Good as Gold 

Crosby celebrates his breakaway goal that put Canada up 2-0 over Sweden. Image via Globe and Mail

Sometimes actual gold is much better than "good as gold". I laughed, I cried, I celebrated with a breakfast even Ron Swanson would love – two pieces of fried chicken on a pancake, topped with bacon and poached eggs. Canada winning Men's hockey gold was a good way to start the day, then having brunch with Mark and Mary made it better. I finished off my sauntering Sunday at the Art Gallery of Ontario to see the Guggenheim show which featured some wonderfully famous works particularly by Russian exiles such as Kandinsky and Chagall.

Ironically, the Sochi closing ceremonies featured set pieces showcasing Chagall. He died in France you know, because he was a libertine artist - oh and Jewish. He never returned to Russia though he pined deeply for it. Despite works by Nabokov and Chekov, it seems contemporary Russians are blind to irony. The opening ceremonies in Sochi featured music by Tchaikovsky, who many scholars believe was gay, though Russians prefer to think of him as just a cool lifelong affirmed bachelor. Ahem. Snow goggles aren't the only rose-coloured glasses Russians wear. Still, all in all, a good show by Russia, including seeing a Pussy Riot beat by a Cossack with a whip (how many times do you get to say that?) and a backdrop that allowed Canadians to shine ever so brightly. Here's to winners, the fourth-placers and the upside downers. Beardmode engaged.