Dear Michael

Love the new commercial. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAgj5eKm8kg )




I had to show my daughter the original movie clip with that Scientology freak, to explain why this commercial was so well done ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilaUVGjMkJo )

She wanted to know why Kobe's shorts are so long, and we can't even see yours when you're on the couch. I sent her to her room.

But thanks for making my day.

Smooches,
Carly

One last thing

...because it's Monday and I don't want to go to work.

Michael Phelps (if he were his own country) would have finished tied for 9th in the gold medal count, ahead of countries including France, Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Argentina, Switzerland, Brazil and Mexico.

The rest of the world won the seven OTHER golds in men's swimming events. You know, the events Michael wasn't in.

(These stats were from Fourth place medal. )

Don't MAKE me come over there

So, some people have issues with my boyfriend* being on the "wrong" box of cereal.

Listen. The man eats 10,000 calories a day. Maybe he LIKES Frosted Flakes.

Wheaties, I mean, really, did you ever put milk on Wheaties and walk away for five minutes? You come back to what looks like a bowl of sawdust that sat out in the rain. Yummy. Not. Have all the famous athletes who have previously taken money to be on "the right" cereal boxbox made America's children thinner? No. Do famous athletes and other celebs promote Coke and Pepsi, which is a much bigger contributor to poor health? Yes.

Lay off people. You're just mad because he looks hot in a Speedo, and now he's rich.


*A girl can dream.

Running the Race

Love her attitude of "this defeat will make me stronger..." this too is an inspiration.

(this widget sucks, I can't paste in the exact video I want. Pick Interviews, then find
"American hurdler Lolo Jones reflects on her devastating loss in the 100m hurdles.")

Exclusive Summer Olympics news & widgets at NBC Olympics.com!

Olympic moment du jour

High point... Constantina Tomescu-Dita rocked the marathon (today, technically but most people saw it last night)

I watched what I had on my dvr at lunchtime today to see MP's 8th gold and when I saw how far ahead of the remainder of the field Dita was, and watched her run into the stadium, with the crowd standing and cheering for her, (and also the 3rd & 4th place finishers who were from China), I cried a little. Envying her (my foot is still bothering me, I haven't been able to run in quite a while) and at the same time being thrilled for her at HOW FAR AHEAD she was and to have that experience of running into the stadium in the lead.

Low point... definitely the sailing - follow that link if you want to see video of the capsizing, read about the mayhem, etc. Clearly, so to speak, not a bright sunny afternoon on the water.

Photo du Jour

Celebration....

I can only imagine his feelings at finally achieving this goal. Those countless long laps, back and forth across a pool, alone at 5 a.m. in cold water. It's like waiting your whole life for your magical wedding day, dating frog after frog after frog. Or waiting those long nine months to look at the face of your child for the first time. Walking across the stage for that diploma you scrimped and scraped and worked your ass off for.

That time that seemed so endless, leading up to the day that seemed it would never come, gone by in a blink. It seems like a hundred years ago, and yet only yesterday, that you were single, childless, or walking into that first classroom. Stepping into that pool for the first time. Another person entirely, and yet still fundamentally you.

The moment is now; today is the day. You've envisioned it thousands of times in your mind, and it will be everything (yet completely different from all that) you were sure it would be. So much more amazing, so much more perfect and right.

We can all have moments like this in our life, if we reach for them. The elation I see in the photo above is how I felt when my daughter was put into my arms for the first time, and again three years later, when my son arrived.

How moving it is now, to be able to stand by and watch Michael as he has his moment, surrounded by so many lenses, so many spectators. How generous of him to share this with all of us. This is exactly why I love the Olympics so much. We can all tap into the emotions we feel as we watch the athletes experience those personal triumphs, and use them to inspire us in our own lives.

Congratulations, Michael.

Mike...

Seriously. Win tonight.

Because I've always wanted to stalk (scratch that) date (wait, I'm married) actually meet an easy-on- the eyes millionaire. And hey, us cugars (SIC, see JV,) need goals, right?

But as P made me realize, I'm being myopic.

I mean, there's Ryan, who looks pretty damn cute dripping wet.


Dry, in his official portrait, he faintly resembles Carrot Top, but I'm willing to overlook that as long as he keeps swimming and never gets any bad plastic surgery. Because he can swimmmmm. (overlook the funny face...)


And Cullen, who I might have known if I still lived in the Bronx. Well yes, I was in high school when he was born, so I might have been his BABYSITTER. ARE YOU HAPPY, INTERNET? I AM OLD NOW.

And then Jason, who might be the only one who would consider dating someone my age... and he is his own coach. I need to be my own coach more often. ("Get on the bike, Carly. Put the glass of wine down, Carly." You know, stuff like that. )



At any rate, tomorrow night when my darling (wait) stalkee (nope, bad) favorite athlete takes to the pool, I will be out whooping it up at a bachelorette party with women many many months younger than me. Cross your fingers that I don't make an ass of myself or need a taxi. But rest assured, I will be somewhere that I can point to the tv, and scream in an embarrassing falsetto (I'm an ALTO) "I love him!!!"

Dear M

Yaaaay! Seriously, it's starting to feel like this is a movie.

I rewatched the 400 relay, but in a video version showing only footage from the underwater cameras. Still amazing.

(I really have to stop drinking so much caffeine to stay up late to watch...)

Dear Michael (pt 2)

Sorry about the goggles. I swear, I only had them on for ONE SECOND.

I never dreamed that my little lifeguard masquerade (and the badge I laminated with my Xyron machine*) would ACTUALLY get me into the Water Cube.

Anyway, I just wanted to ask you one tiny little favor.

Please, please, promise me, don't let yourself go. Retire before you end up looking like this....



(*the scrapbookers all got this joke. What?!! It's late. I can't sleep. And seriously WTF is up with those water polo hats?)

Dear Michael

Dear Mr. Phelps,

Can I call you Michael?

First, I'd like to let you know that there's simply no need to file any paperwork asking me not to come within 100 feet of you. Just wanted to get that out of the way. Second, I should probably apologise to your Mom. Since, ya know, I'm about halfway between your age and hers, probably. But at least I'm not twice your age.


But damn, boy.

You look quite a lot like that paper salesman at Dunder that I adore, and I somehow I just don't think the hot flashes I'm feeling when I watch tv these days can be chalked up to early peri-menopause.

On behalf of all of the women my age who wish WE were still in OUR twenties, thank you for this (even Perez didn't write on him) :

For the "take that you French bastards" coupled with the built in game of "what's the retention strategy here, and will it fail?" I thank you, even though this picture makes me want to give you a big slice of cheesecake...


All kidding aside, REALLY, Thank you....


Good luck with that swimming thing that you're doing.

(And to any guys out there who might be thinking about giving me crap, I have four words; go watch beach volleyball. )

xo,
Carly

My mosaic

My mosaic
Originally uploaded by carlyq80

Came across a MEME I liked....

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

If you want to play too, type your answer to each of the questions below into a Flickr search. Using only the first page, choose your favorite image, then copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker (3 columns, 4 rows).

if you make one (it took me at least half an hour- this is why I never do these!) please leave a comment so I can go look


1. What is your first name? (Carly)
2. What is your favorite food? (cakes)
3. What high school did you attend? (Knights)
4. What is your favorite color? (blue)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (Michael Phelps and oh YES that's me... )
6. Favorite drink? (wine - red or white, but not blue or green thank you )
7. Dream vacation? (cruise)
8. Favorite dessert? (junior's carrot cake cheesecake)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (artist)
10. What do you love most in life? (music)
11. One word to describe you. (blogger)
12. Your Flickr name. (carlyq80)

1. Charlotte sky, 2. alice in wonderland cupcakes, 3. Pink Knight, 4. water droplets in the shower - o.k. bokeh, 5. Michael Phelps, 6. R G B, 7. QM2 @ GGB, 8. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, 9. Waterlily - Corel Painter X, 10. 8523 Digital Music?, 11. Lego Blogger Picture, 12. Daylilly

Sunday Art

I haven't done SA in a while but in the olympic spirit, here is a great photograph...

it makes me want to go out and buy a really long zoom lens and a digital camera body that costs about as much as my monthly mortgage.

Split second

So last night I tried to watch the Openingzzzzz ....oh! I'm sorry.

It was a long week, and the combination of a glass of wine and some dreamy Chinese music had my eyes struggling to stay open.

Suzy called me during the parade of athletes. Her cable signal arrives about 2 seconds before mine, so she would make a wisecrack about whoever she was looking at, and then I'd see it on my screen. It was pure comedy gold because she would modify her voice to sound like whomever I was seeing on my screen, and say what they might be thinking.

As I recall, I think we did this at the start of the last Olympics too. Proof that we are getting old? Or remain forever immature??