Friday Five

1. Yay Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky!  Go Maryland!

2. I haven't the foggiest idea why Michael Phelps decided to name his son Boomer, however he is just about the cutest thing ever!  Those headphones are bigger than he is!

3. I was googling a bit yesterday trying to see if the Robber Bridegroom CD had been released yet, and happened upon Steven Pasquale singing "On the Streets of Dublin" from "A Man of No Importance."  And now I'm pretty much obsessed.  It's such a great song and he's just so talented!  I'm so crazy for it, that through a bit more googling I discovered this show is playing in Oxford MD currently and I now have tickets to it.
           

4. Is anyone up for a trip to NOLA in October?  Because seriously, a whole festival of Beignets?  I feel like that's just even more heavenly than NOLA is in my head!

5. This is my favorite photo that I took in NYC this past weekend.  It is in fact of my feet and a water stain on the sidewalk, but I happen to think it's perfect!  Sometimes, it's the little things...

Baltimore Sports Fun

It must be said, it's a very good time for sports in Baltimore.  I mean, I may be a bit biased, it's usually pretty good between the Orioles and the Ravens.  However this year, we have the added bonus of Olympics to watch.  You just gotta love Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky! We Marylanders definitely do!

I read an article earlier this week that said if Maryland had been a country, we would be second place for Olympic gold medals.  How awesome is that!?  I'm not sure what it is about the city of Baltimore that makes great swimmers, but I'm assuming it's something in the water. (See what I did there? : )  The fact that Michael and Katie have been kicking butt has been super fun to watch, if only to give the state of Maryland some good press for a change.  

My favorite part in all of it was seeing Michael Phelps getting his medal on Tuesday evening. During the National Anthem, he cracked up during the "Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave..." part.  If you're not a Baltimorean you may not know why that was cute. Since Baltimore's baseball team is the "O's", the "Oh!" is almost always yelled loudly. Apparently his friends did that in the stands which made him laugh.  I love it! 

And with all the Olympic coverage you may have missed the Orioles doing pretty darn well. Of course, they're currently making a liar out of me in their road-trip games.  But when they're home they tend to play pretty awesome-ly.  And then of course, you have the whole reason I decided to write this post tonight, after a LONG summer - it's FINALLY FOOTBALL SEASON!!  Woohoo!

And while I'm super excited about having a Ravens game tonight, I'd be much happier if they weren't currently down by 3...

Trivia Tuesday

~ According to City Paper, which I decided to read after I realized I had absolutely nothing to add to the first 9 questions (didn't know a single answer), I should cut a lock of my hair, put it in an envelope, recite an incantation over it for 5 nights, then burn it while reciting another incantation, then all my dreams will come true.  Also, I'm the only one that actually had homework in her horoscope.  Everyone else just got the usual horoscope schtick, meanwhile I'm having to learn witchcraft and wizadry,

~ Watching Michael Phelps win his 20th Gold Medal in a bar in Baltimore with 50 other people all screaming for him, is pretty darn exciting - so much more so than watching it alone on the sofa.  Though, why'd he have to act so arrogant after he won?  It would have been much nicer had he been just a bit gracious.

~ Blondie and Dagwood have 2 children in the comics: Alexander and Cookie.  The audio clue for this one was a song by Blondie which was pretty darn clever.  Though I misinterpreted the audio clue to mean Family Circus - One Way or Another could have referred to Billy's path when he was looking for something.  Luckily, the team stopped listening to me after I got the 3rd question wrong of the evening.

~ A team full of music-lovers and we answered none of the 5 half-time questions correctly on 2000s music.  Does that speak ill of our music knowledge or the music of that time?  I'll let you decide.

~ Most people on the team didn't know that the singer was singing the word "Doctor" in the song "Doctor My Eyes."  You'd think that one would be pretty self-explanatory.

~ Doc Rivers is the head of the LA Clippers. Pete Docter, who I swore was someone if not the head of the LA Clippers (who we also went with because it was the only answer we could come up with) is actually the screenwriter for Inside Out.  Why the heck do I know who the screenwriter for Inside Out is?  I didn't even like that movie...

~ David Brent is the name of Ricky Gervais' character in the British version of The Office.  This was the very first question I knew the answer of all evening - it was the 20th question just to give you a frame of reference on how very bad my night was.

~ Meryl Streep was nominated for her first Oscar for The Deer Hunter.  This is not the movie in which she posits that "maybe a dingo ate my baby."  Also, I still don't know what movie she says that in.

Olympic Woes

At this time, every 2 years, I'm pretty excited.  I'm a big fan of the Olympics and most especially the Opening Ceremony.  It's just so big and dramatic.  There's so much togetherness and diversity.  In a world that's so darn divided all the time, it's fun to see hundreds of nations come together for at least a few weeks of the year.  

But this year, it's a little different.  Rio, unfortunately, is a bit of a mess. Between Zika, crime, and facility issues, they're not ready for the eyes of the world on them.  All I can think of is the athletes.  They've worked their lives for this moment, and they have to compete in some pretty terrible conditions - if they choose to compete at all.  At least 5 golfers have chosen to not attend because of health reasons.  This is the first year Golf has made it back into the Olympics, and the best players in the world aren't able to attend if they want to stay healthy.  How in the world does this make sense?

I very much hope that I'm proven wrong.  I hope that the athletes and families and attendees stay safe and healthy. But for now, we can only wish that London was able to hijack the Olympics back.  At least that way, athletes would only need to compete against each other instead of competing against the conditions too...

Friday Five

1. I was hoping to do a whole Olympics Friday Five again this week but unfortunately, not a great deal of fantastic news has been coming out of Sochi.  However, there's always some good.  Like the women winning the Silver Medal in hockey!  Woohoo! It would have been awesome to see them win a gold but a silver is pretty amazing too.  Ted Ligety winning gold was also something we could be proud of.  There have been rumours too of a tribute to a ski cross skier that passed away last year bringing all the ski cross athletes together.  I haven't seen it yet, but it sounds pretty touching.  (I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to say - Hooray for the US Men making it to the gold medal round in Hockey - that remains to be seen...)

2.  Ali Edwards: I may have blogged about her before but my love for her blog knows no bounds.  She has made herself into a scrapbooking expert and has somehow created a whole business around something she loves.  She's also super creative and I get loads of ideas from her blog each week.  After coveting Photoshop for months and months, I finally received it for Christmas.  Now all that's left is to figure how to use it so I can start buying up some of Ali's Designer Digitals.  (Apparently, it takes a while to learn these things and it doesn't help that I'm often computer stupid...)  I'm not sure I could leave my beloved paper and stickers behind totally, but I can't wait to dabble in Digital Scrapbooking like she does.  She's pretty much amazing and anyone who's into scrapbooking should know she is!

3. "Hector and the Search for Happiness"  by Francois Lelord: A few weeks ago I was browsing Anglophenia and they had an article about and the trailer for Simon Pegg's new movie adaptation of "Hector and the Search for Happiness".  I had never heard of the book but I'm a Simon Pegg fan so of course the movie looked great.  I made a mental note of the name and went about my business.  Then a few days later I was in Barnes and Noble just browsing and this little book was hanging out randomly on the shelf. The book looked and sounded even more fabulous than the movie (don't they always?) so of course I had to get it.  I was definitely right.  It is the perfect quick fairy-tale for grownups involving travel and love and questions we're all asking.  Of course, now I'm even more excited because there are at least 2 more in the series.

4. Once again, I find myself getting lost in the land of Project Life.  I've said before that I don't really have a life that warrants daily photos and observations.  It's not really that exciting, and I'm the one that's living it.  I can't imagine having to read about it from the outside.  However, since most scrapbookers have evolved into this, it's pretty much all over Pinterest all the time.  All the albums, and cards and kits are so appealing I find myself craving for the opportunity to use them.  Seeing as I'm an OCD scrapper, I must have a theme; a starting point for any album I create.  So I'm giving myself until July when I hit the open road to the Northeast into Boston, Mystic, Salem, and Nantucket.  (Though, I've already bought a few card kits - what can I say, I have no self control...)

5. Organization!  It's taken a bit to get here (assembly of wooden objects - totally not my thing!) and I'm far from being done but I'm hopeful this new found craft room re-do will help in the creativity department.

Bummer

Fresh off the heels of my new-found love for hockey, this had to go and happen.

I have to admit that Canada did play well, but what made this game so heartbreaking was the fact the US was in the lead all the way up to the 57th minute.  Up until that time, the US had shut out the Canadians.  The Canadians hadn't scored a single point but then managed to score 2 in the last 3 minutes to tie the game and go into OT where of course, they scored the winning goal.  So sad!  I suppose the US women should be grateful that they'll still be walking away with a medal. But it's most definitely not the one they were hoping for.

Of course, when it comes to US sports, today has been a topsy-turvy one all around.  On top of the US Women's hockey team failing to gain gold, the US was also shutout of medal contention in Women's figure skating.  While Gracie Gold fell, Wagner did not but still managed to wind up below Gold, which I still haven't quite figured out.  The whole medal round seemed to be a little off-kilter anyway, without even accounting for the Americans.  A Russian won gold, but not the one they were counting on.  The Gold medal favorite won silver and an Italian who wasn't even in medal contention won bronze.  While it's sad to see the Americans off the podium, the 3 that won skated flawlessly and deserved their wins.  Way to go ladies!

Goal!

For someone who understands nothing that happens on a hockey rink, I've found myself quite obsessed with the US Hockey teams (Men and Women) this Olympics.  Luckily I have a hockey fan dad that puts up with my inane questions like, "What's icing mean?", or "Why didn't they get a penalty? or my most common question "Where did the puck go?".  Thank goodness he loves me or I feel he'd throttle me : )  In hockey though, I feel they get the short-end of the stick sometimes in the grand scheme of things.  Most events like figure skating or luge finish up within a day or two so those competitors are able to go enjoy the rest of the Olympics experience.  But hockey (and in the summer, soccer) seems to go on forever.  I've lost count of how many games each team has played but I have to say they've all been thrilling.

This weekend's game between US and Russia was awesome.  The overtime rules were a mystery to me but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.  Today's game with Czechoslovakia wasn't nearly as thrilling as that one, but they had some good plays (from what I can tell - what do I know?)  and grabbed the win to go onto semi-finals (still not the gold medal game- ugh!) While the women finally get to play in the big game tomorrow.  As tired as I am of snow, I'm hoping for a snow day (seeing as it's 55 degrees right now, I'm highly doubting it) tomorrow just so I can stay home and watch the game.  It'll be awesome and I just know it'll be next to impossible to avoid the darn scores all day.

All I have to say, from one clueless fan is Go USA!  Do whatever it is you do with the little puck and the big stick to grab those golds. You all deserve it!  And maybe in 4 years, I'll finally understand what the heck is going on...

Friday Five: Olympics Week One Edition

1. Justin Wadsworth: While everyone else at the Ski park watched Anton Gafarov struggle on a broken ski after a fall.  Justin, a coach for the Canadians, ran over and gave him one of his own skis so that he was able to finish the race.  Wadsworth showcased everything the Olympics represent and worked his way into the hearts of millions.

2. The US Slopestyle Boys:  Seeing as this is the first year Slopestyle has made it into the Olympics, we've heard quite a bit about it.  We assumed that Shaun White would bring the US a gold in the snowboard slopestyle but that wasn't to be when he was forced to withdraw to focus on his other event.  But after the hoopla from that decision died down, it was time for ski slopestyle.  The US had 3 competitors in the event and they somehow managed to sweep the medal stand.  It was awesome to see 3 US flags raised over 3 of the coolest guys around.  Way to go boys!  

3. Noelle Pikus-Pace:  While the last 2 runs of the Skeleton event haven't been shown in primetime yet, I unfortunately know who won already.  I say unfortunately because I was hoping to watch it this evening and keep it a surprise, but MSN spoiled it for me again. Anyway, it's still awesome to see (spoiler alert!) Noelle was able to grab silver!  She and her adorable family (2 kids and a husband and about 20 other relatives) are pretty amazing.  I was hoping she'd be able to grab gold seeing as she's been racing fantastically and has been so positive the entire way.  But I'm just happy she was able to take any medal - she most definitely deserved it! (Anyone who chooses to propel themselves down an ice luge at 90 miles an hour head first deserves any medal they receive!)

4. US Hockey: I'll be honest here, I have a very hard time following hockey.  I don't understand everything that happens and the puck is very, very small and therefore I lose it quite a lot.  But that doesn't make it any less thrilling.  It's great to see the Men and the Women doing so well.  I know they have a rough road ahead seeing as they have to play Canada and Russia yet, but I'm hoping for some medals for them.  Once again, anyone who is willing to play such a rough sport deserves all sorts of acclaim and recognition.

5. Scott Hamilton: I know he's not competing anymore.  That doesn't stop me from loving him!  He's been doing this commentary for years and years now but it's so nice to have his voice explaining all sorts of triple sowcows and toe loops each Olympics.  He seems to absolutely love the sport and of course he knows his stuff.  But he's also (from what I can tell) just about the coolest person ever.  He's just one of those guys you want to have dinner with.  Love me some Scottie!

And one thing that I have to complain about: 

Dear MSN and all other news sites,

If you're going to spoil tonight's primetime scores, add a spoiler alert.  Don't just splash the headline all over your front page. Some people would still like to watch them this evening.

Sincerely,
A disgruntled fan

Olympics Rehash

Surprising: 
I have to admit after all the opening issues that were mentioned last week, the bar was set pretty low for these games, which is sad.  However, having an American bobsledder bust out of a bathroom because he was stuck inside is just a bit over the top on the embarrassing scale if you ask me.  More power to the guy, because I'd still be stuck in the darn bathroom.  But I guess that's why he's there and I'm here writing about him.  

Also, the story making the rounds from the Daily Currant regarding the man responsible for the Olympic Rings light up mishap being found dead is umbelievable.  Apparently, the Daily Currant is a fake news satire site.  And if people would have read the story, they would have noticed it was much too ridiculous to be true.  However, that didn't stop it from making the rounds of Social Media.

Uplifting:  
As usual, the spectators that have gone to Russia to see their athletes compete are doing their best at cheering them on.  I know there's a huge Russian contingent there, so it's a bit quiet when the Russians aren't competing.  However that doesn't stop family members, teammates and friends cheering their hearts out and supporting the athletes 100%.  It was great to see the ski jump competition earlier today when 2 of the 3 athletes from Poland, lift up their teammate and carry him through the crowds after he won gold.  That's what the Olympics should be about: teamwork.

Seeing athletes from all different age groups compete is pretty awe-inspiring as well.  Just today, I've watched ice skating, ski jumping, hockey and ski triathlon.  The youngest athlete I saw perform was 15 and the oldest was 42.  In sports, that's a pretty big spread.  It's cool to see the older guys showing the younger ones how to get the job done, but it's also neat to see the future of the sports in the younger one's performances.

Confusing: 
Multiple times today, I've thought I was watching different coverage than the announcers. Usually, I can count on them to tell me exactly what the scores are going to be but for some reason, they seem quite unreliable this year.  Penalties they think are going to be called, aren't and scores they think will be high, are low, or vice versa.  I'm not sure what's happening with the judging or the commentating, but it just seems a bit erratic.  

The time difference is also a pain in the neck.  I watched 3 different events today and in all 3 events, the commentators were remarking that if the Russian won, they'd be the first Russian to medal in these games.  I realize they're making do but seriously, I felt like I was in Groundhog day...

Friday Five

1. Billy Joel in the Soviet Union: In the summer of 1987 Billy and his family and band all went to play multiple concerts in the Soviet Union. At the time he was the first American to do so in the communist country.  I'm not sure if it was older or just made this year, but I caught a documentary on the tour this week on Shotime.  It was fabulous.  In my mind, Billy Joel can already do no wrong.  But to see footage and hear his thoughts on the whole experience was pretty amazing.  Seeing the country full of optimism, brings hope for the country now, which seems to be back to where they started these days all those years ago. 

2. The Olympics: Every two years, without fail, I get caught up in the hype.  It's quite hard not to.  The stories behind these amazing athletes are just so inspiring.  This year, admittedly, it's hard to have that same sense of wonder and optimism, when you hear about the (let's call them) "issues" they're having in Russia.  Let's hope that the world coming together in solidarity will open the eyes of the Russian government a bit to easing up on the crackdown on people who are different and unique.

3. Sherlock Q&A at the Apple Store in Covent Garden, London: Apparently, in London, one of the many awesome things they do is have Q&As with HUGE movie stars at Apple Stores on a random Tuesday night.  Seriously?!  I'm definitely living in the wrong place. You can catch the whole Q&A on iTunes for free if you have a free 45 minutes.  It's well worth it and completely charming - as usual...

4. I love that major corporations (Google, The Guardian, BBC) are standing up to the Russian government and telling them they won't stand for hate and bullying. Way to go Google!

"The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." (Olympic Charter)

5. This one might be just a bit shallow but I'm a pretty happy camper that George Clooney is in a new movie.  That means he's all over the talk shows promoting.  He's always charming, always smart and always hilarious.  Not to mention, he's pretty darn cute as well : )

Sochi 2014

A few months ago, when word first got out about the crackdown on the LGBT community in Russia, there was a huge movement to revoke the Olympics from Sochi and move them to another country.  I'm sure the thousands of people arriving this week, are wishing that actually happened.  I'm sure it would have been difficult and arduous and completely impossible seeing as plans for the Olympics start years in advance, but it would have shown a solidarity to that community and proved that the IOC and the world as a whole won't stand for hate.  However, it didn't happen.  I'm sure some adjustments have been made and some "restrictions" loosened but the show must go on I suppose.

But back to the thousands that wished it happened.  These thousands, including journalists, athletes, families of athletes, spectators and leaders are arriving in a country that's seemingly completely unprepared for an event of this size.  Rumor has it the Russians have spent $51 million on the games but the state of their Olympic site is by no means reflecting that cost.  After seeing a number of journalists on Twitter today, I have to admit, even if it was the job of a lifetime for me, I'm not sure I'd be staying in the country.  In my head I know, I'd be high-tailing it back to the US.

Some of the things these athletes and journalists are reporting would be funny in any other context.  It's comical to hear these calamaties while I'm safe and sound in my own city, but if I were there, I know for a fact I'd be far from laughing.  You can read the best bits on the Bleacher Report, but so far journalists have complained about having unfinished rooms, no working doorknobs, having contractors asleep in their rooms when they arrived, no televisions in journalist or athlete rooms, no WiFi, no running water that may or may not be dangerous anyway, and a raw-sewage bathroom(I'm not sure I even want to know what that means).  Of course, just in case you were wondering, I've heard that the workers most definitely had time to include photos of Vladimir Putin in most rooms, so there's that. Joanne Barnas even shared this photo which you just have to see to believe.  Apparently some manholes are just coverless.  That shouldn't be dangerous at all...

I know that the Olympics is supposed to be a time for community spirit and optimism, but I can't help but feel badly for the athletes who have been waiting for this moment their entire lives.  They finally reach the pinnacle of their sports and they're told not to leave the Olympic Village because it's unsafe due to threats, but if they stay inside the village, there's no WiFi or television or safe computer access (and in some cases running water).  If only we would have taken the initiative and moved them a few months ago, now the rest of the world is stuck trying to clean up their mess. 

Russia, Are you Listening?

There are celebrities that often speak out on all sorts of causes and catastrophes for nothing more than simple attention.  Then of course there are others that believe in the cause and have a stake in following through with it. Because of this, in this case, I am inclined to believe and fully support the work Stephen Fry and company are doing in regards to the Sochi 2014 boycott.  This boycott could send a strong message to the Russians, that this behavior will no longer be overlooked and will hit them in each country's most painful spot; their checkbooks.  Russia holds a huge financial stock in making this Olympics profitable for the Russian government, the lack of funding from other countries, as well as lack of viewers would be quite painful to an already struggling economy.  A complete withdrawal of the Olympics from Russia (there are at least a dozen other countries that could support the games) would be the ultimate sentence and the strongest most potent message to the Russians: The world will no longer stay silent and allow you to continue your campaign of hatred.

What Mr. Putin is doing in Russia to repress the LGBT community in his country, or rather not doing as the case may be, is repulsive.  These individuals are living in secret, in fear they will be persecuted or even harmed or killed for being who they were born to be.  And their persecution by homophobic citizens as well as the government, is being left to continue unchecked.  The Olympics has always been a time for unity and a chance for all different cultures to come together as one. If everyone isn't included in that sentiment, then what exactly is the point?  

Friday-ish Five

Bright and early tomorrow morning I'm heading "down the ocean, hon".  After a day spent in the heat, sand and waves, it's safe to say you won't get much more out of me than a few pics of waves and probably a pic or 10 of a Dumser's sundae (Yum!) So I figured I'd post this a little early this week.

1. Bookriot: I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis.  But until this week, I hadn't realized that I didn't have a favorite book-centric one. For all the reading I do, you'd think that would be high on my list.  This site is full of writers who are hard core book-nerds just like me.  It's a must read if you like to read or you just like having/buying books.

2. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings: I admit to only watching Beach Volleyball during the Olympics (just like most of the world).  But when you watch these 2 girls play, it's hard to see why we don't watch it more.  Last night, when they went for a three-peat at the gold medal, it was electrifying.  Seeing their joy and the excitement of everyone around them when they won, really solidified what the Olympic spirit is all about.  Cut to me tearing up on the sofa: Way to go girls!

3. This recipe for Caesar Dressing.  It was a Pinterest find that I'd been dying to try.  Oh my goodness is it delicious!  To me it tastes more like a Bookmaker salad dressing than Caesar. But, over fresh lettuce and tomatoes with some Romano thrown in for good measure, it's the perfect summer salad!

4. Google Doodles: On a regular day, these doodles are a highlight.  But during the Olympics, they've been extra adorable.  They highlight one sport each day.  And today, they've even stepped it up a notch. They added a game!  I just tried to google something and found myself too distracted trying row a rower through the obstacles and to the finish line.  Too cute!

5. Shopping for Fall (okay, shopping in general : )  I get excited for the next season's fashions entirely too early for my own good.  This is why I'm annoyed that I can't find a single sweater at any store and it's 90 degrees outside.  At this point, it's only window shopping, but when my coupons go into effect: Watch out!  I'll be a woman on a mission!

Olympic Love

I've seen lots of reviews about the last night's Opening Ceremonies.  From what I can tell, not many people enjoyed it.  In my opinion, (which is probably biased, since I LOVE the Olympics!) the ceremonies were positively outstanding and absolutely London.  Opening Ceremonies, since the beginning of their time, have always been long and philosophical and over the top.  If you go in knowing that, you'll have a great experience.

That being said, Beijing's in 2008 were not my favorite.  They were HUGE and over the top but they were almost too spectacular.  They seemed to spend too much money, make it too "out there" and too much about China, not enough about the world athletic community.  In my opinion at least.  London's on the other hand, were huge but really tried to make it about the bigger picture which is what the Olympics are really about.  They are to bring the world together for a few weeks every few years to celebrate the best of the best and athletics in general.  And London seemed to do just that.

The movie shot by Danny Boyle that opened the show, set the tone.  It was artsy, creative and fun.  Then, came the performance led by Kenneth Branagh, of England moving from puritan to industrial times.  It added the Wow factor, that all opening ceremonies must have.  I adored the ode to GOSH and J.M Barrie.  The children and doctors & nurses seemed to be having a blast.  And Voldemort, Cruella and Hook battling Mary Poppins?  That was just icing on the cake! 

The neatest part for me was that England was able to show their sense of humor without going over the top.  The performance of "Chariots of Fire" with Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) on the organ was priceless.  Atkinson is one of their most cherished comedians, and having him involved seemed like a great aside to England as a whole.  They then moved on to an even bigger and sweeter musical spectacular capped off by everyone's favorite Beatle: Sir Paul.

From beginning to end, I thought it was positively perfect for London.  You could tell all you need to know about the British from the choices that were made in the ceremonies.  They chose to go smaller rather than grander than Beijing.  They knew they couldn't out do China, so they went for more quality rather than quantity.  They do cheeky humor and fantastic literature really well. Lastly, they've produced some of the world's most famous musicians and music.  They showcased the best of what England had to offer dazzling millions in the process.  And afterall, isn't that what the Olympics are all about?

NewsHound

I'm not usually glued to the news.  I do check on CNN most mornings but I get the general headlines and move on with my day.  But in the last week, I've been obsessed with checking for updates on all of the stories going on in the world.  Between the start of the Olympics and all that's going on with the security issues, the Joe Paterno/Penn State conundrum, and the heartbreaking tragedy out of Colorado, I've been hooked on reading all the updates and opinions. 

The Olympics obsession is a usual bi-annual (does that mean every two years or twice a year, I always forget? you know what I mean) occurrence for me.  I'm not much on sports but I get wrapped up in the pomp and circumstance of the event and will usually cry at least once as some unknown American stands at the podium with a gold medal around their neck crying and singing the National Anthem and makes their way into the hearts of millions of Americans. So I'm used to reading and re-reading stories about that.  It's magnified this year because it's in London which is a city I just happen to love.

The stories coming out of Colorado on the other hand are heart-breaking and painful to hear. My heart goes out to the families that have lost so much.  But it's also uplifting to hear the stories of bravery from fellow victims, as well as the SWAT team members that took him into custody. The whole country is riveted and repulsed by this one man who used his intelligence for evil.  If people, like the shooter, would focus their powers on the good instead of hurting so many families, think what they could accomplish.  It is a powerful story that I'm sure will be headlining for sometime to come.

It's this new darn Penn State fascination I seem to have acquired that's perplexing to me.  I knew just about nothing regarding State College PA, up until about a year ago.  Then the horrible stories broke and I somehow became an expert.  How does this happen? Today, I was glued to CNN when the sanctions were announced.  Here's my issue and I promise not to harp, I just have to get it off my chest and everyone else is tired of listening to me : )  The kids that are entering Penn State this year who are bearing the brunt of the astronomical fines and fees were about 4 years old when everything with Sandusky started.  Why are we punishing them?!  Also, the 60 million dollars that the NCAA has taken from the school should go into a trust for the families affected by Sandusky.  That is all I have to say about that.

Honestly, I am really not usually this well informed.  But I think I may have drank the 24/7/365 news-cycle KoolAid, because I'm hooked.  What's depressing to think about is that when these stories have floated from our memories, I'm sure that stories equally affecting and terrifying will be there to replace them...and I will most likely be reading about them.