Jenni Prokopy

Dance Dance Party Party!
If you're looking for a new workout, look no more. Dance Dance Party Party is your new best friend. With no teacher, you can feel free to do what you want, like spin, jump, yoga, interpretive dance - who cares? "It's like being out at a club with your girlfriends without the expensive cover charge (only $5 per class!) and sweaty dudes grinding on you," say its organizers. Classes are at 6:30-8pm every Wednesday at Perceptual Motion Dance Studio (4057 N. Damen Ave.).
Thursday June 7 2007Health/Fitness 

Looking for a Creative Father's Day Gift?
This Father's Day, give dad something different -- like a comfy Cozy Blanket from Wilmette-based Nice'n Cozy. It makes a great gift for someone with arthritis or physical limitations, a dad recovering from surgery, or an avid reader. (It has handy arm slits so you can cover up and still hang on to books, remotes, beer, whatever.) It also functions as a nice travel blanket -- in place of those "who knows when they were last cleaned" airline blankets.
Tuesday June 5 2007Business/Shopping 

Near Wrigley Field? Save Some Moolah!
The nice people at OutoftheBallpark, an online offering with tons of tips outside the ordinary Wrigleyville joints, are offering tasty discounts from local businesses. Just go to the 'Valuable Discounts' section and check out the tremendous savings at many of your favorite area shops and restaurants, and be sure to sign up to receive coupons, as well as new offers as they become available.
Wednesday May 30 2007Business/Shopping 

Win a Free Interior Design Consultation
Urban Source, a hip walk-in retail design studio offering fabrics and finishes formerly available only to the trade, is celebrating their two-year anniversary - and you're getting the gifts! Starting May 29, Urban Source will be giving away five free one-hour design consultations. Grab an entry at their showroom starting May 22.
Monday May 21 2007Business/Shopping 

See Michael Crichton Speak on Bioethics
Michael Crichton will speak at the Chicago-Kent College of Law today (at 4pm) as a part of a free, open-to-the public biotechnologies and bioethics conference. The presentation will examine ethical, legal and social issues surrounding the latest (and emerging) biotechnologies, including human gene patents and other topics that used to be considered sci-fi. (His recent novel, Next, dives into this topic, too.) Preregister at WhoOwnsYourBody.
Monday May 21 2007Health/Fitness 

It's Freedom from Self-Improvement Day!
Celebrate being exactly who you are today by eschewing the self-help aisle, loving those extra few pounds, and doing something that's absolutely unenlightening. It's the first annual national Freedom from Self-Improvement Day!
Tuesday May 15 2007Offbeat/Misc. Events 

One in Four Chicago Women Lack Health Insurance
New research commissioned by the Chicago Foundation for Women (and performed by Health & Disability Advocates) shows a despicable lack of insurance for women in Illinois. One in six women (age 19 to 64) don't have health coverage; the number's higher in Chicago, where 25% go without. Latinas have it even worse: One in three aren't covered. Grr!
Tuesday May 15 2007Health/Fitness 

Get French! Urm, Fresh!
The Nettelhorst French Market opens this Saturday, April 28th, from 8am to 2pm. Go for farm-grown fruits and veggies, flowers so fresh they'll last way into next week, yummy pastries and breads, handmade crafts and other assorted goodies. It's at 3252 N. Broadway (at Melrose) and runs every Saturday through the first week in November.
Friday April 27 2007Business/Shopping 

Get Out of the Ballpark!
And onto this new web site: Out of the Ballpark is "the everything that's close to Wrigley Field guide" that boasts info on dining "beyond peanuts," a handy shopping guide for folks who aren't looking just for jerseys and ballcaps, maps and travel guides and more. Great for out-of-towners and locals alike.
Tuesday April 24 2007Sports/Recreation 

It's American Diabetes Alert Day: Get Tested!
Today is American Diabetes Alert Day, a perfect day to take a few moments to get tested. According to the American Diabetes Association about one-third of the nearly 21 million Americans living with the disease are undiagnosed. Take a quick risk test, and if you score high, no cookie for you - it's time to schedule an appointment with your doc for further testing.
Tuesday March 27 2007Health/Fitness 

First Slice: Offering hope to Chicago's hungriest
Check out First Slice, Chef Mary Ellen Diaz's project to help feed Chicago families in need. A subscription brings home-cooked meals to your door, and sends healthy and delicious meals to a Chicago family who would otherwise go without. Or, volunteer at the community kitchen. Either way, it's a tasty way to help others.
Wednesday March 21 2007Eating/Drinking 

Chopping Block Offers Class Tonight on Gluten-Free Living
Folks with celiac disease (or who dine often with folks with celiac disease) can learn all about living well gluten-free tonight, at "Enlightened Cooking with Dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner." Brought to you by the Chopping Block, the event takes place at the Merchandise Mart, 6-8:30pm. Register here.
Tuesday March 20 2007Health/Fitness 

Jane: Abortion and the Underground
Written by Paula Kamen and directed by Elizabeth Schwan-Rosenwald, this play examines Chicago's legendary underground feminist abortion service, based on original interviews with women who ran and used it. The production runs until March 24 at the 20% Theatre Company.
Tuesday February 27 2007Theatre/Dance 

Chicago author Paula Kamen will speak on women and pain care
As part of an ongoing lecture series on "Understanding Pain" sponsored by the International Museum of Surgical Science and the Hektoen Institute of Medicine, Chicago author Paula Kamen will speak this Tuesday, Feb., 20, on "Not All In My Head: Reflections on Women's Treatment with Pain Care." Paula's own experience with chronic daily headache is chronicled in her highly lauded book, All In My Head: An Epic Quest to Cure an Unrelenting, Totally Unreasonable, and Only Slightly Enlightening Headache. More info on the event in Slowdown.
Wednesday February 14 2007Health/Fitness 

Are You Wearing Red Today?
Today is the American Heart Association's "Wear Red Day," when millions of men and woman across the country will wear red to raise awarness of heart disease - the number one killer of women in the U.S. Visit the AHA web site to make a donation, and get your red on!
Friday February 2 2007Health/Fitness 

Stitch into the new year...
...at Stitchfest 2, held January 1, 2007, from noon to midnight. Join other crafty folks (and your tools; they'll supply the yarn) in a show of support for the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline. More in Slowdown.
Monday December 18 2006Offbeat/Misc. Events 

You're such a slouch!
That is, if you follow the advice of research reported in today's Chicago Tribune, promoting sitting back in your chair at a 135-degree angle as a healthier alternative to sitting up straight. So if you're leaning forward right now to read this on your monitor, pump up the font size and lean back!
Tuesday November 28 2006Health/Fitness 

Travel Outside the Loop
Local radio guys Mike Stephen and Andy Hermann (you may know them as "Broham" and "The Count" from The Nick Digilio Show on WGN) have teamed up to bring us Outside the Loop: Chicago's Almost Above-Ground Audio Magazine, a weekly podcast every Thursday highlighting local newsmakers, artists, musicians, and other folks doing great stuff in Chicago. And it's free -- wee!
Thursday October 26 2006Radio/TV 

Check your pulse on National Oriental Medicine Day
In honor of National Oriental Medicine Day, local holistic health studio Source Healing is offering free info and refreshments from noon to 6pm Tuesday, Oct. 24. Get a Chinese tongue and pulse diagnosis, learn about Chinese nutrition for fertility, and prep for cold and flu season. More details in Slowdown.
Monday October 23 2006Health/Fitness 

Surgery? Remove That Belly Ring
Crain's Chicago Business writes this week about the increasing problem of patients not removing body piercings pre-surgery. Many don't consider them "jewelry" or simply forget to remove the, um, more private piercings. Hidden piercings can cause injury during surgery, so if you're headed to the hospital, get rid of 'em - or hope your doc has a removal kit like those sold by MedPierce Inc.
Thursday September 28 2006Health/Fitness 

NU Prof Among 2006 MacArthur Fellows
Jennifer Richeson, social psychologist and associate professor, Department of Psychology at Northwestern University, is one of 25 "geniuses" to receive a 2006 MacArthur Fellowship. Recipients get $500,000 in no-strings-attached support over five years. The awards are "a special opportunity to celebrate the creative individual in our midst," says MacArthur Foundation President Johnathan Fanton. Cheers!
Tuesday September 19 2006In the News 

Bionic Woman, Courtesy of Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Claudia Mitchell is the world's first woman to receive a bionic arm, created by the Rehabilitation Insitute of Chicago. Using RIC's Bionic Arm technology, nerves located in Mitchell's shoulder were re-routed and connected to healthy muscle in her chest, allowing the re-routed nerves to grow into the chest muscle and direct signals they once sent to the amputated arm instead to the robotic arm. The result: When Mitchell thinks about moving her arm, it happens, and she's able to complete essential tasks with ease. And this is just a first step; in the future, researchers hope to create advanced bionic arms that provide recipients with full sensation.
Saturday September 16 2006Health/Fitness 

Meet FRIDA: Feminist Response in Disability Activism
Women with disabilities face a barrage of challenges, but FRIDA (Feminist Response in Disability Activism) aims to break down barriers. Join organizers at a meeting this Monday, Aug. 21, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Access Living, 614 W. Roosevelt Road. An ASL interpreter will be present. Call Access Living at 312-253-7000 to learn more about FRIDA and accessibility issues in Chicago.
Friday August 18 2006Politics/Activism 

Be Charitable: Shop Bloomies Aug 30
Love to shop? Feeling generous? The Lupus Foundation of America, Illinois Chapter (LFAI) and Bloomingdale's are teaming up to raise some cash. Purchase $10 tickets to The Shopping Benefit, and LFAI gets every penny; turn your ticket in at one of Bloomingdale's four Chicagoland locations on August 30 and the store will donate an additional $5 to the cause.
Tuesday August 15 2006Business/Shopping