Falling For You

Ladies, have you ever gone out to eat with a male friend and been annoyed that they were secretly watching the sports game over your shoulder the entire time? I was that guy last night. Eddie and I went for dollar burgers (yummers) and it came to my attention that the pairs long program happened to be on...on the television directly behind his head. Though I did glance a few times, I knew they would replay everything later that night so I wasn't worried. Until I glanced up at one point and saw the Chinese pair skating...and...crashing. "Don't look don't look" I scolded myself.
When I got home I was just in time for the rebroadcast, however the Chinese skated last and there was about three hours of snowboarding and speedskating and everything else to get throuh first, I tried....
I did see the one pair that couldn't seem to do any of their lifts, that was sad. I think they might have been the Americans. Probably, Americans never have great pairs. The guy would hoist her up like a sack of potatoes then put her directly down again. Maybe his wrist hurt. Or maybe she shouldn't have had the heavy on the cream futtucine for lunch. I don't know.
Anyway, in the recaps that I saw I realized that yesterday was a rough day all around for Olympians of every sport. First in womens skiing there were two major crashes that landed both girls in the hospital...taken by HELICOPTER so you know it was realy serious. One girl is ok and will be back on the slopes to continue....the other one is ok...but done. Then in women's...um...the sport where you slide down a big track on a little sled...like bobsledding but you are alone on a little sled....skelton? Anyway, this woman spun out of control and then it was so creepy, she was knocked unconcious but at the speed she was going she just kept sliding down the course, and no one could do anything. It was weird. But she's conscious now.
THEN...omg...I learned all about the Chinese and figure skating last night. Apparantly the Chinese never had a pairs team for a very long time, when they sent the first pairs team in the seventies they were terrible and the audience laughed at them. The man from that team decided to make skating his life's work and he coaches Chinese teams now that not only kick ass but are full of extreme grace and determination. So, last night when Zhang and Zhang skated, who by the way were not even really expected to medal...it was hugely shocking when they went for a quadruple Shalkow and Girl Zhang not only slammed into the ground but then slid and smashed into the wall. She got up right away to continue...but then couldn't control her pain or emotion and began to cry and hold her knee. Boy Zhang helped her over to the coaches and they set her down for a while. Five minutes later she composed herself and they asked if they may at least finish their program. It was agreed. So, due to the new scoring system in skating you get additional points for every jump/lift you do, and additional points on top of that if you do them after the halfway mark in your long program. Zhang and Zhang went back out on the ice to thunderous applause....Girl Zhang still with a jacked up knee...and did everything perfectly. I mean, everything. Landed every jump, beautiful lifts, the work. Ad because of the degrees of difficulty and all the perfection that was Zhang and Zhang...they won silver.
Amazing isn't it? It was the first Olympic story of the year that made me well up with Olympic pride.
No pressure to my future kids..but I really hope one of them goes to the Olympics because that would make me so proud. But it would be cool too if they were like, poets or doctors or whatever too I guess.
Anyway, I dis not well up with pride and emotion when the snowboarding american gold and silver girls were being interviewed by Bob Costas and kept saying, "I was like, 'Rock On' man, dude, gold? That's crazy." "Well how did you feel while receiving your medal?" "Ah man, I was straight trippin'". That just made me giggle. It made me realize that one day I will be an old lady and I will turn on the tv and have no idea what anyone is saying and I will hit the tv with my cane and say, "What's wrong with all the young people today?" and then eat some pudding and go back to bed.
Anyway...another exciting Olympic day full of crashes and spirit and stuff. God I love these Olympics. And it hasn't even started yet my friends....one week from today....

On a side note...there are no pink poodle cookies in my foyer yet....but I don't think Bittersweet is open yet, so It's cool.