"Rogers, you have the floor."

Mr. Fred McFeely Rogers died February 27, 2003. It is still such a loss.

Watch this video:

"I give an expression of care every day, to each child. To help him realize that he is unique."

Who doesn't have meaningful, lasting childhood memories of Mr. Rogers? Here he is, talking about the thing about which he is most passionate. He stood up on Capitol Hill in the 60's and was talking about the effects of television on the mental health of children. He was defending the things that mattered most to him, still a relative unknown (how many senators today do you think wouldn't know of him?). He was just such an incredible man. And he cared so much about the improvement of television, about children, about the world.

And because I am on a Mr. Rogers kick, I also suggest you read this list of fun facts about him. If you're not as big of a fan and don't feel like reading it all, my favorite is the following:

"As an ordained Presbyterian minister, and a man of tremendous faith, Mister Rogers preached tolerance first. Whenever he was asked to castigate non-Christians or gays for their differing beliefs, he would instead face them and say, with sincerity, 'God loves you just the way you are.'"

That's just so him. Even if you're not religious, you can still see the amount of respect and acceptance he had for everyone--which is what religion is supposed to be, isn't it? And it's what people should do. To give a "meaningful expression of care." To care.

They also link to this biography at the bottom of the article, which is very long but also well worth reading. And emotional. I need to get some sleep.

There's no person in the whole world like you, Mr. Rogers.

Livin' The Dream

One thing I forgot to mention about my trip to Columbus...

I texted an old friend for a long overdue lunch (I believe the last time I saw him was on the street, a quick and random run-in, just under two years ago). He, along with many people I don't keep daily contact with, was under the impression that I was still living in D.C. He asked what I was doing, where I lived, what my life looks like.

I told him: I live in Kentucky, I live with my mother, I wait tables.

He said, sounds like you're living the dream.

I said, you know what? I hated D.C. I hated my job, I hated the atmosphere, I hated a lot of the people (that city is SO Type A, and I am so...not.), and I had a lot of personal life issues that added to my general stress/distaste. Now, my job is easy, people are laid back, and my mother cooks me dinner. So yes, I live in my mother's basement in middle of nowhere Kentucky, waiting tables, and I am significantly happier.

So, yeah, I'm living the dream.

Plushenko

Since my last post was on Lysacek's gold medal, I will now defend him against the comments of SILVER MEDALIST Plushenko. Maybe I should have referred to him as Platinum medalist?

Whatever. He's just mad because his medals represent a "regress." Ugh.

Here's the thing. Should the champion land a quad? Sure. But Plushenko got involved in a sport in which he knew the rules. When you start figure skating, you learn you get points for execution, footwork, artistry, and all kinds of other aspects of figure skating, most of which I probably don't understand. But Plushenko does.

It's like if you said that a team that hit a home run in baseball but sent fewer players across the plate should have been the winner. Or a bowler that hit more strikes but had fewer total points should have won. Is it more impressive, more interesting? Sure. But it doesn't make you the winner. And also, SHUT UP, PLUSHIE.

I went to Columbus this weekend, and I can't even really begin to explain the hijinks Katie and I got ourselves into. I keep trying, and deleting everything I wrote, because words really can't do it justice. We stole a Hannah Montana guitar from the birthday cake. We found a new favorite store. We baked with an Easy Bake oven. We made a million grilled cheese sandwiches. There are so many, many other things we did. I hope I remember them forever.

Olympic Spirit, Part Two.

I write this as Evan Lysacek is being awarded the Olympic gold medal for men's figure skating. I love men's figure skating. And I love the moment just after athletes are awarded medals and the flags come down from the ceiling and everyone looks up and the athletes get emotional and the national anthem start to play. (Especially if it also happens to be my national anthem.)

...And I love Evan Lysacek's smile.

Congratulations!

And if you aren't one of the many, many people I have forced to watch Johnny Weir skate to Poker Face and Jeremy Abbott's Nationals version of the same short program he flubbed on Tuesday night, I highly recommend you do that.

One Month.

I have now, as of almost exactly THIS MOMENT, been living in my mother's basement for one month. I arrived between 2 and 230am on the morning of January 18th. As depressed about it as I was at the time, it's really been a relaxing experience. Something about Kentucky just screams for everyone to chill out. Or maybe that's just me. Particularly since I'm not paying rent.

And also I received my deposit back, in the form of the largest check I've ever seen in my life, paychecks included, so I feel really great about things. Do I want to wait tables? No. But I do want that income, and I'm really looking forward to having it again.

What a difference a month makes. (AND $10 for 90 days worth of anti-depressants!)

The Olympic Spirit

Wow I didn't even realize how long it had been since I last wrote.

I went to Columbus last weekend and stayed in the sorority house. It was odd, if only because it was so natural, so remarkably not odd. I could tell there were moments with people where they almost forgot I wasn't still a resident, then did a double take. They'd smile and walk past, and then turn abruptly. "CHRIS?!?" Yeah, I'm back.

Since then, I've secured a lucrative position at a local burger joint. I really can't wait to start generating income, even if it is as a server. Training starts Saturday morning. Then, snow God permitting, I'm going back to the 'Bus and I CANNOT WAIT.

In the meantime, I'm busying myself with the Olympic Games. I can't even explain how much I love the Olympics. I watch it for hours on end, regardless of the sport. Neil Patrick Harris sums it up quite nicely: http://twitter.com/ActuallyNPH/status/9150559820 Perfect.

I even learned the rules of curling in anticipation of this event. That said, both the men AND women lost their first matches today. Whatever, it's round robin so there's still medals to be won. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Photos seven through nine reveal why I'm linking this photo slideshow of Meryl Davis, half of US ice dancing team Davis/White : http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galleryid=265426.html

In the interest of fairness, I'll also link this photo of perhaps my favorite Olympian Johnny Weir and his Olympic village roommate Tanith Belbin, half of the dominant U.S. ice dancing pair (Davis/White list Belbin/Agosto as their ice dancing idols): http://twitpic.com/13hbdn

Nobody Likes You When You're 23

For my birthday, I visited Kate and Thomas in Chicago. It was amazing. I never really think of New Year's Day as a new year, mostly because my birthday is so soon after, and becoming a new age feels much more like a new beginning. But regardless, if I'm going to start my new age with anyone, it feels right to do it with Kate, who was there the first time, Thomas, and Liz. Plus Chicago is a great city, and despite the bitter, bitter cold, I got to see a lot of it. Like the Jelly Bean in Millennium Park. (After which we were to cold to continue, so we went to Bennigan's, that old Chicago classic, and drank beers in the plural.)

They took me to Mindy's Hot Chocolate for dinner, which I HIGHLY recommend. I got the Mac and Cheese. Nothing is quite as spectacular as gourmet mac and cheese. I also ate on top of the John Hancock building, which was good, but was more about the views than the plates.

On the drive home, I called a number of people, including one of my best friends from high school, Megan. Apparently she goes bowling every Monday with a group of people I know from high school, so she invited me along. First of all, I haven't bowled in yearssss, and I must say, it shows. Second, so fun. Third, it is so nice to have Megan back in my life, and to have friends in the area. I stayed at her house Monday night and we stayed up all night recapping the past forever. She's the kind of person that, no matter how long it has been, we can just pick up where we left off. I hope it never gets to be as long as it had been. (She's never seen me brunette, which means at least 2 years. Unacceptable.)

Also, this coming weekend I'm going to Columbus. Which means that each weekend I've been living in Kentucky, I've either gone out of town or seen someone I love here. Which fits nicely with my resolution to see my friends who spread themselves out all over this country. Amazing.

Weekend-Defining Music:

1. "What's My Age Again?"

2. "Tik Tok" (which is a horrible excuse for a song, but lines like 'Wake up in the mornin' feelin' like P. Diddy,' 'errrrbody gettin' crunk, crunk,' and 'boys blowin' up my phones, phones' really make that song what it is. Which is totally quotable. In a terrible way.)