Woman of the Week - Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a French-Italian singer and former model, became first lady of France in 2008 after marrying Nicolas Sarkozy. Unfortunately, Sarkozy was not re-elected last week (the new president of France is Francois Hollande). Now that Bruni-Sarkozy is no longer first lady of France, she will be dedicating more time to her music career.

I was hooked after hearing Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's most famous song "Quelqu'Un M'a Dit," which translates to "Somebody Told Me." If you haven't heard her music, I strongly suggest you listen to "Quelqu’Un M'a Dit." It has been in several movies including "500 Days of Summer" and "Le Divorce." I'm a bit of a Francophile, and Bruni-Sarkozy is my favorite French singer (okay, she was born in Italy, but she moved to France when she was five years old, so I still consider her a French singer). She has such a sultry singing voice. I enjoy listening to Bruni-Sarkozy's music after a hard day at work because it always relaxes me. 

She has been involved with charity work for years. In 2008, she became the world ambassador for the protection of mothers and children against HIV. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is a lovely woman, and I am sad that she is no longer the first lady of France. I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for her in the next few years.

Woman of the Week - Jen Lancaster

Jen Lancaster's new book, "Jeneration X," hit bookstores (and kindles) yesterday. I have read all of her books, and she is by far the funniest writer that I have come across. She mostly writes memoirs, with the exception of one novel. Her novel was really funny, but she is great at writing about her own experiences.

I actually got to meet Jen Lancaster a couple years ago at one of her book signings. I was one of the first people in line, so my friend and I got to sit in the front row while she read an excerpt from her book and chatted with the audience. I was excited to be just a few feet away from her. She is a truly beautiful woman, and I'm hoping to see her again when she comes back to D.C. for her book tour this month.

Her new book is about maturing and becoming a grown up. She writes about doing volunteer work, getting life insurance, and having a mortgage. I'm really enjoying her book because I feel like I'm experiencing the same life changes. I'm about to leave my twenties behind, and I'm embracing my adulthood. I still know how to have fun, though. I highly recommend her new book. Her first book, "Bitter is the New Black," is also one of my favorites. Check out her website www.jennsylvania.com for more information.

April Donation - National Organization for Women

For my April donation, I gave $150 to the National Organization for Women (NOW). I chose NOW as my April donation because they have been working for women's equality since 1966, and they are the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States. I have actually been trying to volunteer for NOW for a long time, but their online volunteer form hasn't been working for awhile. I always get an internal server error when I try to volunteer. Oh well, I'll just have to keep trying.

Even though I can't figure out how to volunteer, I thought it would be nice to make a donation to NOW. They are having their National Conference in Baltimore from June 29th - July 1st. I'm going to try to make it. Eve Ensler is the Keynote Speaker, and I would love to see her! I have enjoyed attending feminist conferences because it’s just delightful to be surrounded by strong women. I hope to make it to the conference, but if I can't make it, I'm glad I have been able to make a contribution to NOW. Maybe one day I'll figure out how to volunteer. Wish me luck!

Woman of the Week - Betty White

I chose Betty White as the Woman of the Week because she has made such an amazing comeback in her career. She has been in the entertainment business since 1939. That's 73 years! White is most well known for her role as Rose on the Golden Girls. Her career has recently resurged, and she has guest starred on numerous television shows and movies. She also has her very own show called "Betty White's Off Their Rockers." It's a show featuring senior citizens pranking people from younger generations. I love the premise, and I'll definitely be tuning in to her new show.

Betty White has won seven Emmy awards, and she was the first woman to receive an Emmy for game show hosting. She was also the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live. White just turned 90 in January, and I think it's fantastic that she is still acting. I'm so impressed by people who continue their careers during their "retirement years." I hope I love my career enough to want to continue into my golden years. People say that life is short so you should follow your dreams. I disagree. Life is long!!! So you shouldn't spend your long life working at a job that makes you miserable. The average retirement age is 64, and people usually start working around age 16. I think 48 years is way too long to be working at a job that makes you unhappy. Find a job that you love, and make every day count (because life is long!).

Woman of the Week - Pat Summitt

Pat Summitt is the all-time winningest coach in the history of NCAA basketball. She recently announced her retirement as head coach from the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. Her decision to retire was based on her diagnosis of early-onset dementia. Many people are sad to see her step down as head coach, but she has had an amazing career. She coached the Lady Vols for 38 years, and she led them to win eight NCAA national championships. Summitt is the only NCAA coach with over 1,000 victories. She has had such an impressive career, and I know it must be hard for her to retire, but she will now be the head coach emeritus for the Lady Vols.

Sidebar: I have an issue with the team being called the "Lady Vols." My feminist group in college dedicated one of our meetings to women in sports. I remember mentioning that I was bothered that our women's teams were called the "Lady Panthers" while the men's teams were just the "Panthers." Why weren't the men’s teams called the "Gentlemen Panthers?" Calling women's teams the "Lady [insert mascot here]" is wrong because it implies that women aren't normal - that we need to have a different label. Maybe one day we can all be Panthers or Vols, and then we can drop this whole "Lady" business.

Anyway, I’ll get back to Summitt. Her 38-year coaching career has been an inspiration to many women. In addition to her successful coaching career, she has written two books: "Reach for the Summit" and "Raise the Roof." I'll have to put those on my reading list. I can never read enough books about triumphant women. Over her long career, Pat Summitt has proven that she is a fighter, and I hope she is able to enjoy her time as head coach emeritus while battling her disease. My thoughts will be with her.

Woman of the Week - Johanna Quaas

I first heard about Johanna Quaas on the Colbert Report. She is an 86-year-old competitive gymnast! I started taking gymnastics at the age of 13, which seemed ancient at the time. I was so excited when I heard about this octogenarian gymnast because it proves that you're never too old to follow your dreams. Quaas started taking gymnastics at age 30, and she now competes in senior leagues. She has won nearly a dozen medals in the senior leagues.

Buzz about Quaas started after she performed at the Cottbus World Cup last month in Germany. She showed her talents on the parallel bars and the floor exercise. She did head stands, somersaults, and she even did a cartwheel. You should check her out on YouTube because she is amazing!! Johanna Quaas is a true inspiration. If I’m still around, I hope I’ll still be pursuing my passions when I’m 86 years old.

Woman of the Week - Gloria Steinem

I chose Gloria Steinem as Woman of the Week for obvious reasons: she is a SUPERWOMAN!!

I apologize for the short post - I have been busy working all day and unpacking stuff in the new house at night. I'll post more about Gloria Steinem soon (because she really is a superwoman).