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Orange is the New Awesome
Today, I am wearing my orange gingham J. Crew button up shirt, black jeans and a pair of faded black Converse high tops. Why? I’m glad you asked.
It was one year ago, on the Friday night before the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park in NYC, when I decided to take a stroll in the early evening around the neighborhood of my hotel when…
Yes, that is Dave Grohl! And he voluntarily took the picture himself!
For the full recap of how the entire day/weekend unfolded (and there is more to this story and day), please check it out!
Not only is orange one of my favorite colors (the Dutch), but by wearing this shirt on this day, I was reminded of how great it felt to just wander a little bit. Every now and again, it’s really nice not to have any plans and to simply walk outside and let life happen.
We are living in a world that is increasingly organized and scheduled down to the minute. There are times when it’s really nice to know when something will happen. Having structure is not bad, but there still needs to be plenty of random moments when getting a little lost is okay. Sometimes, that’s when you find what you are really looking for or hoping to find, even if you couldn’t think of it beforehand.
It took me only a matter of minutes to turn off the hotel television and walk outside for a routine stroll around the neighborhood in the early evening before meeting a girl for dinner (check out the link above). Just a casual decision.
And yet, here I am, still writing and thinking about that day one year later.
Two Quarterbacks Walk onto the Field…
The Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Berkeley, California this Saturday to battle the aerial arsenal that is the Cal Bears for an early season match-up between the Big Ten and the Pac-12 conferences.
It’s the Midwest vs. the West Coast.
Before the 2013 season, nearly all the hype for the Buckeyes was dedicated to their star quarterback, Braxton Miller. However, after a nasty hit in last week’s game against San Diego State that left Miller’s helmet on the field after just nine plays, head coach Urban Meyer has yet to definitively clear him to start this weekend. Miller is considered to be a game time decision.
And yet, this is, potentially, not even the biggest headline going into the game.
The most intriguing question is how much playing time will backup sensation Kenny Guiton receive? Guiton has proven to play with a style very close to that of Miller, which could open up the offensive playbook for some very fun, unusual play calls where two quarterbacks are lined up in a spread formation.
Sound familiar Buckeye fans?
The storylines for the game in Berkeley consist of many aspects, like:
- Cal’s passing offense vs. Ohio State’s active (or reactive) nature in the secondary
- Ohio State’s diverse rushing attack
- Will Braxton Miller start? If so, how much will he play? How effective will he be?
- Does Kenny Guiton start? If not, how much time might he see?
- Will Cal’s capable rusher deflect the young “Silver Bullets?”
- Will defense, ultimately, be a factor? Or will the Bears and Buckeyes engage in an old fashioned western shootout?
- How influential is Cal’s home field advantage?
Still, beyond the suspected pregame analysis, what would the Buckeyes look like with two athletic quarterbacks lined up in a spread formation? Imagine the possibilities…
Everyone is talking about Plan A (with Miller) or Plan B (with Guiton).
I’m thinking of a more dynamic formula. How about A + B?
Playing with the starting quarterback and backup quarterback in formations would be a very liberal approach to the offense and I can think of no better place to experiment with such an endeavor than Berkeley, California.
Inside the Actor’s Mind
Being on the cusp of another great summer weekend, it’s time to sit back, relax and escape into the intimate spaces of the minds of some of America’s biggest personalities. Today’s edition comes courtesy of an actor who has a mild knack for such a venture. When it comes to terrific impressions, he’s one of the usual suspects…
The Art of Getting Wet
There is an exhibit at The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City that encourages men, women and children to stand, walk and dance in the rain. And, if cautious, you will not even get wet.
Wait…what?
Being surrounded by rain without getting wet is a groundbreaking phenomenon, but there is still something pretty wonderful about feeling those raindrops. Kids know this better than anybody. They instinctively get it.
Imagine that you are trying to catch a cab for a meeting in the city in pouring rain as your umbrella is flailing around in the wind like a dog wagging a chew toy. All the while you’re dressed to the nines to impress. Frustrating would be putting it gently. And yet, why are we angry? Is it really because of the rain?
No, it’s not the rain. It’s the meeting.
Hearing the rain while you sleep is a tranquil experience and being caught in a sudden downpour can be refreshing and oddly relaxing. It’s the sky’s way of giving you a timeout. A break from reality. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and spread your arms out wide and feel the stress drip away drop by drop. In a peculiar sense, rain serves as a personal rejuvenation.
And the best kind of rain is random. When we expect and plan for it, it becomes work. When we don’t see it coming and it arrives in the seconds it takes to glance up to the heavens, then it’s glorious. Depending on your mindset, it can feel like it’s right on cue. And yes, within those rain drops can be despair and heartbreak. However, they can also be filled with love, humor, fun, clarity, reflection or those desperately needed moments to exhale, “aaahhh.”
MOMA, in the heat of the summer, decided to offer its patrons and random museum-goers time to step into the “rain” by stepping out of their daily routine and Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday and Thursday self’s.
Maybe, just maybe, it’s raining because someone deep down wants and needs to splash in a puddle or two.
Think of it as your, “Big” moment. Well, in reverse.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 