Crush of the Week - AJ McCarron

This week I find myself crushing on AJ McCarron for a few reasons.  The most obvious reason being he is adorable and has incredible dimples. He's also a pretty talented QB for SEC powerhouse Alabama. But mostly because he seems to be a sweetheart with a heart of gold. Below are 2 clips ESPN has aired on AJ recently, each on has brought me to tears. After watching these I can now forgive him for beating Notre Dame in the championship game last season in a humiliating manner.

AJ & AJ
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10233231


AJ & Starla
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9617318

Gender roles no more - Girl's can be brainy and kick butt too

From the day we are born society conditions us to believe we fit into 2 gender roles. Boys are into all things blue, sporty, rough and tough, brainy and to be assertive. Girls are all into all things pink, delicate and fluffy and honestly taught to be reserved and hide your true intelligence (god forbid a guy not like you because your intelligence may make him feel inferior). We are conditioned by our parents, TV, books and society often subconsciously from the day we are born. Thankfully for me I had parents who instilled in me it was ok to be myself and being "different" was a good thing, not a bad thing. I grew up thinking all girls loved football and sports as much as me (obviously I have come to learn this is very far from the truth), that it was ok to scream out in class like the boys to get my voice heard, that intelligence is a good thing, and should be embraced, not hidden. They encouraged me in any and all interests. I can never thank you enough for this mom and dad.

Thankfully 30 years later society seem to be embracing individuality a bit more and realizing not everyone fits into these gender roles. Not every girl is obsessed with pink, not every boy loves sports and so on and so on. If we were all exactly alike and had the same interests the world would be a very boring place. You cannot fit everyone into two rigidly defined gender roles. Honestly some of my favorite toys growing up were my Hot Wheels and WWF action figures. My mom and dad were cool enough to supply my love of them and not tell me it was weird that I liked them.

I saw the above ad for GoldieBlox on twitter today and thought to myself....FINALLY! A toy for girls not into dainty pink things and dolls. A toy that encourages you to use your brains. A toy a girl like me would have loved as a kid.

GoldieBlox is a toy company founded by Debbie Sterling, a Stanford engineer who's not impressed with the current offerings in the girl's toy aisle. So she decided to do something about it.

http://www.goldieblox.com/pages/beastie-boys-rube-goldberg-machine?src=gold

Just Say No to Plastic Surgery - Kenny Rogers

This is what happens when people go overboard with plastic surgery, specifically face lifts and botox. You end up look like shiny plastic. Today's example is Kenny Rogers. Kenny now bears a striking resemblance to the Toy Santa from the Santa Clause 2. Why would anyone chose to do this?

Kenny Rogers Before

 

Kenny Rogers After, 2013

 

 

 

 

Toy Santa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What was she thinking - Miley Cyrus

 

I really don't even know where to begin with this outfit. Miley Cyrus decided to wear this skanky, S&M inspired outfit to the iHeartRadio Music Festival.  Nipple pasties, underwear, a mesh dress, a fur shrug and a banana microphone. The only thing I can say that is nice is I like her Chanel boots. If I were her though and seemingly I was trying to look as skanky as possible, I would have went with a nice pair of lucite stripper heels to finish off the look.

Someone needs to get this girl some help. She is a train wreck in the making. We get it Miley you are trying to tell us you are a grown woman now. Act like it. Stop acting like a insolent, spiteful teenager. Have some class and act like a lady a bit more if you want some respect. Sometimes more is less. Clearly this is a lesson your parents never taught you.

What was he thinking? - Dwyane Wade in Gucci

Last night Dwyane Wade arrived at the United Center for game 4 against the Chicago Bulls wearing a navy double-breasted jacket with orange polka dot print ($1,995) and matching cropped pants ($560) from the Gucci Spring 2013 Collection. I am all for pushing the fashion envelope, but from the waist down the look is a complete fail. Perhaps if the pants were hemmed on him the way they were styled on the model on the right, to ankle bone length, he could have pulled this look off. Instead he decided to wear them as manpri's and looks like he is wearing Nate Robinson's suit. Props for rocking this look with confidence though Dwyane, it takes a strong man to do so.

Look of the Day - Anne Hathaway

Vintage Valentino

 

 

I am obsessed with the new look Anne Hathaway debuted tonight at the 2013 Met Gala - Punk From Chaos to Couture. newly bleached blonde hair is amazing on her and gives her a much needed edginess. Anne said she was taking her inspiration from one of my all time favorite rock chicks, Debbie Harry of Blondie. Her incredible dress is vintage Valentino from 1992. I would never think feathers, sequins and sheer paneling would work so well in one dress but somehow it does. I love the smokey and dramatic eye makeup and pale lip. Out of everyone at the event tonight I feel like she best exemplified the theme of the Met Gala, punk yet high fashion without trying too hard. A+ Anne!

NFL Draft 2013 - It's finally here!

It's finally here, Day 1 of the 2013 NFL Draft!! While the talent in this years draft is not as exciting or talented as last year's crop, I am still excited none the less. I am rooting for my Notre Dame boys for sure, especially Manti Te'o and Tyler Eifert. Eifert is predicted by some to go in the top 10, I can't remember the last time that happened (I am guessing it's been ages). Also for the first time in a long while, Notre Dame could have two first round picks in the first round in consecutive years. After Michael Floyd and Harrison Smith went #13 and #29 overall in 2012. Some other talented Irish players who look to fair well in the draft are Cierre Wood RB, Theo Rissick RB, Braxton Cave C, Kapron Lewis-Moore DE, and Zeke Motta S. I remember a few short years ago watching and hardly any Notre Dame players were drafted throughout all 7 rounds. My how the have made strides.

I was watching the 30 for 30 the other night on the 1983 draft with John Elway and Dan Marino and was intrigues to learn more about the history of the NFL Draft. I came across a great article on Bleacher Report detailing the history of the NFL Draft since it's inception in 1936. See the link below.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1077925-history-of-the-nfl-draft-how-has-the-process-evolved-over-time

Things that make me laugh - SNL Outside the Lines with host Melissa McCarthy

Last night SNL and host Melissa McCarthy had a slam dunk of a skit mocking the Rutgers basketball coach controversy. While she will always be Sookie on the Gilmore Girls to me, last night Melissa played abusive basketball coach Sheila Kelly to perfection. Sheila being a parody of former Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice, but far more crazy and abusive. My favorite part is when she is driving the golf cart around the court chasing the girls around.

Well played Melissa, well played.

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Look of the Day - Olga Kurylenko in Elie Saab

In continuing with my love affair of Elie Saab, today's Look of the Day is Olga Kurylenko at the Oblivion premiere in Moscow. She is wearing an amazing and sophisticated floral-appliqué fit-and-flare Elie Saab dress paired with nude patent pumps. The color and appliqué detailing of the dress are stunning on her. She wisely paired this sophisticated look with a half up do with side swept bangs, minimal jewelry and makeup letting the dress steal the show.

The Road Less Travelled - Maurice Jones-Drew

Nowadays it's nice to see a player in any professional sport taking the road less travelled and going back to school to finish their degree, especially in the midst of their career. This off season Maurice Jones-Drew returned to UCLA to work towards finishing his history degree. What I find impressive is that he is doing it while living in a freshman dorm. For an athlete that has made about $30 million over the course of his career, living in a freshman dorm is quite surprising.   Many athletes nowadays leave school early to cash in and chase their dream's in professional sports. Often these athletes never return to school to finish their degrees. This is likely one of the reasons that many of them are bankrupt just a few years after retiring. I don't think a lot of them realize the reality that most of their careers will only last 3-4 years on average. That means by the time most are 25 or 26 their career is over. Life will be very difficult for most without and education and degree to fall back on.

Props to Maurice as well for taking advantage of  the NFL-sponsored back-to-school program to pay for his degree. Maybe it is something the NFL could make a greater effort to promote and encourage.

Jim Trotter>INSIDE THE NFL

LOS ANGELES -- Maurice Jones-Drew is seated on the outdoor steps of a popular hangout at UCLA, where he's taking classes for the first time since leaving school after his junior season in 2005. As the courtyard bustles with students, the Jacksonville Jaguars' standout running back rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Never has he felt this completely at home and totally out of place at the same time.
"So much has changed," he says. "When I first came back everyone was taking notes on laptops and iPads. They're like, 'I can type faster than I can write.' What? I was the only one in my class to pull out a pencil and notebook. I mean, I'm about to turn 28, but I felt like a dinosaur. I was so behind the times, and everybody was so young. They just looked young."
Jones-Drew breaks into an easy chuckle. He knows he doesn't have to be here, but he made a promise to his grandmother when he left school that he would return to get his degree in history. He put it off his first few years because he was younger and enjoying the spoils of being a blossoming star, then came kids and marriage and Pro Bowls and offseason workouts.
He knew, however, that his offseason schedule this year would revolve around his rehab schedule after having December surgery to repair a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot, so he figured he could knock out several classes while receiving daily treatment from the Bruins medical staff. Shortly after the Jaguars concluded a 2-14 season, with Jones-Drew missing the final 10-plus games, the California native packed a duffle bag with clothes and a few personal items and headed west to his new digs in a freshman dorm. You read that correctly: a freshman dorm.
Less than six months earlier while attending a "life retreat" seminar in Washington, Jones-Drew listened as NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith discussed the need for players to see themselves as businessmen and not just football players. Among the things he mentioned was that 70 percent of the available monies in a league-sponsored back-to-school program was going unused.
The frugal Jones-Drew made a mental note. When he informed the Jaguars he was going back to school, ownership offered to pick up any costs not covered by the league.
Jones-Drew's dorm room is as spartan as his resume is distinguished. The three-time All-Pro and 2011 rushing champion has a desk, a dresser, an armoire and a 46-inch Plasma that provides NFL updates in the morning and Madden opportunities in the evening. Although nothing about it screams "home away from home," Jones-Drew couldn't be more comfortable.
He has a disarming, easy-going personality that puts everyone at ease. His suite mates would never know he has made nearly $30 million over the last four years if they didn't Google it. He knows all their names and even hangs out with them on occasion, like last week when one of them joined him for pizza, salad and pasta in the cafeteria.
During his first couple of months on campus he got around on a motorized scooter because he couldn't put pressure on his foot. Later, he used crutches before finally relying on a walking boot. As he moves across campus he senses when people are staring at him, but no one says anything. He knows his senses are correct, because when he checks his Twitter he sees people mentioning passing him on campus. When he tweets back and asks why they didn't say hello, the responses are vague at best.
Again, he chuckles. Jones-Drew is nothing if not approachable, even with his own team. Despite an ugly holdout that ended with him receiving significant fines for missing mandatory minicamps and training camp, he says he is on good terms with the organization, although he made a point of keeping his distance while at UCLA.
He felt the need to "emotionally detach" from his day job so he could focus on his classes and rehab. The Jaguars changed general managers and coaches after the season, and Jones-Drew says he has talked just twice with new coach Gus Bradley, who informed him that the team plans to "run the rock."
That's fine with Jones-Drew, who has set his sights on 2,000 yards this season. Never mind that he only recently started putting weight on his surgically-repaired foot. His tentative schedule is to begin wearing a regular shoe this weekend, start running in May, and be full-go in June.
When he speaks about trying to become just the eighth player in league history to reach 2,000 yards rushing, his words are coated in matter-of-factness not bravado. He truly believes it's possible -- for many of the same reasons that others believe it's not.
Go ahead, tell him that Blaine Gabbert's nine touchdown passes were the fewest of any QB with at least 10 starts, which means Jones-Drew could face a steady dose of eight- and nine-man fronts. Remind him that the Jaguars have no proven backup running back, which could lead to fatigue and heavy legs for him late in the season. And don't forget to point out that Jones-Drew is coming off a serious injury.
He'll look you the eyes, tell you you're right, then point to Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who faced similar circumstances last season and still ran for a franchise-record 2,097 yards.
"That's what I'm thinking," he says while doing unweighted squats in the Bruins training room. "Adrian Peterson."
He's also thinking about the criticism Gabbert is receiving, notably a Yahoo! Sports column in which a former Jaguars coach anonymously referred to Gabbert as "Blame Gabbert" because of his alleged refusal to accept responsibility for his struggles.
"That pisses me off," says Jones-Drew. "I guess I was raised differently. You don't talk bad about someone unless you look him in his eyes and say it to his face. I was taught to be a man and put your name on it. Blaine doesn't deserve that at all. It's not all on him. He's a very capable quarterback."
Asked if the Jaguars can win with Gabbert as the starter, Jones-Drew answers: "Yeah, definitely. But he's like any quarterback -- if you consistently put pressure in their face they're not going to play well. That's no different from Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Blaine is in his third system in three years; that's tough. But I believe if we're able to protect him better he'll be OK."
Jones-Drew, whose wife and three kids remained in Jacksonville while he attended school, is scheduled to return to Florida this week after concluding his finals, which call for him to submit two six-page reports in one class; a 20-page paper in another; and one two-page and two four-page essays in another.
He demands as much of himself in the classroom as he does on the football field, which is why he bristled earlier in the quarter when he received a C+ on a paper in "U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction." Not good enough.
"You must grade him just like you would anyone else," says Prof. Joan Waugh. "It wouldn't be fair if you didn't, and I'm sure Maurice wouldn't want it any other way. He's in very difficult circumstances because of his injury and being away for a while, but he's done fine. One has to admire that dedication."
Jones-Drew's decision to return was not solely about fulfilling his promise to his grandmother, Christina Jones; it was also about preparing himself for life after football. His head is filled with thoughts of law school ... and becoming a general manager ... and being a partner in an NFL ownership group.
That's down the road, though. In the meantime, he still has four or five quarters before he receives his undergraduate degree. The return to UCLA was so jarring initially that Jones-Drew considered withdrawing. There were reports upon reports to be written, pages upon pages to be read. It's fine if you're conditioned for that type of workload, but it had been eight years since he last sat in a university classroom.
"I almost just stopped coming," he says. "It was too hard. I thought they were going to ease me back in, but they didn't. It was crazy. But it would have been too easy to say 'to hell with this' and go on about your day. I'm glad I stuck it out. You're never too old to learn, and that's been one of the great things: I'm about to turn 28 and I'm learning things that I didn't know. I've also met some good people, so it's been a really positive experience."

From SI.com

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130321/maurice-jones-drew/#ixzz2ODrirYu1