Having just finished the magnificently-riveting documentary ‘AKA Mr. Chow’ by Nick Hooker, I am completely entranced by the life-story of Michael Chow, who may add Dazzler of the Day to his impressive roster of accomplishments. Artist, actor, interior designer, influencer of the decades, and restauranteur, Chow has made his name and visage into an internationally-recognized brand and personality. Sometimes an artist is their own living work of art – and those usually make the best artists of all.
Not to do November a disservice with this title, as we indeed in November proper, it still has the stench of being one of the more depressing months of the year – some might say the most. Any hope of holding onto one or two more days of lingering summer sun and warmth are largely lost, and this is the month that rips even the late leaves off all the trees, rendering them barren and spindly for the rest of the winter to come. And so it was that I had my first peppermint mocha drink of the Starbucks season. On with the weekly recap…
Twenty years ago ‘Wicked’ opened, and a few weeks afterward we had the lucky privilege of seeing the original Broadway cast perform the show.
As the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Missy Elliott adds another trailblazing first to her long-record of astounding the world with artistry and talent. She’s been doing this for years, and I still remember songs like ‘Get Ur Freak On’ and ‘Work It’ (which played a part in this magical Madonna moment) which formed an integral part of anyone in the world at that time. She continues to influence and drive pop culture, and is finally getting the rightful recognition she deserves. Here she earns her first Dazzler of the Day crowning.
Don’t forget to turn back your clocks an hour, since we as a country still can’t get our shit together to fix this time situation. I’m not mad about it – we can certainly use an extra hour, especially as I’m typing this out at 1:02 AM and my mind is shot, my body is spent, and I’m just not ready for another week just yet.
Earlier this week, a cardinal fluttered into the boughs of our Seven sons flower tree, lately gone into salmon-hued seed. He stayed there, peeking through the foliage and looking around, until another cardinal joined him. Both may be seen in the blurry image not-so-beautifully captured below – the second bird is in the lower right quadrant. In the words of A.A. Milne and Winnie-the-Pooh, “It’s so much friendlier with two.”
Yesterday was a day in which the only thing to which I looked forward was my daily meditation. Maybe it was the barrage of non-stop office antics and interruptions, and the fact that I didn’t get out for lunch. (Whenever I fail to take a break at lunch, the day feels especially weighty.) Maybe it was seeing my Uncle for the first time in decades, and the way he so incredibly brought my Dad back to life in physical form, with the very same gestures and inflections and laughter. Maybe it was my Dad’s name being read at the mass for All Souls Day. Maybe it was just the heaviness of fall, and the chill that lingered in the air despite the sun.
Whatever the reason or reasons, I eagerly anticipated my twenty-minute meditation. Gently striking the edge of a Tibetan singing bowl, and lighting a candle in this beautiful candle-holder made by our dear friend Eileen, I sat down on the floor and felt grounded in a way that only meditation provides these days. As the outside world burned, and oak leaves spun in gentle spirals down to the earth, I began the long and deep inhalations and exhalations that constituted the physical aspect of my meditation. My eyes closed, and in that darkness I felt the gradual clearing of thoughts. They traveled across my mind at first like they always do, but soon they dissipated. Practice helps that happen faster and faster, and within a few minutes I can usually find the plane of peace that is the basic goal of any meditation.
On this day it was linked with a general feeling of sadness that’s been plaguing me as the days turn darker. I’ve been trying to embrace that sadness, to feel it as a proper and ultimately healthy way of grieving. I miss my Dad still. And always. I understand it won’t go away, and for the most part I don’t want it to; I am learning to be ok with that.
A Renaissance man who has moved deftly between modeling and music, Stewart Taylor is also an actor and song-writer who earns his first Dazzler of the Day feature with this post. He recently released a new song ‘Favorite Ex’ which can be heard and seen on his website here (along with much more magic).
I said MOONS! (You just had to take it to a place of beavers…)
So, I was talking about a circus, intending this post to be one of silliness and escapism, maybe elicit a laugh or a snort, ideally to induce a roll of the eyes – and in the words of Britney Jean Spears, “Why don’t you DO SOMETHIN’!“
The sound of a garbage truck used to be music to my ears because it used to mean Friday was at hand. Now we can’t even have that reminder. When is trash day anyway?
One of the most simple but effective mocktails of late is perfect for this fall moment. This is just some fresh cider, amended with the juice of a freshly-squeezed lemon, and sprinkled with some cinnamon and freshly-grated nutmeg and allspice. The lemon is the key, tempering the sweetness of the cider. A garnish of a cinnamon stick is extra in the worst way, but ’tis the damn season.
This set the stage for a fall weekend with a dear friend… more on that to come.
Back when this website featured a Hunk of the Day category, Bryce Harper owned the category after his naked appearance in the ESPN Body Issue. Those shots are brought back now in honor of Bryce Harper as the Dazzler of the Day thanks to his performance on the Philadelphia Phillies this baseball season – and yes, his nude body issue didn’t hurt.
A mystical moment is at hand, night sprinkled with the astral dust of the moon and stars. The veil of October behind us, the crisp chill of November tearing the leaves and the last of the summer from the air – there is no pretending that any vestiges of summer might linger.
You can ride high atop your pony I know you won’t fall ‘Cause the whole thing’s phoney. You can fly swinging from your trapeze Scaring all the people But you’ll never scare me
Bella Donna, my soul
The demo of this Stevie Nicks song speaks to me more than the finished version – I like its rawness, the way it speaks directly from one soul to another, searching for a connection, for understanding. It is the search of an artist ~ the search for the purpose of humanity. More often than not, it is the search for love.
No speed limit this is the fast lane It’s just the way that it is here And you say I never thought it could… Come in out of the darkness
Bella Donna my soul
You are in love with And I’m ready to sail It’s just a feeling
And we fight for the northern star
Bella Donna my soul
The moon seems to play hide and seek with a nearby star, ducking behind a cloud, peeking around a tree, though it’s only our fanciful imprint of imagination. The moon and the stars take no real notice of our clouds and trees, nor are they bound behind or before them – it’s all our perspective. We want so badly to have such power, to name and decipher the motives and motions of the moon, to harness its power and energy and magic. In the end, all we can do is watch and hope and dream.
And the lady’s feeling Like the moon that she loved Don’t you know that the stars are A part of us
Currently treading the Broadway boards in ‘Merrily We Roll Along’, Daniel Radcliffe is no newcomer to the theatrical stage, as many of us recall his first splash in ‘Equus’ – and all its full-frontal male nudity. ‘Merrily’ comes from the brilliant canon of Stephen Sondheim, so Radcliffe completes that treacherous part of reaching theatrical royalty, but his lead turn in ‘How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’ put any doubts to rest years ago. He earns this Dazzler of the Day crowning for continuing to defy expectations of what the boy who played Harry Potter would one day become. It’s good to see him here.
