Musings on Life and Living

First, a story.  I didn't learn how to swim until I was 15 years old. There were several reasons for this, although I don't think I ever articulated them as I grew up. Most of the time it was simple a matter of me saying "I don't know how to swim" and leaving it at that. Now that I am older, I can point out that I really don't like swimming. When I get into a pool, even a wonderfully heated one, my body temperature plummets and my lips turn blue in about 20-30 minutes. I will still go swimming every now and then, usually to make Gretch happy (because she loves swimming) but personally, I could never go swimming again and probably be perfectly content. The reason I finally decided it was time to learn how to swim was that I wanted to become an Eagle Scout. In the Boy Scouts of America, the Eagle is the highest rank a youth can achieve. My three oldest brothers didn't earn it, but the next two did and I wanted desperately to be the third in my family...

I watch the Super Bowl, but not particularly for the game. I don't really care for American football. I do enjoy watching athletic championships, though, so the Super Bowl usually catches my radar. But I really watch the game for the commercials between. The game is perfectly poised at the start of the year to establish the start of the advertising calendar. Super Bowl commercials are remembered for weeks, months, sometimes even years. One of the commercials aired last night was for Coca-Cola. I almost always enjoy their advertisements, even if I don't actually like their original beverage. (Cherry Coke, on the other hand, is my poison of choice thanks to years of working in Dining Services with free access during shifts!) Anyway, this particularly ad was no exception. In case you missed it because you a) don't watch television, b) don't watch the Super Bowl, and/or c) don't follow trending topics in the media, here's a video of it: This delightful...