Me and Katie

My parents are real sticklers when it comes to grammar. Although my mom is the teacher, I'd wager that my dad takes the matter more seriously.

Growing up*, if we were telling a story and we used improper grammar, he'd stop us and say, "Me and Katie?" And you weren't allowed to finish the story until you fixed it. "Katie and I."

As much as it derails your train of thought and oftentimes ruins the story, lately I've become more grateful for his devotion to grammar.

I've come across quite a few people recently that love: "Me and her" and "It went good". And let me tell you, whether it be a Starbucks employee, customer service rep, or random person on the street, it takes everything I have not to correct them.

I suddenly understand why my dad couldn't sit back and let those mistakes slide by.

You've got to know how to say it right.

Saying it right doesn't just mean when you speak, either. It's the writing, emailing and now, even wine bottling. With the new Toast-Its, you never have to stop expressing yourself.

The bottles are adorable and fun; the perfect hostess gift. But if you were to walk in with the "Better With Age" bottle, and instead of "Just like good wine, good friends get better with age" it said, "Just like well wine, well friends get gooder with age", it just wouldn't be quite the same.
*Note: I use the past reference to growing up loosely, meaning I was still growing up when this happened last week.

Oprah for president

"George: Why do I get pesto? Why do I think I'll like it? I keep trying to like it, like I have to like it.
Jerry: Who said you have to like it?
George: Everybody likes pesto. You walk into a restaurant, that's all you hear - pesto, pesto, pesto.
Jerry: I don't like pesto.
George: Where was pesto 10 years ago?...

...Jerry: He's from a.. Yakima, right?
Elaine: Seattle.
Jerry: Everybody's moving to Seattle.
George: It's the pesto of cities."
Jim and I are currently involved in an on-going debate. At the core of it is the question: Seinfeld v. Friends.

I argue that Friends, because it's slapstick humor, will always be funny. For generations to come, those that enjoy that type of comedy will enjoy it. Seinfeld, however, is situational humor, and is becoming more and more dated.

For example, in the Bubble Boy episode of Seinfeld, what makes it so funny is that Jerry and George don't have cell phones, so they lose each other when traveling to the boy's house. It's this whole dysfunctional road trip, all because they can't get in contact with one another. Today, it's much more common that people don't have landlines. Everyone has a cell phone. In a few generations, they won't even know what a home phone is. The show won't be relevant.

Jim argues that this is not the case. He thinks that although they're both dated (look at the clothes!), they're both funny enough that they'll be watched regardless.

As Oprah begins the end of her career, I can't help but wonder if she'll also become irrelevant. Will we still care about the same issues in 20 years? Will we still want to buy certain products because they're her favorites?
With followers like Robyn Okrant, it seems like Oprah will remain relevant for years to come.

Okrant has spent the last year "Living Oprah". Oprah told viewers to do a vegan cleanse, so she did it. Oprah suggested every woman own animal-print flats, so she invested. Oprah told her to jump, she asked how high...

So who knows? In 15 years, we may still be loving Queen Oprah. Or, there may even be people who have never even heard of her book club.

...Psh. Yeah right.

Hockey fans throw fish, figure skating fans throw roses

In sixth grade, I experienced the sheer pleasure that is a collegiate hockey game. I attended Notre Dame vs. Michigan and sat right by the goal.

During the game, the fans yelled profanities, threw fish on the ice, and rang cow bells - implying the other team was like cattle.

One fan also held up a sign that read, "Hey [insert players name] let's play horse. I'll be the head and you be yourself."

I was shocked.

It was at that point that I realized - hilarious as it was - I'd never be a true hockey fan. When it comes to the ice, I'll stick with the much more elegant figure skating.

And thanks to Vera Wang, ice skating is constantly becoming more elegant. Wang, who was a figure skating national champion until 1968, is designing outfits for some of the top competitors in Vancouver, including Evan Lysacek.

Lysacek is potential gold medalist and Wang says, "You wouldn't want someone to lose Olympic gold because their sleeve ripped off...This is more pressure than an Oscar dress in a strange way."

Wang also designed costumes for 1994 Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan, and two-time Olympic medalist (1998 and 2002) Michelle Kwan.