The Pants

Just when I thought the didn't make quality films anymore a gem like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 comes along and surprises me. In a surprisingly full theater I sat in the front row with my aunt, uncle, and cousin (great pick jen) and watched as this beautiful film about four young women unfolded before me.

They laughed, they cried, they fell in love and when they would look as though they were about to veer off course I knew it wouldn't be long before those pants instilled some sense in them and they were back on track.

Furthermore, these girls seems to be loaded and are not bothered by the typical constraints of reality. You loose your pants, of course the natural response is to book flights for the next day to go to Greece to find them. I think other films would be a lot better off if the didn't worry so much about plausibility...it's really kind of a drag.

On my list of things to do today after running and possibly while poolside is read the first pants book. With a sequel this good I can only imagine how amazing the original is.

J-Roll

Last night my roommate and I partook in our nation's pastime and went to the Phillies game. It was the perfect night for a game: great weather, great seats, good weiners, and beer (coke for the roommate).

As you may or may not know, the Phillies' star player has been receiving a little heat lately for calling Philly fans "front-runners" meaning, when the team is doing well we are all about it, however, if they stumble the team does not get additional support from the crowd to encourage them, but rather merciless boos and yell from the stands. As my roommate says, those players are there to do a job and need to know when they are not doing it well. I, for one, think I would really respond well to a boss who simply booed me when my work was not the quality it needed to be!

So, in true Philly fashion, the fans did not disappoint last night. Rather than trying to prove J-Roll wrong they acted to exceed his expectations of their "front-runnerness". Every time he was up to bat the entire crowd booed in resounding unison. I said to my roommate "aw, I wish I could give Jimmy Rollins a hug" To which he responded "I wish I could kick him in the dick".

What Would Oprah Do?

Over the last few months, I have perfected the arts of cynicism, whining, complaining, griping, and general belly-aching. My displeasure with my job has given me ample opportunity to perfect these skills. Then yesterday I read this article about a woman who has decided, for one year, to live her life like Oprah. Now, this broad seems totally bat shit crazy to me, but I thought maybe there is something to learn here. What if, instead of complaining for the 1,000th time about the unpleasantness I face at work everyday, I took a moment and thought to myself "What Would Oprah Do"?

Oprah, it turns out, has many tools to rely on during times of stress and uncertainty. She has Maya, Nelson, Gayle, and of course Maria Shriver...all of whom offer some level of Get Better Guru-ness. Luckily for me, Oprah, and her fellow spiritually fulfilled folks put their tricks of the trade on the Internets. Google can show me the way to enlightenment!

Of all of the Oprah-endorsed books that guarantee inner peace, I was most intrigued (much the same way I am intrigued by people who work at Whole Foods with those wooden discs in their ears) by The Secret. This gem of wisdom was penned by a former TV producer, obvious credentials for instructing people on how to live their best lives. The gist of it is: if you think/visualize positive things they will happen. You have to go about life thinking that what you want is already real. That's it, all you have to do is want it enough in your mind and sooner or later it will materialize in real life. The flip side of that, of course, is that if something bad happens to you like say war or an incurable disease than maybe your just weren't thinking enough positive thoughts.

All I can say is I love my new job, puppy, car, and vacation home so much I could almost burst.

Wild World of Tennis

It has been a big week in the world of tennis, I hardly know where to begin. Let's start with the Olympics. Roger Federererer once again demonstrated that the last four years of his supposed tennis supremacy have been nothing but a joke, a facade, a ruse distracting fans from the Nadal's greatness. He blew it, AGAIN, in the Olympics...opening the door (not that he needed it) for my Rafa to grab gold. I realize the Olympics are supposed to be a great time of nationalism and zealotry for one's country, but I think the only way I could have been happier was if I had won the gold myself. As if growing up on a small island off the cost of Spain and making it all the way to Olympic gold wasn't enough: my boy Rafa is finally No. 1 in the world!!!!! Even Michael Phelps realizes this guy's greatness.

Rafa wasn't the only one picking up victories this weekend. My coach and I won our first doubles match on Saturday. Our opponents were tough but with my serve and my coach's hustle they were no match. Our arsenal of skills, tricks, and moves proved too much. Watch for me in 2012 in London. If Dara Torres can do it, so can I!!!!

Up Up and Away

I realize I have taken a bit of an extended hiatus...please forgive me. All of my creative juices have been diverted to other areas lately and this here blog has been the main victim. But I AM BACK.

In the past, I have tried to steer these little posts away from being cynical rants- I can restrain myself no more. The source of my ire is shared by so many it has almost become cliche, but I just can't keep quiet anymore. These flipping airlines have gots to go! I would like to detail here all of things I would like to do to airline executives and the TSA, but I don't need to have all future flights include my being detained endlessly in that plexiglass box.

I was in Chicago this past weekend visiting friends and family which meant I had to subject myself to the mercy of the airline industry (United in this particular instance...but they are all indistinguishably miserable). I remember,when I first started traveling abroad, how there just seemed to be crowds and lines everywhere. And in America things seemed orderly, calm, and easy. Well now I can find that mass chaos of crowds and confusion right here in Philadelphia!! It is no longer possible to be a civilized human on a plane...the stakes are just too high. Whereas, once I would gladly be the last person on the plane to spare myself the rush to hurry up and wait on that little connector thing. Those days are gone!! In order to attain coveted overhead storage space (packed now b/c of baggage restrictions) one must can all that one can to get on to that plane as soon as possible, whatever the cost. This new law of the land was demonstrated by the 50 year old dude who pushed me out of the way to get in front of me for the 8 feet separating me and the ticket agent.

The flight home was no treat either. Thunderstorms in Philly caused a cancellation of my flight and an automatic rebooking on the 6am flight this morning. Great way to start the week!!

The weekend was fun though and I will be back with sunnier posts real soon. Just had to share.