The Olympics are over (until 2014 – SOCHI!!! Winter Olympics and Russia – two of my great loves), and I’m torn between sadness and mild relief that life can return to normal and I don’t have to watch beach volleyball again AT ALL until Rio.
The littles are asking for rhythmic gymnastics lessons; Joy has discovered that she loves tennis; Grace keeps practicing diving off the couch (I would feel so much better about this if she would just put a pillow down first); I want to start practicing for single sculls.
Carl is almost done with Aramaic and ready to start Syriac, then Latin.
I leave it to you to determine which of us has proper priorities.
I learned a few things during the Olympics.
Number One: I am not, nor will I ever be, an athlete. Much as I respect and admire them, my dedication and passion is for writing, not sport. Also, I am incurably clumsy, which is not good in an athlete (well, not for anyone, really, but especially an athlete).
Number Two: For me, beach volleyball gets tremendously boring after half of a game. Water polo is ok for one full game. Court volleyball means I turn the television off immediately. Guess what sports NBC inevitably showed during the day, while I was freest to watch?
Number Three: I really don’t get much pop music (this was cemented during the closing ceremony, where my favorite performers were STOMP).
Number Four: I am always going to get annoyed when people are disdainful about the Olympics. THEY ARE MORE THAN SPORT END OF STORY.
Number Five: I will cry over amazing against-the-odds stories. Also whenever the camera shows Michael Phelps and his family.
Number Six: Mr Bean is funny, but Kenneth Branagh is MAGIC.
Number Seven: I must go to England sometime. I get homesick whenever I see pictures of it – truly homesick – and I’ve never been there. It is, quite simply, in my blood.
Any tidbits of wonder for you during this Olympics?
I totally get the England thing, and I've never been there either. *sigh* someday 🙂
i SO agree with your points above! especially the last! *sigh* we are saving to go to Europe once Jude's a bit bigger and we have the time, but it's going to be hard to choose where- we owe visits to friends in Cyprus, Ireland, and Scotland, but I'd die if I couldn't at least see London too, if we're going to cross the pond.
If you like against the odds stories, you should read up on DJ Williams. He was a tight end at Arkansas and now plays for the Green Bay Packers. Yes, it's football, but it's a good story. This is a good piece my friend Neile did for a special she did on domestic violence. https://vimeo.com/14686960
Maybe someday we'll have to plan a blogging-writers retreat … in Oxford. 🙂
Carl really wants to visit Ireland sometime, and I HAVE to visit Scotland (family heritage) and Wales (steeped in magic and myth!), even aside from all the places we want to visit in England, so if we ever do cross the pond, we're going to have to plan on being there at least a month. Or a few years. I'm good, either way.
I will check that out. I really dislike football, but I do like triumphing against all expectations!
Great lessons, Louise! I totally relate to number one: I will never be an athlete. I'll always be a writer no matter how bad I am at sports. Michael Phelps is a rare uplifting and inspiring story…never give up and pursue your dreams early before its too late. I have family who lives in England and that will be one of many things to go to England. I would love to see where the Olympics took place. It's gotta be a once-in-a-lifetime seeing it.
I absolutely love the Summer Olympics, but I must admit to a little fatigue by the end there. I'm not crazy about the coverage either. At times it really felt like gymnastics and beach volleyball were the only sports being played. I enjoy the combat sports (wrestling, judo, taekwondo, boxing, etc) the most, and I had to look to the internet to find most of them.Anyway, it's nice to go back to normal, but I will miss the games until next time.J.W
I grew up very close to Lake Placid, which has hosted two Olympics, and there really is something magical about visiting it. I defy anyone to not get chills when standing upon the same ice where the Miracle on Ice happened!
Olympic Fatigue – definitely a good way to describe it!
I definitely have the proper priorities. ;^)And someday we do need to see England (especially Oxford), Ireland, Scotland, and Whales. That is also proper priority. And now I can add Cyprus to that list.
The whales, Barnaby, the whales!