Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa…I look at the date and realize this is my last piece for July. Time sure flies when you’re having fun. But it also flies when you’re not. Time goes by too fast…and I know I say that often, because it’s something I’m acutely aware of right now…for reasons I’m not completely clear on. I’m saying it out loud, as it were, to remind myself of the only way I know to slow time down, to engage more deeply in the moments…message received: be present.
Anyway, here’s what’s been on my mind:
On Tuesday I was required to go into the office to make sure my desk and my IT stuff was in order, so I figured the best approach was to make it a full dress rehearsal. I set an alarm, went to the gym, showered and dressed, commuted to the office, and worked there for 6.5 hours. I lived to tell, so there’s that.
I love watching the Olympics; always have. But I’ll be honest—quite a few of the sports that I have been watching I can’t actually follow. The other day it was fencing (completely clueless), cycling (obvious objective, strategy lost on me, loads of unfamiliar terms), and synchronized diving (why?). But still I watch.
Still speaking of the Olympics, let’s talk about Simone Biles and mental health. How many times a day do you f-ck up, and how many of those times does anyone even notice or care? Count each of those times as a blessing. I heard during the day that she had dropped out and why, but still watched at night on a delay. I was hearing the live commentary, but I knew of a plot twist before the narrator, and it was absolutely brutal. They were hammering her relentlessly about how unlike her it has been, how many mistakes she made and blah blah blah…then once they found out they were all pseudo-concerned, until they learned the truth when they seemed mildly sympathetic. When I watched what happened not live, I was in awe of how strong Simone Biles was in taking her leave—strong voice and message for her teammates, relentless cheering, no tears, no apologies, and the same consistent line in the presser afterwards. Good. For. Her. These athletes don’t belong to us, and they owe us nothing. If we want to get involved, it should be with nothing but unconditional support. I feel so bad for Suni and Jade…they’re under a microscope now. Good luck to them. I used to like McSweeney’s ok when it was pretentious, less so now that it turned into an Onion and went down the satire path, but I still keep tabs on it. And this bit is good…click the link for context, but if you need the punch line…it’s below…brilliant actually. See for yourself:
Sticking to the theme of Olympic gymnastic commentary, I’ve always found the women’s gymnastic commentary a little but off, like they are precious dolls and not athletes. The words and the tone have always creeped me out a little bit, it’s always felt a bit dehumanizing, a bit of twisted idol worship. Anyone?
Another on the subject of Olympic sports commentary…I know a lot of the anchors are jet lagged but just now Hoda Kotb was talking about the US swimming and that they’re been “hitting home runs in the pool.” Isn’t “making a splash in the pool” the more obvious (and appropriate) cliche for swimming? (And Hoda, please stop asking every gymnast you talk to whether they think we’re gonna see Simone again. If you’re a supporter, support her. Stop pressuring her by proxy for Chrissakes.)
Speaking of sports…don’t ever think that you supporting a team of any caliber or an athlete of any age doesn’t make a difference. Last week I went to my first cousin once removed’s 5th grade summer hoops game. After which I got the sincerest of thank you texts. Talk about a bursting heart.
And on the subject of making a difference…we were watching the the Seattle Kraken’s NHL expansion draft with great interest. We knew Chanel was going to be there so we were hoping to catch a glimpse of her, maybe in a crowd scene. If you’re wondering about who Chanel is and why you should care (Spoiler Alert: you should because she is awesome!), I wrote about her a while back, so you can catch up here, #5. So anyway we’re watching ESPN2 intently and they go out to Dom in the audience, and…he’s…with…Chanel. Look, it’s Chanel:
So, yeah…they give her a little interview and then with the words, “from the Carolina Hurricanes, the Seattle Kraken select Morgan Geekie” Chanel made her nationally televised TV debut like a pro. You can catch the vid here and see for yourself.. She did so awesome, and the four eyes in this house watching got very very watery. Extreme pride will do that to the tear ducts. No doubt Chanel made a massive impression and had a huge impact on everyone she met on this adventure of a lifetime. She’s amazing. Inspirational. Tenacious. And amazing. Oh did I already say amazing? Well, she’s that amazing, like she’s the NHL’s most famous Intersectionality Consultant. She had a three-month life expectancy. And now she’s The Kraken Girl.
Subject change. I have no horse in the race as it were but every time I hear or see “Bennifer” it’s a disturbing time warp. And I’m definitely more skeptical than happy for them.
Speaking of portmanteau/name blending I got an email yesterday from Target about optimizing one’s “Cloffice” (closet office). My home office isn’t a cloffice but I legit don’t know what it is. Does anyone know the name of the very small room that seems to exist only to provide space (a landing of sorts, but with a door and a window) that gives access to the walk-up attic? It’s my office and I adore it but I’d love it more if I knew what it actually was.
OK, lane change…the CDC’s latest guidelines seem to have caused a bit of a kerfuffle. This Covid story is still unfolding. The virus is mutating. It’s still a mystery, it’s still deadly, and I think everyone at the CDC has the goal of recommending whatever provides the most “freedom” within reason, given the risks and downsides. When those in “power” have changing position on masks and are consistently advocating for vaccination in the face of the wilding Delta variant—it is a perfectly reasonable response…it’s about trained professionals trying to keep us safe (masks) and the many people who don’t want to listen (vaccine)…it decidedly is not flip flopping by Joe Biden. Seriously what is wrong with people? I do believe that if we weren’t so polarized as a nation we would have all masked up and squashed this shit in six weeks so really shame on us. And the polarization isn’t getting better…but I’m optimistic that it’s not getting worse. Maybe I’m being naive. *sigh*
Speaking of being vaccinated, as you may have read, I am. I am also entered to win the Vax-a-Millions lottery, and I believe I can win. Please please please please please pick me.
I’m no longer using the expression “dropping like flies.” Since *another* one came down (missed the car thank goodness) I’m going with “dropping like trees.” Big old trees are beautiful. When they’re upright.
Speaking of trees, money does not grow on trees, and when you need to have a big one like this removed, that’s a most unfortunate fact. Easy come, easy go, as they say…but the truth is it doesn’t come as easy as it goes!
Totally unrelated, how did we communicate before emojis? How did we express ourselves when all we had were…words?
But speaking of communicating, and not using words, here’s an idea…pick up the phone, call someone you love, check in on them, and use your words to find out how they are.
Where is our mail carrier? Mustachioed Joe (I think his name was Joe…and he def had a ‘stache) is AWOL. The mail comes at different times every day, delivered by strangers. Where did he go? Not that we were friends or anything, but our relationship did reach a turning point in December when he thanked us for the Christmas tip…and addresed the envelope to “The Ladies of The 220.” I love that so much—makes everything seem so sophisticated. Ladies! The 220! And now he’s off the route. We’re still The Ladies of The 220 (a d proud!) but it’s not as fun without Joe…I miss seeing him in a Blink alert between 10:30 and 11:30 each morning.
Anyway, I hope your mail carrier isn’t missing, I wish you a happy Friday Eve, I give you my sincerest thanks for being here with me, and I send out this long-distance dedication to anyone in need of a reminder that (figurative) Spring always comes again or to anyone who simply enjoys a good cello solo.