Olympics

The opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Rio started 1 week ago.  Since then I've been trying to watch as much of the games as possible.

Some of the games hold more interest for me than others.  I find watching tennis to be boring.  I totally don't understand fencing.  But I've enjoyed watching the men's and women's swimming, men's and women's gymnastics, and beach volleyball.

In my area the coverage is odd.  During certain times of the day there are 4 channels with different games being shown.  At other times of the day its just 2 channels.

The accomplishments of Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky are amazing!

There's also been quite a bit of eye candy.  The internet nearly exploded after Pita Taufatofua carried the flag of Tongo in the Parade of Nations, oiled up and smiling.

Then there's Sam Mikulak of the USA gymnastics team who caught my eye.

Speaking of men's gymnastics...

Ummm, yeah.

Then there's the divers.  Probably the sexiest man I've seen so far at the Olympics is American diver David Boudia.

Sigh.  But he's married.  To a woman.  And has a baby.

Despite the obviously shallow-sounding nature of this post, I really do enjoy watching the competitions.  Anyone else watching?  Who are your favorites to watch?

Weekend highlights

You've heard the saying: "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping", right?

Well, with Spouse & me both being sick for 2 weeks and with 3 major snow storms within 11 days, the going has been a bit tough about here. Spouse's office was closed 3 out of 5 days last week. Fortunately we'd stocked up on food and such and just didn't leave the house much.

So on Sat we decided to get out and go shopping. Our major purchase was a 5 cubic foot chest freezer. We'd been looking at them and comparing brands and cost for a while. So after deciding on one, we used a $100. American Express gift card from Christmas and a $40. gift card from a returned purchase toward our freezer and wound up paying just $28. for it. When the garage was being wired we'd requested an electrical outlet be placed near the door leading from the garage into the house so we could keep the freezer in the garage and easily access the food. We also restocked some household items (shampoo, razor blades, paper towels, etc.) while we were out.

After dropping off Spouse and the freezer, I got my hair cut. It had been 12 weeks since my last haircut (just before Thanksgiving). I'd been letting it grow out so I could have more choices for a new style. But I got to the point of feeling too shaggy, and since I have to meet my boss' new boss this week, I decided to get it cut. Its not very edgy or avant garde as I'd fantasized, but its short on the sides and back with a little more length on the top so I think I'll be able to style it a few different ways. God, it felt good to get that hair off my neck and ears!!

Sat evening we met Rick & Nick for dinner, then watched some of the Olympics before going to bed.

Sun I had a very relaxing morning reading blogs and drinking coffee while Spouse slept in. Eventually we both showered, dressed, and headed out again. We drove into Rehoboth Beach to look at the ocean, filled up the gas tank, and stopped at another store where we found cute green storage boxes to fit on the shelves in our closet. And they were on sale! I tried yet again to find a snow shovel to no avail.

Later that evening we met up with Steven & Thad and The Bobs for dinner. One of the Bobs had been in Mexico for nearly 3 weeks so it was good to see him again and hear some of his stories. We shared a variety of appetizers and then I had Panang Curry Chicken which was delicious. I also had their specialty martini for Valentines day: The chocolate cherry kiss, made with Godiva white chocolate liqueur and cherry vodka, with a Hershey's chocolate cherry kiss at the bottom. It was so scrumptious I had to have another! After dinner we went upstairs to the lounge where a guy was singing and playing the guitar. For Valentines day they had complimentary chocolate fondue with sliced strawberries and marshmallows, pink cupcakes, and decorated shortbread cookies. How sweet!

Spouse & I returned home and watched some more of the Olympics before bed.

It felt good to get out this weekend!

Crush du Jour: Craig Malozzi

Funny Coco and funny Olympic moments

Last night's Coco Peru show at the Blue Moon did not disappoint!

Coco explained the title 'Ugly Coco', which delighted me to no end since I'd been wondering about it. As it turns out, Coco was watching an episode of 'Ugly Betty' (God only knows why) and found that a childhood experience of hers which used to be in her show somehow found its way into the script of that 'Ugly Betty' episode. This, of course, turned Coco into Ugly Coco, and for good reason.

Coco's all-new material was thought-provoking at times, tender at times, but HILARIOUS all the time! I particularly loved the parts about having sushi for lunch with Bea Arthur, and spending the weekend in Atlantic City with Liza Minnelli. I laughed so hard I had laryngitis when I got home. It was a fantastic show and I highly recommend going out of your way to see her live show.

Also, get "Trick", "Girls Will Be Girls", "Boy Meets Boy", and Logo's "Wisecrack", all available from Netflix.

What? Don't have Netflix? Can't wait for the films to arrive? Then go to YouTube and check out some of Coco's funny clips. You'll be glad you did.

And speaking of funny stuff, my friend Wayne sent me these funny 'Olympic moments' photos.
Who knew Jesus was a wrestler? Hmm, looks like he's sporting some wood!

Is he checking to make sure its still there?

From the look on his face I'd guess he's got a cramp.

Who knew fisting was an Olympic sport? My, how times change!

Looks like both of these guys have their hands on their balls.

I'm not sure what's going on here, but I'd like to find out.

My friend Ron sent me this funny photo of Olympic gold medalist and world record breaker Michael Phelps. This cracked me up!
But I have to tell you, I am not happy at all with those new 'shark suits'. In addition to the fact that they allow the wearer to swim faster than swimmers in traditional Speedos (making Phelps record breaking a little less exciting), they just cover too much. I like my swimmers in Speedos so that they are truly breaking records without the help of technologically advanced suits, and so I can better appreciate their bodies. There - I said it.

And speaking of appreciation, how about the look on these two Olympic athletes' faces? It seems they 'appreciate' each others achievements!
On the left is German gymnast Fabien Hambuechen and on the right is American gymnast Jonathan Horton. Doesn't it look as if they are about to share a really passionate kiss? This is not a doctored photo! They won bronze and silver medals, respectively, but in my mind they won each others hearts.

Okay, enough silliness.

As you were.

Crush du Jour: Alexandre Despatie

Friday fragments

Last night Spouse & I watched a great special on PBS called "Anyone and Everyone". It contained portions of interviews with a dozen or so families who explained how they dealt with their gay child's coming out to them. All of the families had a difficult time initially, most due to their religion's strong stand against homosexuality, and others due to cultural pressures. What I found most interesting was:

1. All the families in the film reported a real need to become educated about homosexuality by reading books and the internet, going to therapy, and attending PFLAG meetings in order to find a way to reconcile their faith with their gay child. It was very encouraging to see families taking positive action to improve their relationship with their gay child.
2. Many of the parents described a particular type of grief they felt, that their gay child's life was not going to turn out as they had always planned (ie: marriage, kids, house in the suburbs), even though that's exactly the life some of them do have now.

Check your local PBS listing and watch this documentary. You may be moved as I was to email PBS and thank them for the timely program.

My friend Michael is visiting this weekend, with his friend Maurice. Michael visited last summer but we did not wind up going to the beach on Sat, and then he left right after breakfast on Sun. Since Michael and Maurice are both single I have suggested to them that they plan to do what they want this weekend (bars, etc.), and use our place as a base camp. That way they won't feel obligated to do what Spouse & I want to do, and vice versa. I'm sure the 4 of us will have sufficient time to hang out together, whether its out and about, or at home.

I'm really looking forward to the summer Olympics! This might seem odd since I usually do not play or watch any sports, in person or on TV. But there's something about watching 'the best of the best' competing against one another, for personal excellence as well as the medals, that's exciting to me.

I also enjoy the winter Olympics a great deal, but the upcoming summer Olympics will feature mens diving and gymnastics. Can you say 'gorgeous bodies'??? Mmmmm...

For those going to Pride this weekend, have a blast! I hope everyone has a terrific weekend.

Crush du Jour: David Durante