Gymnastics And Heat.

It's been rough, today.  All kinds of rough.

It started when I stayed up late Monday night to watch Clark Kent turn into Superman and win the bronze medal for the men's gymnastics team.  Then last night when I stayed up to watch The GOAT Simone Biles and the women win the gold. 

And by "stayed up" I mean,  I was laying in bed watching on my Kindle.  I'll admit I kind of dozed off a few times, but managed to catch at least all of the US women's routines.  And they did show all of them, unlike with the men when they just showed a few.  You know, someone mentioned that men's gymnastics isn't that popular.  Well, maybe it would be if NBC would actually...you know, show it. 

Still, I regret nothing.  The men's team was absolutely lit, and Simone...well, she was Simone, and we all felt a little like Snoop Dogg watching her.

Speaking of Snoop Dogg, they did random drug tests out at the plant this afternoon and I know they got at least two people.  Then they had a meeting telling us all that since somebody got shot out in the town, people can no longer bring their lunch bags to the assembly lines.  I asked the HR lady specifically if the clear bag policy meant we can't bring our personal coolers into the plant any more, and she said we could put them into our lockers.  I said, "What about the ones who don't have lockers?"  She said, "Well, they can't bring them to the lines."  But what are they supposed to do, then?  

It's bad enough that we can't bring our insulated cups, but now we can't even have a small cooler of ice to keep a bottle of water or Gatorade in?  And they can't figure out why no one wants to work there...

As if that weren't enough, three were three brazers out today.  Well, technically four, because they never replaced the one who quit a month or so ago.  Then two more left at 9:00 AM.  So that leaves us with 6 brazers -- or 50% manning.  Did they send us any help?  No.

Did they cut us some slack knowing we were very shorthanded and stayed off our butts about not having headers?  Also no.  

Every time I turned around, one of the supervisors was up there looking for some headers.  We did the best we could, but you can't get 100% work out of 50% manpower.  They don't get that, though.  I guess they think if they yell and scream enough, we'll somehow miraculously pull completed headers out of thin air.  

Then Group Leader Shark came around and told some of us to come in at 4:00 tomorrow, so maybe we can catch up.  What gets me is how in the world is counting their parts not a job requirement in tubing?  They say it isn't, and never has been.  Why in the world would they not be required to count?  Or check to see if they're correct, for that matter.  But apparently, neither one is required based on how many times we brazers have to re-order stuff because we didn't have enough parts, or they weren't done right.  

But look!  They filed down those screws that were sticking through the bathroom partition in that one stall.  

In other news, it's the last day of July, and after the little break we had last week, summer is back in full force. But there is hope on the horizon.  

Candy corn hit the stores this week, and there will be football on the TV tomorrow.  

Oh, and I almost forgot.  The fence guy finally called me back.  He apologized for the delay, and is coming out tomorrow afternoon to give me an estimate.  Woo Hoo!

Now, I'd better get to bed.  Goodnight. 

Two Down

I'm almost done getting this fence line cleared.  I got out this morning before it got too hot and cut down the second of the three privet trees.

I still need to move some of the detritus to the brush pile, but that's going to have to wait.  I was already whooped. 

By the time I got this much done, I was so soaked with sweat I had to come in and take a shower before I could even do the housework.  If I hadn't, I think the clean sheets would have been dirtier than the dirty sheets before I'd even gotten them changed.   But I think I have enough cleared to call the surveyor and get the property lines marked.  Then I can call the Fence Guys...and I'm sure you're tired of hearing about my fence.

In fact, I was kind of wavering on even getting my fences replaced due to the economy being so bad and all. What if I spend all that money on the fence, then get laid off or something and wish I had it back?  I don't think that will happen, but even so.  However, this morning when I was out clearing this stuff out, I heard a car door and instantly went on high alert and my first instinct was to hide.  That just solidified my desire for a privacy fence.  I can piddle in my yard without feeling like I've constantly got to look over my shoulder. 

After all that, since I'd already taken a shower, I couldn't really work outside any more, so I watched movies and knit. I finished this headband 

after having to start completely over on it.  I don't know what I did, but somehow I miscounted my rows, or didn't move a stitch marker, but they two sides weren't coming out even.  No biggie.  Two episodes of The Office and one of Time Team and I was right back to where I started. 

Even better, I've got the pattern worked out for an 88 stitch cast on, and I like the results.  Now I can make them in two sizes. In the meantime, I cast on another hat.  

It is Red Heart, obviously, in the colorway celery. I think I have enough for at least two hats, and maybe a headband or two.  

I watched Saving Private Ryan again, and I wasn't any more impressed than I was the first time.  I mean, the opening sequence about D-Day was the best part.  The rest was pretty meh.  Then I watched Miracle -- about the 1980 Olympic hockey team.  

Even after all this time, hearing Al Michaels call

Do you believe in miracles?

Still gives me goosebumps.  

Say, here's a fun bit of trivia for you.  When Al Michaels was recording the audio for the movie, they gave him a script of what he'd said.  However, he just couldn't replicate the emotion of that line, so they cut in the actual audio from the game broadcast.  Here's another fun bit of trivia for you.  Buzz Schneider, a member of that hockey team, was played in the movie by his real life son Billy.  

Pretty cool, huh?

Dear NBC

Here's something you apparently don't know.  Not all of us can stay up half the night to watch medal round because you chose to fill prime time with preliminaries, heats, and pool play.

It's all on tape delay anyway.  Why not show the good stuff when us working people can watch it.

If you aren't going to show medal rounds in prime time, then you should make the replays available online to everyone, not just those with the requisite cable/satellite subscription.

This is the worst coverage I've seen since, well, since the last time you showed the Olympics.  And the time before that.  And the time before that.  But it doesn't really matter anyway, because you've already announced the results!

Sheesh, you'd think you'd learn after a while. But then, Bob Costas still has a job, so I guess not.

Please tell me you don't have the Superbowl this year.

I don't think I can take it.

The Politics of Short Track

There are politics in the Olympics. It shouldn't be that way. It should be the world's finest athletes competing. But it isn't. There are always politics involved, even in short track. How can that be? Isn't short track just skating around in a circle? Yes, but consider this:

Saturday night, February 20th in the 1000 meter semi final. American J. R. Celski was in 4th place. The race was getting short, and he began to make his move. He passed Canadian skater Francois Hamelin to move into third. At that point, the Canadian began grabbing at Celski.

He had his left hand on J.R.'s back, while his right hand reached all the way around to the front of J.R.'s right thigh. J.R. reached back with his left hand and swatted at Hamelin, but he didn't appear to make contact. About two seconds later, the Canadian fell.

In reviewing the race, it was somehow determined that this was J.R.'s fault, and he was disqualified. Now, short track rules clearly state that when a skater is interfered with, he can be advanced to the next round only if he was already in qualifying position at the time of the interference. Francois Hamelin was not in qualifying position. He was in third place, yet he was advanced anyway. Remember this, it will be significant later.

Apolo Ohno won the second semi-final easily. The battle was for second place. And a battle it was. Charles Hamelin of Canada was in second place and Korean Sun Si-Bak was in third. Just before crossing the line, in a move much more blatant than anything J.R. Celski may have done, the Korean reached out and grabbed Hamelin and seemed to try to restrain him from crossing the finish line first.

He did not succeed. By an inch of skate blade, the Canadian crossed the finish line first, yet the Korean skater was not disqualified. He went on to win the B final, from which Celski had been disqualified.

So, the final race was set. It would the the Korean team of Lee Jung Su and Lee Ho Suk, the Hamelin brothers from Canada, Charles and Francois, and Apolo Anton Ohno. The race starts, and the two Canadians take the lead, followed by Apolo, then the Koreans. The time comes. Apolo makes his move. He passes Francois Hamelin, and begins winding up to pass Charles.

But he never gets the chance. Francois Hamelin, who had been advanced from third position due to J.R. Celski's disqualification, puts his hand on Apolo's back and gives him a slight shove. Not much, but enough.

Apolo slips, stumbles, and only his supreme talent and athleticism prevents him from falling. But suddenly, he finds himself in last place, the Koreans having taken advantage of the distraction to move into first and second.

Apolo Ohno, all alone, is dead last, and he's running out of race. With what can only be described as a truly Olympian effort, he passes the two Canadians to claim the bronze.

Francois Hamelin is not disqualified. The race isn't even reviewed.


Fast forward to Friday night, February, 26, to the 500 meter race. After having survived crashes in both heats, Apolo Ohno is in the final. Also skating are Korean Sun Si-Bak, and Francois-Louis Tremblay and Charles Hamelin of Canada. Apolo does not get off to a good start.

He is in fourth place. He is beginning to make his move, to pass the pack on the inside, but the track is crowded. He puts his hand up as a cushion, he said. To keep from running over Tremblay, he said. In an unfortunately timed coincidence, Tremblay slips, catches a skate on the ice and falls.

Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, the Korean passes Canadian Charles Hamelin on the outside. Hamelin reaches out, contacts the Korean, his hand under the Korean's arm and on his torso. He appears to push Sun.

The Korean falls, and in so doing, bumps Hamelin's leg. The Canadian nearly falls, but keeps his feet, spinning backwards across the finish line, followed closely by Apolo Ohno.

The race is reviewed. Correction, APOLO OHNO's race is reviewed. And though, in the 1000 meter race, Francois Hamelin was NOT disqualified for an almost identical move, in the 500 meter race, Apolo Ohno was.

And though, in this race, Charles Hamelin contacts the Korean Sun Si-Bak a whole lot more than Ohno contacted the Canadian Tremblay, he is also NOT disqualified. He is not even reviewed. No, the only one disqualified is Apolo Anton Ohno.

This disqualification gives the other Canadian skater, Francois-Louis Tremblay, the bronze medal.

The judge who made this decision...well, he is Canadian. The honorable thing for the Canadian judge to have done would have been to recuse himself from this situation. It would have been the RIGHT thing to do. But it's not what he did.

The Olympics are still a great thing, but they have fallen so far from what the ancient Greeks practiced--tests of strength and skill. These days, a medal can be won or lost on the whim of a judge.

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Bobsled

For the first time in 62 years, since 1948, America has won a 4 man bobsled gold medal. Congratulations Team USA!

Seventh Medal

Last night, Apolo Ono won his seventh Olympic medal, becoming the most decorated Winter Olympian in US history.

He is now ahead of Bonnie Blair, who has 6, and Eric Heiden, who has 5.

They were speed skaters, too.

Now, some may say Apolo's accomplishment isn't as great as Bonnie and Eric's were.

After all, Eric's medals were all gold. While five of Bonnie's were gold, and one was silver. Apolo only has two gold medals. He also has two silver and three bronze medals.

But the thing about it is, Bonnie and Eric skated alone. For the most part.

Apolo skates short track, with as many as 7 other skaters on the same ice.

With all the pushing and shoving that goes along with such a crowded oval.

It's a lot harder that way.

So, though he may have fewer gold medals

he is just as much a champion as anyone.

And that is as it should be.

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Don't You Hate It

when you sit down to post and forget what you wanted to say? Yeah...

I took some Tylenol PM before I went to bed last night and slept well. I woke up feeling much better. Well enough to watch the Olympics.

Short track, which I absolutely love--just qualifying heats. Down hill skiing, something I've always dreamed of doing. They showed the replay of Lindey Vonn winning gold. Speed skating, Shani Davis winning gold again.

Now they are showing half pipe, which should not even be an Olympic event as far as I'm concerned.

For some reason, I'm just not inspired to post the way I was during the summer Olympics in '08. I'm enjoying watching them, but the stories just aren't there.

Sorry 'bout that.

Medals

Olympic Medal winners at NBC Olympics.com!

The Games Of The XXIX Olympiad

(Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

To me, there's always a bit of sadness when the Olympics are over, almost a mourning. I may have lost interest. I may have even gotten tired of watching, yet there's always a part of me that hates to see them end. I almost feel like I'm losing a friend. Indeed, for many of us, the next time we see some of these athletes will be four years from now, in London.

These have been some special times, these last 17 days. We've seen records fall. We've seen upsets. We've seen underdogs win medals. We've seen redemption. We've seen disappointment. We've seen triumph born of tragedy.

We've seen history made.

It has been a Games filled with memorable moments. From Usain Bolt winning both the 100M and 200M, setting world records in both, to Dara Torres winning 3 silver medals at age 41, a 38 year old winning the women's marathon, and 33 year old winning a silver medal in gymnastics. The men's gymnastics team, who won--even without the Hamm brothers--when everyone else counted them out. Nastia and Shawn. Jonathan Horton. David and Thomas. Jeramy Wariner. Sonya Richards. Dalhauser and Rogers. The Redeem Team.

Michael.

It has all been special, but if I had to point to one single moment that defined these Games for me, it would have to be the men's 4 X 100 freestyle relay.

He was behind. No one thought he would win, but what they didn't know is that he had decided it was time to stop losing this race. It was time to bring this medal back to his country. Back to the United States. And so Jason Lezak swam the final leg of that relay in truly superhuman time--so fast that even Michael Phelps was impressed. He gave every ounce of energy he had to that race, he left everything he had in the pool. And won. Shocking the French. Amazing the world. That is truly the embodiment of the Olympic Spirit. Jason's accomplishment may be overshadowed by the glory that is Michael Phelps, but as Rowdy Gaines said, "He will forever be remembered as the hero of these games."

(JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

And so the flame is extinguished. The games of the 29th Olympiad come to a close. Tomorrow we will go on with our lives--back to work or school. Back to our mundane existence. But we will remember these times. We will remember these games.

For the rest of our lives, a little part of our hearts will remain in Beijing.

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The Spoiler

Preventing a Chinese sweep of the Olympic diving medals was Australian diver Matthew Mitchell, who came from behind in the last round to snatch the gold from Zhou Luxin, who appeared to have the medal locked up. However, in the sixth round, one really bad dive and one really good dive shocked the water cube into silence as Mitchell came from out of nowhere to win the event.

(AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Cody says, "Do they have to wear Speedos?"

Early this morning, the rain clouds moved in and my Saturday Sky


turned gray, and stayed that way. A light rain fell off and on all day. Perfect for watching Olympics and knitting. In addition to the diving, I watched the women's basketball team win their fourth gold medal in a row, and the women's volleyball team take the silver.

Synchronized swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, and track and field events rounded out the day.

The lace shawl is coming along. I've completed round 149, and have only 4 more to go until I get to the border! I should be done--at least with the knitting part--by tomorrow.

Even More Watching

Dalhauser and Rogers did take the goldin beach volleyball. I would have liked to have stayed up and watched it, but sometimes life gets in the way of what you really want to do. I really wish I could have seen that third set. They won it 15-4. Cool.

After Misty and Kerri won their gold, Bob Costas was interviewing them. At one point he asked them if they wore sweats to compete in, would the sport attract as much attention.


They laughed and replied that no, it probably wouldn't. What I want to know is, don't they think the same way about men's beach volleyball? The men wear these:

Can we say "double standard"?

I posted yesterday that the IOC was investigating the ages of the Chinese gymnasts. Unfortunately, they barely even gave lip service to their so-called investigation. According to this article, they've already closed the investigation--after only a few hours-- stating that there was nothing amiss with the girls' ages. I wonder what they actually did, just ask to see the Olympic passports that we all know already were falsified?

Men's platform diving is on tonight. It's my last favorite event.



Dadgum, I just realized something. By the time the next summer Olympics comes around, Cody will have graduated high school. EEK!

Still Watching

Olympics, though most of the sports I really like are completed now, so my interest is beginning to wane.

I watched Shawn Johnson finally get her gold on the balance beam. Nastia Luikin won the silver and the same Chinese girl who landed on her knees in the vault bobbled and wobbled her way through her routine, but still somehow ended up with the bronze.

(LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

Now, Nastia Liukin is very beautiful and graceful, but I've always favored Shawn. I think it may be because she favors one of my cousins so much. Or maybe it's her attitude. She is always smiling, and even though she was getting discouraged, she still focused on the experiences of being in the Olympics and just enjoying being there. You go girl! You deserve it.

On the men's side, Jonathan Horton surprise everyone by winning a silver on the high bar. I'm not so sure he didn't deserve the gold, though, and the crowd seemed to agree with me. They booed his scored when they came up. I'll tell you one thing, it was the best high bar routine I can remember seeing, ever.

(LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

Then last night, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won their second consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball, but I didn't stay up and watch them. I saw the first half of the first set, but so confident was I of their abilities that I went to bed and let them play without me.

Them men's team of Dalhauser and Rogers plays tonight, but I am also confident of their abilities, so they will play without me, too.

In other news, the IOC is finally ordering an investigation into the age of at least one of the Chinese gymnasts.

And finally, lace shawl progress will be counted down until I finish it. As of today, 142 rounds have been completed. I've got 11 more to go!

Woo Hoo!

Light Blogging

Heavy Olympic watching.

I'm a little aggravated at NBC's coverage of the games. The last few events of the gymnastics competitions took place yesterday, China time. They are being shown tonight tape delayed. They are also showing track and field events, also tape delayed.

In what is considered the Prime Time hours, they are showing quarterfinals and semifinals of the track and field events. The MEDAL events of gymnastics won't be coming on until 10:00 PM.

Granted, I'm no TV producer, but I would think medal events should take priority over preliminaries. They should be shown at the times when more people would be able to watch them.

But that's just me.

Oh, lace knitting is coming along right nicely, too. 15 more rounds and a border and I'm done!

Woo Hoo!

I'm No Expert

But it seems to me that a gymnast that lands on her hands and knees ought not place higher than one who did not fall.

But that's just me.

Quiet Sunday

It has been a very quiet day. I've watched Olympics. I've knit lace. I've gotten back to the point I was before I frogged it. I retro-posted my Saturday Sky picture. I just couldn't figure a way to fit it into yesterday's post.

It's just been a very quiet day. A rather emotionally flat day. It feels like the day after Christmas.

With Michael Phelps astonishing accomplishment, Mark Spitz has been brought back into the spotlight a bit. The day Michael tied Spitz's record, NBC did a live interview with the two of them. Of course, Spitz's part had to be broadcast from wherever he lives, because he refused to go to Beijing to watch Michael race. Why? Because nobody would pay his way for him.

I'd heard a bit about Mark Spitz's ego and arrogance, and during that TV interview I saw just a bit of it for myself. It seemed to me that through the whole thing, he was trying to downplay Michael's accomplishment and return the attention to how great he himself was.

At one point, Spitz was asked the question, "All else being equal, who would win between you and Michael?" Spitz hemmed and hawed around quite a bit, desperately trying to tactfully find a way to say that he would, and I wondered if Michael hadn't been right there, would he just have come right out and said it. In the end, he said that they would tie.

I'm not so sure. Spitz didn't swim as many strokes as Michael, nor did he swim the farther distances. He didn't face nearly as challenging a program as Michael. After all, Michael swam 17 races in 8 days. That's a tougher schedule than Spitz ever had to face. I think if you raced them head to head (if you could make Spitz 23 again) Michael would win hands down. The days of Mark the Shark are over. It's time to make way for Superman.

But I give Spitz credit for one thing: he swam with all his hair.

(Neil Leifer)

For your viewing pleasure, I present photos of Michael's amazing finish in the 100 meter butterfly, from above and from below;

(Nick Lalham/Getty Images)

(Underwater Camera/Water Cube/Beijing China)

Michael Phelps with his FINA achievement award:

(Al Bello/Getty Images)

History Has Been Made

(ap photo)

and like Michael, I am at a loss for words. How can one describe such a phenomenal event without it sounding cold and mechanical? Words, phrases, emotions keep running through my mind, but how do I put them all together? Watching the race, I think I was more nervous than the athletes themselves.

I'd been working on this sock

(me)

all day. I'd made it past the heel turn and the gusset decreases when I decided to put it aside and pick up the lace shawl once again. I watched Dara Torres win a silver medal at age 41, then come back less than an hour later and anchor the women's 4 x 100 meter relay, which also won a silver medal.

The next race was the big one. Michael was going for number 8. As time grew nearer, I got more and more jittery. I tried working on the shawl, but my hands were shaking so much I had to set it aside.

I couldn't stay in my chair. By the time the race started, I was on my knees in the floor. As each swimmer entered the water,

(Heinz Kluetmeier/SI)

I cheered him on, yelling "Go Aaron," "Come on, Brendan," "Swim, Michael"--an unusual thing for me to do, but then this was not your ordinary, everyday swim meet.

(Cameron Spencer/ Getty Images)

By the time anchor Jason Lezak swam his leg, I was yelling "Go Jason!" so loudly and franticly, both dogs came over to see what was wrong.

(ap photo)

Jason was once again the hero of the race, holding off a charging Eamon Sullivan from Australia to touch the wall first. There would be no .08 second margin of victory this time. It was clear who won. They'd done it again.

Only this time, they made history.

(Timothy Clary/APF/Getty Images)

And Michael? When he saw that they'd won, when he realized that he'd done what no other human has ever done,

(Greg Wood/APF/Getty Images)

he didn't brag about how great he was, or how he'd set the record, or how he'd become the greatest Olympian ever. No, the first thing he did was to turn to his team mates and say,

"Thank you!"

(Carl De Souza/APF/Getty Images)

And he said it over and over again as he embraced them. "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you."

Character, as well as phenomenal physical ability. He truly is

(Michael Kappler/APF/Getty Images)

Superman.



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