You will notice that my blogging frequency is reduced a bit today. Actually, it has been reduced since Sunday. This is because I'm shifting a certain amount of my writing effort to a project that is not the blog, and in the long run is actually more important (or at least, that is surely what my very patient co-author is thinking). I'm here, I'm blogging, I'm just retasking a couple/few hours a day, and on days like this one (busy work day) that means you don't get as much. Through mid week next week.
What I had for dinner was one of those four course meals one makes when one is really hungry and goes to the grocery store and can't decide. Just now Julia and I sitting here thinking "... Hmmm... bulimia ... not a bad idea ... that could happen ..."
No Amanda to help us with this. She is at the Biology Field Station way up north instructing incoming biology-type grad students in esoteric research methods. I'll be heading up there in a couple of days, to the source of the Mississippi (though some have disputed this) where you can stand on these two rocks in the stream that flows out of Lake Itasca and have one foot in the land where all radio call signs start with K and the other foot in the land where all radio call signs start with W.
By the way: Amanda, if you are reading this (I know the cell phones don't work up there, but they do have computers) ... we got totally lost at Riverdale, stuck in a parking lot that had no apparent exit, for like ten minutes. Julia was saying "This is what happens when we leave the house without Amanda...."
Moving on to the Olympic Boycott (this blog is boycotting the Olympics) .... I have only a few comments today.
1) That American chick who did not win the gold medal with her uneven parallel bar routine is too whiny for my tastes. This blog boycotts her. She is one of these athletes with a history of hard luck (that actually goes back a generation to her father, who also did not win some gold medals) who was supposed to rise above it all and take home the gold. Instead, she did a merely incredible job and was bested by another athlete. True, the girl who one the silver (our American won the Bronze) did not do as well, but that his how it goes. I mean, I can feel bad for, and empathize with, an athlete who gets ripped off, but I lose my good feelings with the scowling.
But I do agree with her side that the gymnasts should share medals when they get exactly the same score using standard scoring. The method they used to break the tie was valid, but stupid. Just give them each a medal.
2) I've been to Jamaica, and I quite distinctly remember none going very fast. At all. So why is it that the Jamacans and the Americans (which I can understand ... I've seen them go quite fast) are taking all the track medals, almost? Is Jamaica the new Kenya?
3) The male divers wear exactly the same bathings suits as the Water Polo guys.
Comments
Actually, it's been reduced for about a week and a half, but who's counting?
Posted by: Stephanie Z | August 20, 2008 12:00 AM
No, five days ago I posted two peer reviewed pieces and some other good stuff. And, the present calendar week is my busiest readership week on record. Nearly twenty people have read this blog this week!
Posted by: greg laden | August 20, 2008 12:25 AM
Never seen Cool Runnings?
also, my dad fell into the river there once. His driver's licence still has a mississippi-river-rock-shaped dent.
Posted by: wazza | August 20, 2008 1:55 AM
So we're both counting--differently. :)
Posted by: Stephanie Z | August 20, 2008 8:00 AM