NOVEMBER 28th - Awkward.



Some things are inherently awkward. An ostrich’s body for instance. Awkward. Or a “gamer” trying to impress a supermodel by describing his best killshots on Halo. Awkward. And sometimes awkward is more subjective. Like on this day in 1985, when Ahmad Rashad used Thanksgiving Day to propose to an awkward Bob Costas. I mean he asked an awkward Bob Costas to propose to Phylicia Ayers-Allen aka Mrs. Huxtable from The Cosby Show. Not that Ahmad wanted Bob to marry Phylicia. It was an awkward proposal (the video makes the confusion quite clear). At least I think it was awkward (subjectivity). Basically Ahmad was just like, “I’m in love with Mrs. Huxtable. Awkward Bob, tell her I want to marry her, and she what she says.” Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I feel some things should be personal. I can understand proposing in front of friends and family--people who are actually going to be involved in your marriage, but all of America? Little much. But then there is the chance of the “Big Turkey” ending and Ahmad looking like a fool, making for exciting, and ratings boosting TV. But she did say yes. So moving on from the pros and cons of such a public proposal, there are also some interesting and awkward tid-bits about the wedding. O.J. Simpson was Rashad’s best man. Bill Cosby walked Phylicia down the aisle. Errr. Awkward. I’m not going to comment on this awkward conglomeration of a wedding party, except to say that with the hindsight of the next 30 years, I doubt either of those things happen again. Of course the marriage ended in 2001, so in hindsight, the wedding might not have happened at all. But it did. Leaving me to ponder what was more awkward? The very public proposal that used a 10 year-old Bob Costas as a go-between, or the Rashad kids looking through family photos of the wedding.

This day has been Marked. Awkwardly.

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