Homer's Travels: Inexplicable Sporting Events And Olympic Inactivity

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Inexplicable Sporting Events And Olympic Inactivity

My week has been spent in an Olympic stupor. During the last two weeks I've watched sports that I would never acknowledge existed for the other 206 weeks.  Given the choice of posting and watching the 4x400m whatever, the race won every time.  How can you resist a racer named Bolt or  a skimpily clad rain soaked volleyballer named Misty.  Hey NBC, how about giving us another closeup of those signals?  I can never get enough of that.

It took over my life, filled in all the dead periods, and sucked all motivation out of me.  I witnessed swimming, gymnastics, fencing (it ain't no three musketeers), table tennis (Oh phooey, just call it what it is: ping pong), badminton (Huh?!?), canoeing (what's next: competitive tent erecting?), and synchronized everything (and I mean everything).  What a strange mix of activities.  Here's a list of the sports contested.  Slalom Canoe/Kayak?!?  How did I miss that broadcast?!? Bows, guns, sculls, horses, ropes, hoops, clubs, discs, shots, javelins, balls, batons, foils, poles - innumeral types of sporting equipment.  How do you ship a pole vault pole?  That's what I want to know.  Must be impossible to get it past the TSA not to mention getting it in the overhead bin.

The only time I left the house this week was for the concert and to walk the Homer - I managed to walk Homer every day - something I haven't done for months - poor guy.    Sadly, the more sporting activities I watched, the less real activity I actually participated in.

I ended up watching more of the games this time than any other Olympics in my adult lifetime.  Not sure why.  It might have been the fact I got to go to the Olympic Swim Trials.  They did spark my interest a little more.  I'm not sure.

And now that the Olympic games are almost over, just as I caught a glimpse of freedom, along comes the Democratic and Republican Conventions.  Not sure whats worse, sports coma or political catatonia.  I'm a news junky and, unfortunately, so is the Wife.  She can't save me from my obsession.   But, like a junky who hates his life but can't resist getting that next fix, I will be planted in front of the 46" flat screen soaking up the political lies oratory in splendiferous High-Def.  Resistance is futile.  *sigh*

P.S.  Do you think that the London games will live up to their name:  The Games of the XXX Olympiad?  Just wondering.

4 comments:

  1. I've been the same. I was at a club last night and even kept getting distracted by the basketball game on the big screens.

    I'm glad there's a decent break until the next ones as I am all sported out.

    Off to watch the encore showing of the closing...

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  2. Yeah, I've been watching far, far too much of the games. At least I'll be gone for part of the conventions...

    P.S. I sure hope so. After all, that's how they did it in Ancient Greece...

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  3. We did (accidentally) catch some of that sand volleyball. But the weather her that past two weeks has been gorgeous. We've been on the boat a lot and missed the Olympics. Thanks to the synopses.

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  4. JaG: You better rest up since the next ones are in your back yard and GH, the Wife, and I are all crashing on your couch.

    GH: Haven't we all. Enjoy your vacation.

    Norm: accidentally ... sure.

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