Monday, August 6, 2012

summer tranquility?


I’m glad the summer Olympic Games have been playing out over the past ten days. The Mets have once again been disappointing to watch, I’m not a Yankees fan and I’m grateful for an alternative to bumping up against some odd BBQ party chatter.

I suppose when the temperatures begin to rise my tolerance begins to wane for hearing assertions that various Southern latitudinal hotspots are cooler than New York. Florida, I was told, is cooler than New York as we stood outside in a New York backyard and I was fed the classic line-‘but everything is central air-conditioned where we live’…and I thought ‘apples and oranges, air-conditioning and garden patios, better not proceed.’

A few extra trips to the punch bowl helped me put the lid on the crankiness I was brewing when trying to explain that inserting the Romney of Massachusetts near universal health care in place of the Obama of National near universal health care is about as disingenuous as it is risky.

Global warming, climate change and glacial melting are subjects that now seem to be more popularly taught by fire pit pundits than science professors and I need to buy two drinks for those conversations. One beverage is for consumption and the other is for donation to the scorched corn fields in the Midwest.

And rounding the buffet, I have been served virtually the same number of hamburgers as there have been mass shootings.

But against all that comes the recent backdrop of 17 year old Missy Franklin and her gold medals. Her humble enthusiasm, down to earth charm and passion for swimming has been a delight to watch.

Of course I have watched Michael Phelps too. I often have thought Phelps seems a bit aloof. But personalities aside, and given that I can be a bit aloof as well, he deserves mountains of respect when he shows up poolside carrying 22 medals in his bag.

I enjoy watching gymnastics. But maybe some of the athletes and their parents should go to the pool and take a swim to calm down before their events. The contrast is tremendous. Parents at the pool sit relaxed in the arena, they smile and raise their hands to cheer. In the gym, they cover their eyes, bite their nails, hold their chests, pull on each other’s clothes, brush people aside, and run amuck in the aisles. It is entertaining footage from my couch though.

The divers, especially when synchronized, display machine-like precision. Watching long enough, however, did expose me to the humanness of a near belly-flop and I turned the dial.

I have enjoyed watching 15 year old Katie Ledecky and her 800 meters of wire to wire gold, Jessica Ennis handily winning the Olympic heptathlon, Yannick Agnel and his blistering free style speed, and the cartoon-like velocity of the 100 meter sprints.

Thankfully, there is still some summer left. I plan to retrieve my flip-flops for traversing the sand, dust off my boogie board to dodge some waves, gather my golf clubs to relieve some stress and a grab a pencil and paper to write in Missy Franklin for President.

© 2012 Christopher’s Views

6 comments:

  1. Good to see you online this evening, Christopher and thanks for the birthday wishes! At my age you can't help but wonder why in the hell you celebrate except that it's better than the alternative. I have kept up with the Olympics as I always do. My late husband was a silver medalist in the 1964 Olympics in Japan and it's hard not to watch them at least for a little while. Enjoy the rest of your summer!!

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  2. LOL - watching the parents is almost as much fun as the main events. I've been saddened by all the comments about Gabby Douglas' hair though... and wonder why people don't concentrate on her awesome gymnastics.

    Enjoy the rest of the summer - hope it cools off.

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  3. flip flops are the best...smiles....it has been cool to watch the olympics...and watch us come together for a moment...it is the individual stories that always bring me in to them....def inspiring....

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  4. The Phillies are struggling too. . . though my fave player, Hawaii boy Shane Victorino has been traded to the 'in the lead' Dodgers!

    Ah Summer time blues - we all get um. hope you enjoy the beach and the boogie. and thanks so much for remembering your aloha pal and paying me a visit. VERY nice to see YOU face!


    Aloha from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    <(-'.'-)>

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  5. I've been trying to avoid the Olympics. Not because I don't appreciate the beauty, health and fitness and accomplishment of the athletes - no, I can totally appreciate them - but because I cannot stand the manic shouting and screeching of the British commentators. I thought I'd count the "Great Britains" in one commentator's description of one of the sailing contests, I ran out of numbers!

    Ah well, it'll soon be over and I can come back inside.

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  6. I've been enjoying the Olympics on and off. And the now-cooler weather. Closing ceremonies start in a couple of hours.. the time flew.

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