The Olympics

My own attempt at a meme
I am impressed.

I love watching the Olympics. I missed the last one as I was in Italy. TVs were rare in the little village I was staying in though there was one in The Bar but it was usually tuned to regional soccer (il caccio). The WSJ had an article about which states send the most athletes. CA by far; TX despite its huge population, not so much.

 Pure MI is also poorly represented but one of the athletes who does hail from MI grew up just a block away so it is fun watching her being the goalie for the US Water Polo team. Her older sister was in my Girl Scout troop that I led for 6 years. The future goalie did come along on one of the field trips with her mom we had the last year. International travel, oh boy! This would be much more difficult these days post 9/11. We went to Fort Malden guarding the mouth of the Detroit River built to protect Upper Canada (I keep thinking that they have things backwards) from land hungry Americans and their Manifest Destiny. Remember one of the Presidential Slogans: 54'40 or Fight? Yep that would have been a huge chunk of Canada into our greedy hands. We were to live like early 19th century soldiers cooking and eating the same foods. The girls made their own butter. I forgot the rest of the menu. What struck me most were the sleeping arrangements: wood barracks with a thin straw tick mattress. I was pregnant with Naomi at the time. Not a good sleep... The soldiers could bring their wives with them but the wife would need to share their narrow, hard bed and there was no privacy.

We are not amused: The scowling teenager annoyed that she only received silver for her vault has become a meme for not being impressed. Damn hard to impress a teenager.Sweetie, remember that any second, a camera could be on you especially on the medal stand. Take some lessons from Gabby. Her image is now being photoshopped into all sorts of scenes, first moonwalks, whatever. The gymnastic team felt they had to rename themselves The Fierce Five after a Michigan basketball player thought The Fab Five took away his glory somehow. I think they should retire the I am not impressed Meme to We are not amused  to honor their hostess, the Queen.

PC run amok:  One of the announcers excited about something said of an athlete: He is the first African-American from any country to do....
Hello: African-Americans come from only one country...although just how French is Tony Parker anyway.

Especially fun: Gabby Douglas, US Women's soccer team beating Canada, Women's beach volleyball finals, Allyson Felix, our dreadlocked hurdlers(so cute).

Not fun: Equestrian events, rowing (even though I was briefly a rower), archery, riflery, team handball.

It is cool and raining. Raining. What a concept! I will run in the brief time that it will stop. I don't mind getting wet but there is lightning.