Confession Time

I am here to confess that I am, unequivocally, without embarrassment, no-doubt-about-it...

an Olympics Nerd!

It started out quite early in my life, actually, with what I think could be my very first memory. I remember doing cartwheels and somersaults in my Grandma Sloan's living room. I remember watching Olga Korbut competing in gymnastics at the Olympics and I wanted to be just like her. I'd do a flip, then "stick" my landing with my arms up high. I'd hear the crowd screaming in my mind, and the judges giving me a 9.2 (although that would have been 1972, and I would have been only four; and I'm not sure that my grandparents actually had a television station that would air the Olympics...but that's my memory and I'm sticking to it).

And it continues today, when you will find me watching Bob Costas updates at 3 in the morning; and watching every moment of every swimming event; and cheering on the gymnasts; and crying at the human interest stories the reporters will inundate me with; and cheering on the athletes in the sports I'd never watch otherwise (let's hear it for synchronized swimming! archery! rowing!); and regaling Gary with stories about Michael Phelps' quest for 8 gold medals and the cross country runner who battled childhood disease and poverty and now is in the Olympics (or some other sort of sob story like that); and getting all misty eyed whenever the flag is waving.

I'm trying to put politics aside (although I am seriously doubting that China can pull this thing off--oh, the smog!--and I think it was a shaky decision to have it there in the first place) and will instead jump up and down crazily in front of my television. I will yell "Run!" "Jump!" "Flip!" "Swim Faster!" and "That was SO good!" and "How could she get a higher score for THAT?" and "Oh no!" and "Yes!!" at the television, and my family will think I've gone crazy.

I'll then yell at them for not getting into the Olympics like I am. I'll tell them how they'll sure regret it someday when they can't remember where they were when the American gymnast pulled out a perfect score on the last event of the evening to snatch the gold from the Chinese (I'm hoping something like that happens); and then I'll watch their eyes glaze over as I tell them how I will never forget the USA-Russia hockey game, or the moment when Keri Strug stuck that landing with a broken ankle, or when Greg Louganis hit his head on the diving board. Oh yeah, I remember every precious moment of those things...because I AM an Olympics Nerd.

But that's okay.
It's what I am,
and I admit it,
and I'm--perfectly, like as perfect as a Perfect Ten--okay with it!

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Edited to Add:

The Olympics are NOT disappointing me whatsoever!! In fact, the Olympic Nerd inside of me is extremely happy!! The opening ceremonies were awesome; just beautifully done; the lighting of the torch was pretty danged incredible! Mostly, though, because of THIS ...go watch it if you weren't captivated watching it live in front of the television last night...and the fact that we were all jumping up and down, screaming, and high-fiving because of a SWIMMING event. Probably the best swimming race in history (and made all the sweeter because of the fact that the French had said they would "smash" the American team. Yep, I am not apologizing to my French blogging friends--LOL--for my entire family yelling "Smash that!" after the race was over.) It was awesome, and totally illustrates my fascination with the Olympics! (Did I already tell you that we were screaming like maniacs over a SWIMMING race??)

(Go HERE to read a great story about the race!)

And, oh yeah...THIS is making me happy too. My favorite humor writer, Dave Barry, is blogging from China and his take on the Olympics and China and everything that goes along with it is classic.

Hope you all are having a good Monday. See ya soon!