Olympic Withdrawal

Now that the Beijing Olympics are finally over, I find myself missing the around-the-clock coverage that NBC provided this year. NBC, MSNBC, USA and CNBC - there didn't seem to be a moment when you couldn't get some Olympic action.

Here are some random observations on this year's Olympics:

- Basketball, football, water polo, handball, field hockey... all variations of the same "put the ball in your opponent's goal" game.


- That being said, handball rocks. We watched a women's match between Norway and Romania, and it was absolutely gripping. We rooted for Norway, simply because we were more likely to visit Norway than Romania someday. Norway ended up beating Russia for the gold medal. Go Norway!


- What was up with the Australian women basketball team uniforms? It was strange seeing bodysuits on the basketball court versus the usual baggy shorts. They looked like they should have been wrestling.


- There's an event in the Equestrian competition where the rider and the horse just clip clop around the field and spin around. It's not very compelling, and the most exciting thing we saw was when a horse take a poo during its routine.


- I found it surprising how little we saw of the Olympic mascots - Beibei, Yingying, ....and um, Totem Pole, Hothead, and Panda. It's not too late to get your commemorative wallpapers and screensavers here!


- Now that all the athletes and press have gone home, China can let all the air pollution back in again.


Ah, well. Only two more years until the winter games in Vancouver!