It's been ages since I posted my favorite links each week, but this year, I'm bringing it back! Buckle up for some of the best...
Read MoreRants & Ravens 2/2/13
In case it’s not immediately obvious: YES! I’m all about the Baltimore Ravens this weekend. (In fact, I’m wearing my Ravens sweatshirt right now!)
Here’s the thing… I used to be an old school 49ers fan. Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young. Those guys were all class acts, and Jerry Rice, in particular, was an inspiration for me because he trained so hard in the off season to be in tip-top shape to play. Dig this quote: “I think the thing about that was I was always willing to work; I was not the fastest or biggest player but I was determined to be the best football player I could be on the football field and I think I was able to accomplish that through hard work.”
But here’s the problem. I just cannot with Colin Kaepernick. I know he’s super talented — and yes, that boy can run and throw — but he’s a little cocky for my taste. To be fair, I don’t think you can become a superstar quarterback without some swagger, but for me to be a fan of an athlete, I kinda need them to seem like good people, too. I’m not a huge Joe Flacco fan, either, but he seems a little more mature and humble — plus I kind of adore John Harbaugh.
So there you have it: my totally unscientific reasons for cheering for the Ravens tomorrow.
Even more important than who wins, can we talk about how stupidly thrilled I am that it’s the Harbaugh Bowl?!
I love love love that these two, super-accomplished brothers are squaring off against each other. The drama! The romance! The rivalry! (Mental Floss has a list of 15 Historical Brother vs. Brother Matchups. They didn’t include my historical fave: Saint Wenceslas, the duke of Bohemia, was assassinated by his brother Boleslav the Cruel… in a church, no less! At least the Harbaugh brothers are merely duking it on the football field.)
Also irresistible: Jim Harbaugh played Screech’s cousin (!) in an episode of the TV show Saved By The Bell:
And here’s the weird thing about it all: I’m not a lifelong football fan. But something happened this year, and I watched football almost every Sunday. I learned more about the players and coaches, and I was totally smitten with football fever. I cannot get over how completely, utterly, totally cool it is when a play works. It’s beautiful! I mean, the receivers run down the field to where the ball might eventually be, while they fight off giant guys… meanwhile, the quarterback throws the ball to a space where no one is standing yet, in the hopes that the receiver will get there in time to catch it. AND THEN IT WORKS! Amazing! Badass! Beautiful!
There is a lot of yelling and cursing and jumping up off the couch when I watch football.
As you might expect, I’ve been collecting fun, football related links all week. Enjoy!
Gut Busting
Unless you’re a lineman, you probably don’t want to eat the Cheesecake Factory’s Bistro Shrimp Pasta, weighing in at 3000+ calories per serving! And you should avoid the rest of the meals on the Xtreme Eating 2013 list from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Puppies are Ravens fans, too.
Watch as puppies so adorable you’ll want to smash in your won face, predict the winner of the big game.
Football Really Does Have Something For Everyone
Think you’re not a football fan? Think again! Buzzfeed offers The 4 Bs of The Super Bowl, including Butts and Bros. Say hello to Brendon Ayanbadejo, a Raven and gay rights activist.
And the home of the brave…
The Week has gathered the 10 greatest national anthem performances in Super Bowl history. Go on — you know you want to watch. Cher is my favorite on the list (her pretty wig outweighs the truly tragic, high-waisted jeans… and that woman really can sing).
1.25 billion chicken wings!
And 1.3 billion bottles of beer! The Week also serves up stats on America’s Super Bowl noshing.
If you’re a Super Bowl nay-sayer…
Cats Explain Why the Super Bowl is Awful If You Don’t Care About the Super Bowl (This is ridiculously awesome-sauce.)
10 Things to Watch on TV Instead of the Super Bowl
17 Most Absurd Super Bowl Halftime Moments
20 Reasons Super Bowl Parties are Actually the Worst
If you’re excited about the Super Bowl like me…
The 19 Best Twitter Accounts to Follow on Super Bowl Weekend
Party Food: Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad & Other Paleo Nibbles
The Top 10 Super Bowl Prop Bets
More Like This...
March
09
Posted by
Rants & Raves – 09 March
Rants & Raves is where I share links to stuff that caught my attention online during the previous week. Today’s collection is all Raves because...
Read More
I have a long-winded question that is just out of curiosity, because lately people go positively apoplectic when they see a picture of a woman–celebrity or otherwise–wearing pants that come to the waist. Seriously, nearly every review of the new 1980s-set TV show The Americans mentions Keri Russell’s jeans as if they were a plot point. This isn’t a rant, and I’m not criticizing you for what you wrote. Since you are interested in fashion, I figured you might have some insight. I’m just a couple of years older than you so I am assuming our fashion-formative years were around the same time. Women wore waist-high pants for 50 years and not only was it considered the standard, everyone thought it was a lovely way to highlight a curvy figure. The early 1970s hip-hugger trend didn’t last very long, and by the mid-70s, waistbands started to come above the natural waist. When the low-rise trend started in the late 90s, suddenly society could no longer stomach the image of a woman in waist-high pants. They became known as “mom jeans,” and that was always said in the most withering tone possible. Our new benchmark for a so-called flattering cut de-emphasizes the curve of the waist and makes the legs look shorter. My question is this: How did this happen? What caused society to reach the point where not only did our long-held esthetic viewpoint completely change, but we now are revolted (or at least amused) seeing anything that conflicts with our current standard even when it is in the context of its time? In case you haven’t already decided tl;dr, here’s a funny story: last summer, a very young Levi’s Store sales associate was measuring me to decide whether I should try Demi Curve or Bold Curve jeans. I pointed out that she had the tape around my rib cage. She said, “That’s your natural waist. Ask your grandmother where she used to wear her pants.”
AMEN!
Another rave: all the Ravens who have been in the Show Your Soft Side campaign (as well as other local-to-Baltimore athletes and celebs). If you check them out, look up the story about the police officer and his pittie it’s incredibly sweet!
http://lubowphotography.com/promotional/show-your-soft-side-campaign/
I must say, I’m not a sports person but it’s nice to see the city all lit up purple and people so excited about the game!
I love that you are cheering for my team. I live in Baltimore and have become a huge fan over the years. I never cared about football until moving here, and I still only watch Ravens games. We will be all decked out and cheering loudly. I got a baby jersey for my four month old to wear! Now off to make nomnom’s chicken wings!
Go Ravens!
I knew I liked you! Baltimore gal here on her first Whole30 and survived the craptastic food by bringing my own whole, happy food. Your book is such a fun read besides a wonderful resource. Keep up the good work and keep cheering on my home team!
Congratulations on Whole30-ing! We were celebrating the end of my Whole30, so we totally indulged (homemade ice cream!), but I’m back on 90% Whole30 eating today until Dave’s birthday in March. Just cooked a metric ton of vegetables 🙂
That game was AMAZING. Hello, Jacoby Jones! 108 yards… are you kidding me with this?! AWESOME SAUCE.
As awesome as the Sunshine Sauce is, I hope hope you’re working on an Awesome Sauce recipe too.