Lugnasa \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Hiroshima Moon<\/p>\n
The beach-volleyball Olympics. \u00a0That’s how I’ll the remember games of the last Olympiad. \u00a0Seemed like every time Kate or I turned on the TV, which we rarely do these days, to watch, there was Kerri and Mitzi. \u00a0Wearing bikinis. \u00a0Battling other well-toned women from various places: \u00a0China, Australia, Italy.<\/p>\n
Then there was the closing day. \u00a0What was the lead off memory piece? \u00a0Beach volleyball. \u00a0And a lot of it.<\/p>\n
Not sure, but the amount of skin might have had something to do with it? \u00a0Also not sure, had I ever watched a complete beach volleyball match before? \u00a0Yes, they were good. \u00a0Yes, it was athletic and tiring. \u00a0But beach volleyball and BMX racing? \u00a0Guess the young, male watcher must be sought after.<\/p>\n
I liked Usain and his bow and arrow impressions. \u00a0Michael Phelps, collecting himself from a loss right out of the blocks. \u00a0Boudina coming back from 18th to win gold. \u00a0OK, I didn’t watch that because diving, as I said before, doesn’t grab me, but still.<\/p>\n
Having the US, plucky little country, come out with more medals that great big rising superpower, China, did tickle my nationalistic pride. \u00a0Maybe a bit too much though our scattershot funding model does pale beside the state run models of China and Russia.<\/p>\n
The opening ceremony. \u00a0It was the best I’ve ever seen. \u00a0It renewed a serious case of Anglophilia and reminded me that I’ve spent a good bit of the last ten years gazing east, reading Chinese books, getting educated about Asian art, traveling in Southeast Asia. \u00a0Might be time to revisit Dickens, the Pre-Raphs, English history.<\/p>\n
There is a bit of push-back in me though; it comes from the genetic Celt within and the miserable track-record (sorry about that one) the English have with Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Mann, even old Cornwall. \u00a0Even so, their xenophobia does not need to blind me to their culture achievements. \u00a0A renewal of that will probably be the lasting impact of this Olympics for me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lugnasa \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Hiroshima Moon The beach-volleyball Olympics. \u00a0That’s how I’ll the remember games of the last Olympiad. \u00a0Seemed like every time Kate or I turned on the TV, which we rarely do … Continue reading The Beach-Volleyball Olympics<\/span>