More of Rick’s Random Ramblings

Sometimes I have a thought or two that I’d like to share with readers, but there’s not enough of a story to make a whole column. So, this week, I’ll share some random ramblings. As always, I welcome your comments.

OLYMPICS

I admit I didn’t watch one minute of the recent Winter Olympics. I saw a few highlights on the news, such as the Quad God sliding on his gluteus maximus across the ice. What a shame. Train for years, practice it thousands of times, get it perfected but on the one time it counts…in front of the judges…you do a swan dive.

There’s no do-over in the Olympics and no medal for eighth place. Four years is a long wait for the next chance.

I used to be a big fan of the Olympics. I had the biggest crush on Dorothy Hamill. But that was back in the day when all the competitors were amateurs. Pros not allowed. The “Miracle on Ice” Gold Medal hockey team in 1980 were all college kids or recent graduates with an average age of 21.

In contrast, the 2026 Gold Medal U.S. team averaged nearly 26 years old, and every member was a player in the National Hockey League.

I know all-amateur Olympics are a thing of the past but so is my interest in watching.

ADVERTISING ICONS

Television advertising has been around since the first program aired. We’re all used to it, though I admit, the mute button and fast-forward get lots of action on my remote. Many of these ads featured mascots. There are currently three mascots that, frankly, I’m tired of. The Energizer Bunny, Aflac Duck and Geico Gecko. I’m an animal lover, so I won’t advocate roadkill as a solution. But it’s time these three joined Charlie Tuna, Silly Rabbit, Joe Camel, Sugar Bear and Mr. Whipple in the mascot retirement home.

Do any of these icons make you more likely to buy the product they are selling? Not me. Seeing the duck dressed in clothes, slam-dunking a basketball, etc. is over the top. Enough! The retirement home has a nice pond he can paddle around all day.

Seeing the bunny beating his drum has passed its usefulness, too. We get the point. Silence!

And the little green lizard with the Cockney accent is annoying me more than any of them. GEICO has had some interesting mascots before such as the cavemen (so easy even a caveman could do it) and Maxwell the Pig (crying Weee-weee-weee!). It’s time for Gecko to join his predecessors in retirement. He can take his little car with him.

TAYLOR SWIFT

I can’t say I’ve ever been a Swiftie. I knew who she was, heard some of her music and saw her at Kansas City Chiefs games. Sue and I didn’t get the global Swift phenomenon and decided to learn more. We watched Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era: A six-episode docuseries offering a behind-the-scenes look at the development, impact, and inner workings of the entire tour, featuring interviews with Swift, her family and guest performers.

She is unreal. More talent, energy, ability, than anybody I’ve seen. The effort that went into that tour show after show is like nothing ever seen before. See the series if you can.

Hats off and thanks, Taylor, and congratulations.

Contact Rick at tct@pageone-inc.com