John Cena is a quintessential Renaissance man. He has mastered and conquered the worlds of professional wrestling, bodybuilding, acting, and rapping. More importantly, as my pal Skip pointed out, Cena is actively involved in the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and holds the record for most wishes granted. That alone merits this Dazzler of the Day crowning. (See also his turn as Hunk of the Day.)
The spring squirm has me all sorts of antsy for some finer weather and outside living, but until fickle Mother Nature decides not to dump more white stuff on us no guard should be let down. (Looks like we have another possibility of more snow this week, so the time has not yet come for tender annuals.) On with the messy recap…
A gorgeous jacket for a gorgeous quote.
Dazzlers of the Day included Ronen Rubinstein, David Sedaris, The Weeknd, Hope Trautwein, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Elissa Halloran, and Chris Grigas.
“It has made me better loving you… it has made me wiser, and easier, and brighter. I used to want a great many things before, and to be angry that I did not have them. Theoretically, I was satisfied. I flattered myself that I had limited my wants. But I was subject to irritation; I used to have morbid sterile hateful fits of hunger, of desire. Now I really am satisfied, because I can’t think of anything better. It’s just as when one has been trying to spell out a book in the twilight, and suddenly the lamp comes in. I had been putting out my eyes over the book of life, and finding nothing to reward me for my pains; but now that I can read it properly I see that it’s a delightful story.” – Henry James, ‘The Portrait of a Lady’
Continuing our dive into the backyard treasure trove of Albany’s finest, this Dazzler of the Day recently launched his podcast ‘Florist Life‘ in which he speaks about flowers and the journey of a florist. Chris Grigas is a friend from long ago, who has been astounding the Albany area for years with his floral creations. His podcast offers a glimpse into the background machinations of the florist life, and it’s a lovely aural addendum to the beauty he conjures every day. He even transformed my view on carnations. Check it out here.
Sitting in my usual afternoon position – lotus-style, eyes-closed, hands surrounding a crystal of rose quartz – I felt the pull of the sunny day just outside the window. My thirty minutes of daily meditation was not quite up, but I’d already run through my usual focus items and was getting antsy to get outside to fill more lawn bags. Instantly, I realized the error, and immediately I went back to the deep breathing, trying to hold onto the blankness I’d almost, but not quite, achieved. It wasn’t a ruined session – I don’t think there is such a thing as a ruined meditation. Each one is perfectly imperfect and unique and beneficial in its own way.
Part of my meditative challenges over the past year has been in quelling the racing thoughts of the mind – which is the challenge for most people when they begin meditating. At half an hour, some days I find it goes by in a flash. On others, it feels drawn out, and I find myself squirming a bit toward the final minutes. The time limit/expanse itself seems antithetical to the whole idea of meditation, but it’s helpful for me. Within a boundary is the ability to embrace some sort of contained chaos. It allows me to not worry about time itself – the gentle electronic chimes will alert me to when the session is over – and it will not be rushed or hurried or slowed: time will advance as it will advance, and we have no control over that.
For the first time in forever, I got to do one of my favorite things in the world: plan a Boston weekend and reserve some restaurant dinner options for our wedding anniversary. We missed out on celebrating out tenth last year, so this time it’s going to be #10 and #11 at once. Originally I had thought we’d be doing a ten-year encore of that happy May day a decade ago, with the same cast of characters invited (missing Andy’s Dad) and going out to the same places. That was part of why we selected such stalwart establishments like Top of the Hub and Mistral and the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons.
Then the world stepped in and shut everything down, so no one was going anywhere. Worse, two of those restaurants ended up being casualties of COVID: Top of the Hub and the Bristol Lounge. So this year, we will return to Boston for the first time in months, taking tentative steps to something that resembles regular life, while celebrating the place where we got married so many years ago. The lessons of 2020 have taught me not to have great expectations, while enforcing the necessity of holding onto hope.
It’s so gratifying to feature someone in our own Albany backyard – from one of my favorite Albany streets too – Lark Street – as Dazzler of the Day. Elissa Halloran has been running her enchanting store ‘Elissa Halloran Designs’ and entertaining shoppers for two decades. Twenty years in any profession is an incredible feat – in the world of retail and small business, it’s practically a miracle. Credit goes to Halloran’s own artistic talent – her jewelry designs have continually impressed art and design appreciators in Albany for all these years, and her retail space is a magical world. Upon entering it, one is instantly flung into a different land. The deceptively-small-seeming space slowly unfurls and expands itself, with treasures and delights lurking around every turn and corner. Halloran sits quietly in a corner near the entrance, blending into the artful surroundings before offering guidance or advice to anyone in need of such, or she’ll let you wonder and explore on your own. You never know what you may find, and you will always find something you never knew you needed that’s part of the spell here.
Tightly coiled, and barely discernible in these photos, are the buds of our Kwanzan cherry tree, just waiting to burst forth in lush pink. Andy had an impressive specimen at his old house, and that’s where I first viewed the beauty of this variety up close. It had a thick trunk of handsome bark, and later developed leaves that would range from burgundy to green as the season progressed, before finally flaring up in brilliant shades of gold and yellow.
This one is just about the size of that one now, and soon, if it stops snowing, it will unfurl its magnificent blossoms and dangle them like little ballerinas over the water of the pool. For now, all is hope and anticipation and eagerness – a most happy state to inhabit.
A couple of photos caught on the sly during our belated Easter family dinner. We haven’t been able to see these two cherubs as much as we once did, so hopefully that’s changing soon with the turn in weather and the ability to see them safely outdoors. We’ll have them over soon for another day with Uncle Al, like we did in the fall. A lunch with the twins is good for the soul.
PS – Emi is starting a double-hat trend and I’m here for it.
Having just received my second Fauci-ouchie, this seems as good a day as any to name Dr. Anthony Fauci as Dazzler of the Day. In these tumultuous times, he has been acting as the calm but insistent voice of wisdom, even in the face of political attacks and a sometimes-stupid public. Throughout it all, he has stood behind the science, utilizing facts and reason to make his compelling case for vaccination and preventative measures. Sadly, scientific fact and basic reason are suddenly debatable, and as sad and disappointing as that may be, Dr. Fauci still gives me some hope.
Sitting in the waiting area after receiving my second COVID-19 vaccine, I listened to the rain pour down heavily on the canopy above us. Despite the dimness of the day, and the gray haziness from all the rain, there was a tiny spark of hope and excitement coupled with a burgeoning sense of relief and a bit of light on the horizon. This has been such a long time coming, and while it doesn’t fix the world, it will improve my own little space in it. I’ll finally get to hug my parents and go safely inside their house. We’ll get to have dinner with my vaccinated friends, and have them over to talk and laugh and re-connect after over a year apart. We’ll be able to go back to our favorite restaurants, and travel to our favorite cities. We will do it carefully, and within the new rules of safety, taking sensible precautionary measures. The lessons of COVID have not been all bad.
But for now, for this rainy stretch of days that outwardly feel gloomy and gray,when spring is recharging itself, my heart is leaping a little.
What’s even better than a perfect game? A game in which the pitcher is so strikingly perfect that every batter up ends up striking out. Hope Trautwein accomplished such an amazing feat, and for that she earns her first turn as Dazzler of the Day. I can’t imagine throwing a single pitch that makes it over the center of home plate – or reaches home plate for that matter – so this sort of excellence is especially impressive.
My favorite color has arrived on the spring scene in this brilliant budding of a maple tree in our neighborhood. Though the allergies may be wreaking their typical April havoc, it doesn’t bother me much when it means warmer temperatures, sunnier days, and colorful peeps as seen here.
Today is due to be rainy with a side of rain, so I’m inhabiting the beauty that was yesterday, and hoping for similar beauty at some point tomorrow. There are lawn bags yet to be filled, corners still to be raked, and bare branches about to burst forth in bloom and leaf. There is hope in the air as well, as there can’t help but be in this happy month of April. This afternoon I get my second COVID vaccination, so two weeks from now we will begin the process of painting this town, and Boston, all bright shades of chartreuse and fuchsia and Tiffany blue.
We’ve had an abnormally dry spring thus far, leading to problematic brush fires, and a deficit in the water that has usually saturated the ground by now. Not that I’m wishing for rainy days, but I know their importance, and the way they quickly coax reluctant bloomers into unfurling their petals and releasing their delicate perfume, like the jonquils seen here.
This patch of Narcissus has performed reliably for a number of years – not always the case in our yard, where several patches have failed to take well after a first season of bloom, petering out to nothing but a few weak stalks of foliage, even when I’ve allowed them to ripen to shriveled form. That’s not the usual way of the otherwise-powerhouse performance of these bulbs, so I’ll enjoy the ones that do work, and keep trying every fall.
Putting on a show-stopper of a Super Bowl Halftime Show is no mean feat in this socially-distant time of COVID, but that’s precisely what The Weeknd did earlier this year, taking a cavalcade of hits to the middle of the field and entertaining the entire world. He’s more than earned this Dazzler of the Day, and was requested on FaceBook, as well as recommended for a road trip soundtrack by Skip. All good references. See more of The Weeknd’s majesty at this site.
