4 x 100 Men's Swimming Relay Phenomenon, My Personal Dating Age Policy, and Robert Redford

I love the Olympics! As I was sitting on the couch writing a letter to my friend / seems like my grandma, the wonderful women who helped my faith grow through college and was the Campus Ministry director of the church I attended during college, I had the olympics on. This was around 11:30 last night, and I was watching swimming. They were preparing for the men's 4 x 100 relay, and they were talking about how the French swimming team, especially this guy named Bernard, was saying they were going to "smash" the Americans. The American team being very sportsmanlike (which isn't always easy) did not retaliate with any comments. The race was amazing and if anyone watched it, you know what happened. I thought the French were going to take it on that last lap. I was screaming at the television for the American swimmer to swim faster (I know they can't hear me, but I can never help it. I always have to scream at whomever I'm routing for. You should see me during Sabres and Bills games...) and maybe my screaming helped, because all of a sudden Jason Lezak started gaining on the French swimmer, it was incredible and he beat him by 800th of a second! It was amazing. I was so glad I actually got to witness it live. I felt so proud of the American team and it put a smile on my face. I'm sure I'll be tuning into the Olympics tonight, I really want to catch Jen Stuczynski. She's from Western New York, actually from the same town I teach dance in. I love routing for hometown heros. It's makes a city feel like one big family.

Earlier in the day yesterday, I decided to watch the movie "The Natural". It was a rainy, yucky day and I wasn't feeling the best, but who better to cheer me up than the handsome, classy Robert Redford. I know he's turning 72 a week from today, and I'm usually grossed out by the really young, gold digging girls who date/marry the old, sugardaddy guys. I have a rule a personal rule that I follow, they guy can be ten years older than me and only two years younger. I know this may seem a little lopsided, but since guys do mature a lot slower than girls, I can't put myself through dating a guy more than two years younger than me. My psyche can't handle it I swear. I can't go older than ten years, because guys tend to die before women and I don't want to be a widow at forty, considering the fact I don't want to get married until I'm about thirty-two, that would put a big wrench in my plans. Then on the dating scene you're seen as the old, sad widow at forty, no thanks, not for moi. I also can't date older than ten years right now, because those guys tend to look at girls they want to date as becoming their wives within the next year or two and popping out some offspring. Ummmmm..... yeah, I'm all about the whole marriage and family thing. I truly believe it will be a blessing in my life one day, but today isn't that day and that day isn't going to arrive in my plans for at least another decade. I'm a little too selfish with myself and career right now to be thinking about a family. When I'm ready to be self-less and putting my family first, then I'll start one.

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson, one of eight Chicago Black Soxes. A great baseball talent. One of the great movie lines in 'Eight Men Out' involves him.... "Say it so Joe! Say it so!"

Anyway, after that tangent, back to "The Natural". I was a bit on a baseball kick, because "League of Their Own" (One of my favorite movies of all time and "Eight Men Out" were on TVO and I missed "League of Their Own", but watch the interview after it with Director Penny Marshall, and then I proceeded to watch "Eight Men Out". Enjoyed it throughly and now I'm a little obsessed with the whole Black Soxes Scandal of 1919. I had to google it and found that there's a whole website devoted to it. The whole scandal really show that athletes are as human as everyday people and that sports can truly become a business instead of just a game.

This is more of what Redford looks like today, he's still handsome.... *sigh* I love that smile...

So, since I was on this baseball movie kick I decided to pop in "The Natural". Ah, yes, Robert Redford, even though you are 72 years old in a week, if you knocked on my door and asked me to marry you, I would. You are one of the few guys I would drop everything for and marry. *sigh* Okay, ever one has their exceptions. One of mine is Robert Redford, not a bad choice. I love the movie and not just because of Robert Redford, but because a lot of it was filmed in Buffalo. The famous baseball scene where Roy Hobbs hits the light with his homerun was filmed at War Memorial Stadium, which after the movie was tore down. If anyone attends the Buffalo Bisons 4th of July celebration game with the Buffalo Philharmonic (BPO), they still re-enact that scene from "The Natural" and the BPO plays the theme song. That movie is something that Buffalo is very proud of. The only problem I have with the movie is I never understand why Barbara Hershey's character shoots Robert Redford. Was there a reason? Was is because she was a nut job? Did someone hire her to do it? Well, I watched the documentary on the DVD specials after the movie and it answered absolutely buttkiss about this question. So, I was reading the jacket inside the DVD and they said parts of the movie was based on this article about a 19 year old girl shooting a 20-some year old baseball star for the thrill. I guess we must assume that Barbara Hershey's character did it for the thrill. But then she goes commits suicide, how long could the thrill seriously lasted? Or maybe she had a really short thrill, then in a blink of an eye felt utterly guilty and decided she couldn't live with the guilt and off-ed herself. All right, I'm putting way too much thought into this, I'll just assume she was a nut job (obviously) and did it for the thrill and then couldn't live with the guilt. All right, that sounds like a good a theory as any.

Wedding Bug, False Perceptions, Spending my Tuesdays with Morrie

As I was talking to my bff and the person that I am completely opposite of, but for some reason our friendship works and I don't question it, because I seriously have no idea what I would do without her in my life and how I would have ever made it through college without her and she knows way too much about me (and vice versa) that I fear if I ever made her mad she could let all the skeletons in my closet out, Chichi. We were talking about our random stuff and then we started talking about all the weddings we have to attend and who just got engaged. Well, clearly I must have missed the boat, train, airplane, station wagon and ever other form of transportation of the wedding stage. Personally, until I recently thought about it I NEVER once had the urge to get married anytime soon. (Yes, I def. want to get married to a wonderful man and have the standard 2.5 kids and a dog, yada yada yada, so on and so forth), but I wasn't considering it anytime soon, I was thinking in maybe ten years? Grant it maybe the fact, that I've never been in a serious relationship and I'm sick of the drunken pick up lines in the bar (Seriously, all you got is "Hi, I was staring at you from across the room and I thought you're pretty."..... ???? I mean come on! All, I'm looking for is a little witty sense of humor and some intellectual conversation, oh and some respect... I don't think that's too much to ask for! No, I don't care how much money you make. No, I don't care how much you drank during your last power hour. No, I don't care how much of a stud you think you are and I'm not looking for a one night stand... seriously it's nothing personal, I'm just not that girl... all right so enough of my whining about guys pick-up lines and guys in general as my friends know.... this could go on forever.....). Anyway, back to why I have never really put the thought into marriage... ah, yes, we covered, no serious relationship, guys ticking me off with bad pick-up lines, my friends say it's because I'm picky and non-trusting of guys and I need a guy to knock me on my booty. (That's their opinion not mine ;-) oh well and maybe my mom's opinion, who actually tells guys who are interested in me that I may appear sweet and charming, but I have an edge and can give them a run for their money. (Thanks, Mom)), oh and prob. another reason I've never thought about marriage is because I am very much so involved in my career. Oh, I know many women have said this before, but it's true and I've always made a secret promise to myself that I would never be married before the age of 25 or I would be a sell-out. I've always thought the perfect age to get married is between the age of 30 and 35. But lately, as I sit here in my early to mid twenties on my computer, facebook stalking my friends to see what's going on in their lives, I notice that a lot of people are getting engaged or married. What's the rush? I mean I imagine marriage to be great, but I also imagine it as a lot of work! It's not all sunshine and lollipops, it's a lot of responsibility and personally I REALLY DON'T want that right now. I like being single and just going and doing what I please, the only current down fall is that I am dateless to all these current weddings I must attend.... but I'll just eat lots of cake during the slow dances. I don't know, I guess I'm just confused, I thought people were getting married later in life, but clearly it isn't the case. Oh well, I do wish happiness and all of God's Blessings on the people who are getting married and I hope you've found the one person you can tolerate and love for the rest of your life. As Chichi put it last night on the phone, I'm waiting for the one that completes me. I guess, I'll wait with her, it's not so bad.

Another thing me and Chichi were discussing was how guys are the ones who seem to pushing the marriage card. I don't know about anyone else, but I grew up thinking that guys were afraid of commitment and marriage, and they always had to be forced into it, but clearly this isn't the case. I know a lot of relationships were the guys are pushing for marriage and the girls are the ones saying wait a second or in some cases the girls are elated. Apparently, from what I've observed guys are just as gunhoe about getting married as women. I was watching an interview the other night on television with one of my favorite actors (and completely handsome gentleman, even though he's older) Robert Redford. He was talking about filming "The Way We Were" with Barbra Streindstand and how much he loves romantic movies and being romantic.... ZAAAAA? I thought to myself. REALLY? I mean I absolutely loved the fact that he admitted to it, but I truly didn't believe that guys fell in love with a girl as much as she fell in love with him. But recent circumstances have made me believe, that guys can fall head over heels in love with a girl as she can for him..... all right now I feel like I have to watch the sappy romantic tearjerker movies that are a 5 hanky minimum.....

I started reading "Tuesdays with Morrie" this past week-end and I must say I'm truly enjoying it. It's reminding me of one of my favorite professors in college, who no matter what was going on in my life made me feel loved, accepted, and like I could conquer the world. I'm not very far in the book, around page 40, but it's really captivating, I have a feeling I'll be finishing it sometime this week. I also really loved "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by the same author Mitch Albom. I'm really liking the way he writes and I noticed that he has wrote some other books, none that I've heard of, but I'm tempted to read them. If anyone else has read any of his other books, I would love to here what you think.

So, now I have to go and check out facebook and see who else among the people I know have been bit by the wedding bug...