenting and producing programming for both organizations.

Funny side note: I wanted to be booked as a guest when I heard about the national TV show dLife starting. Sadly, the producers disagreed. However, I still volunteer backstage during show tapings as a production assistant. One day, the producers took pity on me and let me host a table selling Divabetic merchandise in the cellar where the audience waited before the tapings. It turned out to be a life-changing moment because the Who’s Who of the New York City Diabetes Community (at the time) attended these show tapings. I met people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, their family members, authors, fitness instructors, hospital administrators, nurses, doctors, politicians, diabetes educators, and celebrities (like Mother Love). So I was rubbing elbows with the Who’s Who, hosting a Divabetic merchandise table in the cellar.
After a taping, I invited my parents to fly to NYC from Columbia to help me backstage on the show. We would put on Divabetic and Dude-A-Betic t-shirts and head to the studio. We sold merchandise as well as offered free healthy snacks. Yes, I coerced my Mom into making snacks in my tiny one-bedroom apartment before shows for audience members!! One day, the tapings upstairs in the studio were delayed, so the head of the production asked me if I could entertain the audience while they waited. Let’s say a star was born when I got handed the boombox with the microphone!!! I held runway contests between audience members, played games like charades, and made everyone dance to Luther Vandross‘s music. Sometimes we would have so much fun in the cellar that no one would want to go upstairs for the tapings. People noticed us. I don’t think they had a choice.

The woman in the picture on the far right is Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller. I didn’t meet Catherine at dLife. I met Catherine when we sat next to each other as judges for a Plus Size Beauty contest. We fell into a quick and easy friendship. She is amazing! She inspires me every day. She inspires me to create, challenge myself, and live my best life. Over the past twenty years, she has given her time, talent, support, and enthusiasm to Divabetic.

The morning of our last Makeover program, Catherine suffered a stroke. We hosted the program at Riverside Church, the location of Luther’s memorial. Catherine was rushed to the same hospital, Presbyterian Hospital, where Luther Vandross recovered from his stroke related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes. She also received treatment from the same team of physical therapists who helped Luther during her recovery. Catherine also put our Glam More, Fear Less philosophy to work at rehab. She did her hair and makeup and wore a glitzy sweatsuit before going to rehab sessions. She felt the attendants treated her differently because she made an effort.
Looking back, I feel grateful and fortunate to partner with so many women on Divabetic. Thank you for letting me share my memories from our 20-year history. It’s been a fantastic journey for me.
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Mr. Divabetic Raises Awareness for Diabetes at Columbus Day Parade

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic raises awareness for diabetes in a fun, new way at the Columbus Day Parade in New York, NY.

More than 35,000 marchers took part in the parade, which featured the giant head of Christopher Columbus mounted on a float. Onlookers waved Italian flags while police officers wore Italian-American sashes over their uniforms and music blasted from bagpipers and marching bands. “It’s one day of the year that we can be proud to be Italians,” one parade-goer said.

Mr. Divabetic plays his nutrition game, “Serve, Taste or Trash!” with New Yorkers along the parade route to hilarious results. In the game, you’re given three choices of fruits and vegetables. You must decide which one you’d serve, which one you’d taste and which one you’d trash. Before you decide to “trash” a veggie for good, why not try to eat it raw? Raw veggies can be more appetizing than their cooked counterparts to people who aren’t crazy about vegetables.

The flavors of raw veggies can be milder than those of cooked ones. And the texture is crispy, rather than mushy. Let Mr. Divabetic inspire you to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Tune in to Divabetic’s free monthly podcast, Diabetes Late Nite hosted by Mr. Divabetic on blog talkradio.

TUNE IN

.oin Divabetic’s facebook page, follow Mr. Divabetic on Twitter and learn more about sponsorship opportunities and event details visit: www.divabetic.org

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic plays his new food game, “Serve, Taste or Trash” at the fifth annual Summer Streets – NYC:

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