Six-time Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor just earned the gold in a lifelong quest for that elusive and precious medal. The grit, determination, and focus required to make it to that many Olympic Games is astounding – really unimaginable for mere mortals like myself. All I can do is marvel and cheer Taylor on as she puts her bobsledding legacy into the record books. This Dazzler of the Day honor is the very least of her laurels.
Has this winter been particularly exhausting, or is my emotional bucket simply approaching a dangerous overflow?
Either way, I’m entirely over it.
Most of my classmates hated our third grade English class. The teacher was a fright in her polyester pant suits and unruly bun (you could tell how harried she was by how many strands of hair were escaping from it at any given time) – and the material was dry for our young age. Most of the writing assignments were unrelatable as well, but they still appealed to me more than anything else. Part of me thrilled when we were given a topic and asked to write a paragraph on it; I didn’t realize then how much writing would enrich my world, but I felt the rich reward of working out words and sentences and seeing what worked best.
The lessons I gleaned were less about writing style and more about life – particularly in how to fit in and when to slip into the safety of unnoticeable shadow. Back then, fitting in was a matter of life and death. Having already been shamed for saddle shoes, I couldn’t afford another instance of being too different or other. When the teacher announced that day’s writing topic as ‘Three-Bean Salad’ I froze. I had no idea what three-bean salad was. Never had it, never heard of it, never even knew of its existence until that very moment. The rest of the class groaned, as much for the topic as for the assignment of writing itself, and the teacher herself was acting as if most people found the salad gross. I took that as my cue and proceeded to write the most over-the-top condemnation of three-bean salad I could make up. Such was my passion and detestation for it that the teacher gave me an ‘A’ and remarked how much I must hate it.
Instead of asking what it was, or writing of my honest ignorance (as a more clever classmate so bravely did) I wrote what I needed to write to fit in, to fly under the radar, to go unnoticed and unridiculed. It would be a trick I’d master as the years advanced, as a young gay man in the 90’s was safest when he blended in.
Even in the third grade, I could play any role. At what detriment, I’m still discovering…
PS – A three-bean salad sounds absolutely divine to me right now.
Joining Japan’s next figure skating hopes for a gold medal is Kaori Sakamoto, who skates her short program today, in a season when three Americans also stand a chance of making the podium for the gold. Sakamoto earns her Dazzler of the Day crowning for the years of dedication and champion-level bravura – and she has the fiery drive to add to her 2022 Olympic bronze medal.
The metal of the medal makes all the difference.
Nobody edges us like Madonna edges us. She’s been promising the follow-up/sequel to 2005’s ‘Confessions on a Dance Floor‘ for well over a year, and it sounds like she just pushed it back a little further.
anticipating,
but I can’t wait forever…
Winters have lately been times of reflection, leaving opportunities for moments of hygge, and as I’m fully entrenched in the autumn of my life trajectory (God willing) I find more comfort in winter now than I ever did in my younger years. Some of my contemporaries are fighting it more, and I wonder how much of it is fighting our own aging and the relative passing of time rather than winter itself.
The past week has brought about a warming trend, as we’ve finally moved above the freezing point for the first time in forever. Andy and I finally felt warmth on our faces from the sun – a sensation we haven’t had since last year. I’ve also detected the sounds of melting in dripping icicles, falling ice, and shifting snow. Not anywhere near a total thaw, but enough to give slightly more hope than that stupid groundhog.
Deserving of this double Dazzler of the Day crowning, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara found themselves in 5th place after a lift in their short program shorted out, and after being the favorites coming in – and Japan’s first possible gold medal in figure skating pairs – they are in jeopardy of not making the podium. However, if the Olympics stay true to their unpredictable nature, they maintain the possibility of a medal – even a gold one – and this pair is one that has defied devastating falls in the past to come through in the clinch. They earn this Dazzler honor regardless of how things turn out based on their history of championship performances.
Figure skaters dominate the Dazzlers of the Day this week as Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin earn their first crowning thanks to a powerful and practically perfect performance for their short program. Representing Germany, this figure skating pair has been on an arc of momentum, and cresting during the Olympic Games is the very best timing.
US figure skating pair Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea turned in a lovely short program yesterday and will skate for a place on the podium in their long program today. Figure skating has been mired in muck of late, so when a pair of skaters performs without drama, bringing beauty and grace to the proceedings, they more than earn this Olympic Spotlight.
A couple of pesky facts, the kind that are true, on this particular President’s Day:
But Republicans would have MAGA believe there’s nothing wrong with this – and MAGA seems so stupid that they will listen to any lie as long as it supports their cult leader. If you’re still supporting this President, you either need a pardon or are a special kind of stupid.
On with the weekly recap amid all this madness…
Simple charms amid snowy splendor.
If you don’t like my peaches, don’t shake my tree.
The next FAFO Award went to Jill Zarin.
Shirtless Zac Efron portraying a frat bro for this post.
To all the girls I’ve loved before.
A lesson found in the French Pigwich.
The Olympic Spotlight shone on Shun Sato and Marco Odermatt.
Dazzlers of the Day included Kevin Aymoz, Breezy Johnson, Surya Bonaly, Mikhail Shaidorov, and Willie Nelson.
The Catholics are kicking off Lent with their annual Ash Wednesday tradition this week, that dusty Dirty Sanchez to the forehead that starts the pre-Easter period of penance.
I’ll do my guilt-ridden part by trying not to eat meat on Fridays, but being that I love fish there’s no Elton John sacrifice. How long will it be before this entire blog slips into obscure song lyrics and inside jokes? IYKYK & WWJD & WWD.
From a couple who’s been doing this for twenty five years, buy your Valentine’s chocolate and flowers the day after Valentine’s Day.
All hail the French Pigwich!
This glorious concoction of eggs, ham, bacon, cheese and mayonnaise on a toasted croissant is my occasional breakfast indulgence on a weekend or holiday (or both as happened yesterday morning for Valentine’s Day). It’s one of the delectable edibles on offer at my favorite cafe – Professor Java’s.
One of the integral tenets in finding and curating happiness is regularly indulging in the savoring of things you enjoy. Not just treating yourself, but taking the time to mindfully make the most of each moment of the experience. Too often we rush and hurry to get to dessert or the weekend or a vacation, and our momentum then propels us through that goal at the same relentless pace.
It should come as no surprise that I try to find moments and little sweet treats in every day to practice savoring and slowing down, such as in this delicious French Pigwich. Far more than just a serviceable breakfast to sustain the body’s basic needs, it is an opportunity to savor the care and deliciousness that went into its creation – from the kindness of the person taking the order to the skilled culinary work of the person who made it, to the great fortune of being alive and healthy and able to sit and enjoy a leisurely breakfast on a Saturday morning.
The act and the art of savoring builds upon happiness and contentment. Little annoyances fall by the wayside. Light is always more powerful than darkness.
He once penned a song about gay cowboys, and for that alone Willie Nelson more than earns this Dazzler of the Day crowning. Add in all the albums, all the activism, all the songs, all the performances, and all the years (he’s 92 and will turn 93 in April) and you have a dazzler who has achieved icon status.
A true legend.
Once upon a Valentine’s Day, I wrote valentine cards to all the girls I loved before.
I channeled Willie Nelson for this one.
