The Summer Games

     As I am sure you are all aware, the Olympics are in session. I love the Olympics, summer and winter. When I think of what it takes to be an average runner and multiply that by whatever effort and dedication it takes to get to the Olympics--in any discipline--I am truly impressed by those who make it there. And what impresses me even more is that these Olympians, most of them, don't make a living off of their passion like an elite baseball, football, basketball, etc player. They get almost nothing in the form of money, as far as I know. And then, to take it even further, they get the chance to shine just once every four years meaning that perhaps they get a shot at one or two or maybe three moments in their entire lives. I still love my baseball and football, mind you, but those guys have it easy compared to the average Olympian.
     Right now I am watching ping pong. The only saving grace is that it's a guy from South Korea against a guy from North Korea. That makes it rather cool to see. But I must tell you that watching the Olympics over here has been rather frustrating. It's been a heavy dose of judo, ping pong, badminton, fencing and archery for the first week. I like the archery, but the other four, well, not so much. And the three channels that carry the Games focus, almost exclusively, on South Koreans. Now, you might be saying something along the lines of "duh!" but it's so bad that when there is no South Korean in a live event, they replay South Koreans who won just an hour or two ago or sometimes more. Really. I come home from work to see Mr. Park do battle on the judo mat with Mr. Nesvyashchenkov live and then, once the match is over and Mr. Park has thoroughly trounced his opponent, they break for commercial and then come back and show it again. So I flip the channel to find a different match pitting a South Korean against a Eastern European only this one is from three hours ago.
     Right now my choices are ping pong, badminton and more badminton--all with South Koreans, of course. And because I can check out what's going on live right now via the magic of the internet, I am fully aware that the the men's 100 meter heats are going on right now, which for me, would make for much more exciting viewing. But.....I am American and a guest in this country so I guess I should just try to enjoy the sports that Americans think of as drinking games or games you play at a picnic.
     In other news, Buster is coming along nicely. He has been accepted by Stella, for the most part, and is becoming a good little guy. He's still a kitten in that he causes his fair share of trouble and finds even the smallest speck of dust an interesting plaything, but he's doing well. And, as kittens and puppies and children do, he's getting bigger. Stella is gonna have her paws full in about three or four months. I've tried to tell her that she needs to establish her dominance now while he's still small enough to be overpowered by her, but she doesn't seem to get it.
     Back to the ping pong.