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Weekend Reading: Chalked Up by Jennifer Sey

FitSugar — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT

With the Summer games less than a week away and gymnastics on the top of my list of sports to watch, I was looking forward to reading Chalked Up by 1986 US Gymnastic Champion Jennifer Sey. Her memoir of the US gymnastic scene in the 80s is truly a page turner. This coming of age story is as much about the sport as Sey's overachieving, fiercely competitive personality. Although those traits might often be construed as negative, for a thirteen year old competitive gymnast they are essential.

The book is a bit repetitive, but the rhythm mirrors the relentless repetitions of "sticking" a complicated beam routine ten consecutive times. Her accounts of her injuries are particularly painful to read, and broken bones are celebrated as preferable injuries to career ending knee dislocations. Sey definitely delves into the darker side of gymnastics, how it denies a little girl childhood and denies a budding teenage womanly curves. Sey is berated for having three percent body fat at age 18 and this after abusing laxatives for years, and she states repeatedly that gymnastics is a sport for girls and at 17 she is over the hill.

There's more so

read more. Witnessing someone's struggle with her demons definitely holds a reader's interest, and to this story add the element of public competition of one of America's favorite women's sports and you have a page turner. Sey's demons are internal (perfectionism, body image) and external (the unforgiving apparatus like uneven parallel bars, four inch wide balance beam, the vault). Her internal struggles follow her into adulthood, but as a mother of two with a career in advertising she has definitely carved a life beyond gymnastics. You can see clips of her performing feats in competition at her website and you can buy her book online or check your local bookstore. It is a quick read and you could definitely finish it by August 10th when the female gymnasts begin competing in Beijing.

Killer App: Smoked Mozzarella Spread

Susannah Chen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:58:47 PST

I've always chalked up my rare party planning to the fact that I get stressed easily trying to please a large group of people all at once. But since I've discovered an increasing number of easy killer apps, I've begun to second-guess myself.

Case in point: this smoked mozzarella spread. It's meatless, mind-bogglingly easy, doesn't require cooking, and only calls for four ingredients. And with its smoked and sun-dried elements, this dip and spread appeals to both the brainy as well as the brawny.

With an appetizer like this one, I've got no excuse to, say, not throw a Super Bowl shindig. Get your easy app on when you read more.

First Look: Cindy Crawford’s 10-Year-Old Daughter Kaia Gerber Is the New Face of Young Versace

Fashionista — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:42:22 PST

We're excited to bring you the best fashion finds, shopping stories, and style news from one of our favorite sites, Fashionista. Today, they're giving us a peek at Cindy Crawford's daughter's new Versace campaign.

Chalk it up to good genetics and great connections, but celeb offspring are landing some pretty sweet modeling gigs lately, at ages when most kids are entering their gawkiest stages.

Oasis’s Noel Gallagher's gorgeous daughter Anais Gallagher was just shot by Mario Testino, but now some real modeling royalty offspring has entered the arena: Cindy Crawford’s 10-year-old daughter Kaia (dad is Rande Gerber). She’s just been announced as the new face of Young Versace. Mom Cindy was a muse of Gianni’s, so it has to be a sweet moment for everyone involved that Kaia is taking up the Versace mantle now.

“Like her mother, Kaia has a very special gift,” Donatella Versace said in a release. “The camera really, really loves her. Having Cindy on set for the shoot took me back to all the amazing Avedon shoots we worked on together. It was such a special treat watching Kaia walk in her mother’s footsteps!”

Click over to Fashionista to read the whole story.

5 Ultra Cute Boot-and-Sock Combos to Try On

Marisa Tom — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:30:59 PST

Chalk it up to Winter whimsy, but we can't help but stray from traditional boot-sock combinations in favor of exponentially cooler pairings. Try a Madewell wedge bootie with scrunched up, chunky fairisle print socks or a more structured riding boot with a flash of red. These seasonal matches are meant to add a bit of zest to your everyday wintry wardrobe. In effect, don't let your jacket and jeans do all the talking - we've got five fun combos to keep you warm and your outfit bright. Keep clicking to shop your favorite boot-sock set!

We're Talking Croquembouches!

YumSugar — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:35:20 PST

Lately, I've been seeing towers of cream puffs, or croquembouches, appearing all over the place, particularly in bridal magazines or on wedding blogs. The croquembouche is most certainly a delicious trend – we had one at our wedding and it was quite a hit! - but these magnificent sweet sculptures are more complicated than they may appear. To get an inside look at how these profiterole towers are made, I reached out to Gerhard and Mary Michler, the driving force behind Gerhard Michler Fine European Pastries and Creative International Pastries, in San Francisco.

Gerhard first started baking at age 17 in his native Austria, so it's safe to say he knows a bit about French pastry. Michler chalks the growing cream puff tower trend up to the fact that people seem to want to see new things these days, and that a croquembouche (also known as a pièce montée) is an exciting conversational piece. For more on this amazing French dessert sculpture, keep reading.

Miranda Kerr Proves That Luminizer Is a Girl's Best Friend

Jaime Richards — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:52:00 PST

Miranda Kerr always looks beautiful, but last night at an NYC event, she was absolutely radiant. While you can chalk it up to good, clean living, it's also excellent proof that a luminizer can be a girl's best friend. To create Miranda's lit-from-within glow, makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift used her RMS Living Luminizer ($38) multiple ways. First, Swift combined it with concealer to form a glowy base. She then used it as a highlighter on the corners of Miranda's eyes, right at the waterlines by the tear ducts. And to add a finishing touch, Swift applied a bit of luminizer over Miranda's collarbones and shoulders.

8 Bad Habits to Kick in Your 20s

LearnVest — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:15:02 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

We remember those days long ago - or not so long ago - when we thought the only thing standing between us and a great night out was a fake I.D., and the days when every hurt could be soothed with a new pair of shoes.

Until now, we’d always chalked those notions up to our own youthful silliness, but it turns out we weren’t alone: According to a recent study, 20-year-olds actually think that having debt is cool.

“The more credit card and college loan debt held by young adults aged 18 to 27, the higher their self-esteem,” the researchers concluded. Only that effect didn’t last long: By the time participants in the study reached age 28, their feelings of mastery and empowerment had corroded into stress over the money they owed.

Surely celebrating your debt isn’t the only habit worth kicking by the time you near 30. So, we asked you, what other habits that seemed cool, empowering and fun at 20 did you drop like a hot potato a few years later?

Your answers, which ranged from money choices to lifestyle mistakes, were hilarious, insightful . . . and a testament to the power of experience. Read on.

Fake Baking

If You're Doing This: Don’t waste your hard-earned money on cancer-causing tanning beds, which can come back to bite you later in health care bills-or worse. Tan safely (here’s some advice on sunless tanning), or, better yet, emulate Anne Hathaway, who makes pale skin look chic.

Read on for more bad habits.

Fit Over 40: Why Time Is Key (Even For Celebrities)

Self — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:22:42 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Halle Berry . . . these days, when a 40-something woman steps out in a bikini, it makes news.

Turns out, there's a scientific explanation for why we're so fascinated by these lean, toned, impossibly supple bodies. In some ways, these apparent genetic wonders are defying the aging process.

"Once a man or woman gets beyond their 30s, they're in a situation where unless they are really proactive about what they do from an exercise standpoint as well as eating sensibly, they are going to lose some muscle tissue," says Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., FACSM, Chief Science Officer for The American Council on Exercise.

Read the rest of this post after the break!

Savvy Trip Tip: Watch Out For Shady Add-On Charges

SavvySugar — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:05:16 PDT

My friend just booked a trip to Hawaii on Travelocity.com. It was a great deal, but he was confused about some of the charges on the bill. When I took a look at the receipt, I spotted a $30 charge for Aloha VIP Transfers Oahu that he said he never signed up for. He thought it was mandatory, but when I clicked through the deal myself, I noticed that it was already checked and you can actually opt out of it.

I can see how easy it is for people to overlook it and chalk it off as being part of the deal. Then I saw another extra fee called "Additional Mandatory Resort Charges." I did some digging and found out a list of resort fees charged by several Hawaii hotels. This fee for my friend's hotel, charges for things like Internet, phone, parking, and yoga classes. It doesn't make sense to be charged for these services because I'm assuming that most travelers will be spending the bulk of our time outside of the hotel, not inside.

Here are some tips on dealing with similar situations:

Make sure you read everything carefully. If the amount charged at the end is not what you were quoted at the website, don't buy it if you're not willing to pay the extra fees. If you accidentally bought it and find weird charges on your bill, call the booking agent immediately. I called Travelocity and after a chat (be sure to have a nice, but firm tone) he agreed to remove the Aloha VIP charges.
Explain yourself and why the site makes it confusing. Remember to note down his ID number and the date of your call. The agent then told me that the resort charges were out of their hands, so they told me to call the hotel. In this case you have two options, if you don't want to deal with the hassle, either ask for a full refund from Travelocity (explain the situation) or look for another deal at a hotel with no resort fees.
Or you can call the hotel directly and speak to the manager. Hash it out with the manager and tell him you are not going to use the services so you would like the charges to be taken off. If you want, you can even say you'll take your business elsewhere. It's important to be pleasant, because this is such a sensitive topic, and you'll get better results when you're nice!

iPhone 5 Launching Oct. 15 According to France Telecom CEO

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:28:59 PDT

The CEO of France Telecom, parent company to wireless provider Orange, told members of the French media that the iPhone 5 will be released on Oct. 15.

Although he did not give further details about the release, we can chalk this up to speculation until we hear from Apple. In the meantime, get your old iPhone ready for resale with these tips!