Stars when you shine, you know how I feel Scent of the pine, you know how I feel Oh, freedom is mine, and I know how I feel It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me And I'm feelin'... good In my usual line of work I am exposed to a lot of people (no, not like that). I interact with the general public in a large specialized retail location making specific recommendations consulting on foods, wines and spirits, and am considered to be an expert in aspects of my field. So, in the interests of my health versus the coronavirus we're all fighting right now, I asked my management to give me time off until this all corrects itself. My wife's medical issues - and my own - make us more vulnerable. My boss was reluctant, and instead proposed a new night shift which I would manage. Just me and a small team to stock shelves and move freight. Very physical work. "Eh, who needs a Speedo?" I agreed, and began the difficult transition to...

Wow, that's an exotic title. Gymnos is the root word for "gymnasium." It's foundationally a Greek word, meaning "naked." The ancient Greeks and other cultures believed that sports was best done in the nude, and a perfectly sculpted male body - because women were property, more or less - was a tribute to the gods, in whose image we were cast. Bacchus was a Greek deity, renamed Dionysus by the Romans who appropriated this god of the grape-harvest, winemaking and wine, of fertility, ritual madness,   religious ecstasy , and theatre. And I have been locked in a mental and physical battle for dominance by these two conflicting philosophies of life. The first is a focus on physicality and fitness. Of being athletic and healthy, enough so that one shouldn't mind being seen naked upon occasion, as with the ancient athletes. For much of my pre-marital days this was my mindset. On the other hand, during my college years self-indulgence set in....