All in all an event of Olympic proportions

Successful landing of Curiosity on Mars also was an
event of Olympic proportions.

For the first time in my life, I have been able to watch almost as much of the Olympics as are available on TV.  Through life I have always been in school, or working or off on a boat somewhere and haven't had this opportunity before.

Part of the enjoyment has been seeing many of the London landmarks in the context of streets and geography, something new for me.  The marathons were especially good for that.

Over the course of the games I have been writing down thoughts and observations and considering this is the last day, it's probably time to post them.

Years ago a friend in the news business said he always liked to listen carefully to sports announcers and weathermen, because of the stupid things they often say.  I picked up a few during the Olympics:  (of course they are out of context)

"Aley and Gabby are capable of winning.  It's going to come down to performance, that's all there is to it."  Really?

"That's great playership on the part of Navarro."  Playership?

"The USA is running on adrenaline.  This is their sixth game."  Announcer at the gold medal women's soccer game.  Um, like Japan wasn't also in their sixth game and running on adrenaline?

"It's warm out there, particularly hot in the sun."  Again, really?

"Well, they're either going to win or they're going to lose."  No kidding.

"It could go either way." (score was 2-2)  Again, really?

On to other subjects:

The French women won a big basketball game and had a group hug in celebration. The star came running out of it and she had lipstick smears all over both cheeks.  Lipstick?  They wear makeup in these games?  A friend who is from London and a makeup guerrilla said, of course, for European women appearance is everything.  Love it.  I notice that to be true in other sports too, and not just gymnastics.

There is a Scottish rock bagpipe band called the Red Hot Chile Pipers.

How was Russia allowed to go to Pandora and recruit an Avatar for their women's volleyball team?

Early on I noticed some rectangular reddish patches on the backs of  some of the Chinese divers.  Then I saw them on others and some tape as well.  I wondered were half the Olympians quitting smoking?  But, turns out they are called kiniseotape and are for relief of strained, sore muscles.  One study said it was not certain that they work, but the tape and patches seemed to be the style du jour for this year.  If they do work, they probably will be banned in time for the Rio games.

Why do women's volleyball teams have to have a group hug after every point?  USA basketball teams didn't even do that after whole games until they won gold.

Doe it bother anyone else that foreign corporations sponsor and talk about "Our" Olympians.  BP was the most offensive, but Samsung was in there and a couple of others.

What was the purpose of the remote control model car running around the infield during the women's 400-meter final?  It looked like a Mini-Cooper, which was one of the sponsors of the TV broadcasts.

And then there's my own ignorance showing.  Some sports I was surprised to find in the Olympics:

Handball:  when I heard about that I pictured a big room with four walls and two guys slapping a ball around.  I had never seen the team sport played in the Olympics.

Synchro diving:  What?

And, BMX bikes.  Where have I been?

And after that some high points:

This Olympics may mark the day after a lifetime of ignoring soccer, that I came to enjoy it (and sort of understand it, too).  Particularly watching the American women in that epic game with Canada, but in a couple of others as well, I began to get excited about it, and see the organization and strategies on the field -- oops -- pitch.  Anyway American women's soccer was interesting and exciting.

Who could not love Missy Franklin's innocent enthusiasm along with her success in the pool, not to mention the viral video she and her teammates produced.

There was the USA basketball team against Nigeria which was a blowout game but set several Olympics records, including doubling the one for the number of three-pointers in a game. Afterward one of the Nigerian players asked Kobe Bryant to autograph his shoe.

And speaking of Kobe, seeing him in the stands at several non-basketball events, including getting stuck at the longest tennis match in Olympic history and having to forego other sports he'd had on his schedule that day.

And there were inspirational moments.

Paul McCartney singing "Hey Jude" at the opening ceremony. 

South African Oscar Pistorius, the first double amputee running on artificial legs competed and qualified for the 400 meters finals. And then, the eventual winner Kirani James of Grenada, asked to trade name tags with him.

You could almost see in Aly Raisman's eyes the energy she was drawing form the clapping audience as she performed her floor exercise to the tune of "Hava Nagila."


The presentation of John Lennon's ode to peace, "Imagine" at the closing ceremony.

Any complaints?  Just one.  The TV guide said the men's basketball gold medal game was at 6 this morning.  So I set my alarm and got up to watch it.  After the game and a nap I went back to the television around noon only to find the men's gold medal basketball game starting.  I wouldn't have minded waiting for the rerun on that one.