Weir & Lipinksi to Hit Churchill Downs - and I'm Hitting the Mint Juleps

Not really sure what big, floppy hats and mint juleps have to do with sequins and skate blades, but hey, I'll take Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski doing fashion commentary for NBC during the Kentucky Derby.

And I'll take a mint julep...because I can DO THAT NOW.

At first it weirded me out that I was hitting the hotel bar the night before Easterns 2012 with my teammates--after all, most times I'd stayed at hotels during competitions, I was with my mom, and I was like, 12. I could barely handle a swig of Powerade back then (flashback to me projectile vomiting blue Powerade in front of the judges at Empires 1999).

I don't recommend tossing back a few shots before getting on the ice. It's just refreshing to know that a little glass of wine to calm the pre-competition jitters--and bolster the post-competition celebrations--is acceptable.

But back to the JWeir and TLip news, I'm glad they're getting more opportunities. I just wish it were more opportunities to talk about skating. They were so good at that in Sochi.

And back to drinking and skating, here is one of my favorite performances, ever.