Today's Olympics

Like many of you, over the past week I have missed a lot of sleep due to Olympic viewing. If sleep deprivation was an Olympic sport, I would be a high favorite for the gold medal.

For as long as I can remember, my regularly scheduled TV programming comes to a complete halt for non-stop Olympic viewing. Which has become more non-stop with satellite TV than "back in the day" when we had, ummm, four channels.

I witnessed the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980, watched Mary Lou Retton win the gold in 1984, and wondered if Greg Lougainis would resurface after smacking his head on the diving board in 1988.

There's something about the Olympics that makes me well up with American pride more than usual. Just seeing those athletes with U-S-A printed across their chest and watching those young faces while our National Anthem plays is somewhat breathtaking.

A part of me always wanted to be an accomplished enough athlete to one day participate. What sport would I have participated in??? Swimming, diving, women's basketball, soccer or field hockey. But that dream never became a reality. I'm afraid my only chances of winning a gold medal today would be in the "ex-athlete who is now 40 and complacent with her sedentary lifestyle" category.

For now, I will be satisfied with my armchair viewing of the Olympics. I'll continue to scream "GO" "GO" "USA" "USA" from the confines of my living room; as if I were sitting in the middle of the Beijing "water cube" watching Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals. Perhaps one day my dream to attend an Olympic games will come true.

Now I am going to leave you with this video of some not so Olympic champions:

Answers needed

Is it just me or does anyone else wonder why the women’s beach volleyball team wears this uniform:

 

 

(George Bush between them is a whole new level of wrongness)

 

and the men’s team wears this one: