In an interview with Conde Nast Traveler, Matt Damon was quoted as saying, “I think many of our problems as a country would be solved if people had thick passports. There’s just no substitute for actually going and seeing things.”
Thanks Matt. We’ll get right on that.
If you haven’t been watching the Olympics, it’s time to climb out from under your rock. Let’s catch up, shall we?
The opening ceremony in Beijing was, simply put, visually stunning. Unless you happened to be on narcotic pain killers for a migraine headache, in which case it was quite scary.
The audience was filled with world leaders and dignitaries, including our very own President George W. Bush, who appeared hot around the collar. It’s possible it was the temperature. But, it was more likely the lead paint from his “red phone”, which was ironically Made in China.
Here, he trades in that red phone for his finger phone and tells Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin to, “Call me”.
This is swimmer, Michael Phelps. He strikes this pose A LOT. Because he can. He currently holds three gold medals with more on the way. On day three, he and his teammates took it upon themselves to smash some Frenchies. Merci beaucoup, Mr. Phelps. Merci beaucoup.
If you haven’t watched synchronized diving, don’t start. You will be enthralled by the smoothness, the timing, and the skill, only to find out something was completely off.
A fraction of a twist here, a slight over extension there. All noted while the divers are flipping and speeding through the air. Here you can clearly see why the USA didn’t earn a medal. What? You don’t see it? Note the toe curl. No medal for you!
Currently, China and the United States are neck and neck in the overall standings. If you want to give a shout out to the underdog, you’ll need to cheer for Uzbekistan. Because if your country was somewhere between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, you’d need people to cheer for you too…medals or not. No offense to the former Soviet Bloc. Just sayin’.
My daughter just returned home from a three-day trip to my Mom’s house. I figured it would be good for my kid to have some time alone with her Grandma.
Grandma reported that her youngest grand-daughter was polite, helpful, and easy to get along with, and that they had a wonderful time together. In fact, it was so wonderful that my Mom said, “I asked her if she wanted to move in with me.”
I laughed, knowing full well that my daughter would have none of that. My Mom doesn’t own a Wii…or even a computer. The horrors.
I asked, “What did she say?”
Proud Grandma replied, “Well, she said she’d love to! But, I told her she would miss you guys too much. And, do you know what she said to that?”
“No,” I answered hesitantly. What?”
“She said that as long as she had a picture of you and could occasionally see you on weekends, she’d be just fine.”
When I was my daughter’s age there were two things I wanted more than anything. A turtle and a paper route. What? A turtle seemed like a reasonable pet and a paper route seemed a decent way to earn enough money to play Pac-Man at the Pizza Pizza Restaurant up the street. You’ll never guess what kind of food they served.
My Mom wouldn’t let me have a turtle, but after many tears and tantrums, she caved into the paper route. It lasted about two months before I quit. But, I would have been so disappointed had I not had the experience.
My nine year old daughter has recently had her first run-in with real disappointment. A person we thought was very kind, has chosen to hurt someone we love dearly. I won’t get into the details, as juicy as they may be, because that is not the point. I will say there is hurt, there is back-stabbing, and there are attorneys.
But, the details don’t apply. My child was deceived, and that is all that matters.
This deception wasn’t by another child, but by an adult. Someone who made herself out to be sweet and caring. Someone who spoke to my daughter with affection and attentiveness. Someone who made herself out to be someone she obviously is not.
How do you explain that to a nine year old? How do you instill good morals when there are people in your life who have none? How do you teach your children to trust people, when those whom you’ve trusted are completely untrustworthy?
I really don’t know what to say to her. I don’t know how to explain that what she saw is not what she gets. That the person she thought she knew, was not that person at all.
My daughter doesn’t deserve that kind of disappointment. At an age when she’s still fascinated by rainbows, these are the true colors I’d rather she not see.
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