Still searching for coherence

Random Thought # 1: After watching swimming for the past week I can’t believe that it took me until Friday night to notice something amazing. Did you know that there are lifeguards present for the Olympic swimming events? I am not kidding. As they would go down the pool you would clearly see one of those tall lifeguard chairs. That would have to be the coolest job in the world. I mean, what are the odds that you are going to have to jump in the pool? You could just sleep the entire time and no one would notice.

Random Thought # 2: I really believe that all of John McCain’s political ads should end with “I am John McCain and I approve this message. Now you damn kids get off of my lawn.”

Random Thought # 3: Here is a sign that you are not nearly the athlete that you thought you were. After putting in an insanely slow 5K on the treadmill (and still being tired as hell afterwards) I watched the women’s marathon and realized just how much faster they were than I am. In the twice as fast range. That just makes you feel very sad and old.

Random Thought # 4: I did get to watch one of my favorite Olympic sports, trampolining, this weekend. If you think of gymnastics as formula one racing then gymnastics is the equivalent of Nascar. It’s lower class but more action packed and the crashes are spectacular. The sport itself is rather amazing. People jump up and down on a trampoline doing these amazing flips and occasionally get a little off balance and then all you hear is an “Aieee!!!” followed by a splat. Very few Olympic events have a contestant thirty feet in the air thinking, “I’m screwed.”

Random Thought # 5: Fun with the medal count. Currently Mexico is tied with international powerhouse Togo with one bronze apiece. Zimbabwe has four medals though more accurately Kristy Coventry has four medals. If they would have let her swim the relays by herself she probably would have more. That is the one thing when people talk about Phelps’ medal haul, which is amazing. Just remember that swimming and men’s gymnastics are essentially the only sports where that many medals is possible (and in gymnastics you would have to win every single event). Carl Lewis winning four golds in 1984 is the best you can do in track and field unless he decided to also try to pole vault. So most golds really isn’t a comparable stat across sports.

Best of 120 Minutes: Do you know that at one point in time having a nose ring was considered incredibly strange? Yes, there was a time when not everyone was tattooed and pierced. Frente was noticed for a piercing as much as anything else. And a really cool New Order cover.



The five random CDs for the time being:
1) The Brunettes “Structure and Cosmetics”
2) The Drovers “Kill Mice Elf”
3) Mike Doughty “Golden Delicious”
4) Tori Amos “Sweet Old England”
5) Sting “…Nothing Like The Sun”