Gold Rush

It’s August, half of DC is at the beach and the other half is still reeling from Olympics-withdrawal.  Is there a patch for that?  If so, I could sure use one.  Maybe a 12-step program.  “Hi, I’m Risë, and I’m an Olympics addict.”  If there’s coffee and donuts at those meetings I’m there.

There were literally times when I was so wrapped up in watching swimming or diving or track & field that I didn’t dare run to the kitchen to make a sandwich and then run back to the screen.  I was hungry, but the games were on.   I couldn’t miss one second of Ryan or Aly or Missy.  And Misty, LeBron and Lolo had me glued to my couch.  I was seriously thinking of getting an Olympics tattoo (then thought again).

Was it that the coverage was everywhere?  Was it that online sites and Twitter and Facebook broke the news hours before it hit my TV?  Was it that it took place in London, one of my fave cities?  Not sure if it’s any or all of the above, but boy was I hooked.  And I’m still in recovery.

There’s this 4 hour window every night and I just don’t know what to do with it.  I’ve tried drinks and dinner with friends, a movie, even doing my laundry (special treat) but nothing works yet.

My blood still runs red, white and blue for our primed & pumped athletes and the urge is still there to get home so I can turn on the non-stop coverage of our agile, muscled, fist-pumping and bumping gladiators bringing home the gold. They may have stopped giving out medals, but the rush is still there.

This was kinda like a separation.  Yes, I’ll get to see the summer games again, but not for another four years and next time in Rio where they’ll probably have a samba competition.  Never been to Rio, but I’m definitely thinking about it.  Can you imagine a cooler place to watch beach volleyball?  I can’t.

Ate logo!

Men in Tights [CONTEST]

Pro football doesn’t do all that much for me. But I just had this nagging feeling that the championship games were worth watching this year. And boy, was I right. After all, the Tom vs. Eli PR machine was in high gear.

So, I sat down with a friend, a bowl of chips and salsa, carrots and dip, turkey sandwiches, a little wine and 60 inches of testosterone HD-style. Big games deserve a big screen.

When the Ravens’ Billy Cundiff hooked his field-goal attempt that would have had them flying to Indy, I was heartsick. Not that I’m necessarily a Baltimore fan, but because I thought no one could feel any crummier at that moment than him. What happened in the locker room after that major miss? Did his teammates slap his pads and say good try or did they just slug him?