Gracen's Olympic Thrall

Happy Friday!!! I previously blogged about plotting on June 6, 2008, so I won’t bore you with that topic again. ;-) If you want to re-read that blog, here’s the link:

http://deadlyvixens.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html .

I’m not sure how we screwed up and redid the topic again so soon. So, I’ve spent just about all week wondering, thinking, having long intense, angry talks with my tightlipped muse about what I was going to write about today. I’m a tad irritated with my muse right now. *glares hotly at her* She refuses to talk. I even envisioned her doing that little locks her lips sign language thingy and then tossing away the key. *glares at her again* In other words, she ain’t talking. If I could, I would so fire her butt. So, I was reduced to begging for topics from my friends. You want to know what I got? Nothing. Absolutely, positively, nothing…nada. *sighs long and loud*

So, I’m sitting here watching the Olympics Thursday night, mulling over my frustrated depression because I cannot think of even one half-hair brained topic to blog about. That’s when my muse whispers in my ear…”Olympics”. It has been staring me in the face 24/7 all week long, NBC conveniently spotlighting it for me, and suddenly I’m thinking, YES! And why hadn’t I thought of it sooner?

Now, when mentioning the Olympics, one cannot think of it without Michael Phelps swimming through one’s mind. There is a commercial that says Phelps is not part dolphin. Seriously? Do they really expect us to believe that bull malarkey? I don’t. Do you? I am continuously amazed how fast these swimmers (not just Phelps) are, breaking world records like it is cheap stoneware. As I write this, I’m sitting here watching Michael Phelps win a sixth gold medal in world record time again—for the sixth time—beating the silver Olympic winner by 2.31 seconds. WOW! Six gold medals and all six in world record times. He has 26 individual records, tying Mark Spitz. Tonight he was an entire body length away from the silver winner. Less than an hour later, he swam in a semifinal, his fifteenth out of seventeen events, and he placed first again. I am in complete awe.

I’m just as riveted by the beach volleyball duo, Walsh and May-Treanor. And I vehemently dislike volleyball. I’m not a sportsy chick—I wish I were, my waist line wishes I were too and my husband probably does too—but I’m enthralled with the Olympics. I’m too much of a daydreamer to put that much effort into anything physical oriented. Swimmer Rebecca Soni had my husband and I both screaming at the television—as if she could hear us (rolling my eyes)—tonight for her to beat out the fastest woman in the world, Aussie swimmer Liesel Jones. I’m cringing each time I watch the gymnasts because I’m terrified someone will make a mistake and seriously injure themselves. But I’m not cringing enough to make myself turn away. I’ve ate ALL my nails to the quick. You’d think I know these people, but I don’t. At the same time, I’m wondering how much chiropractic care these athletes need. LOL. I know that’s a strange thought, but sometimes my brain wanders to strange thoughts. It’s completely normal for me.

What is it about the Olympics that gets us so fired up? In my home, we’re like football addicts screaming for our favorite team. And here in the South, where I’m from, during football season, there is nothing more important than college football. If you doubt me, you might want to take notes. Football here is a religion. We don’t ask you if you’re a Baptist or Methodist. We ask what team you go for. LOL. And here in Alabama, it’s either the University of Alabama or Auburn University. You have to pick sides. We don’t care where you come from. If you come from Canada, you gotta pick a side. And whatever side you pick, that will define you forever in the eyes of other fanatics...um...I mean fans. Yeah, that's what I meant...FANS! *looks about making sure no one noticed my faux pas* YES, we are crazy...about college football.

The University of Alabama football stadium has just been expanded and seats 92,138 fans. Yes, I’m serious. Auburn University football stadium seats 87,451. Again, yes, I’m serious. On game day, there are NO empty seats. On game day, there are fans that will come from miles away (it’s called tailgating) just to party with the folks that actually have tickets to see the game. Tailgating is crazy and insane and I truly believe unless one grows up in the South, one just cannot begin to understand it. No one can even conceive how insanely crazy southern rednecks (I say that with loving fondness) act on game day until one takes the plunge and attends an Alabama or Auburn football game. Let me put it this way, when I schedule my youngest son’s birthday party, I have to make sure I do not schedule it on a big Alabama or Auburn football game day or no one will show up for the birthday party. Football here is just that important.

But, that crazy love of football reminds me of the obsession we have here in my house with the Olympics. My oldest son has me recording it with the DVR so he can watch it the next day after school. It’s enthralling and wonderful and so much fun watching awesome athletes battle it out to be on top. It’s refreshing and even though I’m not competing these long nights watching it are starting to wear me out. I think it might take me the full two years to recoup for the winter Olympics. ;-)

Give me your thoughts. Are you watching the Olympics? Are you as enthralled as my household?

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!