It's In the Air......

There's a warm breeze in the air, people are out in droves, and the dogwoods are starting to bloom, which can only mean one thing . . . Keeneland spring meet starts in a week and a half!

An Angry UK Fan

Alright, as a woman born and raised in central Kentucky, it is a certainty that my heart and loyalty will always be with the UK Wildcats (even after some disappointing seasons). It's been overwhelming living amongst UofL Cardinal fans for the past few months here in Louisville - it's been threatened, but they'll never convert me to red! At any rate, some talk show on the radio this morning was discussing some quotes from Rick Pitino (aka Benedict Arnold) during a press conference yesterday. Basically, Pitino was denying rumors that he would leave UofL to take Tubby's spot at UK, stating in effect, "These players are my family. I could never leave them, that would be wrong." Apparently the Wildcats weren't his family a few years ago when he decided to uproot and leave UK's program, only to return a few years later to coach our in-state rival. Not that I wanted him to come back before I heard these comments, but my position now is that UofL can keep him because UK fans certainly don't want him!!!!

Elizabeth Edwards

What a sad day it was to learn that Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has come back in her ribs. I don't care if you are conservative or liberal, you have to admire this lady for her strength and courage. That is why it is so damn bothersome to me to hear in the news that politicians and citizens across the US are criticizing the decision of John and Elizabeth Edwards for John to stay in the presidential race. Excuse me, until you learn that you are facing a potentially fatal illness, you have no right to publicize to the world what a family facing this illness should or shouldn't do. This is a personal decision and I applaud the Edwards on their courage in the face of this illness. If it comes a time that John Edwards has to step out of the race to support his wife, that is also a decision they will make together, and they should be able to do without facing the wrath of the condescending and ignorant public.

How Thin Is Too Thin?

Someone sent me a link to this You Tube video today - it actually made me kind of emotional when I watched it because it showed just how skewed our culture's perception of beauty really is. Check it out.

Harvard Bound

My beautiful younger sister, Rachel, found out late last week on "Match Day" that she was accepted to the ob/gyn residency program at Harvard University! This was her number one pick - I wasn't surprised she got it, she's brilliant, but I know it was a huge relief for her to know where she would be spending the next several years. Congrats to my wonderful sister - I couldn't be more proud.

Fantastic Kentucky Joke

I received this great joke about Kentucky women over the weekend - hope it gives you a laugh on this slow Monday morning!

Three men were sitting together bragging about how they had given their new wives duties.

The first man had married a Woman from Colorado and had told her that she was going to do dishes and house cleaning. It took a couple days, but on the third day he came home to a clean house and dishes washed and put away.

The second man had married a woman from Nebraska. He had given his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes, and the cooking. The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done, and there was a huge dinner on the table.

The third man had married a girl from KENTUCKY. He told her that her duties were to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything, but by the third day some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, enough to fix himself a bite to eat and load the dishwasher.

Life Expectancy Calculator

While reading the paper yesterday, I came across an interesting article about estimated life expectancies. The article referenced a website called "Living to 100" where an individual can answer various questions through the site's life expectancy calculator. Of course, the website is quick to disclaim that this is just an estimate; the length of no one's life is a certainty, obviously. However, the questionnaire was very interesting - it asked a variety of questions about diet, exercise, stress, relationships, work life, health, etc. The site also provides you with a list of things you are doing right but other things you need to work upon that can add to your life expectancy. According to the site, I have a life expectancy of 96, but I need to watch my stress level (tell me something I don't know!).

Here's the link:

http://www.livingto100.com/calculator

Jennifer Hudson Kicks Ass

It's true...the girl really kicks ass. I finally got around to seeing Dreamgirls this week - I went Monday night while Ryan was out of town on business since I KNEW he had no desire to see it!! I had heard amazing things about Jennifer Hudson's performance (obviously, she was nominated for and won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars), and had seen her perform some rather amazing songs while she was on the talk show circuit, but it was nothing compared to the performance she gave in the movie. There is a pivotal scene halfway through the movie where she sings a song called "And I Am Telling You" - it was so good and powerful that all of the hairs on the back of my neck and my arms stood on end. She is probably one of the best singers I have ever heard - truly powerful! And this explains why I don't watch that stupid American Idol show - Simon Cowell was ignorant enough to tell her she wasn't as talented as many others. Guess he had the last laugh - it's actually a good thing she didn't win, she might end up like Clay Aiken or something.

Inspiration

I settled in last night on the couch to watch some of the programs I recorded earlier in the week (which, incidentally, if you do not have Tivo or DVR, I would seriously recommend getting it!). I watched two really inspiring shows last night that I had to share, in case you didn't get to see them yourself.

(1) Bob Woodruff: To Iraq and Back. I imagine most know this, but Bob Woodruff was the co-anchor of the ABC evening news when in January of last year, he and his cameraman were seriously injured by a roadside bomb while reporting in Iraq. Woodruff sustained a traumatic brain injury, and half of his skull had to be removed to relieve pressure on his brain due to shrapnel. Thankfully, Woodruff has recovered for the most part, though he is the first to say it's a daily challenge. The first half of the show pertained to Woodruff's recovery, but then the latter half was an investigation by Woodruff into the thousands of military men and women who have sustained traumatic brain injuries as a result of the fighting in Iraq whose lives have been forever altered. It was a really compelling show as you could see how much Woodruff related with these military men/women and their families. If you didn't catch it, you can probably find a link to the show on abc.com.

(2) Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls. Now, I'll be the first to say, I'm not as big a fan of Oprah as a lot of people are. I'll admit, I do watch some of her shows when I think the topic sounds particularly interesting, but I think people put WAY too much stock into what she says or thinks. With that in mind, I did record the program on Monday evening about the leadership academy for girls that she opened this year near Johannesburg in South Africa. I couldn't help but be moved by these girls - so eager to learn and get a quality education, despite all of the unbelievable hardships they have had in their short lives. Two girls stood out to me - sisters Sade and Megan (in the second picture). When they were 5 and 6 years old, these two girls watched their father shoot and kill their mother before turning the gun on himself. Since that time, the girls have been on their own, looking out for one another as they try to get by - yet they still remain so positive and excited for what their futures hold. I think there is still a link on Oprah's website to this story. Just amazing, it really puts everything in your life in perspective.

Our (Relatively) New Home

Pearl

Just wanted to post a recent picture of my girl. What a face!

Grey's Disappointment

I was SO disappointed by Grey's last night. I mean, what I expected would happen did happen - Meredith came back from the dead but her mother, Ellis, died. No one really thought Meredith would die. The first two episodes of the ferry trilogy were so good, though, compared to the finale. I hated all of the scenes where Meredith was - what, in heaven? In her mind? What the hell was that??? Should be interesting how they segue this episode into future episodes - Ryan said last night that they'll probably have her cutting people open in surgeries in the next episode like nothing happened.

At any rate, Grey's is still one of the three or four television shows I make it a point to watch during the week. Here's an interesting site, www.greyswriters.com, it's a blog written by Shonda Rimes and the other writers about Grey's episodes. Kind of interesting to get their takes on the different storylines.

Congratulations!

One of my closest friends, Michelle, gave birth to her second daughter early this morning, named Morgan Elizabeth. Congratulations Michelle, Craig, and big sister Emily!

My Latest Fitness Obsessions

I've recently taken up Pilates (again, which I did over the summer) and Bikram Yoga in an effort to stretch out my muscles and relax my joints (which are tight from weekly running sessions) and to also relax my mind.



Pilates can be done in a mat class or on a machine called a Reformer, which is what I use. The instructor leads a small class (mine is only 4) through a series of motions on the machine - there are no rests and the body continuously moves through each different exercise. This really works every muscle in the body, but in particular the abdominal muscles which are engaged throughout the entire session - mine still hurt from two days ago!



Bikram Yoga is a series of poses led by an instructor in a room heated to a temperature of over 100 degrees (to help facilitate stretching). This one has really tested my balance - I still have trouble with the pose in the second picture! I love it, though - very relaxing and it makes you focus on the poses themselves instead of all the other crap we have going on in our lives.

I highly suggest trying one or both of these practices if classes are offered near you!

Woman's Best Friend

Last post for the evening - it brightened my day to learn on the morning news that the three climbers had been rescued from Mt. Hood. Not only was this a welcome ending after the tragedy involving the death of a few climbers on Mt. Hood just a few months ago, but the fact that the sweet furry guy in the picture has been lauded for keeping the climbers alive through the night. This beautiful Lab, named Velvet, kept the climbers warm at night by lying on top of their bodies. As a Lab owner myself, this warmed my heart.

A Bald Brittany

Seriously....I don't know whether to laugh out loud or feel sorry for the girl. Honestly, I'm leaning toward the latter, since she is obviously having some kind of breakdown.

Refreshing Dove Campaign

I just have to mention how much I adore the Dove advertising campaign featuring REAL women with REAL bodies. The company has a new line out right now called "Pro Age" featuring women over the age of 50, with ads starting to be published in the coming month - all I can say is some of these women look better than women half their age. Hopefully more companies will take on a similar perspective with their advertising (though I'm not holding my breath!).

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog - after following many great blogs on a somewhat routine basis, I finally broke down and created one myself, mainly as an outlet to discuss topics other than the law! (Although I am sure the things I deal with daily as a lawyer will somehow work their way into my posts, like it or not.). I'll try to keep this blog updated as work and life allows. Please be sure to check back for future posts!