Moment of Zen: Football 🏈

Football season is finally here, and these guys are ready to leave it all on the field—quite literally. Now, this is what I call a winning formation.

TGIF!

TGIF! Four o’clock this afternoon cannot come fast enough.

I have a few things to work on today, but thankfully, nothing is a major priority. It should be a pretty low-key day—just a matter of getting through the next several hours until the long weekend officially begins.

After work, I have a grocery order to pick up, and then I can come home and settle in for a three-day weekend with Isabella. She and I need some quality time together, and I desperately need some time to relax. Isabella probably doesn’t need any additional rest, considering she already sleeps about eighteen hours a day, but I’m sure she’ll be happy to supervise mine—and let me know when she thinks I’ve slept long enough.

Of course, college football starts this weekend, so my major Saturday activity will be watching my favorite teams play their first games of the season. Other than that, I’m looking forward to some quiet time, perhaps with a good book, a little cooking, or both. Nothing too exciting—just a peaceful weekend at home with my favorite little black cat. Honestly, that sounds pretty wonderful to me.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, whether you’re in the United States enjoying the three-day Labor Day weekend or spending an ordinary weekend somewhere else. Whatever your plans may be, I hope you find some time to relax and enjoy yourself.

🐘 ROLL TIDE! 🐘 

🏈

🐅 WAR EAGLE! 🐅 

🏈

🦅 TO THE TOP! 🦅

Naked Among the Gods

Two nude men wrestling

James Ward

1819

I’ve always been fascinated by how the Ancient Greeks embraced the naked body—especially the male form—not as something shameful, but as something worthy of admiration, celebration, and even reverence. To modern eyes, the sheer number of nude statues and painted vases from the ancient world might seem excessive or erotic (and sometimes, they are), but to the Greeks, nudity wasn’t just about sex. It was about excellence, identity, citizenship, and being fully human.

They didn’t just tolerate public nudity in certain settings—they expected it. Athletes competed fully nude in the Olympic Games, not as a rebellious act, but as a deeply held tradition. The word gymnasium itself comes from the Greek gymnos(γυμνός), meaning “naked.” Young men trained in the nude not just to strengthen their bodies, but to shape their minds and characters. The gymnasium was a civic and educational space where nudity signaled discipline, honesty, and a commitment to becoming the best version of oneself. Nudity wasn’t a distraction—it was part of the lesson.

Kritios Boy

And that reverence for the human form found its most lasting legacy in art. One of the earliest and most striking examples is the Kritios Boy (c. 480 BCE), often seen as the turning point in Greek sculpture. Unlike the stiff, idealized youth of earlier kouros figures, the Kritios Boy is relaxed, confident, and lifelike. There’s no armor, no toga, no fig leaf—just a serene, nude adolescent standing in gentle contrapposto. He feels both real and ideal.

Polykleito’s Doryphoros

Another favorite of mine is Polykleitos’s Doryphoros (Spear Bearer), a statue designed to embody the perfect male proportions. Here again, the nudity isn’t incidental—it’s essential. You can’t demonstrate bodily harmony if the body is covered. Nudity, in this case, is a kind of visual philosophy. Then there’s the Discobolus (Discus Thrower) by Myron, which captures a man’s body in mid-motion, muscles taut, entirely nude, perfectly balanced between tension and grace. His nudity heightens the athletic drama and draws the viewer into that moment of perfection.

Myron’s Discobolus

It wasn’t just in sculpture. The Greeks captured daily life, training scenes, and intimate gatherings on painted pottery, particularly in the red-figure vase tradition. These vases, often used for wine drinking at symposia, show men wrestling, bathing, reclining with lovers, and engaging in philosophical dialogue—always nude or mostly nude. One amphora I saw during a museum visit showed a trainer instructing a youth at the gymnasium, both fully exposed, their nudity treated as entirely normal, even expected. Another vase depicts two young men sharing a kiss in a quiet, domestic scene—tender, not titillating. These glimpses into Greek life are reminders that the naked body wasn’t always about arousal. Sometimes, it was about presence—being fully seen, fully known.

Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora

Attributed to the Euphiletos Painter

ca. 530 BCE

This attitude feels almost alien in a country like ours. Here in America, nudity is still largely taboo, wrapped up in Puritanical baggage and frequently equated with obscenity or indecency. Even in Vermont, where public nudity is technically legal in most cases (as long as you're not lewd or explicitly sexual), you rarely see anyone baring it all outside of a secluded swim spot or a clothing-optional festival. There’s something quietly telling about that—how the law might allow something, but cultural discomfort still keeps it hidden.

Terracotta skyphos (deep drinking cup)

Attributed to the Theseus Painter

ca. 500 BCE

And yet, I can’t help but wonder: what would it mean if we took a more Ancient Greek view of nudity—not as something to be feared or fetishized, but as something natural, honest, even virtuous?

A few years ago, I attended a gay men’s retreat at Easton Mountain in upstate New York, and it gave me a real-world glimpse of what the Greeks might have understood intuitively. Nudity there wasn’t shocking or scandalous—it was completely natural. The pool was always full of naked bodies, sunlit and unselfconscious. I don’t think I ever saw a bathing suit near it. The sauna and hot tub were clothing-free zones by default, and during some of the workshops—body painting, liberation exercises, guided meditations—nudity was gently encouraged as a way to connect more honestly with ourselves and others. It wasn’t about showing off. It was about showing up. I left feeling more open, more grounded in my body, and more aware of how rare that kind of freedom really is.

It might mean raising a generation less ashamed of their bodies. It might mean allowing ourselves to admire beauty without reducing it to sex. It might mean being more comfortable in our own skin, literally and figuratively. While the Greeks didn’t extend this attitude equally—women were mostly excluded from these public displays of nudity—there’s something liberating in imagining a culture where both women and men could be nude in non-sexualized spaces without fear or judgment.

As a gay man, I think often about how visibility and embodiment intersect. For many of us, our relationship to our bodies has been shaped by shame, secrecy, and desires we were never meant to name. What if we had grown up seeing the male body—our bodies—as something to admire without guilt? What if nudity wasn’t something to hide or automatically sexualize, but something that simply was? Would we be more honest? Kinder to ourselves? More connected to one another? Might we even find ourselves a little closer to the divine—just as the Ancient Greeks did, in their reverence for the human form and their gods?

Snowy Thanksgiving

When I woke up yesterday morning, it was snowing. It continued snowing throughout the day, and when I went to bed last night, it was still snowing. The snow finally stopped sometime last night. Because the temperature was above freezing most of yesterday, we only had about 2-3” of accumulation, but we probably got about 5+” of snow in total. I walked out side a few times yesterday to take pictures of the snow for some friends, but mostly I stayed in and watched the snow from my windows.

I had a lowkey Thanksgiving, just me and Isabella. I had turkey and cornbread dressing along with some butter beans. I love cornbread dressing. It’s my favorite food for winter holidays. I’ve had other types of dressing and stuffing mad with stale bread, but for me, nothing compares to cornbread dressing. I ate way too much of it yesterday, but it was damn good dressing.

Fo those of you in the United States, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and for those outside the U.S., I hope you have had a wonderful week. I will not be going Black Friday shopping today. I put in orders at two different places to get a few sales items that I needed, so I will be venturing out today but only to quickly run in stored and pick up my purchases. I hate the crowds at stores on Black Friday, but I am hoping the two places I have to go, CVS and Petco will not be as crowded. They are not the usual Black Friday shopping destinations. Is anyone actually going out Black Friday shopping? What about Small Business Saturday, when we are encouraged to shop at local small businesses? Or, are you waiting until Cyber Monday for those online deals?

Tomorrow, will likely be another lowkey day. It’s my birthday, and I will watch the Iron Bowl, i.e. the Alabama vs. Auburn football game. It’s a big rivalry game, especially in Alabama. I might watch the Egg Bowl today (Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State), and possibly the Lone Star Showdown ( Texas vs. Texas A&M) Saturday night. If you have ever seen The Best LIttle Whorehouse in Texas, then you should be familiar this particular rivalry. Besides, “The Aggie Song” is probably the best part of that movie, and the gayest football song and dance numbers in history (Do other football song and dance numbers exist?), but I digress.

The only thing that I might do this weekend is to go see the Wicked movie. Has anyone seen it yet? I’ve never seen the musical, but I read the book many years ago. I have always been a fan of The Wizard of Oz, and I always found the new perspective on the Wicked Witch of the West to be pretty interesting.

Anyway, that’s all I have for today. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Moment of Zen: Tennis

I don’t know why tennis isn’t played shirtless all the time. It should be!

Moment of Zen: Baseball

RIP Billy Bean

On Monday, Billy Bean (May 11, 1964 – August 6, 2024) passed away after battling acute myeloid leukemia since 2023. He was 60. Bean was the second Major League Baseball player to come out publicly. Glenn Burke had come out in 1982. Both came out after retiring from baseball. I particularly remember Bean coming out (I was too young when Burke came out), because I was in the midst of figuring out my own sexuality. He came out publicly to Lydia Martin of the Miami Herald in 1999. Bean became a bit of a celebrity after coming out. I remember him as a panelist on GSN's I've Got a Secret revival in 2006. I remember thinking how handsome he was. 

 

Bean was appointed MLB's first "Ambassador for Inclusion" on July 15, 2014. In this role, Bean counseled David Denson, who became the first minor league player signed to an MLB organization to come out as gay. Bean was never really known as an outstanding player during his career. Instead, Bean achieved more off the field, becoming a symbol of inclusion and empathy, in a sport that didn't (and still doesn't) always have large quantities of either. He'd rise to become MLB’s senior vice president for DEI and special assistant to the commissioner.

Bean changed lives and influenced others to come out. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement, "Our hearts are broken today as we mourn our dear friend and colleague, Billy Bean, one of the kindest and most respected individuals I have ever known. Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others. He made Baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, by the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing. We are forever grateful for the enduring impact that Billy made on the game he loved, and we will never forget him."

 

He may have been one of the first gay role models I remember. There were of course other gay role models before him, but he's the first one I think that came to my attention. I can’t say that Bean greatly influenced my coming out (I was already out when he was on I've Got a Secret), though baseball in general did influence my own realization that I am gay. I remember when I was twelve years old and saw Jose Canseco play for the Oakland Athletics in the 1989 World Series. He was so beautiful, but good lord, the years of steroids and hard living have not been good to him. Still, back then, I collected his baseball cards and even had posters of him in my bedroom. Sadly, after my parents found out I was gay, those posters were ripped down and thrown away by my mother. I also remember getting a Ryne Sandberg baseball card as a prize in a box of cereal. I think I instantly fell in love. The point is my fascination with baseball players is one of the things that helped me realize that I am gay. I still love to watch baseball, though I usually only watch college baseball. I’m not a fan of major league sports.

William Daro Bean 

(May 11, 1964 – August 6, 2024)

Paris Olympics

I watched the Olympic’s opening ceremony but haven’t watched much else of it. This morning, they were showing the men’s 10m platform synchronized diving. The divers are very hot, especially Tom Daley. Synchronized diving is an amazing sport. For these guys to move in synch with their partner. I also find it interesting that the diverging pairs, which I know allows them to look more synchronized, but also it seems that with most pairs one is tanned and the other is quite pale. For example, Tom Daley and Noah Williams 🇬🇧:

The Canadians Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens 🇨🇦 were also fun to watch. Diving is really a spectacular sport to watch, and not just for the tiny speedos. I always admire divers. I love to swim and be in the water, but I have never been able to dive. I just can’t bring myself to jump in somewhere head first.

There are three sports I particularly like to watch during the Olympics: men’s diving, men’s swimming, and men’s gymnastics. I will watch women’s gymnastics and a few other sports. I enjoy rowing, the equestrian competitions, and I’m sure there are other events that I can’t think of at the moment, but I’ll admit, I enjoy the men’s sports far more than watching the women compete.

Men’s 10m Synchronized Diving Results

🥇🇨🇳 Lian Junjie / Yang Hao 

🥈🇬🇧 Tom Daley / Noah Williams 

🥉🇨🇦 Nathan Zsombor-Murray / Rylan Wiens 

Moment of Zen: March Madness (Basketball)

I want to wish a very happy birthday to my friend Susan! 🎂