Hello hello, catching up:

On the Russians - from my experience spending two years in an FSR rife with Russians, I feel comfortable saying that they (in general) have major race issues. Gypsies, Jews, blacks... I cut them exactly zero slack on that routine. ZERO.

I knew there was going to be a Moldovan folk song routine, but did not watch. Will have to find it on YouTube.

OMG want those bacon/toffee/chocolate cupcakes.

lisah, was it you who was looking for a red dress? I found my gorgeous dress for ND & Kristin's reception at JC Penney. Searching for "red cocktail dress" on their site brings these results: [link]

Cool. I got an e-mail telling me my Nissan to Clarion wiring harness has shipped. I'm replacing the defunct stereo in my wife's car with a shiny new Clarion one and I managed to find a place that sells the factory plug to Clarion plug adapter already all wired up. Plug-and-play. Now she'll be able to listen to the radio, play CD's, and will have a USB port in the ashtray for a flash drive.

At what point would the traffic have died down enough to make it a tolerable drive?

My guess would also be after seven, but I don't know how the traffic is westbound, especially once you get past the Valley. My hunch would be that there wouldn't be that much.

Crap! I forgot to pay my February rent! I hate that.

We found out on the first of February that the auto payment we had set up for our mortgage payment expired at the first of the year. We had a mini freak out over that.

With our February statement we got a bunch of "How to stop foreclosure" stuff from the bank.

We found out on the first of February that the auto payment we had set up for our mortgage payment expired at the first of the year. We had a mini freak out over that.

Oooh, I am afraid of that happening. I set up my autopay when my mortgage was held by Countrywide, and then Bank of America bought them. My escrow witholding changed and I want to change the autopay to accomodate the change more conveniently (it's lowered, and my payment lowered, but the extra amount I had tacked on to make it a nice round number now makes it peculiar number that I can't remember easily), but BofA doesn't offer autopay, or not in a way I can figure out, so I don't want to call attention to it by calling and asking. But I have the naging fear that it will just disappear with no notice - someone will "fix the glitch" as it were.

Have watched routine now, here: [link]

You can see a clear inspiration and influence both in the costumes and the dance, although of course traditional Moldovan costume involves a longer skirt for women and usually a black embroidered overskirt. For your comparison and watching pleasure, I give you Joc, the Moldovan national dance troupe/orchestra: [link] ::shrugs:: I don't think Moldovans would be offended by it.

Of course I couldn't help but be reminded of Chbeeb and Janeane's disastrous Russian folk dance from SYTYCD, which was used during the tour as a running gag to great effect.

lisah, was it you who was looking for a red dress?

Yes! Thank you!!!

BofA doesn't offer autopay

Do you have your checking account with BoA too? If it's somewhere else, you could maybe set up your checking account to autopay your mortgage (rather than the mortgage holder pulling money out of your checking account). That's what I do, all my autopays are set up through my checking account so I can access them all, all at once.

You can see a clear inspiration and influence both in the costumes and the dance

The top three North American couples clearly took greater care with their research and inspiration than the Russians did. As I said above though, regardless of how good or bad the interpretation was, with respect to the cultural roots (and Lordy were the Russians bad on that front), their overall skating was just slow, sloppy, and really, really ill-conceived.

By contrast, you look at the Duchesnays breakthrough program from 1988 which, in terms of evoking mood, using movement, music, and costuming, was so much more effective. Admittedly, they were going for a more generic feel, as opposed to a cultural specific feel, but I think the point's valid. Plus, bonus, look how fast they're skating and how fluid they look, compared to the Russians clunky and slow movements.

[link]

Also, bonus cultural program from the Duchesnays, "Missing" from 1990, which was South American in feel.

[link]

This is why dogs do not make good criminal henchmen. [link]