Day 53 -- You Look Marvel-ous

Before they changed the way that figure skating was to be judged (and, in the opinion of many skating coaches, ruined the sport for the majority of the viewing public), it was common knowledge that the first skater in each "flight" would not receive the highest marks.  While this was often seen as unfair to the first skater in the group, it was an accepted practice in the sport and created much drama for the television audience of ABC's Wide World of Sports. The theory was that since they did not know the performance level of the skaters to follow, they always wanted to "leave room at the top" for the rest of the group. Or, to put it in more modern terms, if you give Louie Anderson an "8" on the celebrity diving (train wreck) show Splash, you've got to be prepared to give all of the divers that follow scores in the double digits (and that's including any and all aging child stars).

In the spirit of the old 6.0 judging system for figure skating, I too have been saving room at the top for one of my favorite actors.  If he truly is the ultimate, then whatever sweater I name after him must be just as perfect.  Do I even own such an item? Can there even be a sweater worthy of his rating? Plato would say that there exists a "Form of Perfect Sweaterness" (or, for his purposes "Wool Toga-ness"), and that all sweaters are merely imitations of that perfect form. If that is the case, then no sweater can ever be perfect, but some are better reflections of that ideal form, (and, with that, I've now utilized my minor in Philosophy...finally!).  I would argue that while I might not have the true "Form of Sweaterness," I will probably come awfully close to it with my choice of knitwear today.

Keep your credit cards in your wallet.  This one is not for sale.

Doesn't this sweater just make you want to decorate an old shoe box, cut
a slot in the top, and then wait for those scratch-'n-sniff Valentines to arrive?

As The Most Interesting Man in the world might say, "I don't always wear this heart sweater, but, when I do, it's a thoroughly pleasurable experience." It "ticks" all the boxes (the more I blog, the more I appreciate British expressions)...it's soft, cute, just the right length, and, best of all, it is oh-so-cheerful. I don't have to wear this sweater on Valentines Day...I want to wear it on Valentines Day. In fact, I planned this month's selections out just so that I could wear it on February 14th (and, were it not for my lackadaisical attitude towards keeping up with these entries, my gentle readers would be scrolling through this blog with a chaser of Hawaiian Punch leftover from the classroom Valentines Day party --or maybe something stronger...although I'd be hard-pressed to find anything more "punchy," as it were).  I definitely "heart" this sweater. 

Blogger's Note: While I did wear this sweater on February 14th as planned, I am slightly behind and am writing about it on April 4th.  Apologies to any and all sweater purists out there in the blogosphere.

My rating: Robert Downey, Jr.  Need I say anymore?!  Well, even if I don't, I will because that is how much that I love and admire this exceptional actor.  His talent is undeniable, but it is his personality and wry sense of humor that attracts me all the more.  He has been through such extraordinary circumstances in his life, but has come through them as an even stronger, more beautiful, person. He is, dare I say it, a true Iron Man.  Like this whimsical pullover, he is charming, intelligent, and shows his heart in everything that he does (and, in an added bit of synergy, the heart on this sweater replicates the external heart of Iron Man--which is just about as deep into the non-Archie comic book genre that I can get). He has the super power of making a "Genius, billionaire, philanthropist, playboy," just as appealing as an eccentric detective with a penchant for tweed hats and an aversion to filing cabinets. And, just to make this rating even more of a mobius strip than it already is, today is actually Robert Downey, Jr's birthday.  His present to me? Years of entertainment.  Mine to him?  I named a sweater after him.  Sure, it's not quite the Oscar that he so richly deserved for Chaplin, but it's the closest thing that I've got to that in my closet. Happy Birthday, Robert!  You will always have my heart (sweater).