The Trash Talker

Okay. I admit it. I am a sucker for the Olympics. In the months leading up to them, I ignore all of the hype. I don't watch the trials. I don't follow what's going on with drug testing. I don't rush out to buy a bunch of red, white, and blue garb so I can follow along like a crazed fan from my living room.

But once they are on, I get hooked. And my favorite part of the Summer Olympics, I've decided, is swimming. I love swimming for many reasons, just one being that I know for a fact how ridiculously hard it is. I was never a serious competitive swimmer, but I did spend two summers swimming for the Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and believe you me - that was plenty. It was positively grueling. I also love swimming because it is one of those sports that truly shines in the Olympics. The game-related sports like basketball are totally boring to me because these are professional athletes who are just taking a break from their million dollar salaries to give this little 'ole Olympic thing a try. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm sure Michael Phelps does quite well in endorsements - QUITE well. But swimming is at its pinnacle on the Olympic stage. The contest is over fast, and it's always exciting.

What I don't get is the trash talking. The French swimmer dude (sorry - can't be bothered to look up his name), saying prior to the 4 x 100 free relay, "The Americans? We're going to smash them. That's what we came here for." Is that right??? You didn't come to represent your country with honor? You didn't come to win the gold? You specifically came to bring someone else down? I mean, it goes without saying that, to win, someone else must be defeated, but still - what kind of sportsmanship is that? ESPECIALLY during the Olympics! Not to toot our own horns or anything, but the NBC coverage, while certainly America-centric, does focus on some of the athletes from other countries who deserve to be celebrated. I believe all Olympians do.

I have to say that I was rather proud of the Americans in their response. Of course they let the swim speak for itself. And it did. It spoke volumes, in fact.

Stress for Breakfast

I once had a boss who liked to say he ate stress for breakfast, like it was some ridiculous badge of honor. Well, I ate stress for breakfast, lunch, and a mid-afternoon snack today, and you know what? It tasted terrible.

I had two major "filings" due today for work, and I've once again proven the theory that, no matter how much time you have to complete a project, you will always work until the very last minute. We almost made these filings a month ago and gave a big sigh of relief when we realized we had a whole extra month. "Woo hoo!" we exclaimed. "Now we don't have to rush!"

Yeah. I wish I had a time machine to go tell my 7-8-08 self, "Get it together. Let's nail this thing down so we're not racing the clock trying to get it done at the eleventh hour. Maybe this time, you'd prefer to finish something without that awful tension building up in your back so severely that you can barely move at the end of the day. Maybe you'd like not to snap at your husband when he calls in the middle of your giant C.F. to ask you a question about your bank account."

But no. Apparently, my 7-8-08 self was destined to eat stress for breakfast today.

I Want to Be Kung Fu Fighting....

Lord knows that I don't do well in front of crowds - public speaking is really not my forte. That's probably why I never ventured into anything involving the public, growing up...stage fright...still got it too. It's rather silly when I think about it - I'm an adult and I should be able to speak clearly and eloquently in front of an audience or crowd without my insides feeling like jell-o.

And even though you'll never catch me on Broadway (maybe as a back-up dancer in the way, way back), I wouldn't mind having a part in a movie. I think the idea of having a bit part in a movie that doesn't make it to the cutting room floor, would be pretty sweet. And when I say bit part, I mean smaller than the lead, bigger than an extra.

But I don't want to be in any old movie - I want to be in an action movie where I can use my martial arts skills to kick some ass. I trained in kick boxing (and I'm not talking aerobic or tae-bo here) for a few years, with a real black-belted sensei. I even trained with Joe Lewis, the world heavyweight kickboxing champ, a couple of times. I loved it. I knew my body was built for kickboxing....I had really strong kicks and my punches weren't too bad either. I have pretty long legs so it made round-houses that much more interesting. I would say I was probably one of the stronger female fighters amongst my class. And what made me better was I always trained with someone experienced.

I look at all the movies that I could've been in - 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' 'Charlie's Angels' or anything with some martial arts involved - and I think about how cool it would be. Of course, it's something I would like to do before I die - and preferably before my body can't handle the grueling workouts and practices to prep for a fight scene...I would say around 40.

Of course I wouldn't want to do it full time...once is all I need (and can probably handle)...and it cant' be in a Steven Seagal movie - I do have some standards, afterall!

Since When Did I Become Older Than a Friend?!

I'm pretty fortunate to have been blessed with 'young-looking' Asian skin. There are many instances where I still get carded and have been asked if I'm still in college. Sure, when you're in your thirties, those times don't happen too often and sometimes you're a little happy when they do. But there are other times when you're just like, 'C'mon - are you kidding me?'


Well - I discovered a sure fire way of really feeling old - watch a rerun of 'Friends.' That's what I did last night and it happened to be the episode where Rachel was turning 30.
I thought to myself, 'Really? 30? That's it?'
And then I wondered, 'Did I know they were supposed to be in their late 20s, early 30s when filming the show?'
I had to do some research on Wikipedia and it turns out the show aired from 1994 - 2004. I was only 18 when it started, so no wonder they seemed so much older...and all of the cast did start the show in their late 20s to early 30s.

But now, 14 years after it first aired, I'm finding that I feel a bit old. I mean I talk about 'Different Strokes' and 'Facts of Life' because those were classics (loved the episode with El Debarge on 'FoL') - great shows from my formative years. And it's looking like 'Friends' is turning into quite the classic as well.

I think it's because 'Friends' is still pretty 'new' and it's only been off the air for four years - but the jokes and the situations are still pretty timeless. I still try to catch a reruns and I still laugh out loud at their antics.
*Sigh* I started watching the show as a young'n compared to the characters - now, I'm on the other side of the age hump, viewing it from a whole new perspective.

I'm Ashamed to Admit...

I kinda like Miley Cyrus! ACK! I'm a 32 year old woman that likes to listen to the pop-music of a 15 year old - I know...so sad! I barely roll down my windows when Britney Spears is playing, but Miley - it's either sunroof only or A/C on. Suddenly, I feel like I'm part of an AA meeting!!!

When her song, 'See You Again' came out a few months ago, I thought, 'Hmmm...this is pretty catchy.' Of course I'm not a big fan of lyrics that include the singer's own name...like when she sings in the chorus, 'My best friend, Leslie, said, 'Oh she's just being Miley.' That part I find a little gay. (Ugh, I even talk like a 15-year old!) But other than that, I like it. It's got a good beat and although it doesn't make me want to get up and dance like a Solid Gold Dancer, it's still got a good beat to drive to, work to, and/or workout to.

Whenever the song came on the radio and my husband was in the car, he begged me to change it. He usually does this for pop songs in general...but if I was driving...no way...it's driver's choice. The song stayed on. When he was driving, no such luck. But if I was alone in the car, sometimes I secretly wished it would come on just so I could enjoy it.

About a month after it really hit the airwaves, I was sitting in a sports bar having dinner and the DJ played it. (They always have music on over the games.) And when it came on, I started bee-bopping to it. The waitress/bartender came by, saw me...I saw her....she was bee-bopping to it too.
Then she said, 'I kinda like this song.'
I replied, 'Me too.'
She said, 'But I haven't made it as far to download it on iTunes.'
I replied, 'Yeah, me too.'
It's a guilty pleasure, I guess.

When I was working from home a few weeks ago, I caught her on Good Morning, America...giving her Friday concert in Central Park. Two weeks later, again while working from home, I found out she was going to be on the Today Show for their Friday morning concert series. I was secretly excited because I was pretty impressed with her GMA showing. So while I was working, I caught Miley in concert - she sang her new song, 'Seven Things I Hate About You.' A little mouthy -but it's a decent song. It's no 'See You Again' but I'll take it.

I find that she's a good performer; I mean she's 15 - she's a ball of energy. She might garner bad publicity sometimes, but we all did stupid stuff when we were 15 - we always wanted to be older than we were. BTW - was it me or did her Vanity Fair controversial photo make her look like a 'cleaner' version of Heath Ledger's Joker? I think it's the lips. She has a pretty deep voice for a 15 year old and although she's not as talented in the pipes as Christina Aguilera or even Kelly Clarkson, she does know how to entertain - and isn't that what the gist of it is? She's entertaining....she is the Annette Funicello of her generation.


I won't be going to her concert anytime soon - I'm not THAT obsessed with her that I'm willing to battle over-eager parents and screaming tween girls to see her live. And if I did happen to go to her concert, I would feel like I'd have to borrow some teenage girls to mask my excitement. But I did finally break down and download 'See You Again' on iTunes.

On an even more positive note, I'm sure the best thing to come from Miley Cyrus is the fact that her dad, Billy Ray, got a second chance at celebrity stardom. Now he can forever be known as Billy Ray Cyrus - he played a doctor on some show on the PAX channel, hosted Nashville Star, dabbled with Dancing with the Stars, father to Miley and most importantly, one hit wonder. Cause having one hit wonder as your only claim to fame just seems so sad.