Friday Night Miscellany

Hola, darlings!

What an exhausting week.  I'm soooo glad that damned 30 hour long snow storm visited out east.  Maybe now people in Baltimore, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. will understand just a wee bit more what we people in Milwaukee (where???) go through from November through May, ever single fricking year. 

Tragedy today at Whistler, the Winter Olympics site for luge and many other alpine sports of 2010.  On a trial run, near the end of the course, a luger from the Republic of Georgia was, in the blink of an eye, flung off his sled and crashed into an unpadded metal pole.  Medical team rushed in but it was all for naught.  I do not know what the young, unfortunate luger died from, but at this point it seems to me that he died at the scene of the accident - he never stood a chance after hitting that pole at 90 miles per hour. 

Very disturbing, I read reports earlier today (after the death of the Georgian luger, who was only 21 years old) for the first time in popular news, that several other lugers throughout prior practice runs this week had also crashed, although no one (evidently) sustained any serious injuries.  Is this luge course too deadly to race on? 

I'm missing most of the Opening Ceremonies on NBC tonight, doing other things, which I will report on in due time.  No matter what the Olympic organizeres do tonight, whipped up at the last moment because, surely (one hopes), no one ever plans for a tragic death of an athelete - I prefer not to watch.  For many years before experiencing menopause (the BIG M), my emotions were, more often than not, very close to the surface; anything could set me off.  These days, despite now being past the BIG M since (more or less), 2001, those emotions are closer to the surface than ever.  I'm like a live volcano, apt to destroy an entire civilization with no warning.  It's best I do not watch something that would bring those volatile emotions to the surface.

I'll save myself for the figure skating...

The organizers ain't fooling around  -- we get a good dose of the Drama Queens, the Men - early on!  Whoa!  I love it!  Here is the schedule:

14 Feb 7:30pm Pairs Short Program

15 Feb 8:00pm Pairs Free Skating
16 Feb 7:15pm Men Short Program

See what's going on - the organizers in cohoots with the network get the Chinese, who will win the pairs competition, out of the way right away, so nobody remembers them at the end of the Olympics, except 1.1 billion other Chinese. 

The figure-skating men are the stars this year!  I can hardly wait to see what costume Johnny Weir decides upon at the last second (since his U.S. Championship long program costume trimmed with "white fur" meant to represent angels' wings was smashed down by PETA and their supporters), and what excuse he will bring forth to cover up what I am expecting will be yet another sub-par performance.  Did you miss the bus again, Johnny?  Dude, retire already, and try to sell those ridiculous "designs" of yours in the real world once you are no longer an "Olympian."  Hey - The Wall Street Journal gave you  and your designs great print coverage today.  Go with it, baby. Elvis Stoiko has declared that macho-men must reign on the ice in order to save the sport for future generations.  And as much as I enjoy watching you skate (and fail to make crucial jumps, unfortunately) for your gorgeous musical interpretation and emotive ability, you are just well, too outre for me.

Evan L - can't grow a decent beard to save his life.  I don't think, frankly, he has what it takes to win the big Gold. But, darling, hey - surprise me.

Brian J - love ya, darling, but you're too short for NBC's ideal male figure-skater so you won't make it in the end.

Current Canadian Skater - I believe Elvis did not comment on you.  Darling, isn't that the kiss of death?

Winner - someone from Asia.

Women's figure skating - no brainer.  Someone from Asia.  I am personally rooting for an excellent and stand-on-her-feet performance from USA's Nagai and perhaps a 4th place finish (but I'm not holding my breath).  Flatt will be flat.  She won't fall, but she won't inspire, either. She doesn't have that "it" factor.  But I think she will make an excellent contestant on "The Apprentice." 

Ice dancing?  Who knows, LOL!  The former old Soviet system of slowly-ever-so-slowly-over-10-years-trudging-up-the-international-ladder to eventually make it into the top ten, and then the top six, and then the top four, and then then top three... was being severely undermined by other non-Soviet teams and the Americans (gasp!) before the advent of the new scoring system.    So - we'll see ---

The new scoring system is as full of shit as the old scoring system. But at least under that system, EVERYONE in the audience knew just exactly what judge gave what skater(s) what score of 6.0 or under under the dual components of "technical" and "artistic."  Bias, if it existed, was clear to see.  But this new scoring system - totally designed to obfuscate and prevent the audience from seeing what any individual judge has posted as his or her scores. As I understand it - correct me if I'm wrong - one total composite score for "technical" and "artistic" is posted and, more importantly, NO ONE CAN TELL WHAT JUDGE POSTED WHAT SCORES.  This is a system RIFE for corruption, if it has not already been riddled with it! 

Okay, now it is shortly after 9:00 p.m. my time and the "march" of Olympians from various countries continues, broadcast by NBC worldwide (I assume).  Personally, I think the entire thing should have been cancelled and, instead, the atheletes should have marched into the arena holding candles, silent, mourning, for the loss of the life of the 21-year old Georgian luger earlier today.  Now, what I'm seeing on t.v. and listening to the commentary, it's just absolutely disgusting.  As if nothing happened  as if no one was killed for such a silly-ass stupid sport.  This sucks.  This really sucks.

I'll stick to chess, darlings.