I Love Those Plastic Bins

So a new Container Store just opened today near my house. In fact, it's the only one in Arizona! Michael happened to say that he needed a hanger for his ties, knowing full well that today was opening day. I LOVE the Container Store. It's the best kind of store. It's a store built for the consumer society of which I'm a big part. There is nothing there that anyone really needs. It just exists to organize all the stuff that I think I need.
Anyway, much to my surprise, the parking lot was absolutely full when we got there at 3:00 this afternoon. Everyone inside was happy and we heard lots of "oohs" and "ahhhs". Even Michael got excited over the garage organization section. People in other cities hurry to museum, movie, restaurant and other cultural openings. We in Scottsdale flock to an organizational store. Gotta love those bins!

Beach Volleyball T'n'A, Well Mostly "A"

So I tried to watch some of the Olympics this summer. To my dismay, everytime that I flipped through the 3 channels broadcasting the Olympics, the same 6 sports were on: swimming (I don't even want to get started on Phelps), gymnastics, basketball, soccer, track (didn't see any field) and beach volleyball (OK, I saw a little softball in there too). With over 30 different sporting categories, I expected the broadcasts be much more diverse. I at least thought I would get to see the table tennis competitions. Hello, China loves great table tennis!

The terrible result of all this is that I could not escape seeing the women's beach volleyball matches. I vowed after the ridiculous rolling-in-the-sand celebration from the Athens games that I would never watch it again. But I found myself unable to turn away. The bikinis worn by Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh just keep getting smaller and smaller. As I watched 5 minutes of the match, Kerri Walsh must have pulled her bikini bottom out of her ass at least 10 times! Why do they need to wear these tiny suits? They have to in order to get more viewers. And what other way for female athletes to get primetime other than bearing as much as possible of their bodies? I totally appreciate the strong and healthy bodies that these women have and think they should be proud of them. But it's just such an obvious marketing move. I understand that this happens with all sports; hence why I usually stay away from them. There is just something about the olympics that draws me into them.

So I was ranting to my sister about Misty's and Kerri's asses ridiculously falling out of their bikinis. She defended them saying she had seen an interview with a beach volleyball player. The player said that the sand burrows into her suit with all the aggressive diving and such that goes on during a match. Also, it is very hot and sweaty playing outside. I countered with the fact that the guys are able to play in tank tops and shorts. Then my sister countered with THE FACT that we don't want to see these guys jumping around the sand speedos! I totally agreed and had decided to go easier on Misty and Kerri....UNTIL THIS:




There they are on the Ellen DeGeneres show and there is no sand in the air conditioned studio to get into their bikinis as they show off some of their moves after the interview. There they are wearing even TINIER bikinis!

FTC Finally Does Something Good

So this news is a week old, but I'm very excited that the FTC has finally done something that will really make my day better. The FTC has banned pre-recorded sales calls! Instead of wasting time fining people on TV, the FTC has decided to put inflict its power on those horrible companies who send out recorded messages. YAY!

Are You a Terrorist, Come in Through Mexico!

OK, so after some badgering from Little Kenny, I realized that I should really start posting again. So Michael and I flew down to Mexico a couple weeks ago and coming back from there to the US was the easiest thing ever. We didn't have to take off our shoes or jackets (not that we had any); or remove our laptaps (not that we had any); or take out our silly little plastic bag of liquids (we had those). We simply had to toss our stuff on the conveyer belt, which went through quickly with no stopping and walk through the metal detectors. It was great! I felt so free! Then I started thinking about the terrorists. Mr. Bush has programmed me well to give up my individual freedoms. I don't see why I have to disrobe to fly to Orange County on a one hour flight from Phoenix. Are terrorists really flying from Phoenix to Orange County? But yet, if I come in from Mexico to anywhere in the US, I can cruise through without a problem. If we're so concerned about terrorists, why can't we negotiate with Mexico to make their security a bit tighter? I would think they would care since that would help us protect half of its population who happen to live in the US, right?