On the negative side regarding ads, the "Make friends with your fast" commercial has to be one of the dumbest I've seen in a good while.  Leaves me cold.

That, and the one with the girl talking to the Ronald MacDonald figure.  It always makes me feel bad for her.

OTOH, I do get a kick out of the "How do you like me now, Brock?!" Jack-in-the-Box ad. 

And the one about the man buying the trial-size things as proof that he's going on vacation ("And you've got the fold-up toothbrush to prove it!").

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Right now the Ladies' Short Program is on, and how about that Kimmie Miesner?  Wow! 

I. Am. SO. Mad!  

Remember my buying a refrigerator and dishwasher?  How pleased I was to see the "Buy a Maytag bottom-mount refrigerator and get a free dishwasher" promotion?

Carefully drove out to the Lowe's in Arlington, as they were the ones with the signs plastered on the appropriate Maytag fridges and dishwashers. 

Carefully made copies of everything and sent in the receipts and rebate form, then sat back to wait.

Today I received a communication from Maytag, apologizing for their inability to honor my rebate request, as I hadn't purchased three qualifying Maytag appliances.  While on the phone with Melissa in the rebate office (what a mercy I was being civil and polite), I realized the ambiguity of the language on the form.  This ambiguity, paired with the salesman at Lowe's happily assuring me I definitely qualified for the rebate based upon my refrigerator purchase, and added to that the signs clearly saying "Buy a refrigerator and get a free dishwasher", all combined to make me firmly and, I believe, reasonably feel assured I was entitled to the rebate.

In fairness, I did think it was a heck of a generous offer, but the salesman and signs said that's what it was, and the language in the form didn't make it clear that this was a mistaken belief. 

This really burns my bacon.  The salesman TOLD me I qualified!  The store GAVE me the rebate form!  Why wouldn't I think I'm entitled to it?

Grumble, grumble, grumble......   

Speaking of ice dancing, those costumes were something else, weren't they?  Especially the one worn by the female half of the Ukrainian couple:

 

Okay, that's actually a flesh-colored bodysuit, but still......! 

According to one of the commentators (The Woman Who Is Not Peggy Fleming) the outfits worn by the skaters are supposed to be "athletic in nature." 

Last night's ice dancing was wonderful, wasn't it?  No one fell!  Yippee!  

But you know what I realize I rather miss, though it used to annoy the fool out of me?  Scott Hamilton's inevitable observation of "Everything he/she/they do, they do so well."

Remember that?  After a while it got funny, he said it so often.  And was it him or someone else whom one could count on to exclaim "He nailed it!" everytime a jump was successfully completed?  Or am I thinking of gymnastics in the summer games? 

A speedskating race which I'm anticipating with some eagerness is the one that'll pit Chad Hedrick against Shani Davis.  Those two do NOT like each other and they each have a gold medal in these games.  Don't you know they're on fire to snag another gold, or at the very least, place higher than the other skater?

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Some of the ads running are amusing, which is a boon considering how frequently they're shown.  I'm particularly partial to the prairie dogs climbing on and into the SUV (I'm easily amused), the magic refrigerator (though it's got a huge flaw, since the guys in the other apartment clearly say "The magic refrigerator is back!", signifying they've removed the beer at least once before, so why does the man in the first apartment think this is such a slick idea?), and the couple with the smushed car.

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Tonight's the short program for the women's figure skating.  Do you suppose Sasha Whosit'll get it together this time?

On an outpatient basis, can you imagine? 

Anyway, prayers that the procedure proceed smoothly and that her recovery is swift would be appreciated.  ;^)

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Update:  She came through it just fine!  Thanks to all who were lifting her up to the LORD. 

This is not an observation one normally hears after an ice dance performance:  "The feathers are flying!"

However, due to the attire of the female half of the Israeli couple, it was accurate....there were feathers, and by jingo, at the end of the program they were flying around like autumn leaves.

If the figure skating manages to close without broken bones, it'll be a pleasant surprise, considering how dancers were dropping like flies:

It's not a sport for sissies, that's for sure. 

OTOH, it was terrific to see the rapturous joy with which the Italian cross-country team was greeted when they received their gold medals last night.  The flag-waving crowd sang the Italian anthem, as did the medal winners, though the one on the far left was noticeably tearing up and choking out the words.

My kinda medal winner. 

And talk about all hat, no horse!  Bode Miller is going to be slinking home, medal-less, t'would appear.  He's got one more chance, isn't that right?  It's not the same as with poor Dan Jensen all those years ago.  Bless the latter's heart, he tried hard, took it seriously (instead of partying until the wee hours), and even had a relative die (his sister?) on the day of one of the races.  He finally won, though, remember?  What rejoicing there was when he did!

I'm not sure how much rejoicing there'll be if Miller amazes everyone, gets his act together, and manages to cop a gold after all. 

This type of headline tends to baffle me a little bit:  Olympics Ground to Halt Because of Snow

Snow is a huge problem at the Winter Games?  Shouldn't the venue for those be prepared for such a weather event? 

It's hard to believe, but the time has arrived to make travel plans for Charles' graduation from boot camp. 

What's terrific is that not only Don and I are going (Dmitry's staying behind this time, as he really oughtn't to miss two days of school, plus he is not what one would call an enthusiastic traveler in any case) to Illinois, but Alex is making the trip as well! 

The thought of both our sailors being together in Great Lakes is making me think of a new digital camera....one that can really handle a zoom well.  

Alex has made reservations for us at the Navy Lodge, there on the base itself.  It should be quite handy, as we'll be able to walk to the graduation ceremony. 

Well, darn.  It was rather disappointing to watch the American
woman's downhill skier today, Julia Mancuso, and find she had ditched
the tiara she'd sported during yesterday's slalom event in favor of a
helmet.

Safer, but pedestrian.  Don't know if the American lassie who
chose to make a fashion statement during yesterday's race by wearing
pearls (faux, I'm sure) continued with them today. 

Tiaras and pearls on the slalom!  Whatever next? 

To our immense pleasure Sveta sent Dmitry a long letter and some photos both of Samara and herself.

The letter contained both good news  --  Sveta realized a life-long dream by finally getting to the Black Sea, her first exposure to an ocean setting  --  and some not-so-good news  --  her Primary Romantic Interest, Stass, ended their relationship after nearly three years.  :^(

Well, he's in Cheboksary and she's hundreds of miles away in Samara.  Those long-distance relationships are the dickens to keep alive.

Still, it just shows Stass is a jerk, as he'll never find anyone comparable to our Sveta.  MEN! 

She sent three photos, one of her as bridesmaid to a friend last fall, and a couple from the trip to the Black Sea.  Unfortunately, the latter two had her way in the distance (Russians tend to do that, I've noticed), so the cropping couldn't really get her face clearly:

Isn't she lovely? 

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Teeth are plaguey things, and that's a fact.  This morning I was at the dentist having a temporary crown on a lower left molar removed and the permanent crown affixed, then this evening while eating a brown sugar brownie (with pecans) the first crown I ever had came off. 

What had necessitated the need for that crown was when the tooth shattered to the gum line when being drilled several years ago.  So with the crown off, there's not much there.  Icky.  I called the dentist immediately, who asked if I'm in pain, and since I had to say, "Well, no, not at the moment anyway," said I should come in on Monday morning.

It's unnerving, however, as I'm waiting for it to start hurting, y'know?  I don't think it'd be wise to get cold or hot back there, for instance, as cold air bugs it.  Watch it start to give me fits and an ice storm hits, so I can't go anywhere to get it seen to. 

OTOH, perhaps it'll behave itself till Monday morning.  Still burns me up....I just DID the crown routine!  Those critters tend to be pricey, though the dentist said to haul the one that came off along, as it's possible it can be reattached.  That'd be whole lots cheaper.