Boxing boots are awesome.

I'm really digging the boxing boots I've seen some of the guys wearing, especially the red and the blue Nikes. You can learn more about the Nike boxing boots here on the Nike media site (you have to have an account to access the page). I haven't found any super-cool women's boxing shoes on the internet, but that doesn't mean they're not out there somewhere.

A streetwear version of boxing boots for women would be hot -- like the Nikes, maybe in winter white, with matte gold details. I'd love to see people in Aspen and Vail wearing something like this instead of Uggs again this year (not that there's really anything wrong with Uggs when you're in the mountains, where you have to go from a snowy 20 degrees outside to dinner to snowy 0 degrees outside to a bar to too drunk to give a shit).

Hell, now that I think about it, I'd wear some kind of modified satin boxing robe as outerwear, too. Wouldn't that be bad ass? Winter 2008 could be the season of crazy boxing fashion. That's a hell of a lot more fun than all the plaid flannel grunge shit they're showing in magazines.

Sprinters have the best shoes.

Usain Bolt's gold Pumas are rockin' (hell, he's just awesome and I wish he got more coverage in the U.S.). Some of the women have kickin' kicks, too -- I especially like anything gold or silver and sparkly.

Most of us don't need crazy sprinter shoes, but sprint-inspired shoes are hot, if they're cute enough to wear hanging out on the weekend (these are form not function -- I work out in some white Nike Shox -- I know). Puma has some awesome options (I would've posted pictures, but the Puma website is making me crazy -- and OH MY GOD none of the Puma links work):

• Alsten II
• Anwani
• Dapper Dan
• Saloh
• Finesse
• Yin (these are football-inspired but also awesome)

A few things from Zappos:

• Puma Usan Irra Scale
• Puma Speeder M (retro)
• Puma Bullet Track (LOVE these)
• Asics Sakura Diva
• Nike Track Racer (old school -- picture these with shorts and tube socks!!)
• Asics Fury XC (good for fall)
• Adidas Jhana
• Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 Baja
• Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81 (retro)

Hot color = Lithuania green.

There wasn't anything exciting about Lithuania's outfits during the opening ceremonies (although, thankfully, they weren't horrible) -- they wore simple green shirts and (I think) white pants (why is this nowhere on the internet?). The basketball team wears green warm-up shirts, and the awesome Lithuanian fans I saw at the last basketball game almost all had on green t-shirts. The green is somewhere between apple green and kelly green (or at least that's how it looks on my TV) and probably exactly matches the green on the Lithuanian flag.

I've tried to find any Lithuanian Olympic apparel on line but haven't succeeded. Everything I've found is selling USA apparel and weird teddy bear shit. My new "Harlem/Lake" t-shirt from thatsmystop.com seems to be the same color, which is excellent.

Two words: Naomi Yotsumoto.

I only know about her because of a comment on my last post -- I hadn't heard of her before today. But holy crap, how cute is she? The best part? She designs her own outfits. Those Project Runway bitchez better watch out. I don't know how this translates to "real world" fashion, but I do have a weird urge to wear a rainbow-striped minidress and a flower in my hair tomorrow.

So M and I had a fun conversation tonight it went something like this.

M "Do you realize the Olympics are almost over"

Me (that's fricken depressing) "yea I know"

M "I am going to be sad when they are over, I really am"

Me "Me too seriously" (I wish the Olympics had it's own channel 24/7)

Me "Do you think we should get matching Olympic circle tattoos?"

M " Um no we are not at or in the Olympics"

Me "It would have been cool"

I think this is why we only have the Olympics every few years so that we all don't start training to be the next Nastia Luikin or Michael Phelps. Either way the Olympics rock and if I go to the Olympics I will get a tattoo (temporary you needle fearing self).

Till Next time,

HG

The document, first discovered by a search engine hacker who goes by the alias of stryde.hax lists birthdates and hometowns for hundreds of China’s gymnasts.

The document, a spreadsheet titled “2006 Nationwide Gymnastics Registration Table,” is dated February 20, 2006 and lists two members of China's women’s gymnastics, Yang Yilin and He Kexin, as being only 14 years old. To compete, a gymnast is required to turn 16 in the year the Games are held.

A cached document, which has been removed from the website of China’s official sports administration, reads in line 1040 (with column headers in brackets), “[name] He Kexin, [gender] female, [born] 1994-1-1, [hometown], [registering organization] Wuhan City.” (The Epoch Times)

The two gymnasts claimed four medals in total. He Kexin won a gold in the uneven bars and Yang won bronze medals in the uneven bars and in the overall individual competition. Both gymnasts were also part of China's gold medal winning women's team.

According to the document, He Kexin's birthday is January 1, 1994, while Yang Yilin’s birthday is Aug 26, 1993, making her 15 next week.

The cached document, which has been removed from the website of China’s official sports administration, reads in line 811 (with column headers in brackets): “[name] Yang Yilin, [gender] female, [born] 1993-8-26, [hometown] Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, [registering organization] Guangdong Province, [notes] confirmed.”

And on line 1040: “[name] He Kexin, [gender] female, [born] 1994-1-1, [hometown], [registering organization] Wuhan City.”

The incriminating document was found in the Baidu search engine's cache. Baidu bills itself as China's own search engine, and is widely used there. The Google caches of the documents have been removed. The original document has been removed from http://www.sport.gov.cn/, a server run by the General Administration of Sport of China.

By removing the document, it appears that someone has attempted to bury the evidence. Indeed, if these documents are accurate, then China's Communist regime has issued passports to the girls with fake birth dates, allowing them to compete illegally.

Hacker stryde.hax claims to have repeated the search on Google and have found the same document, absent He Kexin's name. The Epoch Times repeated the search on Google hours later with no results.

"Google's cached copy of the spreadsheet does not contain Kexin's age record, and Baidu's does," said stryde.hax in a blog post. "This does not necessarily imply that Google allowed its data to be rewritten by Chinese censors, but the possibility does present itself."

This latest document affirms previous media reports of the athletes' birth dates. The Epoch Times has found these same birth dates in several state-run media reports and on other government websites – for example a now-removed article on the Xinhua news agency website dated Nov. 3, 2007, which is still accessible via the Google cache.

A web search on Baidu.com, entering the names and birthdates provided by this document, yields further references.

Attention will now be focused on how the IOC responds to these accusations, which involve an apparent breach of the Olympic Charter. The discovery of the document has become a hot discussion topic on Slashdot.org, a popular technology website.

At the time of writing, the document in question is still on Baidu's cache of the original page.

The cache:  http://cache.baidu.com/c?m=9d78d513d9d431dc4f9ce3690c66c0166d43f1682ba1d2020ed68448e267504a4172a4fb792d4a4295876b6672b25419afb52172404262eadb8e9f4aaaeecf6c388850652c01d21a4c8458b2930064dc60c70fe9ad1be3a7b863d5ffc5d3a81e0d8b&p=8b2a941786cc43f113fecb3146&user=baidu

http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/chinese-gymnasts-underage-olympics-3097.html

The mayors of most American cities concern themselves with things like crime and budgets, but not in Las Vegas. In a sign that the city has too much money, the mayor of Vegas wants to build a football stadium to try and get the Super Bowl and all Monday night football games. Really? That city has way too much money if this is all the mayor has to think about.

According to our man Mike Florio and profootballtalk.com, Chad Johnson has begun the process of legally changing his last name to Ocho-Cinco. That seems like someone getting hammered and getting a stupid tattoo that they later regret. I wonder if Chad will think it was a good idea to change his name when he's Ocho-Cinco years old?

Speaking of getting hammered, Charles Barkley sure seems to enjoy him some Patron tequila

Makes me want to throw up just watching it.

If you watched Michael Phelps' miraculous comeback win in the 100-meter butterfly race, you were probably like me and thought he lost even after watching the replay numerous times. Well, Sports Illustrated has a great series of pictures that show the finish. Absolutely amazing!

How about the Olympics? I still can't get enough. Whether it's the unbelievably dominating performances of Phelps, Usain Bolt, Misty May and Keri Walsh, or the U.S. basketball teams, or the performances by Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson of the U.S. Gymnastics team, it's just been fun to watch. I still can't believe I have watched as much as I have.

If there is one thing I'd like removed from the Olympics, it is the pommel horse event in men's gymnastics. It is such a dumb, boring event I can't stand it. There should be a simple rule when determining if something can be a gymnastics event-if it's impossible to do a flip during the routine, it should not be an event, period.

I'm extremely happy to see the Cubs playing so well, but as I've learned by being a Cubs fan my whole life, I am cautiously optimistic about the rest of the season and the post season. What is really impressive about this team is that they have the best record in the league and have done it without any real candidate for MVP. At this time of year, when the discussions begin about post season awards, no Cubs player is in the MVP discussion at all. Although you could make a case for four or five guys for team MVP I think that would be Alfonso Soriano, but he's missed eight weeks of the season, so he won't get much consideration for NL MVP.

Finally, last Friday was the Elvis vigil and I was there for the third straight year. The rain throughout the day hurt the crowd so there wasn't nearly as many people there as usual, but MTR, SOTC(Sunday on the Couch) and friends still had a great time and we got to go up through the line to the grave site. Here are some pictures from the night.

That's it for this week.

There s just something not fair about this. You shouldn't be 6'5 and this fast. Why the hell isn't he lining up running fly patterns for USC or something? How would you like to be this guy, he is unbelievable. The best thing is... he likes to coast in the end of his races, jeez!

19.3, are you kidding. I remember when MJ ran the 19.32 and I thought that was the greatest I have ever seen someone run, not tonight!

2. I dislike Tim Connolly more than you will ever understand. From now on he will be referred to as "I think I'm wonderful, with a side of cocky alcoholic douchebag." If you are a female and he is within arms-length, run the other way. If you are attending a hockey game, be glad there is glass separating you."S is for Skank." -A.R. Yes, that is me when I'm filled with disgust. That's just the way it has to be.

3. My friends and I were out yesterday and heard this techno music emitting (yes, emitting) from the red jeep next to us. It was Journey... only it was techno Journey (????). I don't even know where you begin to find that or why you would even want to own it in the first place. Nevertheless, we were intrigued. He also sported a Nickelback bumper sticker and MC Hammer hair which lead me to believe he has questionable taste. Amherst, really?

4. Dear angry nutritionists, (yeah, I know, "E!") I would choose Frosted Flakes over Wheaties too. It tastes better. Maybe Michael Phelps thinks so too. His body, his decision! 

5. Dalhausser and Rogers of USA beach volleyball were mega victorious against Georgia 21-11 and 21-13 in about forty minutes. After 12-3, you might want to start playing for your life. That's just me... They take on Brazil in the gold medal finals.

6. LeBronzeGold James and the U.S. basketball re-dreamy team play friday. He must win.

7. Cute. Yes.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

Wax paper is used to make "Lochte" shiny.

8. I'll end today with JP Dumont going to the zoo with his family. I think the best part is when his little daughter walks through the tubes and stares at the camera (Mama looks like she's about to pop).

In its effort to look good, the government named 3 parks in Beijing as demonstration zones. To demonstrate there, one needed to apply for a permit. Not only have no permits been approved, but some applicants—including two women in their late 70s—have been punished. A grassroots activist who applied for a permit was last seen being taken away in a car by officials.

Here's part of the report from the Guardian:

Chinese authorities have sentenced two women in their 70s to a year’s “re-education through labour” after they applied to protest during the Olympic games, a relative said today.

This week, officials said they had not approved a single permit for a demonstration, despite designating three parks as protest zones....

Wu Dianyuan, 79, and her neighbour Wang Xiuying, 77, sought to protest about their forced eviction from their homes in 2001. They went to the Beijing Public Security Bureau four times this month to request permission to demonstrate in the new zones — created for the Olympics to counter criticism of the limits to political expression in China.

Their applications were neither granted nor denied, but on their first trip PSB officers interrogated them for 10 hours, Wu's son, Li Xuehui, told the New York-based group Human Rights in China.

On August 17, the two women received an order dated July 30 from Beijing’s “re-education through labour commission” sentencing them to one year for “disturbing the public order”. It placed restrictions on their movements and warned that if they breached any of the requirements they would be sent to a labour camp. The system does not require formal hearings or allow appeals.

Li told the Associated Press the women were at home under the observation of a neighbourhood committee. He said no cause had been given for the order.

These are two resolute and stouthearted old women; they made three more visits even after being interrogated for ten hours the first time, and apparently went back again after their sentence of a year's re-education through labor. At that final visit, “officers said they could not apply to protest because of their sentence.”

What a foolish illusion (or vicious pretense), to think (or say) that allowing China to host the Olympics would result in any substantive positive change there. China has put on a big show in Beijing while earthquake victims in Sichuan are still homeless, and multi-national corporations made money. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Left, He Kexin, one of China's allegedly 16-year old gymnasts, performs on the uneven bars. Kexin won the gold medal. The Associated Press/Amy Sancetta. Source.

Below, An elderly woman mourns her grandson buried under the debris of a collapsed building after the Sichuan earthquake. Daily Mail. Source.

Welcome to JAMROCK.... This mas seems to be unstoppable.. now all he needs is the 400m and he can run on water.. Usain Bolt breaks world record (again) to win 200m.

Previously: Usain “Lightning” Bolt: A Jamaican Miracle

Not much anticipated guy, buy won the bronze medal for India. India is winning the medal in this category after 52 years.  Sushil, you made us proud.

Nastia and Shawn were amazing at the Olympics, sure to inspire the next generation of great American gymnasts.

Cheers,
MK

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Please share your story here!

I heart the Olympics.  The accumulation of thousand of hours of training.  Long hours perfecting technique.  Representing your country at what you do best.  Knowing that there is no 'next season'.  Many of us that train for a sport or to push our athletic genetic potential.  Even for those that don't, most gym enthusiast have quite the competitive nature.  Perhaps that's why a sedentary lifestyle won't satisfy us.  We need that lil' extra something, we need something to work towards, something to get our bodies in motion!

Calm down Eric.  Deep breaths. Getting off topic again...back to the Olympics.  I'm sure some of you out there have seen a couple events that made you say; 'what the *#$*? no wayyyy!'.  With no further ado, here is some random Olympic stuff that makes me happy.

5. Beach volleyball.  'Nuff said.

4.  Team U.S.A basketball.  I'm a huge basketball fan.  A little too young to remember and appreciate the original dream team.  Old enough to remember the disappointments in the recent Olympics.  It feels so good to watch some of my favorite NBA players wipe the floor out there.  Kobe is on a mission.

3. Usian Bolt.  The fastest guy I've seen has the much appropriate last name Bolt.  This guy seems to be that much better than everybody else.  I missed the 200m race but was lucky enough to see the 100m.  "Lightening" bolted to the finish line in what looked like about as difficult as me playing running back in a Pee Wee football league.

2. Mikey Phelps.  He was the big name going into the Olympics this year.  He lived up to the hype and expectations.  As a side note, there is a lot of discussion on the internet about how he eats 15,000 calories a day much of which appears to be what many would consider to be junk food.  He is a swimmer, at the highest competitive level.  He can get away with that.  You can't.  Don't hate.

1.  The men's 4x100 was probably the coolest thing I have ever seen ever ever really ever.  I was going to just incorporate this into the Phelps discussion but decided it needed its own number.   I even placed it above Phelps because this happened way back a few days ago when Phelps only had a measly 2 Gold medals.  I think the announcer was saying how the good old U.S of A just couldn't beat the French until the final 25m of the race.  Classic! Reminds me of Rudy, Remember the Titans, and every Rocky movie rolled up into one, ultra American, underdog, coming from behind in the final second to win.

As always, happy lifting.

Obviously, though, the story again was Usain Bolt.  Damn, can that man run!  I didn't think I would ever seen domination like Michael Johnson in 1996.  But I did just a bit ago on tape on NBC.  Impressive!  And, so far, what a meet for Team Jamaica!  The sprint events for the two genders athletics will alone have Jamaica in the middle of the pack in the medal standings.  I guess they can do more than run bobsleds down there in Kingston.

*I can only post the link because Microsoft is retarded and doesn't get how this whole Internet thing works, sorry.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0820_SD_SYB_HL_L1047

What I appreciate about the new system is that extends beyond the notion of the "Perfect 10." 10 was absolute, but 10 did not elaborate on itself. If you received one, your performance was perfect; if you didn't receive one something was obviously wrong with your presentation. Flawed.

The other day during my air balance beam practice, I decided to try a dismount off the ottoman. I perched about twelve inches above the ground. I pointed my right toe down in front of me, took a step, and then I sprung off the end of the ottoman and followed my leap to the floor. No somersaults, no twists; just pointed toes which turned to strongly planted feet and an extended body. I stuck the landing! No balance checks, just a big smile. Perfect 10, right?

The old system would want to deduct everything from my routine, but it has no choice but to roll its eyes in a smugly objective way. I performed that landing perfectly.

The new system would mock me. It would assign the routine a start value of negative 6 trillion, give me a "perfect" score of -5,999,999,999,990 then pat my head ever so condescendingly and send me on my way.

(New system, would you please not pat my head? I'm a whole inch taller than Shawn Johnson. I'm also TWICE HER AGE. Thanks.)

The new system, however, allows for more accountability. You're in charge of your performance. A more difficult routine increases the chances of receiving a higher score. Difficulty involves more spins and twists and quickness between those elements. Connectivity and continuity are key. Then if you can make the routine look beautiful with flowing lines, exceptional, balletic extension and no bobbles and falls, that further improves your score.

The new system rewards what kind of gymnast you are; the old system did not make that distinction. The new system encourages creativity and fine-tuning. The new system nurtures the thinking gymnast; it stirs desire and does not emphasize absolute perfection. Just do your best, and get better.

So far in Olympics gymnastics, I’ve seen ambition and grace in different combinations. The gymnasts fared in varying degrees, from truly disappointing to unbelievably successful. In the women’s balance beam finals, Shawn Johnson had power, precision and pluck. Nastia Liukin had elegance, emotion and enigma. Each was captivating in her own way. Though Nastia scored higher in execution, Shawn’s higher start value gave her the win.

They understood the system. They gave their best and hoped for a higher score.

This year in seminary we'll be studying the New Testament. Last year as we studied the Old Testament we discussed the many stories that foretold the Messiah or were a type of Christ. Moses carved a staff for his snakebitten people to simply look upon and be healed. Esther intervened to save the Jews from destruction.

We got a hefty dose of the Law of Moses and a deeper look at its purpose. This law was to prepare the Israelites for their promised land and how to live once they got there.

The God of the Old Testament always seemed so harsh and merciless. Many stories ended with someone or a lot of people being struck dead. On the spot. With little or no explanation. The only way I can reconcile this in my finite mind is to remind myself how stubborn the Israelites were. They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, not because they were so far away from their destination geographically, but because their hearts were so distant from the Lord.

This continued to be the case, and God showed his wrath in extreme ways throughout the Old Testament. Donkeys talked to people. Walls crumbled. Armies of thousands collapsed, dead. One has to wonder if these events would have happened if the people had listened to God the first time and wanted to obey him.

The strongest lesson I took from studying the Old Testament is that the Lord knows our hearts. He smote and he blessed according to people's hearts, but he did it because it was his will to do it. It plays into the big picture, the grand scheme, the eternal plan.

The New Testament offers Christ himself as a character. He is born; he lives in a community, amongst rich and diverse cultures. There is no "type" or foreshadow. He is the symbol, living and breathing. All the journeys, wars, plights, and strict enforcement of the Law of Moses during the previous 5,000 years have come to a climax. Christ, because he can, sets aside the Law of Moses and introduces the Higher Law.

Christ teaches that precisely obeying the hundreds of rules of the Law of Moses does not prove one's perfection as a person. Christ teaches that if you’ve coveted something of your neighbor's, you’ve already stolen it. If you’ve lusted after someone, you’ve already committed immorality. He also teaches that while you weren't specifically commanded to help a mother with her stroller down the stairs to the subway platform, if you don't offer to help her, you might as well have pushed her down the stairs.

This Higher Law requires a heightened awareness. It involves a bigger spiritual effort. It demands humility to ask for the capacity of heart to become a better person. It not only demonstrates the Lord knowing our hearts, but it necessitates that we have to own up to what's in them, regardless of whether it leads to perceptible behavior. Life's start value can and does get harder. How do we execute? The Higher Law really gets down to the type of people we are.

The Higher Law redefines perfection beyond the minutiae of the Law of Moses. We are not ranked against each other, but judged as individuals according to the law, which our hearts have hopefully clung to. We cannot settle for a "Perfect 10" but must continually strive for an elevated score, for improvement, for as close to perfect as we can possibly get, a score we cannot possibly comprehend. Because, if we can progress perfectly – if we can give our best with all our hearts – that might be the ticket to a gold medal.

While that is serious enough, there is a parallel universe of contenders, in business. Their habits of 'excess' have positioned them in exactly the same place where their ability to compete is diminished. They are too top-heavy in management or carrying too large a 'spare tire' of unproductive personnel who follow antiquated 'training', inefficient processes, and the like. While some struggle and defend their inability to loose this 'poundage', others have found ways to trim budgets and become 'lean' and more 'agile' in their practices. Most have done so by returning to a proven diet of basic 'food groups' of business importance. And in an interesting parallel, many of those same thought leaders have also realized the business benefits of that same healthy approach in the lifestyles of their personnel. They have all found that common solution rather than giving up and quitting.

Seth Goodin in his book - 'The DIP' looks (perhaps as one-of-a-kind) on the subject of 'quitting'. Having been fed a diet of "try-try-try", the mere subject made me reluctant to consider its contents. What became clear after listening to his video interview - is that

true Olympians don't practice everyone else's sport.

They first consider their chances - and then focus on ONLY their own skill - to its excellence. Individually they can be at their best, and collectively as a team they can then rack up more 'gold' than competitors.

We need that Olympic reminder every four years. Somewhere along the way to life's 'games', many have abandoned some of those principles - in favor of letting everyone 'train' everyone else to 'eat' whatever they want, letting anyone 'participate', and then giving everyone a 'medal'. What that may be leading to is not only unhealthy individuals but also

unproductive companies and even indefensible nations.

As we entire the new relationship economy, the online global competition can uncover every possible flaw in our 'routines', openly in front of the entire world, and in a matter of seconds. While we may prefer a quick fix or cosmetic surgery cover-up, the new transparency of the internet will expose how out-of-shape we truly are - individually and collectively. The challenge - and the opportunity - all lie in how we accept our individual responsibility to become 'fit' for this global competition. It will dynamically measure how we adjust to each other as team members and our global standings as well.

We will all participate. We will all be judged. And...

Someone will win!

The question is - how can we hone our skills - to win - or even survive?

ASK4™ CAN BE…

(THE QUESTIONS THAT FIND…)

THE ANSWERS YOU NEED!

PLEASE NOTE: While this website is my personal initiative, the ASK4™ approach is a participant-managed collaboration platform and the U-Netted Nations™ is the result of our ‘Collaboration On Purpose’. My voice becomes one in a million - immediately.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? - CARE TO COMMENT?

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]]> http://branddunk.wordpress.com/?p=233 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:13:27 +0000 ZA http://branddunk.wordpress.com/?p=233 "I go out walking after midnight
Out in the moonlight just like we used to do
I'm always walking after midnight searching for you..."

They might need to change the words for that famous Patsy Cline song from "walking after midnight" to running after midnight because NBC is supposedly pressuring London 2012 organizers to schedule the Men's 100M Final so that it will air live in primetime in the United States.  In order to show the 100M race live for American viewers it would have to be run at 1AM to 2AM London time, which would be 7PM to 8PM Eastern Standard Time.

NBC won the rights to broadcast the 2012 Olympics by bidding a record $1.18 billion dollars, a 32% increase from the $894 million NBC paid for Beijing 2008.  The 2008 Olympics NBC has sold well over a billion in advertising, a figure they should easily surpass for the games in London.  Therefore, the peacock is keenly interested in making sure the marquee Olympic events are scheduled so that NBC's sponsors get primetime exposure.  Doing so means arranging start times for events so they bridge the 6 hour time difference between London and New York City (12 hours difference for Beijing and NYC).  That means Londoners are going to have to get used to staying up late during the 16 days of the Olympics.

How will the late start time affect the athletes participating?  It should not have much of an affect as the athletes at the Olympics are already used to retuning their bodies to adjust for time changes.  Athletes from North America, Europe, etc. arrived early in Beijing to adjust for the time difference.  They will do the same in London, and those that have late night start times for their events will simply recalibrate their sleep schedule so 1AM is as normal to them as 1PM.

"Huh? Why'd you say that?"

Blank stare. . . .

"Why the fuck did you tell me to hang on?"

"Please restrain yourself sir otherwise I'll have you escorted outside."

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKFUCK FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!

I wasn't escorted outside, but fuck. Don't you just love that word? The way its harsh consonants roll off your tongue? The way the U and C bang between the F and K in your mouth. Say it with me. F-U-C-K.

It was outside staples I had what Beethoven would call an epiphany. I'm resisting. I keep fighting what is and I keep comaring it to what was. I keep fighting and fighting and fighting until I thought I was right. Well I'm not. I'm human. I'm sorry mom. I'm sorry I kept bitching and bitching about coming here when you knew it was best for the me. I'm sorry I haven't given you an honest smile in fucking three months. I'm sorry ma. And I can't make it up to you. I know you don't like me, but I know you love me. I'm sorry that I'm a fucking coward and I'll never gather the courage to say that to your face.

Acceptance is the hardest part of any change and the simplest. And that's a very very good thing; becuase most of the time the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.

Ever hear of these? As an Olympic sport, I mean?

1. Shooting - Men's Skeet
2. Shooting - Men's Double Trap
3. Men's 50 Meter Rifle Prone
4. Men's 10 Meter Air Pistol
5. BMX racing

Ok, I've got to say this. I'm watching the Olympics, of course. You have got to be kidding me - they have this ridiculous gymnastic exhibition event complete with the cheesiest music I have ever heard of; in fact it makes me want to gag. We could actually be watching track and field events, but you know, we have not seen that much gymnastics so far, we obviously need more! (Please note my sarcasm.) I just don't get why some of these Olympic sports such as gymnastics and ice skating in the winter, which seem to dominate the US coverage, then get even more air time while others go completely uncovered by the TV press. My husband tells me it's because the coverage of the games is aimed at the target audience of women. Hm. I'm a woman, yet I could stand to see other things - like maybe the 10 M Air Pistol competition!! :-)

Hell, bring on the Trampoliners!!

Finally, I know I may be acting like a girly girl by saying this, but I have really liked some of the Go World Visa ads. Mabye it's hearing Morgan Freeman's voice, I don't know. Here's there one with Derek Redmond and his dad from the 1992 Olympics. I don't care how many world records Usain Bolt wins, he doesn't even compare to this athlete, who finished dead last. If I see him thump his chest one more time, or do that stupid V thing with his fingers, I just want to....... It's called, dude, learn some class. Actually run all the way through to the tape.

by jalandhari 8/20/2008 7:39:00 PM posted on www.jalandhari.com/jblog