Olympics Update

Wow, what is going on? A tourist at the Olympics was killed by a guy in Beijing?! That's horrible. I was reading an article about this, and one thing that struck me is that it said that "Attacks on foreigners are extremely rare in China, not least because they carry heavier punishment than crimes against Chinese people." <"Olympics 2008: US coach's relative murdered in Beijing" www.guardian.co.uk> That completely sidetracked me from feeling bad about the death to feeling really weird about that statement - it's like saying that it's okay to kill your fellow citizen, but God forbid you hurt a foreigner and bring the criticism of the world upon us. Actually, I can't really see any good reason for that policy, which is probably why I'm not in politics. Killing someone is pretty heinous. Why not have the same punishment, regardless of the victim? Look at what I'm saying. Just think of the injustice of how people are sentenced in the U.S.

Side note: a spectator at an Equestrian event tried to fly a flag with a Tibetan symbol on it and was hauled out of the event. (They did ask her to leave first, and she refused) I applaud the Free Tibet protesters for their determination to bring attention to China's human rights abuses against Tibet, but I really hope that it all stays peaceful and no one gets hurt.

Child at Free Tibet/San Francisco Torch Protest in April, 2008

Side note: So I missed watching Michael Phelps win a gold for swimming, but I did happen to catch badminton?

Whaaat? I don't mean to be disrespectful to the athletes that surely have trained hard for this event, but I have a hard time seeing this as something that should be an olympic sport. It's a backyard game. If I can play it well, I feel like maybe it's a bit too easy for the olympics. Maybe they'll add Connect Four as an Olympic Sport, too.

And please, I really hope they never add Poker as a sport. It's bad enough that it's on ESPN. How much more boring can you get? I really don't want to watch other people play poker. I just don't care. I'd rather watch badminton. At least with badminton, I saw the female player from Indonesia working up a sweat. That is, before I fell asleep. (I'm in my third trimester and on vacation -- give me a break!) Just know that I would have fallen asleep much faster had it been poker.

Rest In Peace

I heard a few days ago that comedian Bernie Mac was in the hospital for pneumonia, but I didn't realize how serious it was. He passed away today at the young age of 50. It was a shock, if only because we are so used to celebrities bouncing back from illnesses and setbacks.

If you only saw him in his movie appearances, you missed out. Check out one of his taped stand up performances; he was hilarious. And no, he was not always P.C. - I can't think of one comedian that I really like that hasn't said something at sometime to offend somebody. (Although, I do have to admit that Bill Cosby's offensive remarks didn't happen during a comedy routine - which might make them worse.)

I didn't even hear until today that Bernie Mac got some flack from Obama for saying some "inappropriate" comments and using "salty" language at a benefit for Obama. Come on, Obama, were you not familiar with his comedy, or are you living in Leave It to Beaver land? I honestly don't know what Mac said, but he is (was) a comedian, and anyone familiar with his comedy would have known what kind of things he would have been liable to say.

Enough of that. That's not what this post is about.

Anyway, Rest in peace, Bernard McCullough. You made us laugh.

"Chicago Comedian Bernie Mac Dead at 50: Fearless rants on race, fatherhood captivated audience." Chicago Tribune, August 9, 2008.

Thats Hot!

I'm loving Paris's response to John McCain's ad.
From Funny or Die.com

'nuff said.

8.8.08

I have to admit, I am a BIG olympics nut! I love the individual sports, the inspiration of these athletes who have committed their lives to excellence in their sport, and even the sappy tear-jerker stories about those who have overcome incredible obstacles.

I'm excited about the start of the games, and hope that with my increasingly addled brain, I don't forget that it's going on and miss some of my favorite sports. (By the way, sorry I've been gone so long -- we've got a lot of catching up to do!)

One world, one dream.

(oh, my corniness begins...)

Is This The End?

What happened? I don't get it. Are you trying to tell me that Battlestar Galactica is over? I'm not mad about how it ended. I don't see any other way to give closure and not be corny and still leave us like "Oh snap" - which is why I love this show so much - it's the mouth hanging-open-factor that happens to me time and time again. I love the great writing, the great acting and the incredible twists in plot.

What I am mad about is that there are so many unanswered questions. D says that to get the answers, you have to go to their website, but I don't wanna. I want another episode. Who is the last of the final five? Why was there that vision of Caprica Six and Baltar with Hera in the Opera House? Why was the door closing? Where were they going? Why is Hera so important? Who cares that she drew a coloring book full of Sixes - maybe she (like everyone else) just thinks the Six is pretty? What's up with "You are the harbinger of death, Kara Thrace"?

Can anyone help me out here?

***On a happier note, glad to see that the Six herself, Tricia Helfer, will be on Burn Notice, another good show. And that the only other show worth watching on SciFi, Eureka, is back. Who is in charge of SciFi's programming? They suck. There are way too many good old Science Fiction shows for you to waste our time with Lucy Lu's old B vampire movies (though I love Lucy), and attack of the giant dinosaurs. What about the original Bionic Woman, Star Trek, Quantum Leap, Friday the 13th the Series -- okay, so that last one was corny. I don't care. I liked it.

Megasaur or Gwen?

My godson, Noah, is the sweetest kid in the world. He has already picked out names for our baby.

He told me a couple of months ago that if the baby is a girl, she should be named Gwen. I said, "That's a nice name. We'll have to keep that in mind." "And", he said, completely serious, "if the baby is a boy, he should be named Megasaur." We're still laughing over that one. But we don't have to worry about that now, because it's not a Megasaur, it's a Gwen!

We had our 20 week (alright, so, it's 21 weeks) ultrasound yesterday. And the ultrasound technician (what are they called? Sonographers?) said, in her infinite wisdom, that it was a girl. I could tell where the head and nose and arms and legs and feet were, but she had to point everything else out to us. Although it was so obvious when we saw the spine -- wow.

I was laying there, and the next thing I knew a couple of tears had rolled down my cheeks. ("Had rolled?" My grandmother would be appalled at my poor grammar.) It was so good to see that the baby was doing well, and growing okay. My husband, D, kept asking me if I was breathing, and I don't think I was. I was so nervous.

The baby kept moving her feet around. D said she was a little soccer player. I said she was a dancer like her mama. But I loved seeing her little clenched fists, up by her face, like she was boxing. She has been moving around a bunch, so maybe she's trying to box her way out. Hope she's more like Laila Ali than Jackie Frasier, or God forbid, Tonya Harding (remember when she was boxing -- why?). I don't even want to say that woman's name in any connection or comparison to my child. Ugh. Anyway, I've been calling her (our baby) my little American Gladiator. I'm really curious to know what kind of a personality she's gonna have.

Lakers vs. Celtics -- the remix

Lakers versus Celtics...

No, no, no...It's the 21st Century. Let's try that again.

That's more like it.

Celtics versus Lakers, 2008. The Remix

Yes, I watched the other games in the finals (okay, 3 of the 6), but I had to work tonight 'til 8 and forgot (!) to set the VCR (shut up. No, I don't have Tivo), so by the time I got home, I only got to see the last 5 minutes of the game. That's alright though, 'cause the Celtics won, 131-92! I'm just saying, don't expect a play by play from me. I like to watch, but I'm no expert. Check out ESPN for that.

My boy at "Str8Hoops" called it in a post back on April 19. He said Celtics over Lakers in 6. Nice. I have no idea what everyone else was saying, but I know that way back when the Celtics picked up Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, I was cheering to myself knowing that we had some nice basketball ahead of us (and at that point, I didn't even realize that Doc Rivers was the coach - that's how long it's been since I've watched.)

I'm someone who doesn't usually get into the games until the playoffs (someone called me a fair-weather fan), but I knew I hadn't heard anything from the Celtics in a while. You don't have to watch every game to know what's going on and who's getting the buzz. I grew up with my Dad cheering on the Celtics, and I was excited to see what Pierce, Allen and Garnett were gonna do, but I do have to say, I was surprised to see them up against the Lakers at the end. At first I was like this is the finals? Like the final finals? Then, I got real excited.

Because my husband doesn't watch as much sports as my Dad does (it's not hard to watch less, since growing up, it was all sports, all the time), I just wasn't in the loop. I was happy to see that the Celtics made it to the playoffs, then that they were Eastern Conference champs, and really happy to see that they made it to the finals against the Lakers. Deja Vu! I like Kobe and Derek Fisher, but neither of them are Magic Johnson. I wasn't for a second going to feel conflicted about cheering on the Celtics against them.

During one of the games, one of the commentators was like: "The Lakers are the team of the future." I was like, yeah, the future. This is the Celtics time to shine. And Paul Pierce? He didn't sit down once during game 5, and in game 1 he had to be carried off the court, only to come back to lead them to the win. He earned that series MVP title. Good for you.

I don't know what was up with KG's outburst after the game! But that's emotion for you. Half the time, I didn't know what he was saying. Something about his mother and "Top of the World" and I did read his lips for part of that bleeped out swear (that made me laugh). But what really made me laugh was when he looked down at the reporter and said "Michelle, you're looking good tonight. You're looking good, girl!" I don't know if he was just all caught up in the emotion or trying to pick her up, but it was funny - my husband was like "Oh God. Go to Ray Allen. He's acted. He knows what to say on camera." Not your normal postgame interview. He did get it together enough for me to understand what he was saying at the press conference. But you know what, KG, I ain't mad at ya. Celebrate.