— I swear. If I hear the words “swift boat” one more time, I will slip into a coma of von Bulow proportions.<\/p>\n
— Paul Hamm should share that gold medal. Who would want a gold medal under those circumstances? It’s ikky. Sorry. Bad karma. Share the gold medal, and you’ll feel like a big honkin’ hero, Hamm. Hamm said something like, “I feel in my heart that I’m an Olympic hero.” Yeah, well, I feel in my heart that I’m Greta Garbo, but unless this fantasy is somehow validated by my peers – then I have to accept the fact that I am a freckled redhead from Rhode Island. That’s the BREAKS.<\/p>\n
— I watched the final 10 miles of the women’s marathon on Saturday and I cried. It is for moments like that that I love the Olympics. When the “favorite” crumbles, when something unexpected happens – when you can see the overwhelming emotions of all the participants. Poor Paula Radcliffe. I FELT for her. She was obviously in agony, physically, by the time she dropped out. To have made it so far … but her head was jerking up and down, her arm was moving awkwardly – her body obviously was screaming at her: I CAN’T DO THIS. So she had to give up – But what an “agony of defeat” moment. And Deena Kastor surging forward — very very exciting. I have to admit I was annoyed by the Ethiopian runner’s husband – who ran alongside her for what seemed like 10 freakin’ miles, cheering her on. It was cute for maybe 2 seconds, and then I thought: Buddy. Your wife is an OLYMPIC ATHLETE. She can make it through the damn race without you. LET IT GO. Besides, Kastor surged past her anyway. I was concerned that the poor husband would impale himself on his own flagpole in despair. Like: his whole identity was obviously resting on his wife winning – what will he do NOW?? But still – very very exciting, I thought. I was just really moved – the people on the sidelines being so encouraging of poor Radcliffe – cheering her on – but she just could not run any longer.<\/p>\n
— There are more cops than civilians in NYC at this moment.<\/p>\n
— I’m reading Victor Davis Hanson’s Carnage and Culture<\/i>. He’s a much better writer than he is a public speaker. (Have you ever seen him on Book Notes, or be interviewed on C-Span? Jeez, dude, please get some vocal variety before I literally die of psychological boredom. There was one of his interviews in re-play this weekend, and every time I tried to tune in, because I love the guy’s writing, I ended up having to change the channel after about 20 seconds. Zzzzzzzzzzz. He needs some vocal training or something. He speaks in a persistent monotone.) Anyway – It’s a very interesting book. I’m not big on military history, so it’s all new to me. The battle of Salamis (I shuddered at Hanson’s description of it) – the battle of Gaugemela – another horrific description. He certainly does paint a vivid picture, and for someone like myself – who doesn’t know a hoplite from a hopscotch game, and wouldn’t know a phalanx if it came up and bit me on the flank – I am following the stories quite well. There’s a great Glossary at the end of the book, which has been very helpful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
— I swear. If I hear the words “swift boat” one more time, I will slip into a coma of von Bulow proportions. — Paul Hamm should share that gold medal. Who would want a gold medal under those circumstances? … Continue reading