2009 World Figure Skating Championships

When I found out about Worlds being held in Los Angeles this year I decided to try to get tickets. Unfortunately for me, most of the competition is held during the week, and the weekend package included the competition on Friday, which is when my class is held. So I got tickets for Sunday afternoon's Exhibition of Champions.

We took the train up to the Staples Center, which beat paying lots for parking and fighting traffic before and after the event.

Here are some of my favorites who performed (in no particular order, with videos if I could find them):

Mao Asada - For some reason I thought she was an Olympian, but I guess I'll have to wait until next year for that to be true! She has all of the grace and charisma required! Her exhibition to Por una Cabeza was flawless and the highlight for me of all the ladies who skated yesterday.

Evan Lysacek - Los Angeles' own! Lysacek took 1st this year and his exhibition to Daft Punk really higlighted his talents. The crowd went really wild when he stepped onto the ice.

Brian Joubert - My sweetheart thought Joubert's exhibition to Rufus Wainwright's Hallelujah was boring, but I thought it was well choreographed and well performed. I found this more exciting performance to Darude's Sandstorm that highlights some fantastic footwork. I'm always impressed with skaters who have great footwork and can really show their mastery of figure skating.

Joannie Rochette - My sweetheart liked her exhibition a lot more than I did, but it was skated well. I guess I prefer female skaters to wear skirts or dresses over pants. Call me sexist.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir - These ice dancers had a cute themed exhibition to Mellencamp's Jack & Diane. Watch for the excellent lift sequence just over midway through this.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White - Another ice dancing pair, you can't fault anyone for picking Queen to skate to.

Tomas Verner - He had a great exhibition choreographed to a mix of Michael Jackson songs.

Qing Pang and Jian Tong - This Chinese pair had a great exhibition.

Oskana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin - This ice dancing pair had a very memorable Matrix-themed exhibition.

The pairs champions had some good exhibitions, but I just can't remember them! So I guess they weren't as memorable for me as the rest. Also performing was a synchronized skating group out of Culver City, and that was really neat to watch.

I had a great time seeing figure skating live for the first time, and I think my boyfriend had a better time than he expected.

Leaving the Staples Center, it wasn't demarcated very well where it was "OK" for fans to walk and where was strictly for skaters and VIPs. So that was frustrating getting yelled at by security guards every three steps. We were just trying to leave!

Phelps Wins 8!

OK, I've been out of the loop a little bit this weekend.

But it shocked me that Phelps record winning 8 gold medals wasn't on the front page of Google News today.

I'm really excited and happy for him. I used to swim in middle school and even though I haven't been following the Olympics, reading about his events and remembering what swim meets were like for me were very nostalgic and exciting. So I have him to thank for bringing back those good memories.

Here's an article.

Lakers vs. Pistons

I went to the Lakers game at Staples Center last night. It was a good experience. The seats I had were near center court, but they were really high up (next to last row). I still thought they were good seats.

It was interesting to watch a basketball game and not hear commentary the entire game. I also liked watching the Laker Girls do their routines. I miss cheerleading a lot, and I miss dancing. I'd like to say I can appreciate watching a well-executed dance routine.

Lakers won 103-91 and it was a close game the whole night.

I'm not a sports fan per say, but I enjoy watching live sports. I enjoy the experience of going to the stadium or arena and watching a game.

I also like the experience of identifying with a team. I'd like to say I can identify with living in Los Angeles, and that real feeling of "I support the team that hails from my town" is a good one.

Fireworks at Angels Stadium

I went to the Dodgers-Angels game on Friday night in Anaheim. Angels Stadium is much cleaner than Dodger Stadium, and the seating doesn't go all away around the field like Dodger Stadium. they do, however, have a nice rock waterfall that sits out behind centerfield.

The Dodgers lost 9-1. Oh well; next time I suppose. It was a fairly lackluster game.

It was a "Fireworks Friday" night, so they turned down the stadium lights after the game and we were treated to a nice fireworks show, choreographed to a few 80's standards and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. I thought it was a pretty show, brilliantly choreographed and with fancy fireworks. Maybe I'm blind or forgetful, but I don't think I've seen fireworks with multiple colors in the starbursts. I really am getting spoiled living in SoCal.

Here are some tips for going to an Angels' game:
-Get there early; we were about an hour early and were able to get $5 parking across the street from the stadium (as opposed to paying $8 at the stadium)
-Hot dogs are a delicious baseball game necessity. The "300" level has a place where you can get savory garlic fries to accompany your beer and hot dog. They're nothing like a Dodger Dog, though. (I'm not even a big sports fan! What's wrong with me?) Grab extra "moist towelettes"; I saw some from Hooters with witty sayings on the back of the wrappers.
-The wandering food vendors (the ones with the cotton candy, ice cream, etc) are not very bright. If you have a question, it's best to seek out one of the nice people in striped shirts and straw hats. They're the ones in the know.
-Wear Dodger Blue. Gotta Represent, you know!