That's Classy

Way to pick your nose on live TV, Pres.  Nice work.

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RIP Boner Stabone :(

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For what it's worth, Rachael Flatt, I think you kicked ass.  

We'll see you in 2014!  Good luck in the Ivies!  

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Lady GaGa - WTF?

Random's Manifest - Thursday Thoughts

It's Random Thoughts Thursday!  My favorite blogging day of the week!  Hooray!  I just finished constructing the most convoluted deal structure diagram in history, so I'm rewarding myself with some lunch-break blogging.  Enjoy! 

WARNING: Topics discussed below will likely have no cohesive theme or, for that matter, make much sense at all.  Read at your own risk.

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Rachael Flatt 

I know her performance didn't touch Kim Yu-Na's (South Korea), who broke all world records with her nearly flawless short program on Tuesday night, but I can't get over Rachael Flatt (USA).  I mean, really.  Watch her SHORT PROGRAM and tell me she isn't absolutely adorable.  This could likely be the first year since 1968 that an American lady hasn't graced the podium in women's figure skating, but it won't be for lack of enthusiasm or theatrics.  I know there were mistakes, but I really just enjoyed watching this kid skate.  And I'm excited to see her "go long" tonight.  Don't forget to tune in!  

The Itchy and Scratchy Show

Rupert has recovered from his bath, and is now shiny and soft.  But, he continues to both itch and scratch.  He learned how to take off his shirt, and he ripped holes in the E-collar, so we're back to just letting him run free and scratch himself to his heart's content.  He sees a dermatologist on Monday.  Seriously.  A dermatologist. For a CAT.  I can't even afford to go to the dermatologist for myself!  But, I'm going to drop a cool $400 on the Rupster.  I've lost my mind.  And he's insanely spoiled. 

Tax Season Hours

Have I mentioned that I loathe mandatory overtime?  

Finally, Mr. Fed-Ex!  

My eShakti.com dresses arrived, and I am DELIGHTED to say that they are absolutely precious. :)  I ended up liking the second one I ordered even more than the one I discussed a couple weeks ago, so I thought I'd show you guys a picture (I'd model it, but I am waaaaaay too pasty to show my legs to anyone right now).  Unfortunately, they are apparently sold out of it now, and no longer have a picture available.  Thank goodness I ordered it before it was too late!  Once spring rolls around, and I can get some sun, I may post a shot of it for you.  I know you'll all be on the edges of your seats in anticipation...

Hilary Duff's Rock

So, if you follow Hollywood at all, you know Hilary Duff's (you might remember her as Lizzie McGuire) hockey-player boyfriend proposed recently, and presented the former Tween Queen with a MILLION DOLLAR rock.  It's just a little obscene, to say the least.  My mom made a good point - where in the world can she actually wear this thing?  I mean, the paparazzi has (or is it have?  Is paparazzi plural?) caught her in a few different locales sporting the skating rink, but wouldn't you be terrified to cart a cool mil around on your hand?  And she's just a little thing.  I seriously doubt she could beat off a mugger, unless it was a 9-year-old...

  

Further, I think it's a little distasteful to be spending that kind of money on something as frivolous as a ring.  I love jewelry - A LOT - don't get me wrong. But, we have people starving all over the world, Haiti is in ruins, and our economy is in the toilet (don't get me started on federal spending...).  Couldn't they do something better with that money that spend it on a fatal hold-up waiting to happen?  Did he also spend a mil on the bodyguards that will invariably have to escort Miss Duff everywhere she goes from now on?  If nothing else, he could've at least sent me $130K of it so I could pay off my student loans.  Hmph... 

Abercrombie Hotties & Notties

Abercrombie & Fitch is being sued - again - for discriminating against applicants.  Apparently, the company would not hire a Muslim girl because she chose to wear a hijab, and that contradicted the "image" that Abercrombie is trying to portray through it's cookie-cutter, "beautiful people" employees.  Other discriminatory acts - forcing a guy with a prosthetic arm to work in the back so customers wouldn't see him, and advising against hiring any form of minority.  

I think Abercrombie's behavior is utterly atrocious, but the Jezebel article on the lawsuit kind of gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling.  See, I worked for Abercrombie when I was in college.  So, if Abercrombie really will only hire beautiful people, somebody out there must think I'm a hottie.  Or, at least cute enough to fold six billion sweaters and endure unnaturally loud music for hours on end during the Christmas rush.  Yay me!

My Life As Liz

If you're not watching this hilarious MTV series, you should be.  And if you are, please answer this for me: Is this a reality show?  Or a sitcom?  Or a reality/sitcom hybrid?  There's a lot of confusion out there regarding the existence of Liz Lee, Sully, Taylor, Cori Cooper, and the whole gang.  I want to know if I could actually find these kids if I elected to venture out into Middle of Nowhere, Texas...

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Alright.  It's back to work for this girl, because that's what I do (sort of).  Here's a video for your enjoyment, because I just can't get enough of Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.  Until next time! 

(NOTE: Photos above were stolen from NBC Sports and E! Online, respectively.)

Eye of the Tiger

I LOVE me a good underdog story.  As a frequent underdog, they're truly heartening, and help me put my own life in perspective.  It's actually a really good thing that my existential dilemma has come in the middle of the Winter Olympics, because the Games are always a source of inspiration, and laden with tales of the "least likely" becoming the "most likely."  Last night's Pairs Figure Skating finals were no exception.  

Until this year, it was positively laughable to think that China could produce gold-medal figure skaters.  They rarely, if ever, even make it to the podium.  So, when China's Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao laid down a BREATHTAKING short program on Valentine's Day, everyone across the globe became a true-blue fan of the underdog. 

This couple is so cute.  They started skating together 18 LOOOONG years ago, when she was just 13, and he was 18.  By Chinese skating standards, these kids kicked butt.  By world standards, they weren't really anything to write home about.  They've been to the Olympics 4 times now, and are some of the oldest skaters in competition (at the ages of 31 and 36).  They married in 2007, and thought their careers were over, but their lives together could begin.  Well, Xue and Hongbo - WRONG!!  Their coach decided they would have one last hurrah - at the 2010 Olympic Games.  They moved into separate dorm rooms in the training center, and put married life on hold for a while to train for this last Olympics (for them), and boy did it pay off.  Not only did they medal, they won!  

The long program had some mistakes, but not enough to cancel out the highest scoring short program in Olympic history.  Watching them skate gave me chills, and when they were announced as the Gold Medal winner, I actually cried.  Yep, I did.  

The coolest thing about this victory?  Standing next to them, on the silver medal podium, was YET ANOTHER Chinese long-shot!  Qing Pang and Jian Tong  were in fourth place going into the long, and nobody thought much of them.  They were more than 5 points behind the leaders, but made a really nice showing.  Definitely enough to make China proud, but likely not enough to win a medal.  

Or so we all thought.  When the Russians and Germans both had falls and major missteps in their routines, the second Chinese pair had a shot at medaling.  And boy-howdy, did they take it.  I literally had goosebumps at the end of the 4.5 minutes, and cheered so loudly that I scared Rupert out of the room.  By miles, they had the best long program of the night.  Flawless, full of love, and fraught with passion.  Truly, an inspiration.  These two, together with their teammates, made Olympic and Chinese history last night. I'm pretty psyched that I was able to witness it.

Seeing such amazing perseverance, and realizing how blood, sweat, tears, and dedication can actually pay off, has really changed my perspective in the last 36 hours.  I got off of my butt, bought a new office chair, downloaded some CPA exam practice software, and moved the exam to Saturday.  I'm taking two days of unpaid leave to focus on preparing for this test.  My days of self-sabotage are over.  I am pulling together my bar exam application, applying for a bar loan, and putting the online dating on hold.  I've started a new book: What Happy People Know, and I'm going to work on overcoming my fear (both of failure, and success).  It's a brand new me.     

Sunday wasn't only "Single Awareness Day", it was Chinese New Year.  2010 marks the Year of the Tiger.  I decided that it's going to be my New Year, too.  The last 6 weeks are behind me, and it's time for a fresh start.  What better time to start over than now?  . 

Thanks to Shen, Zhao, Pang, and Tong, the Year of the Tiger is off to a pretty amazing start for the Chinese.  I think it may just be their year.  And maybe it'll be mine, too...  

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Side Note: Along with Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day, this week marks President's Day, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, and the start of Lent.  Whew! It's a holiday extravaganza!  To celebrate Fat Tuesday, here's an old favorite:

Weird Al Yankovic - Fat (Official Music Video) - Watch more top selected videos about: Weird_Al_Yankovic

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And for me and the Chinese:

Random's Manifest - Thursday Thoughts

Too sleepy/sick (yes, sore throat lingers on) to come up with anything particularly intelligent today, so I'll go with randomness:

Tomorrow is the start of the Winter Olympics! I am usually very into and excited for the Olympics, so I'm not sure how they've slipped my mind this year. You will notice that, to your right, I have included the NBC Super Olympics widget. Please keep track of how we're doing in the games. I'm pretty stoked for figure skating and snowboarding myself.

So, remember this super cute dress that I bought on that particularly bad day?

I'm very sad to report that it arrived, and was far too short for me to wear. At some point, I got too old for such things. I'm not sure when that happened, but I'm not at all happy about it. I remember, back in my early 20s (10 years ago - sigh), when pretty much everything I owned was super cute, and super short. I was also super skinny, and still had nice(r) legs. Those were the days...

Alas, nothing I can do about the aging process. So, I returned the dress. Luckily, a friend introduced me to this site: http://www.eshakti.com/, and this replacement should arrive in 3-5 business days (along with a couple of other items...):

Yes, those are butterflies on that dress, and in my humble opinion, they're adorable. :) This dress falls appropriately below the knee and, assuming it fits, should be a fine substitute.

In other news... Twitter is confusing me. I admit, I joined it to shamelessly promote my blog, but I really am not sure what the point is. I do see some funny postings from one of my favorite authors (Jennifer Lancaster), so that's nice. But, the only people following me are trying to sell stuff. I'm giving my Twitter account another week before it bites the dust...

I have another installment of the CPA exam next week. I should be studying, but the aforementioned illness has rendered me useless today. Tomorrow will be a different story. I am taking a study break, however, to see Valentine's Day with my sis. Here's to hoping it isn't a gushy romance. On the same line, if I see one more commercial for Dear John, I may hurl.

A shout out to my fantabulous friends. I asked for followers, and followers I have gotten! LOVE YOU GUYS!!! I may make this blog popular yet!

Another of my wonderful friends emailed me the following article: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/6-personality-traits-to-admire-and-acquire-576756/. Let's all read it please, and strive to be better people.

For some reason, E! has decided to give us the gift of two - count 'em, TWO - super new episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I know you'll all be tuning in. Apparently, Scott is going to "cross the line" and have the cops called on him, and Khloe, who cannot take a hint from Kim's past, will have a sexy tape she made for Lamar exposed (to her brother. GROSS!) Remember Khloe - sexting, and the like, are no joke! Never give a guy nudie pics or tapes of yourself, or send him anything trashy on your cell phone. You can never be a politician that way. But then, who am I kidding? She probably made the tape just for the show. Publicity whores they are, and I for one just eat it up.

Alrighty kiddos. This girl is signing off. To bed. Tomorrow is another - and hopefully more productive - day.

Love and Rockets. (10 points if you can tell me where I got that.)

Oh - before I go. To get you in the mood: