Month: May 2013

Cowboys v. Hot Sauce

Fotor0523120922Professional Bull Rider Brendon Clark and I after the Clash of the Cowboys Hot Sauce Challenge.

 

It’s summer! That means the weather is getting hot hot hot, which is exactly why we ended our Clash of the Cowboys Part 1 with the Hot Sauce Challenge. (Note: For those unfamiliar with the PBR circuit, the Built Ford Tough Series takes a summer break in May and returns in August. Clash of the Cowboys will also return then.) The challenge for our Cowboys was simple enough: hold on to the hot sauce for dear life in the back of our Ford F-150 as a member of the opposing team drives them through a crazy, off-road course. All I can say is thank goodness I did not have to clean up that mess! The inside of the car was poisonous to the nostrils and vomit-inducing to the eyeballs. Sorry, I hope you weren’t just enjoying a lovely meal.

As an unintentional off-roader myself – i.e. my SUV meant to go over that curb, thank you very much! – I truly appreciated this challenge. I also gave mad props to Bull Rider Brendon Clark who – SPOILER ALERT – actually pounded a shot of that nasty stuff in the end. Well, kind of. These guys are the toughest men I’ve ever met, and their stomachs aren’t so shabby either to be handling that.

Here are the clips that aired on CBS Sports during the PBR Built Ford Tough Series:

Who am I in the Game of Thrones??

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I am a HUGE Game of Thrones fan. And not (just) because of the HBO show, but because of the books. I am a true nerd and I wear my literacy badge with pride. I’m currently 200 pages deep into the third installment, Storm of Swords, and for once I’m thankful I do not have an HBO subscription or else my imaginary fun in Westeros would be ruined by spoilers. Although, there would probably be a lot more nudity in my life…

So, consider my curiosity piqued when a “Game of Thrones Personality Quiz” was suggested for me somewhere on the interwebs. My favorite characters are the ones above, either for their gorgeously long locks and luscious lips or because of their wit, tenacity and overall bada**ness. I’m sure you can figure out which is which. But, deep down, I really want to be Daenerys (the girl in the blue cloak). She’s a princess, 13-years-old with a C cup and is a natural blonde… all the things I want to be in life. Well, minus the 13-years-old.

This was the persona I most identified with on the personality quiz:

2) Another hopeless romantic! You are loyal, tough and kind. You’ve branched out and are no longer running with your old crew, and you exist in a kind of ever-changing self-imposed exile (that old crew grew stale, going to the same restaurants and bars over and over), and you’ve learned the customs, and gained the respect, of a new host of friends (they’re into tapas!) You’re something of a catch (even if that special someone doesn’t seem to realize it). You don’t mind pets.

Hopeless romantic? Daenerys gave up her baby for her husband. New crew? The Khalasar. Pets? Hello! DRAGONS!!

So imagine my surprise when the test said I was THIS PERSON:

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I’m a dude.

Not only am I not Daenerys… or a woman for that matter. I’m Ser Jorah Mormont; the dude who is pathetically friend zoned by a 13-year-old.

This is the first test I’ve ever failed.

5 Things I Learned from Mom

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1. Be an eternal optimist.

As the Dalai Lama says, “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” Now, I’m not saying my mom is the Dalai Lama, but she did want to be a nun when she was younger (true fact!), so I think she knows what’s up by living with this motto.

2. Remember, you’re living someone else’s dream.

Just the other day I was feeling discouraged that I wasn’t further along in life. Really I called to get the good ol’, “I’m proud of you- blah blah blah” type of praise all of us children expect, but instead she said something very profound. She told me that while it’s great to want to be the next Ryan Seacrest or Cat Deeley (aka have goals), I need to remember that at this moment, with all my travels and incredible gigs, that somewhere out there I am living the life someone else is dreaming about. I feel like she should trademark that quote.

3. You’ve got good genes.

Breaking news! Women are first judged on their looks. Women judge other women on their looks. And in Hollywood, you can be hired or fired based on your looks. Do you see my mom? She’s over six decades old, never touched one thing on her face, and doesn’t have a wrinkle on her. Thank you Mom, because plastic surgery is expensive.

4. In wine, there is happiness.

When all else fails, my mom encourages me to drink a bottle of wine. Well, she really just says, “Why don’t you open up a bottle of wine and have a hot bath?” I usually take that as drinking the entire bottle and ordering in cupcakes, but, well, you get the gist. There is nothing better than parental approval for imbibing.

5. Experience > Money.

I feel so grateful to come from a Midwestern family with Midwestern values. That is, you bring people into your life based on who they are, not what they can get you. Growing up, there was no such thing as designer bags or sports cars. In our house, you worked hard, you did well, and you were rewarded with what you needed or wanted within reason. Instead of giving us things, though, my mom gave us opportunities to follow our passions, whether that was athletics, traveling or pursuing higher education at a very expensive private university. This built more self-esteem than anything you can buy in a store, and I’m eternally grateful for this life lesson.

Happy Mother’s Day!