3 Reasons I'm Excited for Superbowl Sunday

I'm not a big football fan, but I'm looking forward to the Superbowl as much as anybody, and here's why.

Yum, Velveeta & Ro-tel Dip!
Image via Ro-tel

1.  Ro-tel Queso Dip

Ordinarily, I do not eat Velveeta cheese. Any dairy product that can sit on a supermarket shelf for six months can't be good for you. But on Superbowl Sunday, nothing is yummier than a cut up brick of Velveeta mixed with a can of Rotel and melted in the microwave to form a warm, spicy bowl of luscious goop. It's a perfect dip for Fritos or Tostitos or spooned directly into the mouth. I could roll in it like a dog.

2. Tom Brady is hot!

I'm sorry, Eli Manning, I'm sure you have a much better personality, but Patriots QB Tom Brady possesses a superhuman gorgeousness that can't be denied. And he's 34, old enough to be within my Cougar range without getting icky, so I can crush on him guilt-free (see calculation below.)

Tom Brady, image via Wikipedia

Cougar rule of thumb: divide your age in half and add seven years. 

For me, that's: 48/2 = 24, + 7= 31. 

According to this rule, any man over 31 is fair game. I'm not looking for a relationship, just a way too amuse myself over the course of a long game when I don't care who wins. Hey wait, the Giants Manning is exactly 31; I can check him out too. Score!


3. Madonna's Half Time Show

My girl Madonna
 image via Wikipedia

Of course I'm excited Madonna is performing at half time - she and I have so much in common. We're both women over 40, we both grew up in Michigan, we both went to the University of Michigan. I do community theatre, she's one of the most influential pop stars on the planet. We're practically twins. I can't wait to see her rock out in front of one of the biggest TV audiences in the world. Whether you love her or hate her, Madonna is a great example of how women can be fierce and fascinating at any age.

Here's what's rumored to be her set list:  Gimmie All Your Luvin (new), Ray of Light, Vogue, Music and Holiday.


What are you looking forward to this Sunday? Please share here!

Dating Younger Men - How low can you go before it gets icky?

My experience dating younger men has been limited to my husband, who is a measly 5 months younger than me. But I've taken a vicarious delight in the the current Cougar trend. Why shouldn't a woman date a man 10 or 15 years younger than she is? I think it's empowering for women - a leveling of the playing field, so to speak. The idea of being in a relationship with a buff, open-minded, uncomplicated young guy is appealing. But after seeing the movie Cheri starring Michelle Pfieffer, I think I've found my limit.

In the film, Michelle Pfeiffer (51) plays Lea, a turn of the century French courtesean who takes a colleague's 19-year-old son under her wing and quickly, into her bed. Her bad boy lover, Cheri, (played by Rupert Friend, actually 27) is a vapid, self-absorbed dolt. But Lea manages to overlook his moral and intellectual failings and their six year romance blossoms - almost entirely between the sheets.

Michelle Pfeiffer is gorgeous, but the 30 year age difference between the characters made me queasy. And while the plot and characters in Cheri are fictitious, there are recent real-life relationships with age disparities that clearly cross into "ick" territory, such as:

Linda Hogan (49) and boyfriend Charlie Hill (19)
After splitting with hubby Hulk Hogan, Linda quickly found new romance with one of her daughter Brooke's high school classmates. Apparently Brooke isn't too happy about it. Okay, let's agree on this. If the dude is younger than your kids, just stay away.

Madonna (50) and model Jesus Luz (22)
Madonna has made a career out of being provocative, so at first her new young stud didn't surprise me. Then I thought back to Madonna's marriage to Sean Penn in 1985. Gals, let's also abide by this rule - don't date anyone who wasn't alive at the time of your first wedding, it's tacky.

To be fair, there are plenty of older men/younger women relationships that are even more repellent, such as Billy Joel (60) and soon to be ex-wife Katie Lee Joel (27.) The worst is probably Woody Allen (73) and his wife Soon Yi Previn (38), since Soon Yi is the adopted daughter of Woody's former lover, Mia Farrow. But we women should aspire to higher standards than those guys. It's one thing to have a relationship with a younger man, but perhaps after 40, we need to leave the boys alone.