I watched the Closing Ceremonies last night, which is always an interesting endeavour. It’s a lot of pomp and circumstance, which is fun, but I really just want to see the athletes, most of whom looked like they were having a lot of fun. I got to see Aaron Peirsol messing with Brendan Hansen’s camera, Lisa Leslie smiling like she owned the world and dozens of athletes from as many countries wearing their medals and smiles spread wide across their faces. Every time they passed a camera, they mugged like high school students at a Friday night football game.
Bob Costas, who I really do love, mentioned that the US women’s teams (soccer, basketball and softball) had a combined record of 22-0-1. The women’s soccer team had a tie, I guess. Either way, that means that combined, the women won 22 games en route to their gold medals. Not one American men’s team could pull that off. The only thing that I can think of that the women have over the men is heart. The women play for love of the game. Title IX granted them the ability to play at any level, but there are still so few opportunities for women to make a living playing professional sports in this country. I’m glad when I see huge billboards of Marion Jones and Barrett Christy on the side of Niketown. I love seeing women’s soccer draw the crowds that it can. It makes me happy to see Lisa Anderson and Layne Beachley competing in front of the same crowds as Kelly Slater and Andy Irons. It’s nice to see that, but I wish it were a little more equal, I guess. Not to the point where women become NBA players—I don’t understand the point of the NBA. They’re all overpaid, overmanaged divas. It’s ridiculous. Give me David Robinson, give me Chris Dudley, give me MJ, give me Magic or Danny Ainge or Larry Bird. Take the rest—we don’t need them. Worthless divas, for the most part.
Anyway, this turned into a rant, and it was actually meant as a paean to the Games, so I’ll bring it back to that. Watching the closing ceremonies is always a little bittersweet. I’d love to try to get some friends together and go to the Winter Games 2006 in Torino—that would be sweet. I’d love to go to Beijing. I want to answer that call as part of the youth of the world. We’ll see. Really, I just love being able to lose myself in a bunch of sports that never get enough airtime except for two and a half weeks every four years. I salute each and every athlete who made headlines for winning medals or earned the respect of sports men and women everywhere by just showing up and giving it everything they had, regardless of what place they came in. I know that I couldn’t do it and I am continually amazed by the people who can.
Quote of the Day: “I declare the Games of the 28th Olympiad closed, and in accordance with tradition, I call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now at Beijing, to celebrate with us there the Games of the 29th Olympiad" Dr. Jacques Rogge, reciting the Closing Statement
Monday, August 30, 2004
Friday, August 27, 2004
I, I will be king...
My personal hero of these Olympic Games has suddenly become Rulon Gardner. I mean, he participates in a sport I couldn’t care less about, but the guy is amazing. He’s endured an amazing amount just to get to where he is, and then retired when he said he would. It’s a testament to the strength of his character that he could go out there, wrestle the way he did, accept the bronze with the dignity that he did, and leave his shoes in the middle of the mat. Yes, it’s considered walking away, but no one has ever done it with the grace that he did. He said that the next match he lost would be his last. It technically wasn’t, as he had to continue on to the bronze medal match in order to earn that honor, but after that, he took off his shoes, placed them in the center of the mat, and walked away from wrestling. And good for him. It made me, and I’m sure a good chunk of the other viewers and spectators, cry and good on him for being so courageous. Here’s to you, Rulon.
In other retirement news, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly, Brandi Chastain and Joy Fawcett are going out with a bang as well, having beaten Brazil in the gold medal overtime final for their third straight Olympic gold medal. I had the good fortune to watch the 2003 Women’s World Cup here in Portland and had the time of my life, especially when the US came to town. I also caught the exhibition game when the women came to town during the 1999 World Cup. I also had pictures of the US team all over my wall at camp during the 1999 Cup. My sister and I both played soccer as kids, she longer than I, but we both rabidly devoured anything regarding the US women’s team. These women showed a soccer-oblivious country what it was like to watch women’s sports, to respect women’s sports and most of all, to celebrate women’s sports. Seeing these women go makes me sad because I will miss them, but I cannot wait to see the continuation of what they started.
The only thing that’s bugging me is Bush’s refusal to take down his Olympic ad, after repeated requests from the IOC, the USOC and a protest from some of the Iraqi soccer players. I don’t think it’s being ungrateful. I think it’s disrespectful and contrary to an act of Congress that states that the USOC has “exclusive rights to such terms as ‘Olympic,’ derivatives such as ‘Olympiad,’ and the five interlocking rings. It also specifically says the organization ‘shall be nonpolitical and may not promote the candidacy of an individual seeking public office.’” I got that quote from the sidebar in the Sports section of the Oregonian. Either way, Bush is now defying the IOC, the USOC and an act of Congress. Guess someone ate his Wheaties this morning. Gah.
Quote of the Day: “We could steal time/Just for one day/We can be heroes/For ever and ever/What d'you say?” Heroes, David Bowie
In other retirement news, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly, Brandi Chastain and Joy Fawcett are going out with a bang as well, having beaten Brazil in the gold medal overtime final for their third straight Olympic gold medal. I had the good fortune to watch the 2003 Women’s World Cup here in Portland and had the time of my life, especially when the US came to town. I also caught the exhibition game when the women came to town during the 1999 World Cup. I also had pictures of the US team all over my wall at camp during the 1999 Cup. My sister and I both played soccer as kids, she longer than I, but we both rabidly devoured anything regarding the US women’s team. These women showed a soccer-oblivious country what it was like to watch women’s sports, to respect women’s sports and most of all, to celebrate women’s sports. Seeing these women go makes me sad because I will miss them, but I cannot wait to see the continuation of what they started.
The only thing that’s bugging me is Bush’s refusal to take down his Olympic ad, after repeated requests from the IOC, the USOC and a protest from some of the Iraqi soccer players. I don’t think it’s being ungrateful. I think it’s disrespectful and contrary to an act of Congress that states that the USOC has “exclusive rights to such terms as ‘Olympic,’ derivatives such as ‘Olympiad,’ and the five interlocking rings. It also specifically says the organization ‘shall be nonpolitical and may not promote the candidacy of an individual seeking public office.’” I got that quote from the sidebar in the Sports section of the Oregonian. Either way, Bush is now defying the IOC, the USOC and an act of Congress. Guess someone ate his Wheaties this morning. Gah.
Quote of the Day: “We could steal time/Just for one day/We can be heroes/For ever and ever/What d'you say?” Heroes, David Bowie
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
On a lighter note...
I was browsing through some links today and came upon this article from the website of the British Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association:
21st Nov 2002 Thorpe set to become gay icon
Apparently, he’s the Australian David Beckham. Hell, with a body like that and a smile like his? He can like all the fashion he wants and I still wouldn't kick him out of bed. He so has that cute Aussie surfer thing going for him.
But I still think I like Aaron Peirsol better. Can't explain why.
Quote of the Day: ““Coming at the target, you’re as straight as Magellan/if you’ve got a secret weapon, well you sure as hell ain’t tellin’/Cause your mouth made an offer that their bodies cannot veto/No woman can resist a man who looks good in a Speedo.” Tangerine Speedo, Caviar
21st Nov 2002 Thorpe set to become gay icon
Olympic swimming superstar Ian Thorpe is set to become a gay hero after rebutting rumours he is homosexual but saying he was flattered by the tag, a leading gay activist said on Monday. Thorpe, 20, said late on Sunday he believed people had labelled him homosexual because he was articulate, had an interest in fashion and did not resemble the stereotype of the macho Aussie bloke. "You know I'm a little bit different to what most people would consider being an Australian male," said the Olympic gold medallist and multi-world record holder. "That doesn't make me gay." But he added: "It's the most flattering thing that anyone can ever say because if someone wants to label you or claim you as part of a minority group, it means you must have some strength in your character or in what you do." Marcus O'Donnell, editor of the gay newspaper Sydney Star Observer, said Thorpe's straightforward response to the rumours would win him even more gay fans than he has already. "There have been a lot of rumours and a lot of speculation about Thorpie and really he has hit the nail on the head - it's because he doesn't measure up to the typical macho Aussie sporting hero," O'Donnell said. He said speculation about sporting personalities' sexuality was common because there was a lack of gay sporting role models, apart from a prominent Sydney rugby league player, Ian Roberts. "So when someone new comes along and he has some of what we read as the tell-tale signs - and he doesn't have a girlfriend - then it's natural to start speculating." But he believed the "Ian Thorpe phenomenon" was a telling sign that old stereotypes were breaking down. "It's perfectly cool now to be straight and have an interest in Armani fashion or pearl jewellery or Kylie Minogue, and why shouldn't it be?" he said. "It's great that Thorpe is now confident enough to address these rumours head on, and to do it in such a straightforward way. It could make him even more of a gay icon than he already is." Thorpe said that he believed people were too quick to make such judgments, resulting in a huge number of male celebrities and athletes having the same sexuality "question mark" hanging over their heads. He believed the rumours began because he was in the limelight and perceived as different. "I think it's because when I speak at engagements I try to speak as well as what I possibly can," he said. "I try to be articulate... I don't try and sound macho (with an) Australian accent just for the sake of having it. I have an interest in fashion, I have interests in things most people don't classify as being the macho male thing."
Apparently, he’s the Australian David Beckham. Hell, with a body like that and a smile like his? He can like all the fashion he wants and I still wouldn't kick him out of bed. He so has that cute Aussie surfer thing going for him.
But I still think I like Aaron Peirsol better. Can't explain why.
Quote of the Day: ““Coming at the target, you’re as straight as Magellan/if you’ve got a secret weapon, well you sure as hell ain’t tellin’/Cause your mouth made an offer that their bodies cannot veto/No woman can resist a man who looks good in a Speedo.” Tangerine Speedo, Caviar
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Controversy and Abuse of the Olympics
So, continuing in the Olympic vein, since I can’t seem to break out even when I don’t watch it, I’m weighing in on the whole Paul Hamm thing. I sincerely feel awful for the poor kid. This is ridiculous. It’s his gold medal. Let it lie.
The reason I have finally come to this conclusion is a good point that Martini brought up today, which is that apparently after a review of the tapes, the South Korean gymnast apparently performed a hold that would have deducted 2/10ths of a point. Thus, had the scoring started at 10.0, which is was supposed to, the score still should have been 2/10ths less. According to my math, that would have knocked him out of medal contention entirely, since the scores were so close.
I understand the frustration behind missing a gold medal or any medal by fractions of points. I agree Alexei Nemov was robbed last night. The other night, I was rooting for Svetlana Khorkina too, until she got all bitchy about Carly Patterson. I can see the frustration of the South Koreans. But you don’t see Brendan Hansen, well, that’s not really a good example since I think Aaron Peirsol made some choice comments for him. Anyway, you don’t see the Australians protesting their free relay silver. The Americans touched the wall first. That’s the way it works. The Australian women soundly beat the entire rest of the field in the IM relay because they had two world record holders in the final two legs. Unfair? Not really. The idea of a relay is to load your team with your best swimmers. Seems totally fair to me.
I mean, I’m probably comparing apples and oranges here, which I recognize. I guess since I stopped participating in gymnastics and figure skating when I was very young and never got very good at trampoline in college, I don’t always understand the athletes as much as a those in a sport like skiing or swimming, which I actually competed in later in life. The fact of the matter is, these athletes have given up everything in pursuit of Olympic glory, so clearly, it’s a big deal.
Rather than hounding poor Paul Hamm about giving back his medal, shouldn’t we be focusing on giving Olympic judges more tools to judge subjective sports like gymnastics as accurately as possible? I understand that instant replay is unique to American sports like football, but I think it could be very useful in a subjective sport like gymnastics. Thus, the judging becomes much more fair and much less likely to be affected by human error. The judges are given the facts rather than just saying, “Well, I think I saw…”
On a slightly different note, the most appalling thing I saw last night was an ad claiming that since the US “liberated” Iraq and Afghanistan, there are two more free nations and two fewer terrorist regimes participating in the Olympics. The hell? The IOC is considering asking Bush to pull the ad, seeing as it directly violates several statues of the IOC charter. Well, I guess that’s asking Bush to have some respect for an international body and we all know how he feels about those. Gah.
Quote of the Day: “The use of an Olympic emblem must contribute to the development
of the Olympic Movement and must not detract from its dignity; any association whatsoever between an Olympic emblem and products or services is prohibited if such association is incompatible with the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter or the role of the IOC as set out therein.” Chapter 1, Rule 17, Bye-law 11.4, Olympic Charter.
The reason I have finally come to this conclusion is a good point that Martini brought up today, which is that apparently after a review of the tapes, the South Korean gymnast apparently performed a hold that would have deducted 2/10ths of a point. Thus, had the scoring started at 10.0, which is was supposed to, the score still should have been 2/10ths less. According to my math, that would have knocked him out of medal contention entirely, since the scores were so close.
I understand the frustration behind missing a gold medal or any medal by fractions of points. I agree Alexei Nemov was robbed last night. The other night, I was rooting for Svetlana Khorkina too, until she got all bitchy about Carly Patterson. I can see the frustration of the South Koreans. But you don’t see Brendan Hansen, well, that’s not really a good example since I think Aaron Peirsol made some choice comments for him. Anyway, you don’t see the Australians protesting their free relay silver. The Americans touched the wall first. That’s the way it works. The Australian women soundly beat the entire rest of the field in the IM relay because they had two world record holders in the final two legs. Unfair? Not really. The idea of a relay is to load your team with your best swimmers. Seems totally fair to me.
I mean, I’m probably comparing apples and oranges here, which I recognize. I guess since I stopped participating in gymnastics and figure skating when I was very young and never got very good at trampoline in college, I don’t always understand the athletes as much as a those in a sport like skiing or swimming, which I actually competed in later in life. The fact of the matter is, these athletes have given up everything in pursuit of Olympic glory, so clearly, it’s a big deal.
Rather than hounding poor Paul Hamm about giving back his medal, shouldn’t we be focusing on giving Olympic judges more tools to judge subjective sports like gymnastics as accurately as possible? I understand that instant replay is unique to American sports like football, but I think it could be very useful in a subjective sport like gymnastics. Thus, the judging becomes much more fair and much less likely to be affected by human error. The judges are given the facts rather than just saying, “Well, I think I saw…”
On a slightly different note, the most appalling thing I saw last night was an ad claiming that since the US “liberated” Iraq and Afghanistan, there are two more free nations and two fewer terrorist regimes participating in the Olympics. The hell? The IOC is considering asking Bush to pull the ad, seeing as it directly violates several statues of the IOC charter. Well, I guess that’s asking Bush to have some respect for an international body and we all know how he feels about those. Gah.
Quote of the Day: “The use of an Olympic emblem must contribute to the development
of the Olympic Movement and must not detract from its dignity; any association whatsoever between an Olympic emblem and products or services is prohibited if such association is incompatible with the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter or the role of the IOC as set out therein.” Chapter 1, Rule 17, Bye-law 11.4, Olympic Charter.
Monday, August 23, 2004
The triumphant end of the meet
Well, it looks like the majority of my Olympic watching came to a close with the end of the swimming events on Saturday night. I made Mom and Dad TiVo the night for me since I was co-hosting Sassy’s 30th birthday party with Marshall. The backyard BBQ part was rained out, but since they have a phat front porch, the night was salvaged to the point of being a kickass party. There were a ton of people, loads of good food and we managed to make the keg last until the end of the night. Rock on. There was a rather spirited round of Pass-the-Jager, but we all survived, so bonus. Sassy couldn’t look less 30 if she tried. She also confessed to liking the rain, so even the weather cooperated, in a sense.
I’m delighted that the rain finally kicked in. Yes, I’m weird.
Back to our regularly scheduled Olympics coverage. Watching the end of swimming is always bittersweet because I love it so much, but on the other hand I also know that it’s pretty much the end of my interest in the Games as I’ve never been much for track and field. I do like watching pole-vaulting, so you just never know.
Disclaimer: I am a fan of Michael Phelps. Just so you know. However, I got really tired of every swimming event being All. About. Michael. I’m truly surprised that TPTB at NBC didn’t figure out some way to superimpose him swimming over Ian Crocker in the 4X100 medley relay. I mean, the kid swam something like 18 events and he was getting the medal the team earned anyway. He and Ian both swam breathtaking butterflies earlier in the day. Why wouldn’t he hand off the relay swimming to Ian Crocker? It makes perfect sense to me. Poor Michael was probably just stoked to be out of the water for 24 hours. Besides, I feel obliged to point out that setting a new world record didn’t happen by accident. It happened because there were four world class athletes swimming at the top of their game. The ever-talented (and easy on the eyes) Aaron Peirsol swam a new world record and it counts, since he was the lead leg. Brendan Hanson got to touch the wall before Kitajima, so that had to feel good. Ian Crocker swam an amazing leg and Jason Lezak pulled out an astounding lead to finish well before the world record. It was amazing to see, and I’m disappointed in NBC for taking the glory away from these athletes by constantly panning over to Michael. I just think it diminishes their race a little bit. What Michael did was selfless, impressive and mature. What his teammates did was historical and amazing. I’m proud that they are representing my country. Same with the women’s relay team. Natalie Coughlin is one of my new heroes. I loved the comment that the Australian team needed a world record to beat the US. It was an incredibly graceful way to accept the silver medal and I am every bit as awed by Natalie, Amanda Beard, Jenny Thompson, and Kara Lynn Joyce.
Speaking of disrespectful, I was watching platform diving last night and the cameras followed a visibly upset Emilie Heymans for far, far too long. It was illness-inducing that they decided to follow her away from the pool and into the room next door as she was dealing with the loss of a medal. The fact that the camera was even there was repulsive and I cannot believe someone stayed there that long. It was voyeuristic and completely nauseating. Let the girl get emotional in peace, for God’s sake. Gah.
Other than that, I thought the track and field coverage was interesting and concise. I cried my way through the spot on the Afghani women who are competing as well as women from other Middle Eastern countries, many being the first their country has ever sent. I think it’s a testament to the human spirit and I am awed at the sheer courage of these women for triumphing over odds I cannot even fathom.
OK, so maybe I’m not done with the Olympics yet. Famous last words, eh?
Quote of the Day: “Cursed missed opportunities/am I part of the cure/or am I part of the disease?” Clocks, Coldplay
I’m delighted that the rain finally kicked in. Yes, I’m weird.
Back to our regularly scheduled Olympics coverage. Watching the end of swimming is always bittersweet because I love it so much, but on the other hand I also know that it’s pretty much the end of my interest in the Games as I’ve never been much for track and field. I do like watching pole-vaulting, so you just never know.
Disclaimer: I am a fan of Michael Phelps. Just so you know. However, I got really tired of every swimming event being All. About. Michael. I’m truly surprised that TPTB at NBC didn’t figure out some way to superimpose him swimming over Ian Crocker in the 4X100 medley relay. I mean, the kid swam something like 18 events and he was getting the medal the team earned anyway. He and Ian both swam breathtaking butterflies earlier in the day. Why wouldn’t he hand off the relay swimming to Ian Crocker? It makes perfect sense to me. Poor Michael was probably just stoked to be out of the water for 24 hours. Besides, I feel obliged to point out that setting a new world record didn’t happen by accident. It happened because there were four world class athletes swimming at the top of their game. The ever-talented (and easy on the eyes) Aaron Peirsol swam a new world record and it counts, since he was the lead leg. Brendan Hanson got to touch the wall before Kitajima, so that had to feel good. Ian Crocker swam an amazing leg and Jason Lezak pulled out an astounding lead to finish well before the world record. It was amazing to see, and I’m disappointed in NBC for taking the glory away from these athletes by constantly panning over to Michael. I just think it diminishes their race a little bit. What Michael did was selfless, impressive and mature. What his teammates did was historical and amazing. I’m proud that they are representing my country. Same with the women’s relay team. Natalie Coughlin is one of my new heroes. I loved the comment that the Australian team needed a world record to beat the US. It was an incredibly graceful way to accept the silver medal and I am every bit as awed by Natalie, Amanda Beard, Jenny Thompson, and Kara Lynn Joyce.
Speaking of disrespectful, I was watching platform diving last night and the cameras followed a visibly upset Emilie Heymans for far, far too long. It was illness-inducing that they decided to follow her away from the pool and into the room next door as she was dealing with the loss of a medal. The fact that the camera was even there was repulsive and I cannot believe someone stayed there that long. It was voyeuristic and completely nauseating. Let the girl get emotional in peace, for God’s sake. Gah.
Other than that, I thought the track and field coverage was interesting and concise. I cried my way through the spot on the Afghani women who are competing as well as women from other Middle Eastern countries, many being the first their country has ever sent. I think it’s a testament to the human spirit and I am awed at the sheer courage of these women for triumphing over odds I cannot even fathom.
OK, so maybe I’m not done with the Olympics yet. Famous last words, eh?
Quote of the Day: “Cursed missed opportunities/am I part of the cure/or am I part of the disease?” Clocks, Coldplay
Friday, August 20, 2004
Backstroke and Barrages of Information
I know this is starting to sound like a constant Ode to the Olympics, but every four years (OK, OK, it’s actually two now but since the seasons are different I still consider it four.) I do sort of turn into a hobbit during the competition and stay in to watch TV every night. It makes me feel good to feel like I am watching the same thing as half the world and the fun part is talking about the cool parts with my friends the next day.
Today, of course, everyone was talking about Aaron Peirsol and his near-DQ last night in the 200M backstroke. I have a special affection for backstroke events as that was my stroke when I was a competitive swimmer. According to my mother, it was largely because I didn’t want to put my face in the water when I started racing at age 7, but I would like to think that I continued with it later in life because I was actually good at it. Either way, I love to watch backstroke events and watching Aaron Peirsol, who is such a talented swimmer, is just a bonus. The call, obviously, was completely bogus and I’m glad that it was reversed as quickly as it was. I also am very impressed not only with Peirsol’s conduct during the incident, but also by Markus Rogan, the Austrian swimmer who came in second. He and Peirsol are friends and rivals through NCAA racing as well as the international swimming community, and Rogan was clear to point out that he didn’t think the call was fair and that he wouldn’t necessarily feel right accepting the gold if the call stood. I thought that was an example of a true sportsman and a loyal friend. His other quote? “Friendship is more important than a medal.” Hell yes.
The interesting point that my family discussed last night is that swimmers seem to have such a healthy attitude towards not getting gold medals. It seems that they appreciate the ones that they earn, but that they aren’t as obsessed or controlled by them as athletes in other disciplines. Perhaps it is due to the fact that swimmers have longer careers than other Olympic-level athletes, such as gymnasts and boxers. It just not as brutal a sport on the body as gymnastics or volleyball and the medium (water) stresses the joints much less. Which is not to say that it’s not hardcore, because God knows, swimmers are among the most fit people I know.
I’m starting to babble, but one of the funny things I’ve noticed is that I am starting to get hits because people are looking up “aaron peirsol girlfriend” on Google or Yahoo or whatever. Sorry, don’t know if he has one and I don’t really care either. Don’t get me wrong—he’s definitely cute and seems really cool, but the fact remains that I’m probably never going to meet the guy. However, I am definitely adding both he and Ian Thorpe to my brand new “List of People I want to Surf With.” Even if they would both kick my ass paddling out to the lineup. Oh well.
Quote of the Day: “This is what you get/this is what you get/this is what you get/when you mess with us.” Karma Police, Radiohead.
Today, of course, everyone was talking about Aaron Peirsol and his near-DQ last night in the 200M backstroke. I have a special affection for backstroke events as that was my stroke when I was a competitive swimmer. According to my mother, it was largely because I didn’t want to put my face in the water when I started racing at age 7, but I would like to think that I continued with it later in life because I was actually good at it. Either way, I love to watch backstroke events and watching Aaron Peirsol, who is such a talented swimmer, is just a bonus. The call, obviously, was completely bogus and I’m glad that it was reversed as quickly as it was. I also am very impressed not only with Peirsol’s conduct during the incident, but also by Markus Rogan, the Austrian swimmer who came in second. He and Peirsol are friends and rivals through NCAA racing as well as the international swimming community, and Rogan was clear to point out that he didn’t think the call was fair and that he wouldn’t necessarily feel right accepting the gold if the call stood. I thought that was an example of a true sportsman and a loyal friend. His other quote? “Friendship is more important than a medal.” Hell yes.
The interesting point that my family discussed last night is that swimmers seem to have such a healthy attitude towards not getting gold medals. It seems that they appreciate the ones that they earn, but that they aren’t as obsessed or controlled by them as athletes in other disciplines. Perhaps it is due to the fact that swimmers have longer careers than other Olympic-level athletes, such as gymnasts and boxers. It just not as brutal a sport on the body as gymnastics or volleyball and the medium (water) stresses the joints much less. Which is not to say that it’s not hardcore, because God knows, swimmers are among the most fit people I know.
I’m starting to babble, but one of the funny things I’ve noticed is that I am starting to get hits because people are looking up “aaron peirsol girlfriend” on Google or Yahoo or whatever. Sorry, don’t know if he has one and I don’t really care either. Don’t get me wrong—he’s definitely cute and seems really cool, but the fact remains that I’m probably never going to meet the guy. However, I am definitely adding both he and Ian Thorpe to my brand new “List of People I want to Surf With.” Even if they would both kick my ass paddling out to the lineup. Oh well.
Quote of the Day: “This is what you get/this is what you get/this is what you get/when you mess with us.” Karma Police, Radiohead.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
They are the Champions
Last night was one of the best nights of athletic competition I have ever seen. I got to watch one of the most unbelievable comebacks of all time, as well as the shattering of a longtime record, the return of sport to the birthplace of the Olympics, an American bicycle win and a third place finish by someone who wasn’t supposed to medal.
I managed to stay up until midnight last night watching Paul Hamm’s incredible comeback from literally landing on his ass in front of the judges on his vault. I don’t know all that much about gymnastics, having been deemed too tall to compete when I was about 8, but I have a feeling that coming from that fall to a gold medal is pretty much unheard of. I don’t think it’s ever happened in that level of competition. I don’t know what was in the air at the venue, but it seemed like the pressure really took its toll on the top men’s gymnasts last night, to the tune of a lot of mistakes, both ones I could see and ones I had to listen to the incredibly annoying announcers chatter about. Annoying announcers aside, watching Paul Hamm literally put everything he had on the line was breathtaking. I was joking with my mom that I didn’t think he knew how to smile, but when he reacted to his score by saying “No. NO!!!” and screaming and smiling and nearly collapsing into the embraces of his coaches, it was obvious he was ecstatic.
One of my favorite sports to watch is swimming, and last night was no exception. Watching the women’s 4X200 freestyle relay not only win gold, but shatter the longest standing world record on the swimming books was awe-inspiring. These girls are all between the ages of 16 and 23. They swam so hard and so fast that they beat a record that has stood for 17 years. As a former competitive swimmer, I can appreciate the difficulty they overcame to do that. Natalie Coughlin set the pace and the girls never backed off. Apparently whatever got into the American men last night when they beat the Australians by a fingertip managed to make its way over to the women.
Speaking of Australians, Ian Thorpe managed to pull an upset by landing on the podium in the 100 free with a bronze, in a race he wasn’t even supposed to be a contender in. Pieter van den Hoogenband swam a flawless race for the gold, and I was delighted to see that as well. He is an amazing swimmer and his enthusiasm is beyond infectious.
The shot put took place in ancient Olympia last night, which is kind of funny since the shot put wasn’t actually part of the ancient Games. However, the field was where the ancient Games had taken place thousands of years ago, so a return to that was stirring. I am glad that the Games finally came to Athens and I think it’s been an amazing few days.
Tyler Hamilton took the gold in the individual time trials, which rocks because I have an incredible respect for him. He is the most underrated American cyclist today and is an amazing athlete. I am disappointed that Lance isn’t at the Games, but it gives me that much more respect for Tyler and what he has been able to do.
I have rarely been as proud to watch the national anthem being played for individual athletes as I was tonight.
Quote of the Day: “Get up now and go/Or you’re never gonna know/Never gonna make it in your houses lying low/Give it one good try/Give it all and fight till you die.” Fight Till You Die, Pennywise
I managed to stay up until midnight last night watching Paul Hamm’s incredible comeback from literally landing on his ass in front of the judges on his vault. I don’t know all that much about gymnastics, having been deemed too tall to compete when I was about 8, but I have a feeling that coming from that fall to a gold medal is pretty much unheard of. I don’t think it’s ever happened in that level of competition. I don’t know what was in the air at the venue, but it seemed like the pressure really took its toll on the top men’s gymnasts last night, to the tune of a lot of mistakes, both ones I could see and ones I had to listen to the incredibly annoying announcers chatter about. Annoying announcers aside, watching Paul Hamm literally put everything he had on the line was breathtaking. I was joking with my mom that I didn’t think he knew how to smile, but when he reacted to his score by saying “No. NO!!!” and screaming and smiling and nearly collapsing into the embraces of his coaches, it was obvious he was ecstatic.
One of my favorite sports to watch is swimming, and last night was no exception. Watching the women’s 4X200 freestyle relay not only win gold, but shatter the longest standing world record on the swimming books was awe-inspiring. These girls are all between the ages of 16 and 23. They swam so hard and so fast that they beat a record that has stood for 17 years. As a former competitive swimmer, I can appreciate the difficulty they overcame to do that. Natalie Coughlin set the pace and the girls never backed off. Apparently whatever got into the American men last night when they beat the Australians by a fingertip managed to make its way over to the women.
Speaking of Australians, Ian Thorpe managed to pull an upset by landing on the podium in the 100 free with a bronze, in a race he wasn’t even supposed to be a contender in. Pieter van den Hoogenband swam a flawless race for the gold, and I was delighted to see that as well. He is an amazing swimmer and his enthusiasm is beyond infectious.
The shot put took place in ancient Olympia last night, which is kind of funny since the shot put wasn’t actually part of the ancient Games. However, the field was where the ancient Games had taken place thousands of years ago, so a return to that was stirring. I am glad that the Games finally came to Athens and I think it’s been an amazing few days.
Tyler Hamilton took the gold in the individual time trials, which rocks because I have an incredible respect for him. He is the most underrated American cyclist today and is an amazing athlete. I am disappointed that Lance isn’t at the Games, but it gives me that much more respect for Tyler and what he has been able to do.
I have rarely been as proud to watch the national anthem being played for individual athletes as I was tonight.
Quote of the Day: “Get up now and go/Or you’re never gonna know/Never gonna make it in your houses lying low/Give it one good try/Give it all and fight till you die.” Fight Till You Die, Pennywise
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
The Morning from Hell
It's really bad when your morning starts out the way mine did today. First, Chitown called me to ask me to move his car from my apartment, where it's been parked since I picked it up from the airport for him to somewhere closer to the Streetcar. That's an irritating enough request, but he did it at 5:50 am. So his car remains in front of my apartment, since it would have been too much of a hassle to move it. Was this somewhat passive-aggressive? Yes. Am I sorry? Nope.
Secondly, I ran into an episode of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom in the bathroom this morning when I encountered a large green bug on Steamboat's towel right as I was getting into the shower. I had hoped that it was suitably scared and would remain hidden behind the towel, but as I was rinsing off, it decided to take a flying leap onto the shower curtain and start climbing. I managed to avoid screaming, but I think I still have conditioner in my hair and walked onto the bus with wet hair since my hairdryer is in that same bathroom. I thought it was a grasshopper at first, but after careful analysis here at work, we have determined that it was probably a praying mantis. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
I left a note on the door warning my roommates about the presence of a large insect in the bathroom. Like I said, at least I didn't scream.
On the bright side, I got to watch Ian Thorpe swim and win gold last night and made the discovery that Aaron Peirsol is really, really hot.
Quote of the Day: "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?" Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), Raiders of the Lost Ark
Secondly, I ran into an episode of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom in the bathroom this morning when I encountered a large green bug on Steamboat's towel right as I was getting into the shower. I had hoped that it was suitably scared and would remain hidden behind the towel, but as I was rinsing off, it decided to take a flying leap onto the shower curtain and start climbing. I managed to avoid screaming, but I think I still have conditioner in my hair and walked onto the bus with wet hair since my hairdryer is in that same bathroom. I thought it was a grasshopper at first, but after careful analysis here at work, we have determined that it was probably a praying mantis. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
I left a note on the door warning my roommates about the presence of a large insect in the bathroom. Like I said, at least I didn't scream.
On the bright side, I got to watch Ian Thorpe swim and win gold last night and made the discovery that Aaron Peirsol is really, really hot.
Quote of the Day: "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?" Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), Raiders of the Lost Ark
Monday, August 16, 2004
The Bite and The Olympics
Death Cab for Cutie on Friday night at the Bite of Oregon, plus gallivanting all over the city of Portland. Yay! The show itself was great, followed by a hilarious performance by They Might be Giants, which didn't suck at all. After that, the assembled crew decided to raid Bridgeport Brewing for food and then head over to Montage, since we clearly weren't tired and drunk enough at that point. Good thing our buddy Fuzzy decided to DD and make sure we didn't die. Love him.
Saturday was spent freezing my arse off in the ocean and then discovering that the fin on my rented board was completely loose, thus confirming that I really am a better surfer than that, so I feel vindicated. Plus, I got a free rental out of the deal.
Saturday night and the better part of Sunday was spent watching the Olympics, since I am completely obsessed. I love watching swimming, rowing, beach volleyball, and men's gymnastics. Women's gymnastics I think get too much attention and I was actually glad that the obnoxious men's basketball team got their asses handed to them by Puerto Rico yesterday. Does that make me unAmerican?
My Ian Thorpe obsession reappeared after a 3 3/4 year dormancy when I saw him stroll across the pool deck on Saturday night. That boy is gorgeous. I can't say that I feel the same for Michael Phelps. I think he's a swimming prodigy, but I'll be more interested in watching him in four years when he grows up a little bit more. He's still just a kid. Watching Ian Thorpe four years later has made him that much more impressive (not to mention smoldering hot to look at. Yum.)
My sister has officially stopped mocking me for having a weakness for swimmers. Told her so.
Quote of the Day: "You take your car to work/I'll take my board/And when you run out of fuel I'm still afloat/My buddies and their honies all come along/They seem invincible as they surf along/The sea is rollin' like a thousand pound keg/We're goin' surfin', we're goin' surfin!" Surf Wax America, Weezer
Saturday was spent freezing my arse off in the ocean and then discovering that the fin on my rented board was completely loose, thus confirming that I really am a better surfer than that, so I feel vindicated. Plus, I got a free rental out of the deal.
Saturday night and the better part of Sunday was spent watching the Olympics, since I am completely obsessed. I love watching swimming, rowing, beach volleyball, and men's gymnastics. Women's gymnastics I think get too much attention and I was actually glad that the obnoxious men's basketball team got their asses handed to them by Puerto Rico yesterday. Does that make me unAmerican?
My Ian Thorpe obsession reappeared after a 3 3/4 year dormancy when I saw him stroll across the pool deck on Saturday night. That boy is gorgeous. I can't say that I feel the same for Michael Phelps. I think he's a swimming prodigy, but I'll be more interested in watching him in four years when he grows up a little bit more. He's still just a kid. Watching Ian Thorpe four years later has made him that much more impressive (not to mention smoldering hot to look at. Yum.)
My sister has officially stopped mocking me for having a weakness for swimmers. Told her so.
Quote of the Day: "You take your car to work/I'll take my board/And when you run out of fuel I'm still afloat/My buddies and their honies all come along/They seem invincible as they surf along/The sea is rollin' like a thousand pound keg/We're goin' surfin', we're goin' surfin!" Surf Wax America, Weezer
Friday, August 13, 2004
Beautiful music
Some of my friends played a show at Lola's Room, right in between Ringler's and Crystal Ballroom last night that kicked some serious ass. I'm going to use their real names, since I want you to go see them next time they play. The opening crew was Jake Oken-Berg and George from The Retrofits, this kickass pop band. I've seen them at the Meow Meow before and they play at the Green Room every so often, but the last full show they played was Chick Surf Weekend, and we all know what I was doing that weekend.
Those guys played a really strong, really fun set that was way mellow and fun to listen to. I loved George's mellow cover of Blink-182's Dammit, since it's one of my all time fave songs anyway. Rock on.
Libbie Schrader is my other friend who played. She and I have been friends for over a decade (Jesus, are we really that old?!?) and still keep in touch. She's a very talented singer/songwriter who performs on keyboards and guitar. Her songs are written often about people I know or circumstances I remember, so it's really entertaining for me to watch her play. There were a bunch of old friends at the show, a few I was very excited to see, so we hung out a Ringler's afterwards and I was extremely late to the Yes on 34 CD release party at the Ohm, so I deserve any guilt trip thrown my way by Steamboat. I am a bad roommate.
Either way, my friends and I are hitting the Bite tonight to catch Death Cab for Cutie and They Might be Giants. Rock on!
Quote of the Day: "And it's happened once again/I'll turn to a friend/Someone that understands/sees through the master plan/But everybody's gone and I've been here for too long/To face this on my own/well I guess this is growing up." Dammit, Blink-182
Those guys played a really strong, really fun set that was way mellow and fun to listen to. I loved George's mellow cover of Blink-182's Dammit, since it's one of my all time fave songs anyway. Rock on.
Libbie Schrader is my other friend who played. She and I have been friends for over a decade (Jesus, are we really that old?!?) and still keep in touch. She's a very talented singer/songwriter who performs on keyboards and guitar. Her songs are written often about people I know or circumstances I remember, so it's really entertaining for me to watch her play. There were a bunch of old friends at the show, a few I was very excited to see, so we hung out a Ringler's afterwards and I was extremely late to the Yes on 34 CD release party at the Ohm, so I deserve any guilt trip thrown my way by Steamboat. I am a bad roommate.
Either way, my friends and I are hitting the Bite tonight to catch Death Cab for Cutie and They Might be Giants. Rock on!
Quote of the Day: "And it's happened once again/I'll turn to a friend/Someone that understands/sees through the master plan/But everybody's gone and I've been here for too long/To face this on my own/well I guess this is growing up." Dammit, Blink-182
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Here comes the bride...
Whee! Wedding madness. My family flew en masse to Kentucky to attend my cousin C-dawg’s wedding. C-dawg is my dad’s sister’s kid and is 8 months younger than Speedy, so that made things a little bit interesting. The flights were pretty uneventful, which is never a bad thing. I was a little sleepy, having stayed out a bit late the night before running errands (like buying a copy of the new Beastie Boys album. Go do that. Now.) and running over to Marshall’s to give her sunglasses back, finally. She left for Canada with the Biker kids on Thursday for three weeks.
We landed in Louisville, changed into rehearsal dinner clothes and then piled into the rental car, where Speedy and I promptly passed out for an hour. I woke up as we were pulling into a rest stop for whatever reason. Luckily we were not far from Lexington and then headed into town. The restaurant was this incredibly cute little place called a la lucie, which was by an acquaintance’s old apartment, so I recognized the neighborhood. We got there a little late, but it was no big deal as we waltzed in, greeted half the family and met the entire bridal party. We also sat down and ate like ravenous beasts since airplane food is skimpy now, on top of being bad. Speedy and I made some friends with the bridal party and sections of the groomsmen, being that there weren’t very many of them sitting at the table with us. Either way, there was much wine and Cosmos to drink and chicken phyllo with Brie to eat, so yum. After many drunken toasts, we were released from the restaurant.
After dinner, Mom & Dad headed back to the farm, while we stayed in town with my cousin Boardrat and his girlfriend Dr. D. They took us over to the house where their dog was staying, so we hung out there for a little while and then all walked down the street to the bar next to the Hyatt. We drank a bit too much and I gave my number to this particularly attractive young man who declined to call me until I came home. Go figure. Anyway, we wandered back to Boardrat and Dr. D’s house to chill and sleep off the alcohol. Speedy and I ended up sharing the bed, which was not the disaster I was afraid of. It was also an insanely comfortable bed, which helped.
Mom & Dad picked us up the next morning and took me, Speedy and Boardrat out for breakfast. Dr. D had to run about 8,000 errands before showing up to the salon for pre-wedding prettifying. I am so glad that my cousin didn’t ask me to be in the wedding. After a filling and hangover-reducing breakfast, we dropped Boardrat back at his house and drove over to the shop to pick up a wedding present. It was a crane. No, really. A metal crane. But apparently, C-dawg really wanted it, so we bought it and made the proprietor wrap it or some semblance thereof. Fortunately, she was a friend of the family and it was thus far less painful.
After that purchase, we headed back to the farm to nap, since we did quite a bit of that on the trip. Speedy and I Sherpa-ed all of our stuff up the rather vertiginous stairs up to our beds and promptly passed out after turning on the air conditioner. After refreshing naps, we took turns showering, putting on makeup, drying hair, dressing, driving Dad bonkers and basically running around the house being girly as we got ready for the wedding. We finally got done and jumped in the car for the ride back to town.
The church was really pretty and well-decorated. The flowers were insane, as they must have cost a small fortune. The wedding party looked gorgeous, as did the bride. One-half of the ringbearer duo made it down the aisle while the other half panicked and got carried down by his grandpa. Either way, the service was beautiful, the vows were great and my little cousin is now a wife. Crazy.
We released butterflies instead of throwing birdseed. It sounds better in theory than it worked in practice. Let’s just say that butterflies are still bugs and bugs tend to wig people, especially when they move. In small boxes in my hand. Echhh.
The reception was held at the mansion owned by the University of Kentucky Alumni Association. Gorgeous place on 1,000 acres of Kentucky bluegrass. The food was awesome, the bar was open and loaded and we had a wonderful time. As previously mentioned, my parents got a little bourbon in them and we all tore up the dance floor to the dulcet tones of Nelly. Yeah, exactly.
Saturday was spent recovering, eating, eating more, hanging out with family, spraying egregious amounts of bug spray everywhere, fixing the keg, eating, talking, eating and having a wonderful time. Speedy and I stayed at the campfire down on the side of the property until 2:30am, when one of our cousins had the good sense to drive us back to my grandma’s old house, now the guest house.
Don’t ever drink bourbon at 1am before spending the entire day on a plane. Just don’t.
Quote of the Day: “I know I won’t be leaving here/with you.” Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand
We landed in Louisville, changed into rehearsal dinner clothes and then piled into the rental car, where Speedy and I promptly passed out for an hour. I woke up as we were pulling into a rest stop for whatever reason. Luckily we were not far from Lexington and then headed into town. The restaurant was this incredibly cute little place called a la lucie, which was by an acquaintance’s old apartment, so I recognized the neighborhood. We got there a little late, but it was no big deal as we waltzed in, greeted half the family and met the entire bridal party. We also sat down and ate like ravenous beasts since airplane food is skimpy now, on top of being bad. Speedy and I made some friends with the bridal party and sections of the groomsmen, being that there weren’t very many of them sitting at the table with us. Either way, there was much wine and Cosmos to drink and chicken phyllo with Brie to eat, so yum. After many drunken toasts, we were released from the restaurant.
After dinner, Mom & Dad headed back to the farm, while we stayed in town with my cousin Boardrat and his girlfriend Dr. D. They took us over to the house where their dog was staying, so we hung out there for a little while and then all walked down the street to the bar next to the Hyatt. We drank a bit too much and I gave my number to this particularly attractive young man who declined to call me until I came home. Go figure. Anyway, we wandered back to Boardrat and Dr. D’s house to chill and sleep off the alcohol. Speedy and I ended up sharing the bed, which was not the disaster I was afraid of. It was also an insanely comfortable bed, which helped.
Mom & Dad picked us up the next morning and took me, Speedy and Boardrat out for breakfast. Dr. D had to run about 8,000 errands before showing up to the salon for pre-wedding prettifying. I am so glad that my cousin didn’t ask me to be in the wedding. After a filling and hangover-reducing breakfast, we dropped Boardrat back at his house and drove over to the shop to pick up a wedding present. It was a crane. No, really. A metal crane. But apparently, C-dawg really wanted it, so we bought it and made the proprietor wrap it or some semblance thereof. Fortunately, she was a friend of the family and it was thus far less painful.
After that purchase, we headed back to the farm to nap, since we did quite a bit of that on the trip. Speedy and I Sherpa-ed all of our stuff up the rather vertiginous stairs up to our beds and promptly passed out after turning on the air conditioner. After refreshing naps, we took turns showering, putting on makeup, drying hair, dressing, driving Dad bonkers and basically running around the house being girly as we got ready for the wedding. We finally got done and jumped in the car for the ride back to town.
The church was really pretty and well-decorated. The flowers were insane, as they must have cost a small fortune. The wedding party looked gorgeous, as did the bride. One-half of the ringbearer duo made it down the aisle while the other half panicked and got carried down by his grandpa. Either way, the service was beautiful, the vows were great and my little cousin is now a wife. Crazy.
We released butterflies instead of throwing birdseed. It sounds better in theory than it worked in practice. Let’s just say that butterflies are still bugs and bugs tend to wig people, especially when they move. In small boxes in my hand. Echhh.
The reception was held at the mansion owned by the University of Kentucky Alumni Association. Gorgeous place on 1,000 acres of Kentucky bluegrass. The food was awesome, the bar was open and loaded and we had a wonderful time. As previously mentioned, my parents got a little bourbon in them and we all tore up the dance floor to the dulcet tones of Nelly. Yeah, exactly.
Saturday was spent recovering, eating, eating more, hanging out with family, spraying egregious amounts of bug spray everywhere, fixing the keg, eating, talking, eating and having a wonderful time. Speedy and I stayed at the campfire down on the side of the property until 2:30am, when one of our cousins had the good sense to drive us back to my grandma’s old house, now the guest house.
Don’t ever drink bourbon at 1am before spending the entire day on a plane. Just don’t.
Quote of the Day: “I know I won’t be leaving here/with you.” Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand
Monday, August 09, 2004
It's getting hot in herre...
I don't have time for the promised post today, but hopefully I will have time for it tomorrow instead.
In the meantime, the wedding the whole family went to rocked. Loads of fun.
Plane tickets to Kentucky: $900
Rental car for 4 days: $250
Wedding present: $150
Dancing to Nelly with my parents at the reception: priceless
Quote of the Day: "I got moves you've never seen." Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts), My Best Friend's Wedding
In the meantime, the wedding the whole family went to rocked. Loads of fun.
Plane tickets to Kentucky: $900
Rental car for 4 days: $250
Wedding present: $150
Dancing to Nelly with my parents at the reception: priceless
Quote of the Day: "I got moves you've never seen." Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts), My Best Friend's Wedding
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
What Natural Color?
I dyed my hair brown last night with little bitty blonde highlights in the front. OK, I didn't, but my fabulous hairstylist Kim at the Kalista Salon (see, there's a real name for once, so that if you like my hair you can go to her) did.
I haven't had hair that matches my eyebrows since high school. This is taking a bit of getting used to. It hasn't totally sunk in yet.
I was planning on going flaming red again, but when I had the book of color lying on my lap I decided that I had had it with red. Sick to death, I believe were the words I used. So now I'm a brunette.
Anyway, that's my exciting news for the day. Aren't you glad that you bother with this blog?!? I'm off to a family wedding this weekend, but when I get back, there will be much vitriol directed at Bush & Co as well as the state of Missouri.
Gah.
Quote of the Day: "I got ladyfingers baby/I got kid gloves/baby, I got heart." Ladyfingers, Luscious Jackson
I haven't had hair that matches my eyebrows since high school. This is taking a bit of getting used to. It hasn't totally sunk in yet.
I was planning on going flaming red again, but when I had the book of color lying on my lap I decided that I had had it with red. Sick to death, I believe were the words I used. So now I'm a brunette.
Anyway, that's my exciting news for the day. Aren't you glad that you bother with this blog?!? I'm off to a family wedding this weekend, but when I get back, there will be much vitriol directed at Bush & Co as well as the state of Missouri.
Gah.
Quote of the Day: "I got ladyfingers baby/I got kid gloves/baby, I got heart." Ladyfingers, Luscious Jackson
Monday, August 02, 2004
Flugtag means Flying Day; Soapbox Derby means Beer
Soapbox Derby and Flugtag, all in one weekend. This was such a crazy weekend as Strong Draught and I managed to hit the two major events of the day in one fell swoop. We didn’t catch as much as we probably wanted to, but that’s OK. At least we got to see most of it. I think we both ended up preferring Soapbox Derby, but only because Flugtag was insane and we ended up watching from the Hawthorne Bridge.
I finally staggered out of bed around 9:15 on Saturday morning, which wasn’t even that early considering that I’d had an early evening the night before. Of course, Strong Draught was already awake and fed and was seriously contemplating waking me up at that point. Nice. So I made breakfast, ate, and got ready in under 25 minutes. Impressive, of course.
On the way to the Derby, we stopped by Safeway and picked up tall boys of PBR for the sideline viewing. It’s sort of a requirement to show up to the Soapbox with beer and it’s preferred that beer be PBR. Strong Draught informed me that the next girl he dates has to be able to drink beer at 10 in the morning, just like me. I always forget that not all girls can hang. Go me!
After watching almost two hours of Soapbox qualifying (and taking pictures of our favorite cars…mine was the kiddie pool on wheels driven by the guy in the leetle orange life preserver. I also liked the pink dragon covered in CDs), we tried to decide what to do next. Before we could decide, the German wagon came down, the driver took a giant slurp of Smirnoff straight from the bottle while his co-driver jumped off and pushed the kart and in a faux-Russian accent, said “Good. Push car like good woman.” Strong Draught nearly cried, he was laughing so hard. I had to take a picture of him dangling off the metal bars around the reservoir since that was what was keeping him off the ground. It was awesome.
Finally, we stopped laughing long enough to stroll down to the car and head over to the Flugtag. We decided to take in the view from the Hawthorne Bridge as Waterfront Park was insanely packed and there was no way that we were cramming ourselves in there. So we stationed ourselves on the bridge and Strong Draught got to meet a good chunk of my friends, since Gus, YM, Mermaid and Swimfan all showed up to watch the festivities with us. Much hilarity ensued as we watched people flinging themselves off the 30-foot platform into the Willamette—something which makes them far braver (or dumber) than I. It’s not the drop so much as the river. Eccchhhh.
After we watched “Hair Force One” launch their giant mullet into the river, we decided that our buzzes were nearly gone and that we could all use some lunch. In the meantime, Cigarette-Smoking Man and his roommate SOJB joined us, so we all wandered over to the Lucky Lab and got some lunch. I was far hungrier than I thought I was, so we ate quite well. After that, it immediately became naptime, so Strong Draught and I headed home and crashed out on the couches.
I managed to sleep through dinner with Gaia—I knew that would happen if I didn’t set an alarm and now I feel really bad. Oh well. She seems to have forgiven me, so that’s a good thing.
We motivated over to the party at Eeyore’s, which was a little strange, to be sure. There were a ton of people there, they were already drunk, and everyone was getting a little out of control. It was good to see a bunch of people I haven’t seen in a while, like Mountain Man, the Fourth of July crew and Park City. I also made the acquaintance of Hot Friend, who is a lot cuter than I imagined from Marshall’s descriptions. Dang, that boy’s a hottie. I certainly hope that he shows up to the next party. Strong Draught and CSM drank for a little while before getting bored and leaving, so I got a ride home with YM.
Good thing Sunday was dedicated to washing my car, doing my laundry and catching up on three weeks of “Six Feet Under.”
Quote of the Day: “Dry your eyes mate/There’s plenty more fish in the sea/dry your eyes mate/I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts/but you’re got to walk away now/it’s over.” Dry Your Eyes, The Streets with Chris Martin
I finally staggered out of bed around 9:15 on Saturday morning, which wasn’t even that early considering that I’d had an early evening the night before. Of course, Strong Draught was already awake and fed and was seriously contemplating waking me up at that point. Nice. So I made breakfast, ate, and got ready in under 25 minutes. Impressive, of course.
On the way to the Derby, we stopped by Safeway and picked up tall boys of PBR for the sideline viewing. It’s sort of a requirement to show up to the Soapbox with beer and it’s preferred that beer be PBR. Strong Draught informed me that the next girl he dates has to be able to drink beer at 10 in the morning, just like me. I always forget that not all girls can hang. Go me!
After watching almost two hours of Soapbox qualifying (and taking pictures of our favorite cars…mine was the kiddie pool on wheels driven by the guy in the leetle orange life preserver. I also liked the pink dragon covered in CDs), we tried to decide what to do next. Before we could decide, the German wagon came down, the driver took a giant slurp of Smirnoff straight from the bottle while his co-driver jumped off and pushed the kart and in a faux-Russian accent, said “Good. Push car like good woman.” Strong Draught nearly cried, he was laughing so hard. I had to take a picture of him dangling off the metal bars around the reservoir since that was what was keeping him off the ground. It was awesome.
Finally, we stopped laughing long enough to stroll down to the car and head over to the Flugtag. We decided to take in the view from the Hawthorne Bridge as Waterfront Park was insanely packed and there was no way that we were cramming ourselves in there. So we stationed ourselves on the bridge and Strong Draught got to meet a good chunk of my friends, since Gus, YM, Mermaid and Swimfan all showed up to watch the festivities with us. Much hilarity ensued as we watched people flinging themselves off the 30-foot platform into the Willamette—something which makes them far braver (or dumber) than I. It’s not the drop so much as the river. Eccchhhh.
After we watched “Hair Force One” launch their giant mullet into the river, we decided that our buzzes were nearly gone and that we could all use some lunch. In the meantime, Cigarette-Smoking Man and his roommate SOJB joined us, so we all wandered over to the Lucky Lab and got some lunch. I was far hungrier than I thought I was, so we ate quite well. After that, it immediately became naptime, so Strong Draught and I headed home and crashed out on the couches.
I managed to sleep through dinner with Gaia—I knew that would happen if I didn’t set an alarm and now I feel really bad. Oh well. She seems to have forgiven me, so that’s a good thing.
We motivated over to the party at Eeyore’s, which was a little strange, to be sure. There were a ton of people there, they were already drunk, and everyone was getting a little out of control. It was good to see a bunch of people I haven’t seen in a while, like Mountain Man, the Fourth of July crew and Park City. I also made the acquaintance of Hot Friend, who is a lot cuter than I imagined from Marshall’s descriptions. Dang, that boy’s a hottie. I certainly hope that he shows up to the next party. Strong Draught and CSM drank for a little while before getting bored and leaving, so I got a ride home with YM.
Good thing Sunday was dedicated to washing my car, doing my laundry and catching up on three weeks of “Six Feet Under.”
Quote of the Day: “Dry your eyes mate/There’s plenty more fish in the sea/dry your eyes mate/I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts/but you’re got to walk away now/it’s over.” Dry Your Eyes, The Streets with Chris Martin
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