It's the best day of the year!

New England at Tennessee 1:00pm

xo kate

Backflip Boys

One thing that you probably could guess about me is that I'm obsessed with the Olympics.  Always have been.  I love America.  I love sports.  I love rivalries.  I love montages and grainy videos of child athletes.  I love dramatic starts and heroic finishes.  I love older athletes fighting for one last shot at glory.  I love plucky young phenoms looking to change the game.  From the lighting of the torch to the closing ceremonies; I love it all.

One thing you may not have predicted, however, is my intense love of men's gymnastics.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the women too (and, for the record, I'm horrified that the Olympic committee isn't letting Jordyn Weber compete in the all-around, but that's a story for another day.)  But I really love men's gymnastics.  It all started during the Beijing games.  I was "between jobs" and staying up all night watching obscure events like white water rafting time trials, when I stumbled upon men's gymnastics.  I was hooked.  Men's gymnastics is a lot like women's gymnastic but without the dancing and the balance beam.  They compete on floor, high bar, rings, pommel horse, parallel bars and vault.  I have never seen human bodies do the types of things that male gymnasts are able to do.  They may very well be the best trained athletes in the world, yet male gymnastics is so often overlooked or thought of as girly.

At any rate, I'm obsessed with the sport.  Needless to say, I've been following the Olympic team closely.  Though I'm a little disappointed Chris Brooks didn't make it, I have to say, this may well be the most likable U.S. team competing in London.  From day one of the trials, I knew I was going to love them when they all wore matching leotards to show that although they were competing, they were already a team.

Since then, my love for Jonathan, John, Sam, Jake, and Danell has only grown.  They are humble, talented, hard-working and just so f-ing likeable. They are so likable, in fact, I think that they need to stick together after the Olympics and form a boy band.

They are young, good-looking, all-American, athletic, ethnically diverse, and already well-versed at pretending they like each other.  They could be called the Backflip Boys, and they would be like a combination of the Backstreet Boys and America's Best Dance Crew.  Jonathan is clearly the older brother figure, more like a Kevin Richardson-type, John is the bad-boy since, as NBC likes to mention every 17 seconds, he grew up in The Bronx.  Jake and Sam are the pretty boys, and Danell is the talent.  He would sing lead on most of the songs, not because he's the best, but because he wants it the most.

You may say, "But Kate, can any of them sing?" And to that I would answer, "I'm not sure.  But have you hear Demi Lovato's song?  Singing is not a requirement to be a pop star these days."

The Backflip Boys would struggle in the beginning, because all victories are sweeter when you really work for them.  (Also, we need some early struggles to make their episode of Behind the Music interesting.)  They would parlay their moderate Olympic fame into a national tour, performing mostly at malls and theme parks at first, but at some point they would pick up some endorsements and eventually get a deal for a Backflip Boys themed-cruise.  It would be there that they would meet Channing Tatum's agent and strike a deal to star in Magic Mike 2: Return to the Pole.  The rest, as they say, would be history.  MM2 would sky-rocket the group to fame and glory, with a platinum soundtrack, an ensuing theatrical-adaptation and prime-time series (on cable, of course) and the Boys even earning that elusive E.G.O.T.

But the good times wouldn't last forever.  Eventually, Danell, sick of sharing the spotlight, would release a solo album, Still Ringing.  Jonathan would start a family because he's like 60.  John would return to The Bronx to start his own dance/gymnastic foundation for "troubled" youth. Jake would move back to Las Vegas and join the Chippendale's. And poor, beautiful Sam would develop a coke problem, sleep his way through young Hollywood stars and starlets, and -- after an intervention briefly brought the band back together -- end up clinging to the last bits of dying fame on Celebrity Rehab.

Honestly, I don't understand how this hasn't happened yet.  Can someone please get Lou Pearlman on the phone?

xo kate

The President and Sports

Bill Simmons has been on my list of internet personalities that I love for about 13 years now, since back in the day when he really did only write about Boston sports.  His baffling knowledge of, and appreciation for, all things Boston, sports and early nineties Fox prime-time dramas really defines a lot of what I care about.  But his postcast with President Obama just takes it to a whole news level.  Particularly with a Republican field of I-hate-poor-people, I-hate-women, and I-hate-poor-people-women-gays-and-minorities, it's easy to love the Commander In Chief, but he just keeps making it easier.  Full podcast available here.  Transcript available here.

"Well, it’s funny, the mythology of sports is just — it's deeply embedded in us. I remember I visited Iraq as a senator, and I think at that point I had already started running for president, but I can’t remember. Anyway, they invited me to go into this gym, and there were like 3,000 of our troops there. And somebody just handed me a ball and said, "Come on, Mr. President, take a shot." And I said, OK, and I shot it and swished it from the 3-point line. And the amount of excitement that those folks had was surprising to me.

But I think it just sort of reminded me of the kind of bond that sports creates in people. People — for all our differences politically, regionally, economically — most folks understand sports. Probably because it’s one of the few places where it’s a true meritocracy. There’s not a lot of BS. Ultimately, who’s winning, who’s losing, who’s performing, who’s not — it’s all laid out there."

xo kate

My girlfriend is psychotic.

These never get old.

And this is scary accurate.

In the wolfpack: Numero Dieci

You already know I love Juventus and Gigi Buffon.   In truth, I love Alessandro Del Piero just a touch more.

Things I've missed since I've been gone...

I've been gone from W&W for so long that there are a lot of things that I've missed that I would normally have commented on.  So, rather than leave a gaping hole in your internet lives, I'll just go back through and give you a summary of September 2011.

September 11.
I got a free ipad, moved into a new apartment and spent a lot of time in urgent care for this gross eye problem I'm having.  (That's as far as I'll go.)  It's wasn't exactly a day of remembrance for me.  But I did listen to Acoustic Sunrise and they had a 9/11 tribute that was fan-tastic.  I heart acoustic music.  Also, this is what my closet looks like in my new apartment:

Okay, that's a lie.  But it's almost that good.

September 12.

My Pats started the season on Monday Night Football in Miami.  And won. 

September 18.

My man Kyle Chandler final got the recognition he deserved at the Emmy awards.  If you have any doubt in your mind that Friday Night Lights was the best show on television over the past few years (and one of the only good things Direct TV ever did), just watch this.  Tell me you're not moved.  Just try.

Man, I'm tearing up just thinking about it.

Also, people wore dresses.  Here's what I thought of them.

The good:

Click for larger image.

Jane Plimpton, aka the mom from Raising Hope, look totally -- and completely surprisingly -- smoking.  Maria Bello doesn't get older, she gets better.  Count me amongst the biggest John Krasinski and Emily Blunt fans and this dress is super pretty.  It's been a long time since Julia Stiles has looked this good.  Julia Stiles has never looked this good before.  Jurnee Smollett is so cute and this dress is e-mazing.  I really miss FNL.  You know, in case that wasn't clear from the rest of the post.

The bad:

Click for larger image.

There's something about Heidi Klum's dress that reminds me of the circus.  That's not a complement.  I feel like this dress is ugly and makes Gwyneth look like she isn't the skinniest person ever.  That's tough to do.  Dianna Agron is apparently done with   school roles.  So she's dressing like she 50 and trying to win a walk-on part on Dynasty.  If you're as cute and funny as Ellie Kemper, why not wear a dress and hairstyle that does absolutely nothing for you.  Speaking of bad hair, Zoe Barlet, what are you thinking? Oh, Brittany, I love you so.  But I do not like this.  It makes me dizzy to look at.  Julianna Margulies, you are so beautiful, why would you make yourself look so bad?  Olivia Munn has definitely had better days.  Not exactly showing Justin what he's missing.

September 25.
My Pats collapsed against the Bills.  It was upsetting, horrifying, stupefying, ugh.

September 26.
I discover that new Rihanna song and my walk to work got so. much. better.

Other than that, I just taught and planned, planned and taught, taught and planned, and had daily mini-breakdowns about why I ever took this job.

xo katei

You're only gonna break break break break break my heart

So sad.  So statistically improbable.  I watched the game last night on MLB Game Day during my grad school class (Yep, I'm in grad school again.  Thought I did that already...) while getting texts from Boston.  It reminded me so much of the last time I watched this team through the internet and text messages while sitting in class.  But that was 2004, and the ending was different. (And it was a flip phone so texting was a lot slower.)  Even after all these years, New England sports sure know how to break my heart.

xo kate

GTL Thursday: Let's go to Milan

In honor of Boston's victory, GTL Thursday is a little play on worlds.  

Forget Milan, Italy...one of the world's most glamorous and delicious fashion capitals.

Let's turn our attention instead to Milan Lucic.

"Son, when you participate in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose: it's how drunk you get." ~Homer Simpson

I'm watching scenes from downtown Vancouver, and I do a double take. Is this Canada after the Stanley Cup? Or a scene from the Apocalypse-zombie-movie 28 Days Later?

Where are the police?  More importantly, where is the class?

I know it hurts.  I know your drunk.  But seriously?  There is no excuse for this behavior. Get it together, people. And remember: how a person wins the game show something of his character; how he loses shows all of it.

NHL Hockey is for Lovers

"I think I've always loved hockey because of something I once read in Cosmopolitan Magazine when I was in the 7th grade.  I don't remember why I was reading it at that age, but what I do remember is according to Cosmo, hockey players make the best lovers...because...apparently...they have very strong thighs...
that always suck with me" 

~Kelly Bonez Hodgdon

Game 7

Photo and cake courtesy of my BFF Kelly "Bonez" Hodgdon

How are you celebrating the game / supporting the Bruins / counting down the hours to Game 7?

Black and yellow

More Bruins love...

Working out with Joanne in my living room.

At the movies, waiting to see Bridesmaids.

At the Derry NH flea market, scoping out fake bags. 

At Gran Gusto in Cambridge for my mum's birthday.

Stand by your man

I cannot tell a lie.  I'm not a HUGE hockey fan.

I mean, I like it.  I enjoy watching games.  I love the energy.  The speed.  The fights.  The finger biting.  The broken noses.

Regardless of my history with hockey, I am ready to commit now...when it matters.

Am I a fair-weather-fan?  Probably.  Do I care?  Nope.  

In order to demonstrate my new found loyalty, I am building Bruins outfits for different parts of your day.  24/7 black and yellow spirit.

First things first, how do you support your boys while you are in the office?  How do you blend "Go Bs!" with    a steering committee meeting?

Cardigan: H&M
Skinny Pants: Gap
Tanks: H&M
Watch: Birthday Gift
Shoes: Marshalls
Necklace:  Jess LC

GTL Thursday: Forza Juventus!

Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon Masocco (born 28 January 1978 in Carrara, Italy), is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts (including this girl) to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history.

Buffon was declared by Pelé to be one of the 125 greatest living footballers in the world, and has also been named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record eight times.



Also, please say buongiorno to some of Gigi's teammates.

The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces.

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball.  I'll tell you what I do.  I stare out the window and wait for spring.  ~Rogers Hornsby

Happy Red Sox Opening Day!

xo kate

Happy Truck Day!

This arctic freeze makes me wish I could be a stow-away on the truck to Florida.

xo kate

I am whatever you say I am...

There were four things that I really enjoyed about the Superbowl, and two of them were Eminem.

If you haven't gotten a chance to watch Eminem's ads I've conveniently posted them here. We're all about customer service here at W&W.

It's not a secret that I'm a big fan of Mr. Mathers.  My love goes back a long time (since back when it was controversial to be an Em fan) and has ranged from run-of-the-mill fan to borderline Fatal Attraction status.  But don't worry, this isn't going to be a post about boiling bunny rabbits.  I've written about Em's music here before, but not a lot about why I think he's so fantastic, other than, you know, the talent.  The juxtaposition between the two Superbowl ads is a great examples of why I love Eminem.  In one, Em is a silly, animated caricature peddling ice tea to the masses and in the other, a stoic, gritty jingoist almost begging for the resurgence of the city he loves.  

Imported from Detroit.

The pairing of these opposites really emphasizes the duality of Eminem that makes him so interesting to me.  Since his national debut with My Name Is, Eminem has seemed to simultaneously inhabit so many worlds -- often times in direct contradiction to each other.  He's the shy, deeply-scarred artist and the class clown; the pill-popping, controversy-baiting celebrity and the fiercely loyal friend; the high school drop out and the lyrical genius; the mother-hating, misogynist wife killer and the devoted father raising three daughters. Even his beats have always volleyed between hyperbole and subtly.  Figuring out who the real Eminem is has become the national past-time of music journalists, but I think what fans love about him is that he's all these things.  In a world that longs to classify everything, he defies the pigeonhole, and, in doing so, makes it okay for us to defy it as well.  It, therefore, seemed appropriate that his Superbowl ads were so different.


First, the Chrysler ad, which is total perfection.  You knew it was going to be good just based on the fact that it was directed by Samuel Bayer, of Smells Like Teen Spirit fame, but I didn't know how good.  I'm so into this ad that I'm thinking of actually buying a Chrysler. (Which I guess is the point of an ad, huh?)  The direction, cinematography and narration were pitch-perfect for setting the tone.  The insider's tour of the city, which most Americans probably wouldn't even recognize, was visually interesting and fun.  The glimpses of Eminem in the rear-view mirror and the fade in of Lose Yourself built suspense and excitement before the powerful, dramatic ending with the choir.  I loved the ad's depiction of Detroit as the Mickey Rourke of American cities.  Everyone likes an underdog overcoming obstacles, and Detroit has certainly been the classic down-and-out story.  Eminem brings grit, loyalty and integrity to this metaphor and I'm sure I'm not the only one who got chills.  I almost want to be imported from Detroit.  After all, it's the hottest fires that make the hardest steel.  Man, I just got goose-bumps typing it.

I don't understand how this is NOT scary.

The Brisk ad was a little more difficult for me to get behind. You see, I have a life-long fear of claymation. 


Yep, you read that correctly, I'm petrified of childhood classics like Gumby and the Rudolph movie.  And don't even mention Thomas the Tank Engine. It's not really something that I can explain, it really freaks me out - it's creepy and unnatural and I just don't like it at all.  To see my boy Eminem as claymation was confusing to say the least.  I was going to get all Juliet "my only love sprung from my only hate" about it, but I realized that may have been the tiniest bit overdramatic.  Sometimes my flair for the theatrical gets the best of me.  At any rate, I've decided to embrace the Emination as a form of therapy -- maybe seeing someone that I love depicted in clay can help me learn to love the form? Or at least not want to cry and hide when I see it?  Here's hoping.

All in all, I loved the ads and the Superbowl XLV chapter of the Eminem chronicles gets my seal of approval.  Well done, Marshall.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the other things I liked about the Superbowl were Fergie's sparkly shoulder pads and Ben Roethlisberger's cumulative Superbowl passer rating of 66.4.  Honorable mention goes to that NFL apparel commercial that had all the clips from old TV shows.  I love anything that works 90210 clips back into the modern subconscious. 


Biggest XLV disappointment? The missed opportunity to bring Justin Timberlake back to the scene of the malfunction during Where's the Love. I mean, seriously, who wouldn't have immediately started recording if Justin had been on that moving platform instead of Slash?  Coulda, woulda, shoulda.


xo kate

Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever.

Get motivated, wildcats.

xo kate

In honor of the winter classic

I have a good feeling about 2011.

For one, I started the day with a meal at Five Guys. Thats right, I kicked off 1.1.11 at 1pm with a breakfast of champions: a bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions, pickles and extra mayo. It is this girl's opinion that mayo makes everything more delicious.


Secondly, I had a successful trip to Payless Shoes during which I purchased a fantastic and much needed pair of patent leather black pumps for $22.50. Can't beat it.




And thirdly, the Washington Capitals won the Winter Classic.


You might be surprised or even shocked that I am invested in the success of the Capitals, or that I am interested in hockey at all.

Frankly, your gut is right-on target. I rarely watched hockey games. In fact, although I find the black and yellow of the Bruins' jerseys very flattering, I've never even been to a Bs game.

Despite my apathy, I agreed to watch the HBO series: 24/7 Penguins/Capitals Road to the NHL Winter Classic with a few girlfriends. If you haven't caught an episode of this show--do it before it is removed from the on-demand queque. The music is exciting, the naration is compelling, and the hockey players are downright fantastic...with the exception of Alexander Ovenchkin, who is completely overrated and overpayed, if you ask me.

Which brings me to my point: I need to finagle a way to meet Mike Green of the Washington Capitals and recruit him to my wolfpack.

For all of you hockey fans out there, I might be stating the obvious by spelling out why Mike Green is the first name added to my 2011 wolfpack. But for the rest of you, allow me to explain.

1. Mike Green wears slippers while riding his vespa around the patriotic streets of DC proper.

2, He looks good in a suit, as well as hockey gear, as seen here: http://www.life.com/image/102357370

3. He was born in 1985 and so acknowledging his hotness is totally appropriate and does not in any way make me a cougar or him an "amber-alert".

4. He fights for his team.

5. His nickname is "Game Over" because he is so freaking clutch.

What are your thoughts? Are there other NHL players more worthy of my wolfpack? Should I never blog about professional athletes again?