Triumph In Beijing

As you certainly know, the games of the XXIXth Olympiad are in full swing in Beijing and, just a few days in, there is no shortage of fantastic stories of triumph. From the USA Men's 4 X 100M Freestyle medley win over the heavily favored French at the Cube (the aquatics venue) to the USA Men's unlikely team bronze in gymnastics*, surprising moments of glory have kept viewers and fans cheering half a world away. Perhaps the greatest achievement of all, though, may be the one that has unfolded on the sand of the women's beach volleyball competition where the USA's Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh look to continue their dominance in the sport and earn their second straight Olympic gold. So far, so good for their quest to repeat as champions, as they are 2-0 in pool play. No surprise there. What then, is the real surprise of this beach volleyball competition and these Olympic Games?

The real triumph here is that someone has found a way to make women's beach volleyball "uniforms" more revealing than they already were. Truly amazing! For those that have not seen the sport, the ladies wear bikinis - appropos for a beach pasttime and certainly unencumbering for sport. Of all sports that I can think of, though, this gear offered the lease body coverage of any regulation uniform**. I caught part of last night's May-Treanor/Walsh match and was appalled*** to find that not only were they wearing white uniforms that were somewhat more transparent than your average woman might wish to wear on worldwide television, but the sides and the top of the back of the bikini bottoms were made of what appeared to be mesh of some sort. See through. I presume this allows the sides and back of the players' waistlines to breathe more during competition? I'm sure that, prior to this, the smothering of the waistline area kept many a team from reaching full potential and challenging for the gold. Kudos to those whose commitment to the comfort and performance of our athletes never wavers (though I think they may have overlooked the possibility of thong bottoms and band-aids over nipples for maximum breathability, but hey, progress can sometimes be painfully slow).


* I'm sure some other countries have had good moments, too, but while the Olympics is a time for international unity and fellowship through sport, it is also an excuse for extreme, founded or unfounded, jingoism. It's kind of fun.

** Now that swimmers have, in large part, left the old "speedo" and gone to the full body suit, but even that tiny suit had some perceived performance impact as it lessened an potential resistance the suit may cause as a swimmer traveled through the water.

*** appalled = delighted

What Not To Wear

Last night a good friend told me that I am the worst-dressed person she knows. I laughed and asked if she was serious. She thought for a few seconds and said, "Well, my grandfather's pretty bad, too." Then I laughed much harder - it was very funny to me that she came up with one specific eighty-something that she would put in my class.

Let's be clear about a few things: 1) My friend was not being mean and I don't expect that she's actually thought through everyone she knows and ranked us all.

2) To say that fashion has never been my passion would be a gross understatement*. It is not the least bit important to me to be wearing the newest, hottest, most cutting-edge thing. As a matter of fact, I often think the newest, hottest, most cutting-edge things look insane, stupid, uncomfortable, or some combination thereof. (See Post from Oct. '05) Perhaps I am not imaginative enough to understand fashion trends until they are very mainstream. Maybe I am timid and afraid to be fashionably bold. Maybe I just don't have a good eye for these things.

My goal in dressing myself is (and I have never tried to articulate this before, but I believe this generally covers it) to cover all of the things that need covering with clean clothing articles and look presentable and appropriate for the places I'm going and activities in which I'm engaging. Secondarily (once I believe the aforementioned guidelines have been met), I'd like to look "good." I generally choose clothing items that are somewhat classic in nature so that I can be pretty sure that if I'm covering the primary goals, the secondary should be well-enough taken care of.

I would say I spend about 80% of my time in khaki trousers** and a polo-type collar shirt or button-down dress shirt. Am I wrong about the level of fashion acceptance accorded these items? I think I see a lot of other people wearing them, too.*** Or is it the other 20% of outfits I wear...



(That's me in the red above.) Yes, perhaps it is what I wear when I'm out of my normal uniform. Believe you me, I'll be keeping a close eye on fashion from here on out****.

* When I was younger, I didn't like khaki pants. Bright red were my dress slacks of choice until about age 10. Maybe 12.
** The staff here at ZBR likes the word "trousers."
*** Not that that, alone, would make them okay. If I saw those same people jumping of a bridge...
**** No. That's not true. I don't think I will.

The Agony And The Ecstasy

A:Yesterday, Southwest Airlines lost my luggage on my way to a wedding.
E:The bag was found and was just delivered to my hotel in time for me to be properly dressed and on time to tonight's ceremony (provided I compose this quickly!)

A:I shopped at Wal-Mart yesterday afternoon for a last-minute rehearsal dinner outfit.
E:I've never looked so good for $21.

A:I was on an unneccesary shopping trip at Wal-Mart, spending money I hadn't planned to spend, buying clothes I shouldn't have needed.
E:The Wal-Mart happened to be located in Austin, TX and happened to carry an extensive line of low-priced Texas Longhorns apparel.

A:Texas lost in basketball today, at the last second, to Wisconsin. It was a game the Horns should have/could have won.
E:I was there!

A:I have eaten migas* twice in less than 24 hours.
E:I have eaten migas* twice in lees than 24 hours.

*Migas are a tex-mex breakfast dish consisting of eggs, cheese, tortillas, onions, and tomatoes (depending on recipe). They are tasty. I'm not completely convinced they're good for you.