It’s February, and while the jubilation of the holidays is now a distant memory, another season of hope and happiness is just around the corner: the Winter Olympics! For two and a half weeks, all eyes will be on Vancouver as athletes from around the world hope to make their families and nations proud.

Long before there was Real Housewives and American Idol, the Olympics were the original reality show, with all the drama, tears, athleticism, and even the trash talking to boot.  Skeptical? Take a look at these top Olympics highlights from years past:

5. Tara Lipinski Steals Figure Skating Gold, Nagano 1998

In 1998, America was in love with Michelle Kwan. The graceful seventeen-year-old was already a two-time US Figure Skating Champion and winner of the 1996 World Championships when she took the stage in Nagano. While Tara Lipinski, then just fifteen, had a National and World title of her own, it was Kwan whose experience and artistry made her the favorite for the Olympic title. However, after a solid performance by Kwan, Lipinski emerged with this exhuberant, youthful, and technically more difficult program to clinch the gold medal, becoming the youngest Winter Olympic champion ever. Jump to the 6-minute mark to see her receive her scores, and hear the scream heard ’round the world. Read More »

I know, I know. I’m a little bit slow on the uptake. “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult has been a favorite read for a couple years now, and despite hearing nothing but good things, it never really interested me. Being a bookstore employee, you develop a bit of a superiority complex and when a book becomes “mainstream” you turn your nose at it.

So I turned my nose at “My Sister’s Keeper” and, quite honestly, missed out.

This past weekend, I went to my boyfriend’s camp and found a copy of “My Sister’s Keeper” kicking around. One rainy afternoon, I picked it up and flipped through the first couple pages. I was instantly hooked. I read all 423 pages of that book in about 4 hours in a single afternoon.

It was that addictive.

For those of you who haven’t heard about the book (or haven’t seen the insanely popular trailer for the film), the novel revolves around a family whose eldest daughter, Kate, has been battling a rare form of leukemia (cancer of the blood) since she was 2 years old. Because Kate required donations of blood to survive almost immediately and their son, Jesse, was not a donor match, they decided to conceive a child, Anna, whose sole purpose was to save her sister’s life. When Anna is 13, after numerous blood and bone marrow donations throughout her life, she is asked to donate an entire kidney to Kate. Anna has finally had enough and decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

Besides having an interesting and controversial subject, “My Sister’s Keeper” features beautiful characters and a skilled writer. Picoult is seasoned and knows what will hit her readers hardest and really make an impact. No detail goes overlooked; from how Kate’s sickness rips her parents apart, to the feelings of the forgotten sibling, Jesse. The book is written from multiple points of view, so the reader really gets to know what each character truly thinks and feels. Read More »

So I think all of you devoted readers deserve to know that I’m dying.

Ok, not really… but according to a new study, cancer might be brewing inside me as I sip my diet coke. (Why am I such a Debbie Downer today? Wah wahhhhhhhhhh.)

The study found that one of the most popular artificial sweeteners may cause cancer. And I don’t know about you, but that is practically a death sentence for me.

As artificiality has become a societal fundament, I’ve managed to resist plastic surgery and fake tanning. Hell, I don’t even have a fake id. But, because I’m such a lucky gal, the one faux treat that I’ve wildly indulged in is now linked to cancer. Read More »