Football, Lion dogs, and my "Top Chef" addiction

I apologize for my rambling.  My mind is like a grasshopper today.  These are some of the thoughts that have crossed my cranium in the last few hours.

On college football:

 I am not sure if this is actually Morgan Freeman or not, but if it is, this is officially the baddest FSU promo EVER.

Morgan Freeman FSU promo

If you have been reading this blog, you already know that I am a college football aficionado. Okay, to be fair, "fanatic" might be more accurate.  It has been a rough ride for FSU fans the past few decades.  Florida State spent the 90s kicking serious ass, the first decade of 2000 basically sucking, and the last decade being fairly ordinary.  To have Morgan Freeman's awesomeness gracing an FSU promo is nothing short of a sign from a benevolent deity that FSU football is indeed back in a big way. (And please, O fickle sprites of football, do NOT use the previous statement as a means to jinx my beloved Seminoles.)

Lion dogs:

I am not making this up.  Apparently a Chinese zoo tried to pass off a Tibetan mastiff as an African lion.  Granted, Tibetan mastiffs are the size of freaking direwolves.  It was also a lovable, extra-cuddly Tibetan mastiff. But seriously--big-ass dog doesn't equal big-ass cat.  You can read about it here.

Top Chef:  

  

I am an unabashed Top Chef lover.  Bravo has put forth a quality reality competition series with a minimum of drama.  There are moments of snark, of course.  Michael Voltaggio grousing about Kevin Gillespie was fairly bitchy.  Marcel Vigneron was an arrogant, wormy, catty (albeit talented) Jack-Russell sized annoyance.  Anthony Bourdain, who often served as a judge on the show, was an unrepentant and brutal critic, often reducing these young gastronomes to quivering children. (I love him--gravelly-voiced, lanky, master of sarcasm that he is.)

That being said, Top Chef has been one of the most powerful vehicles for launching new culinary talent in the last decade.  The charming and engaging Tom Colicchio delivers a sense of versimilitude weekly to a show that could easily plummet into the ridiculous abyss of other competition shows. 

There are plenty of cheftestants each season whose talent is mediocre, at best.  They seem to be workhorses with little natural talent; often they manage to plod through episode after episode simply by managing to stay off the judges' radar.  We have also all witnessed brilliant young talents that have gone home far too soon. 

The power of Top Chef lies simply in its ability to engage the viewer with the natural drama that watching untapped talent brings forth.  We never know if the truly talented folks will succeed or if the pedestrian chefs will manage to muddle through.  I was heartbroken when Kevin Gillespie, that humble and gifted son of Atlanta, lost in the sixth season finale. Yet I couldn't help but agree with the judges' choice as that epicurean virtuoso, Michael Voltaggio, created a transcendent menu. The genius of Top Chef is simply this--it creates a bridge, however tenuous, between the ordinary world of the customer and that of the chef.  And that bridge is lined with truly incredible food.

  
And finally, crap that made me laugh today.

Dating in the Star Wars universe is a bitch.

Reason #6,782 why gay men are awesome.