Monthly Archives: February 2014
The Clarity of Randomness
It was one of the clearest blue skies I’ve ever seen. I’ll never forget it. I just remember gazing up at this infinitely blue sky, wondering what the hell had just happened. The sight was so serene and beautiful, but confusingly overwhelmed by a new, sinking feeling. This was the same sky I had flown through on countless trips and vacations with my family. It was familiar, welcoming and exciting.
That was until it happened.
It was September 11, 2001 and I was standing in a park surrounded by a bevy of soccer fields in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. It was late afternoon and the after-school sports and activities had apparently been cancelled. I was a sophomore in high school at the time. I just looked up, alone, speechless.
I knew the world had changed, but for how long? In that instance, I hadn’t a damn clue, but I knew it had changed in a very, very big way. I could feel it.
This post is not meant to relive the horrific nature of that day. But yes, today is a random day in February almost 13 years later. This all started because of a partially covered drawing on the left side of the glossy cover for Departures Magazine (as part of a cover story in the form of a comic strip) of skyscrapers and the bluest of skies with the text “11:30 A.M.” peaking out from a stack of magazines on my desk at work. This was coupled with the fact I was listening to the Zero Dark Thirty soundtrack on my computer (around the 34 minute-mark). This flashback came to surprising fruition. It forced me to contemplate how a moment that lasted only seconds can have such a profound and lasting impression in my mind that experiences something new every single day.
However, that day changed everything.
Even with resolution in the form of a spectacular Seal Team Six raid that killed Osama Bin Laden nearly a decade after 9/11, New York City has never felt the same. Millions of people (myself included on several occasions) have had great, unforgettable times there for sure! But something still lingers in the air, supported by an eerie permanence.
Strangely enough, this random vision has provided me with clarity. Each thought provided me with a clear focus and reasoning for why I thought what I did and how I should approach things from this point on. For a brief instance, everything seemed uncomplicated. If for nothing else, maybe this post can serve as a gentle reminder that we don’t need to wait for an anniversary or a specific day or occasion to remember and think about something important. It doesn’t need to be sad, but it can be something positive and astonishing. That same illustration has also pushed me to try to look at a clear blue day with only optimism, even while knowing in the back of my mind that it only takes a seconds or a matter of minutes for something drastic to happen.
Perhaps the drastic situation will be something positive the next time that perfect, clear blue sky arrives…
Whatever causes a comparable reaction for you as the illustration and music did for me this Wednesday morning, don’t ignore it, but instead embrace it. Life is lived in long acts and short scenes…just be sure to bring some sort of purpose to each one.
Maybe this is one of the reasons why we love watching the Olympics so much, to witness a performance or moment of pure, marvelous purpose.
For so many athletes and spectators alike, it’s much more than just a single event or game that motivates and inspires them and us…
Sochi’s Red Eye
A relentless eye infection for NBC anchor Bob Costas, a jammed door and elevator door for one very unlucky American bobsledder Johnny Quinn (accident?) and a snowboarding halfpipe that was half-a*@#$!
These are just a few of the behind-the-scenes issues (and one showcased front and center on network television for millions to witness and cringe at) that continue to weigh down some of the natural mysticism of the Winter Olympics. Sochi, the host city, was virtually unknown to much of the world before its grand opening ceremony last Friday that lit up the arena and night sky with unifying excitement and promise in the form of the Olympic flame.
Now, the world knows.
Aside from the thrilling competition thus far in skiing, snowboarding, ice skating and speed skating, problems persist.
An appropriate slogan for these games at this point could be, “From Russia with SOS.”
American snowboarder Hannah Teter, who currently has an Olympic gold medal hanging in her trophy case, has a strong suggestion and an equally strong feeling of the course she is scheduled to compete on in the coming days.
“They should push it back is what they should do, and fix it, and showcase snowboarding the way it needs to be showcased. Not as a junk show, which is what it is looking like right now.”
Fortunately, the Olympic spirit and its inspiring nature will counter some of the poor accommodations and conditions. There are several intriguing and heartwarming stories, like the Dutch sweep in the 500-meter men’s speed skating, American’s Sage Kotsenburg and Jamie Anderson each claiming gold in the inaugural slopestyle snowboarding competition and Canada’s Alex Bilodeau winning gold in mogul skiing. But that was not the real golden moment. Bilodeau, whose brother has cerebral palsy, has said he is constantly inspired by his brother. This kind of love and source of strength is something every fan of every country should celebrate.
(USA TODAY Sports Images)
This warm, celebratory embrace captured by a USA Today photographer is just one of the countless moments that makes everyone smile and is living proof as to why people love watching the Olympics.
Truly wonderful!
Sadly though, this Winter Olympics has lacked a palpable energy and adrenaline that endures throughout the build-up and the non-stop competitions of past Olympics. Sochi was not fully prepared (facilities/courses, infrastructure) as problems have given the host city and host nation a black eye (actually, a really, really red eye).
However, today is another day and hopefully amazing performances and inspiring moments will trump some substandard and even terrible conditions and accommodations. But between rewarding Russia the Winter Olympics and World Cup, Brazil the World Cup and Qatar the World Cup in the next several years, perhaps the ruling committees have taken notice that not every country is equipped and/or should host a major, global competition with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for world-class athletes.
History, current leadership and conditions cannot be ignored. However, that appears to be worthy of only a suggestion made too late as the decisions have already been made. Sochi, though, will likely serve as a general template for what the immediate future will hold for soccer’s biggest stage and the Olympics in some form.
The silver lining, at least for the competitions, will be the competitions. Let’s cheer on our respective athletes and countries!
Still, an impression has been made. Speaking of impressions, after seeing Russian President Putin in the stands for ice skating, perhaps the world should just be happy he was wearing a shirt.
One thing’s for sure: The Cold War seems to have taken on a new (though slightly less intense) meaning in Sochi.
Happy Monday!
The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia are fully underway as world-class athletes from around the globe are competing in a myriad of events, ranging from skiing, hockey and skating to snowboarding and curling and seemingly everything in between. Traditional Olympic pillars are supported by the imaginative, addictive and peculiar events like the Norwegian drive-by (Biathlon) on breathtaking slopes and in beautiful arenas.
Regardless of the experience or expertise of any of the athletes, most all of them will need that little extra spark to put them over the top in their respective competitions to claim a medal…possibly gold!
Napoleon Dynamite + Ron Burgundy + Ice Skates = A Funny, yet Inspirational Moment:
Happy Monday and Capture Your Dream!
Jay Leno Was #1 in More Than Just Ratings
Somewhere between 44,000 and 60,000 jokes were told with great, widespread applause (millions of people each night) throughout the course of 22 years as Jay Leno not only took on the nearly impossible task of replacing Johnny Carson, but he entered and left the coveted Tonight Show stage #1 in the ratings. That is not an impressive feat…that is a damn impressive feat! It’s borderline surreal when his daily presence, changing dynamics of television and comedy, plus the vastly increased competition are considered from when he began in 1992 and signed-off in 2014.
In replacing an icon he became one.
Jay’s final monologue included some flashbacks to his favorite and most memorable comedic targets, like NBC, O.J. Simpson and, yes, a very clever Hugh Grant jab!
Last night, the show’s staff and longtime friend Billy Crystal had a circus of surprises ready for The Tonight Show host and dear friend Jay. If you saw the show, it was magnificent. A long list of Jay’s good friends offered him their advice as what to do next. This ranged from starring in a new Tyler Perry Madea movie to him finally %*!@$ inviting Matt Damon to his garage to Bill Maher welcoming Jay back to The Tonight Show for a third term. But the best advice may have come from Charlie Sheen who essentially told him to spend his saved Tonight Show money and buy NBC and then fire everybody!
All of which was done with great fun and laughter.
Jay’s first guest, Billy Crystal, was funny, smart and generous. He started by ordering the Burbank Moving Company around the stage to claim some necessary keepsakes for the road. This led him into his own monologue of sorts about his comedic colleague and friend of 40 some odd years that was sprinkled with Crystal’s own brand of pure class and humor.
This post will not recap the entire show, but there were humorous stories from “back in the day” between Jay and Billy Crystal, a Von Trapp-inspired tribute song, a Garth Brooks who sang for the heart and the party and a final heartfelt and tearful goodbye from the man himself. Jay’s speech at the end of the show was not only really emotional and tearful, but also deeply revealing to the casual viewer. He disclosed the fact that his mom died his first year as The Tonight Show host, his dad died during his second year and his brother died soon thereafter. He was, for lack of a more delicate way to say it, out of family. His writers, producers and everybody on his Tonight Show staff at NBC was his family.
And you’re always loyal and protective of your family.
Despite obvious and warranted friction with his NBC superiors, Jay made it clear that he was invested in more than just a job at NBC. It was something special for him, his staff and everybody who tuned in during the past 22 years.
What does Jay’s exit signify as for the future of The Tonight Show and late night comedy itself? A lot. In fact, it’s a seismic shift. Last night was not just Jay’ final bow to his loyal and always entertained audience, but also a generational goodbye, which is why his departure off the 11:35 p.m. time slot is proving to be such a difficult farewell. Jay is an old school stand-up comedian. There’s no political agenda or mean spirited attacks. He’s just funny. All he needs is a stage. And it’s truly sad he won’t have that anymore to make America laugh at the same time every weeknight after a long, stressful day.
His sense of humor and jokes are timeless.
We’ll especially miss Monday’s unbelievably printed Headlines, the hilariously unpredictable Jaywalking, those savvy gifts from The 99¢ Store and the surprising visits to Oakwood Apartments.
Throughout the post, I’ve almost exclusively written Jay and not his full name Jay Leno. There’s a reason. For most celebrities or personalities, we know them by their full name. But for the rare few where only a first name is the natural reaction to call someone, it usually means that we consider them as an extended member of our family. Whether it’s through music or a talk show, some entertainment personalities feel like that funny or inspiring uncle, aunt, brother or sister to us.
Jay was not just the #1 rated late night host…Jay was America’s stand-up comedian for more than two decades. As Jay alluded to last night, it felt a little like a high school graduation, except that everybody was held back for 22 years! But he’s right. We’ll still see him, whether it’s on the road, online in his iconic garage working on some steam-powered relic or on a television special, but it won’t ever be the same.
It’s the end of an era in too many sad ways to contemplate right now.
Jay ended his tenure as host of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with a shout-out to his wife Mavis, “I’m coming home honey.”
Jay, for 22 years, thanks for coming into our homes and making us laugh.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 