A Twinkle in His Eyes and His Toes

I just finished watching the finale for Dancing with the Stars even though the outcome was spoiled for me. Because I went to chorus rehearsal last night, I missed it live. So I watched the recording this evening. I'm quite pleased that my boy Drew won.

For me, the show was all about watching the push for excellence in a forum that ultimately means nothing. The trophy is hideous. There's no tangible monetary gain. Yet most of the competitors really sweated blood. Of course, humiliation on national television serves as a great fear inducer. Still, that induce enough fear in Tatum O'Neal or Master P. I'll bet both of them exert more effort in telling the maid to do the dishes. And I think that's why I never warmed to Stacy Kiebler. She'd had years of ballet and tap training, so she had a shorter distance to travel toward excellence. Her free-style piece was pathetic, and clearly she was coasting. Even though Drew was part of a boy band, that was a completely different arena designed to make him look good. This was a real challenge and his commitment was inspiring. His performances were consistently my favorites.

That drive for excellence humbles me. I have a major paper looming, and the work I've done on it is feeble at best. I have to present it in less than a month, and instead of trying to figure out how to frame it, I should be polishing it up. It's simply disgraceful. I can hide behind the new job, but the truth is that the new job is a cake walk. I couldn't ask for an easier assignment. So, this week is going to be about getting a draft of that paper done.

On another note -- rehearsal last night was fun. I'm definitely glad I didn't audition for a lead role because I wouldn't have had the time to devote to it. As it is, I have one cross, and even that is a little taxing. The show should be cute and a lot of fun.

And of course, it was the first time I saw RP in weeks and he was politely flirty, just enough to live on all week. Ah, how little fantasies sustain our dreary lives!

OK, off to work.