The Canadians were seconds away from taking the gold in Men's Hockey when the take out their goalie so they can sub in an additional attacker. Zack Parise of the U.S. scores with seconds left to take the game 2-2 and into sudden victory period. We lost but oh well, hockey isn't even our biggest past time.
Speaking of Je T'Aime, tomorrow I begin my french classes and could't be happier!!!
Eventhough I was to go skiing this past weekend I would have missed my first day of school =(,
As fate would have it, the trip was cancelled and I was secretly elated that I would be able start the road to french-dom sooner than expected.
While browsing the articles, this one also called to my attention, Why France is best place to live in world written feb. 11, 2010
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/11/france.quality.life/index.html
"France always nets high scores in most categories," the magazine said. "But you don't need number-crunchers to tell you its 'bon vivant' lifestyle is special. It's impossible to enumerate the joy of lingering for hours over dinner and a bottle of red wine in a Parisian brasserie. Or strolling beside the Seine on a spring morning, poking through the book vendors' wares."
Even though we are not in Paris, Lyon does have a telecommunications tower sitting on a hill overlooking the city that rivals the iconic Eiffel tower; and instead of one river we have two, the Rhone and the Saone.
I'm especially enamored by France after a day of exploring the city by bus and finding that hidden in the hills are the remnants of a once thriving roman civilization including a theater that overlooks the now bustling city below.
Not to mention countless churches, museums, and cobblestone streets that give everything a Charles Dickens, or even Harry Potter-ish, type aura.
Even the detail are breathtaking, like crossing the city's two rivers and being able to choose which of the many bridges you want to take. Both of the rivers have at least 4 bridges within 3 blocks of each other inluding the suspension bridges that moves a little with the wind but have beautiful stone archways over them or the concrete bridges that end with a skate park and walkways to the water where you can feed the ducks and swans.
I heart IKEA and their supercheap post-shopping refreshments.
Actually the food wasn't "gastronomical". The bun was delish but I'm not sure what to make of the dog. But after two hours of shopping for home furnishings with your boyfriend in the the most aesthetically fascinating store ever, you'll eat just about anything..... It's the ultimate test spot for need vs. want and I checked my self-control at the revolving front door.
How do you explain that you really do need a duvet cover and a designer napkin holder when you just came to buy extra storage bins and some plastic hangers?
Five hours after leaving the apartment, I am back again. We arrived at the airport to find out that the flight could be cancelled and eventually it was.
Here's the scoop:
French air traffic controllers' strike latest European labor trouble
A French air traffic controllers' strike has grounded dozens of flights in Paris, one of Europe's busiest air travel hubs. The first hints of spring appear to be bringing strike fever to Europe.
French air traffic controllers, currently among the most well paid in Europe and required to work only 100 days a year, are angry at a proposal to consolidate air traffic control with some of their European neighbors, which they fear will lead to salary and benefit reductions. Air travel-associated strikes in recent days have created delays and ticket-counter drama elsewhere as well. Pilots for Lufthansa ended a one-day strike last night, but there will be routing and delays until Friday, authorities say. In all, some 800 flights have been affected.
In other news, we had some great food today.
Sometimes I have to pick something off the menuwithout knowing exactly what's in it.
At the airport, I chose the Salad of Lyon. It was a bowl of bacon, with a little bit of lettuce and large slices of what I consider high-end Spam. That is not a large piece of white cheese (which I would have been really excited about) but rather a fried egg. I would give this 2.5 / 4 stars, deducting for the incredibly high fat content. =) It was pretty tasty though and I started thinking about how everyone in France could eat so many cheeses and meats and manage to stay so skinny.
Let me not forget to mention the desserts. The chocolates are just not fair!
They appear pretty normal from the outside but when you go to break into it, you find that the middle is all hot, melted, goodness.
And for dinner, we dined at Chicken Palace, more pics to come.
It's Friday and that means its time to head back to Barcelona, a land where I speak at least one of the region's two languages, woo hoo! I will probably have to bid adieu to the blog til monday because we will be venturing off with some of Roger's university friends to ski. We'll be staying in Alp, in a region of Spain that's called La Cerdanya.
This is a perfect coincidence because I've been listening to this song "Ambling Alp" all week by a favorite band of mine. The vid is interesting to say the least, almost like a bad 80's fantasy movie like Legend or Labrynth.
The lyrics are Fantastic though.
Ok, and just this once I get to say it- O.....M.....G!
SPEAKING OF CINEMATIC BLASTS FROM THE PAST, THIS IS GREATNESS...
It's from this VH-1 website that has got me in stitches. BestWeekEver.TV
I walked to the university and enrolled in class. It starts Monday but I will not be back from Spain til the afternoon, so officially I will begin my french lessons next Tuesday.
As I left the school, I felt overwhelmed with happy emotions. I guess because in a way, the things I have always hoped for are coming true. In my other blog I wrote an entry regarding some hopes I had for myself on September 9, 2009. Ths was just less than one month before meeting Roger.
----------------------------------------------------------- 9/9/09 So by the end of the week, I'll be sending out applications. Gonna throw 'em out there and leave it up to fate. Who knows where the wind will take me next. Born in Maryland, lived in Atlanta, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Houston, San Diego, The Woodlands, and Austin may be next, possibly even Barcelona. This girl doesn't stay anywhere too long.... Hopefully by January I will be at one end of a classroom. Could be teaching English in Spain or getting my Masters somewhere else, preferibly in foreign languages. Mi espanol es excelente, il mio italiano sta bene, but I don't speak a lick of french. Here's a song I heard in a lil museum of oddities this past weekend. I wish I knew what she was saying. ciao for now."
http://anothernotchonmyblogpost.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-used-to-live-in-heartbeat-city.html
Can you believe it????? I never imagined in a million years that I would be studying french in Lyon, living with a Catalan man I met after moving to Houston. Somehow, someone is watching over me. The best part is I've got proof that my prayers were answered and I'm living a dream I thought would be impossible.
____________
I have to mention as well, that Carla Bruni from the video above is none other than the wife of the current president of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy.
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After enrolling at the school I decided to go for a bite at where else but McDo's. Side note: last night's dinner, no so great. The soup tasted like baby food and the pate' looked and smelled cat food. Since it's still very difficult for me to order food here without Roger, I am trying to stick with the basics and figured that I should be able to get 6 Nu-GATS without a hitch.
----WRONG!
Well partially wrong, they understood nuggets fine and le petite coke light but then when I asked for Mustard all hell broke loose. The cashier freaked and called over le McManager. At this point, I felt all eyes in the restaurant on me as I try to say mustard in every accent I know. Pretty sure I looked like a jerk. If it were any other condiment I would have given up, but without the mustard I would not endure this grade "E" meat. Eventually I spotted the mustard packets behind the counter and pointed, saying that I wanted "du".
I handed the girl my money and took my tray up the stairs (because in Europe the McDos always have two levels) to escape the drama.
After I finished my lunch, I walked over to the center of the city becuase it's much more modern and there are plenty of places to sit and people-watch.
it was cold and windy today, but no rain.
This stand is called "American Sandwich"
It is run by French-Asians and they sell French and Mexican desserts filled with Nutella. How American!
I didn't succumb to the delicious temptations today, but it's only a matter of time.
More interesting store names.......
Oh, and I made it home without opening a map, today was a success!
Couldn't end this McBlog without including the McScene from Pulp Fiction where John Travolta talks about ordering a big mac in Paris.
I came across this song this morning and instantly thought of my bff back in San Diego, Jen Dub. It's been a while since I blogged in your honor Jen, but with the coincidence of emo sea gulls and days on the beaches this one goes out to you...... Well, actually it's co-dedicated to you and Roger both because as you will see this song is really about being in love as well as hating seagulls. and I don't know if Roger hates Seagulls, but if he does it's probably not as much as Jen does.
I finally got brave enough to use the public transportation today, and it was great!!! No more wandering the street aimlessly.
At noon I caught the 53 bus at the end of my street, then jumped on the C1 bus that carried me to the Museum stop where Roger was waiting for me to go have lunch.
Instead of opting for our normal deli lunch of sandwiches and varieties of quiches, we entered a small restaurant called Pell Mell where they offered two lunch choices.
We had the Brandade de Poisson. - Brandade: a warm garlicky puree with milk or cream or oil, and sometimes mashed potatoes. - de poisson: "of seafood". So, it was basically mashed potatoes with fish in them.
Surprisingly it was probably my favorite meal so far and I would definitely have it again. However, some of our meals have been a bit dodgey because nearly everything is made with seafood. For example, we tried some quiches yesterday, one was made with shrimp and one with salmon. Eggs mixed with seafood is something I prefer not to experience again. Much like public transportation, there are some tastes the Western palette is not accustomed to. I have acquired a taste for pate' and foix de gras, but the smell of fresh oysters being sold on the street still bothers me despite its novelty.
Today I went grocery shopping and found that the gastronomy of France goes much deeper than the restaurant cuisines. I found that Pringles potato chips are basically the blank canvas for french artists of flavor. So excited about my discovery of new flavors that I had to purchase three canisters: Wasabi, Sezchuan BBQ and Chili-and-Cheese.
(*Sour Cream and Cat flavor sold exclusively in China)
After I finished my dinner shopping which consisted of canned pate', some crunchy bread, and vegetable soup I picked up a $2 bottle of wine!!!! Hopefully it matches the quality of San Diego's famous brand "Two-Buck Chuck".
Tonight I will try to make my first French meal but we may have to go to McDonalds (aka "McDo") if things don't turn out well.
Bon Apetit!
Last Sunday we stopped at a gas station that had a McDonalds adjoined with a mini-store that had the usual stuff like magazines, gum, and more types of Nougat candy than you can ever imagine. Turns out McDo's was fresh out of chicken and it took us a while to find this out because even though we were asking for nuggets, they did not understand what we wanted til we said ummm, "Chicken Noug-ATS si vous plais". They did however have a chicken sandwich and packets of original mustard which happened to be the Spicy Mustard that we have in the states. This made me a very happy girl becuase that mustard is the sole reason I will eat at this fast-food establishment.
Even though I got dreadfully lost today in the streets, I stumbled across the greatest antique store and found these two jewels in addition to 3 old vinyls I bought for our shelves. I managed to lose one of the candles on the trip home. C'est la vie, haha!
We arrived in Lyon Sunday night around 10 pm, that's 3 pm CST. It was about a 6 hour car ride from Barcelona which by European standards in one long road trip. However it could take over 9 hours just to travel across Texas which goes to show that the Lone Star State is bigger than France. We're sure not to mention that little fact to any of the locals though.
It was cold and rainy when we arrived and already dark so we called it a night and hurried across several blocks and up to the studio apartment. Fortunately the next day, we were able to switch to an actual one bedroom apartment that I think we can settle into for the next year. These are pictures of the base models, at least we have a kitchen now, a large balcony, and a living room with a lot of closet space.
Anchors just seem to be reoccuring throughout my life, hopefully we will gets this mediterranean theme modernized soon! Overall, we are very happy with the new nest!
On Monday Roger and I took the bus back to his office after lunch and then I proceeded to walk back. According to the map I was not far from the Lyon Centre.
Here's my very first broadcasts ever, they're very amateurish but hopefully with a little practice my vids will improve.
In the city I came across some wonderful sights and places. Alas, my camera battery soon ran out so I will have to return soon to capture them all.
I did meet one girl who spoke English today, she worked at Starbucks in downtown.
No surprise there, I figured that would be the one place I could order without any problems.
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Later on, Roger and I made our way back to the Centre via metro rail to dine at Les Enfante Terribles.
Most importantly today, my best friend since 7th grade, Amanda, finally had her little girl Sosie today!!!! She was due yesterday and the doctor's planned on inducing labor this coming Sunday but she was destined to be an aquarius!
I fly out at 8:30 this evening en route to Heathrow in London and then on to Barcelona where I will meet Roger. On Sunday we plan on driving out to Lyon.
I'm still packing and unpacking and repacking. Its just about done though. Who knew I have so much STUFF? When you think about all the unecessary things we carry around, possessions, it's really ridiculous. In my defense though, it will be very cold in France and some of these jackets and sweaters take up a quarter of a bag. My shoes alone could fit an entire suitcase but I'm very proud of myself and managed to leave most of them here.
I'm a little stressed over leaving my dad, my dog, and the rest of the fam. Hopefully the anxiety and anticipation will pass.
and I'm exhausted! I feel like I've been put throught the packing gauntlet, or rather, the olympics of travel preparation. In the luggage competition, we have already been through 3 preliminary rounds and the finals should be tomorrow. Seriously though, my shoes alone could take up one bag and I'm trying to keep it to two carry on items and two checked items. That's even too much to bring judging by the pictures Roger sent me of our new studio in France.
Thankfully, it's just temporary until we get a normal apartment that's not just a bed next to the toilet and a mini fridge that is supposedly the kitchen. In the meantime, my search continues for the french translation of "Walk-in-closet". They've got to exist, clothes are a major part of the culture. I'm hoping that the Parisian fashionistas do not fold their coutour gowns and put them in a drawer. If worst comes to worst, I will convert the shower space into a hanging rack. Wonder if I'm the first to have to resort to this action? Maybe that's how the smelly reputation came about, hmmmm.
My favorite musical New Zealand duo, The Flight of the Conchords, and their comical lesson in french and how to pick up women.....
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
I'm on skype: http://www.skype.com/welcomeback/
add me: sarah.cheverly.rose
The Mumlers - Tangled up with you
http://www.myspace.com/themumlers
I was scouring through our dark attic today looking for more luggage and feeling a little flustered, because I couldn't find the bag I needed, when I heard a van pull up in my driveway. Down the little wooden-plank stairs I went and to the front door. By the time I got there, the visitor had already left but there sat a dozen red roses. Sending his love all the way from Spain, Roger didn't forget the day! He's the best and the timing was perfect becuase I really needed that reminder at the moment of why I'm doing all this. He's totally worth it. Just four more days.....
In the meantime, a soulful little ditty for your listening pleasure.
One more thing I'm really looking forward to is all the European fashion and culture. It would be just another step on my path to living my dreams to become a contributing writer, blogger, or photographer for a publication like this one that's just starting up...
http://balladof.co.uk/about/
Read this article today, hope my Canadian readers don't take offense but it made me chuckle a little.
Rick Reilly Article on Canada
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It's always so cute when Canada hosts an Olympics. Canadians try so hard. This comes from living next to America and having an inferiority complex worse than Tito Jackson's.
For instance, it's rained every day I've been in Vancouver, athletes are starting to withdrawal because of pruny fingers, and Canadians feel terrible. They're always saying "Gee, sore-ee about the rain, eh?" Do you realize they've been helicoptering snow up to the mountain venues? Who does that?
These people are nice. Preposterously nice. Aunt Bee in mukluks nice. This is a country that has human-chomping grizzlies on every corner and yet chose the furry beaver for its national animal.
Here's how nice: Twice already, Canadian mogul star Jenn Heil's bus has broken down on the drive up from Vancouver to Cypress Mountain. And both buses were from California! Peter Judge of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association was quoted as saying after the second time: "It was a bit of a concern." A "bit of a concern"? If it had happened to an American star, they'd have made everybody responsible stand against a wall in front of a running 2010 Prius.
Anyway, I think Americans who come to these Winter Olympics should try to be nice back. You can't be nicer than Canadians, but you can try. Here's how:
• Do not talk about hockey. A Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup in 17 years. This is possibly because there are no more Canadian hockey teams left. OK, that's not true. Still, if Canada doesn't win the gold in men's hockey this time -- something it's only done once since 1952 -- fans here might all throw themselves under stampeding moose.
If your birthday is August 9, always look at the ground, shake your head and add, "The day Wayne was traded."
• Use the "organics" recycling container in your hotel room. This is one of 14 recycling containers you'll find there. The mind recoils as to what you're supposed to put in the "organics" can in a hotel room, but the little sign says to put "meat, poultry, fish, plants and flowers." That's weird. I always leave my poultry in a gift bag for the maid.
• Speak Canadian. ATMs are ABMs. Street hockey is "shinny." Butt is "arse." Beer is "brew." Stuff is "whatnot." Newfoundlanders are "Newfies." Never say the "g" in "ing." And yay is not a cheer, it's a measurement, as in: "I'm lookin' for my malamute, about yay big and yay long?"
• Call Vancouver "Van City" or even "The Van" but do not call it the name it hates: "No Fun City." It IS a fun city, except that a lot of the bars close at 11. In the morning.
• And it apparently NEVER STOPS RAINING.
• Use abbreviated words whenever possible. For instance, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, becomes the "RCMP," which becomes "the Armsee," as in the sentence: "I sure hope Bode Miller doesn't get pinched by the Armsees this Olympics. I got ten Loonies on him."
• Abbreviate your new friends' names, too. Hamilton becomes "Hams". If your friend's name is already short, add "er" to it. This is how you get a sentence like, "Let's go play some shinny, eh? You be Gretz and I'll be Nasher."
• Compliment their national anthem. It's way better than ours.
• Pretend that you have to plug in your engine block at night to keep it from freezing, too. Makes them feel better.
• Go to Tim's (short for "Tim Hortons") and have a double-double (two creams, two sugars) and some Timbits (donut holes) and stand around and talk about curling. This will be a welcome topic. The Canadians are still great at curling.
You: The boys oughta do priddy good, eh?
Him: Oh, sure. The sweeps are beauties.
You: You thinkin' they might be winnin' and whatnot, eh?
Him: Boy, would that ever be neat!
• When referring to Elvis, be sure its Stojko not Presley. If you're talking about acting, don't forget the god of all Canadian thespians -- Lorne Greene from Bonanza.
****If your birthday is August 9, always look at the ground, shake your head and add, "The day Wayne was traded."
• Never say "said." Say "goes," as in: "So Lindsey goes, 'I'm freezin' way up here in just a bikini.' And I go, 'Linds, it's a bitchin' career move!' And she goes, 'K, but it's colder n' a Newfie's arse up here!'"
• If you're a snowboarder and you snap your neck in three places doing your Double Fakie Ollie Grab and they're putting you in the ambulance, smile and go, "It's fine! Canada's got free health care!"
But if those bastards say anything about their dollar being worth more than ours, slam them in the nose with your organics can.
Studying some more today. I'm bad, but my concentration is shot today and I can barely focus at work....
"Lyon is a major centre of business with a reputation as the French capital of gastronomy and having a significant role in the history of cinema due to Auguste and Louis Lumière."
I keep seeing the work Gastronomy in everything I read about Lyon.
My initial thoughts is that it had something to do with internal medicine. Wrong - that would be Gastroenterology
Then I figured it had something to do with studying gases in outer space. Wrong again - That's just astronomy
So I broke down and asked for directions, from Wikipedia: "Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between culture and food."
Hmmmm, food? I like food, Tell me more....
"A gourmet's principal activities involve discovering, tasting, experiencing, researching, understanding and writing about foods. Gastronomy is therefore an interdisciplinary activity. Good observation will reveal that around the food, there exist dance, dramatic arts, painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, and music; in other words, the Fine Arts. But it also involves physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, geology, agronomy, and also anthropology, history, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The application of scientific knowledge to cooking and gastronomy has become known as molecular gastronomy."
I can't wait to feast upon some gourmet french food like fresh baked eclaires, rich cheeses and delicious wine.
French cuisine is a style of cooking originating from France, having evolved from centuries of social and political change. Gastro-tourism and the Guide Michelin helped to bring people to the countryside during the 20th century and beyond, to sample this rich bourgeois and peasant cuisine of France.
I've had the chance to experience a little french food outside of the chain restaurant Le Madeleine, such as: Foie gras (fatty duck or goose liver) --- tried for the first time in a japanese restaurant in Barcelona. Sounds gross, but it was amazing! Can't wait to find out what other tasty treats I will try.
Escargot - "Nobody is sure how this got started. Probably a couple of French master chefs were standing around one day, and they found a snail, and one of them said: 'I bet that if we called this something like "escargot," tourists would eat it.' They they had a hearty laugh, because 'escargot' is the French word for 'fat crawling bag of phlegm.'" -- Dave Barry, 'Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need' (1991)
my boss asked me today if I will tell people in France that I'm from Texas or will I say California. After thinking about this for moment, I realize that this is a very valid point because history tells us the French don't have the fondest impression of us Texans.
I can recall the newscasts of former U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to France in 2008. On the day of his arrival, some 1,000 activists marched in central Paris to protest Bush's policies, particularly the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and his unwavering support for Israel and also his friendship with French President Nicholas Sarkozy. Leading the march was Lady Liberty wearing a star-shaped Texas sheriff's badge as she arrested a handcuffed George Bush impersonator for war crimes.
Here's an interesting article from 2/18/2003 --- Notice how none of the leaders mentioned are still in power. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/19/international/middleeast/19IRAQ.html?pagewanted=1
When you really think of it, there does seem to be a very deep and ongoing struggle and constant comparison between Texas and California. Even the economist has written articles on their Rivalry. Some other studies have concluded:
"In America's federal system, some states, such as California, offer residents a "package deal" that bundles numerous and ambitious public benefits with the high taxes needed to pay for them. Other states, such as Texas, offer packages combining modest benefits and low taxes. These alternatives, of course, define the basic argument between liberals and conservatives over what it means to get the size and scope of government right...."
"California and Texas are not perfect representatives of the alternative deals, but they come close. Overall, the Census Bureau's latest data show that state and local government expenditures for all purposes in 2005-06 were 46.8% higher in California than in Texas"
ZZZZZz, anyways..... I have more thinking to do on this one.
....til my feet leave the ground and only three more days left of work - eek!
Better get started getting to know my new home...
Lyon facts provide useful information on the city that is of great help to the traveler. Lyon is located at 45°45' North latitude and 4° 50' 60’’ East longitude. The city enjoys a temperate climatic condition. The weather remains hot in summer months and cold in winter months. Rainfall takes place throughout the year.
Lyon is the third biggest city of France and is the capital of Rhone-Alps region. It is situated at the meeting point of the rivers of Rhone and Saone. Approximately 445,000 people lives in Lyon. French is the language spoken by the people of the city. The ethnic group comprises of North African, Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, Basque minorities and Indochinese. Roman Catholicism is followed by about 83% to 88% of the total population. There are also a considerable section of Protestants, Jews and Muslims stays in Lyon.
Some other important facts on Lyon are as follows:
Lyon is situated at an elevation of 659 feet above sea level.
The area code of the city is ‘562’ and the country code is ‘33’
The time zone of Lyon is GMT + 1.
It is also known as the ‘Silk Capital of the World’.
St Exupery Airport is the main airport of Lyon.
The major industries of the city of Lyon are textiles, silk, machinery, tourism, printing and chemicals.
Euro (EUR) is the currency of Lyon. Notes come in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 and the coins come in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent. Euro (€) = 100 cents.
The trading partners of Lyon are USA, UK, Italy and Germany.
The major products exported from Lyon are iron, steel, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, beverages and plastics.
The shops are open from 10 am to mid-day and again from 2 pm to 7:30 pm from Monday to Saturday.
An amazing tune from Jenny Lewis' earlier stuff when Rilo Kiley was still a band ...
Jenny again performing backup for this great song by Farmer Dave Sher, go to the myspace page for better quality sound. http://www.myspace.com/farmerdavescher
another song from a group i'm just find out about.....
As my countdown continues to my own wordly adventure, I will turn my focus for just a quick moment to the another place of much attention right now, that has absolutely nothing french about it. ahem. Canada, the host of the upcoming 2010 World Olmypics.
At this moment, there are 5 days, 5 hours and 55 minutes until the start of the games.
Watching the news last night, I discovered there are so many great stories about this year's competing athletes.
Check out the Canada's best female hockey player in the white jersey #21. Here's what she has to say about the following incident:
"It was really blown out of proportion up here, but I'd had enough, and that hit in particular got to me," Wickenheiser said of the headlock heard 'round Canada. "He was taking liberties, and their whole team had been talking. I had to do something, but that might happen two or three times out of 50 games against guys."
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Here's our local celebrity right now, hailing from The Woodlands, TX the 2006 Olympic Gold Medalist Chad Hendrick. Although the video isn't that interesting but the You Tube's users comments below the clip are fairly heated.
Lindsey Vonn's Sports Illustrated cover shot skis into controversy
"It appears some sophomoric individuals have a problem with this week's cover of Sports Illustrated.
The cover features a shot of American alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, a favorite to win multiple gold medals at next week's Winter Olympic Games, in what could be considered as a sexually provocative pose.
I can honestly say that I didn't notice the sexual connotation of the photo until someone pointed it out to me. In fact, I think the staged photo is more corny than sexually suggestive.
Of course, this wouldn't be the first time a magazine with a large male readership has used sex appeal to promote a female Olympic athlete. Sports Illustrated is known for its swimsuit issues, so maybe this is a ploy to play up the Games.
What do you think? Is the photo sexually suggestive or do some people have overactive imaginations?"
