I've probably watched more of the Olympics this time around
than I have in a long time. For two reasons. First of all, I got
hooked into the women gymnasts and secondly, with my new office, my TV is
right at my elbow and whether I'm typing or working on a project, I can see
it (unlike when it was on the other side of the room and I had to turn
around to see it).
I have thoroughly enjoyed the successes of our athletes, but
it does eventually start to feel like overkill. Yes, I want each
athlete in his or her particular sport to do the best they can, but when you
are just watching the results and not necessarily the work that they went
through to win, I start to feel embarrassed at our dominance of the medal
count. it starts to feel like showing off.
(But then I'm the person who, when I was in grammar school
and running for office, always voted for my opponent because I thought that
was the polite thing to do and I assumed he/she would also vote for me.)
But the one thing that amuses me is watching the camera
work. Simone Biles has the same smile she turns on whenever a camera
is pointed at her.
From what I have seen of her when she is not performing she
is a happy person, but she can be having a serious moment and as soon as she
sees the camera, she turns on the smile. (It's the same before she
begins her event. Serious while she goes through the routine in her
head and then the big smile as she gets on stage.
But the thing that amuses more than anything is the camera
work at all the medal ceremonies.
The athletes stand on the stand, get the medal put around
their neck and then the national anthem starts to play. You just
know the cameraman is hoping to find a tear glistening in an eye.
If it begins to look like the athlete is going to get emotional, there is a
slow pan to where the eye is the center of attention. The camera man
is often disappointed.
Michael Phelps admitted to feeling emotional and getting a
little teary when he won his last individual medal, knowing it was the last
time he would stand on that podium and see the American flag slowly rise in
his honor.
If you see this photo in a larger size, you can see that his
right eye is a little glistening, though no actual tears.
But the big money shot is to find an athlete who stands
there with tears streaming down his/her face as the national anthem plays.
The cameraperson must have been positively orgasmic over swimmer Simone
Manuel and her medal time.
But congratulations to all the winners and
still-to-be-winners no matter which country they are from. Let your
tears flow freely--it's what the viewing public are hoping for, and the
camera persons are praying for.
I took the day off today and stayed home and got "stuff"
done. Finished a pocket letter, wrote a dozen Compassion letters,
folded laundry, and cooked a Blue Apron dinner.
I even got a cooking injury. I was slicing a tomato on
our new super sharp mandolin and could not find the thingy that attaches to
the food so you don't slice your finger. I decided to wing it and
found out why you don't slice food without the thingy that attaches to the
food. (Note my Superman bandaid, which I bought in case Ned is here
and needs a bandaid again.)
As I made our dinner, I realized that over the months that I
have been cooking Blue Apron I have learned a lot of cooking skills I never
had before. I have learned so much that when I watch 11 year old on
Chopped Junior I am starting to know what they are talking about.
I have even learned that I can eat (and enjoy) kale, with
the right recipe.
And I love all those little bottles of things that the
liquid ingredients called for in the recipe come in. This particular
recipe, for chicken burgers with hoisin mayonnaise had a record number of
little bottles -- mayonnaise, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and
sriracha
(That brown thing behind the little bottles is how a tomato
is packaged so it doesn't bruise in transit. when a recipe calls for
an egg, it also comes packaged in something like that)
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