Closing thoughts on the Olympics...

The opening ceremonies were awesome...literally! Almost flawless[The little girl who actually did the singing should have been out there in the spotlight.]
My opinion remains solid that it was 'stupid' to declare a winner by a hundredth of a point, and it got 'stupider' when a tie happened in gymnastics and yet there were gold and silver medals awarded. However, the 'stupidest' award goes to the rowing races and the fact that a photo finish declared that one of the tieing teams won by three thousandths of a point. How flippin ridiculous is that?

Moving on...
Flo and I happened to see the coverage of synchronized swimming. It was amazing choreography, costuming, athletics, and...hello...teamwork! I know that some people think it is silly or such, but some amazing routines were exhibited!
Also, synchronized gymnastic teams[ like 5 people] who performed beautiful routines with hoops and baton- like projectiles flying through the air, and they made it look easy! It was quite a show of choreography, costumes, athletics, and...hello...teamwork!
And yet, synchronized swimming and synchronized gymnastics did not get the attention that solo swimming and solo gymnastics did.

I have a very difficult time accepting the veracity of the '16' year old Chinese gymnasts.
Doesn't seem believable to me.

Thank God for the safety of all of the Olympians, and in the year 2008 which has violence as an everyday occurrence. Yet, prayers to the family of the coach's father-in-law who was the victim of a random act of violence.
The coverage was often fun. Matt Lauer and Al Roker's skit with the big hoops and twirling ribbons was laughing out loud entertaining. The background info on all of the contestants proved to be inspiring in what it took to get there. 'Family ties' abounded.

Most of all, it was refreshing to see everyone pull together for their country. In the waiting room of the hospital where I volunteer, it made my heart smile when someone would ask me if I would change the channel to the Olympics, and then watch total strangers gather around to witness history as conversation flourished. I'd have to pry them away when it was their turn to have their scheduled medical procedure done!

Onward to 2010 Winter Games. I'll be sipping the hot chocolate with marshmallows while skiers are flying thru the air in the snow. Second thought...maybe some Baileys in coffee. I'll have to think about that!

How 'bout an eclectic entry?

A little of this and a little of that!
I set up today for my next AARP Safe driving class. Right now, there are 24 people signed up, and it is always an adventure. It is 4 hours tomorrow[Sat] and the other 4 on next Sat. If you are new to reading my stories, go back to my post,"You couldn't script this kind of stuff!"[6/1] for a little bit of the 'karma' of the class. New details to come...

I've been watching the Olympics and the USA won both gold and silver in women's gymnastics individual all around. Second place was 0.6[six tenths] difference. Clearly, she was happy to be standing on the platform with her good friend[the gold medal winner] ,and I'll just accept the things that are out of my control. Not even one point's separation of talent. Congrats to all of the athletes...a lot of time and effort went into the pursuit of their dream. And if the closing ceremony is anything like the opening ceremony, I'll be watching. Hopefully, it'll be a performance extraordinaire for the eyes and ears!

In my yard, is Mother Nature's Gold Medal Winner!!
It is a hibiscus flower the size of a dinner plate. My perennial shrub has about 75 buds in various states of growth. I've been cutting off the full blooms and sharing them. One for Flo's table, and I took one to Bunko on Wed night.
People are in awe at the color and detail of this magnificient flower. I brought one into the hospital where I volunteer and placed it on the sign -in counter. Great distractor for people who haven't eaten or had any liquid from midnight of the night before. A woman passing by in the hallway wheeled her mom into the waiting room just to see it closer. Another one stopped me in the hall, and didn't realize that it was real. So, as I left, I gave it to Sue whose job it is to sit in the parking lot booth and calculate how much money you owe. She loved it!
And lastly, as friends of mine were leaving my house, I let the dog walk[??} out with us and she took off in high speed to circle the tree of life. What is that? It is a beautiful evergreen tree that is a known maternity ward for many, many birds and rabbits. Well, Grace flushed a rabbit out and quite the hot pursuit began. The dog does not respond to me calling her when she is chasing rabbits. So I had to go for the gold ring- pull out all of the stops-play my trump 'Come back here' by yelling out...Grace...Want to go for a ride? I had my friend start the car, and then slam the door. Abracadabra! Here-e-'s Gracie! She knows the joy of sticking her head out the window - having her ears flying horizontally...chasing the wind!!
Ain't life grand! It's often the little things that can make ya smile. And yep! yep!! Grace does smile!!

Do you believe in magic?

I am watching the Olympics and it really is kinda fun. I enjoy rooting for the home team. Something about it brings people together with a common focus. A brief hiatus in the everyday allegiance of conservative vs liberal, prejudice vs tolerant, religious vs agnostic, environmentalist vs capitalist, paper or plastic, mayo or miracle whip!!
Hah! I had to inject an element of silly to get to my two topics, the first one being the comical one. I was watching the rowing races[I can't think of the real name for this sport], and I found myself [unconsciously] physically leaning toward the finish line in an effort to help our team move ahead of the others. And even after correcting this goofy behavior, I found myself doing it again! I had to really control this behavior during the gymnastics[ balancing on the very top[beam] of the couch is pretty tricky!]Sometimes for a laugh, I would say,"I can do that"
On to my other point...

Am I the only one to see that the emperor has no clothes??
Many contests are subjective in scoring and a 6.5 edges out a 6.49 and that's the way it is. But the swimmer who lost the gold because of .08 difference in time...Come on! I do not believe that a second can be separated into one hundred parts. Think about it...Oops! Your second is gone! I think it is bizarre, and yet it is accepted as the rule.
If you can wrap your brain around a contest being decided by a hundredth of a second, then please contact me because I have some land in Florida for sale!

An excellent example of awesome!

Anyone who watched the Bejing Olympics's opening ceremonies had to be amazed at the scope and complexity of the choreography- it was a smorgasbord for the senses! It had 15,000 performers involved; some who rehearsed for 4 months of eight hour days. It was so perfect. There was music and costuming coordination that had eye-popping aesthetic magic. The costumes were a vision of color and light. And just when I thought that it wasn't possible to exceed the mesmerizing drama that had already unfolded...a new segment would begin that would absolutely amaze you!
It had visions that appeared at the top of the birdnest which were inspiring and unique. It had a story which unfolded in front of you using rhythm, lighting, color, and surprise.
I have never ever witnessed such an awesome presentation.

Let the games begin!

Wahoo. We are only a couple of days away from the Olympics-history in the making. I wish all of the athletes...all good things. In random order:
good transportation [safe and on time]
good performances
good sportsmanship
good referree-ing
good weather
good health
good atmosphere[no political agendas]
peaceful and inspiring events shared among the many cultures of the planet.
and good luck, too.