My timid young fingers held a decent animal.
The Winter Olympics are done and over with, and I am at a complete loss as to how to spend my time. I'm so used to getting up in the mornings and running to the television to find out what I missed while I was sleeping and now...none of that. I took a nap this afternoon - which I rarely do - and I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I was exhausted and everything to do with the fact that I was too sad about the games ending to do anything else. I only wish that was a joke, but I think it says a lot about me. (Specifically that I am more pathetic than any of you could have ever possibly imagined.)
I watched the closing ceremonies yesterday with butterflies in my stomach. It sounds silly, but I swear a little part of me died the instant the ceremonies began, because I just knew the fun and excitement was over, and really, what is there to replace it? Nothing! There is nothing in this world quite as wonderful as the Olympic games, and quite honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself for the next four years. Studying? Working? Spending time with family and friends? Please!
While brainstorming ways to deal with my grief, I thought momentarily about killing myself. But I quickly changed my mind as I came to realize that ending my life would make it pretty hard for me to get to Vancouver in 2010, wouldn't it? So I decided instead to channel all my energy into planning for those games, and I've decided that I'm going to be there, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME. (I've really never been more serious about anything in my life.)
All I want to do right now is search the country for every single newspaper with Cindy Klassen's adorable face splattered on the front, so that I can cut all those pictures out and plaster them all over my bedroom walls.
What would we do without her?!
*squishes her*
It's not just the five medals in a fortnight thing that makes her amazing (though, yes, that definitely does help!), but it's all about how unbe-freaking-lievably CUTE she is. Like, seriously, it should be illegal for anyone to be that precious!
I was sauntering through The Bay on Saturday looking through the racks of official Olympics gear again when they announced that Clara Hughes had won her first ever gold and that Cindy had won her fifth medal of the games, a bronze. I stood in front of the huge TV in the middle of the store and watched the presentation of the medals with about fifteen other excited customers, and it was all so fantastic that I, um, sort of had to run out of the store because I got really choked up and didn't want anyone to see me crying.
I'm not going to pretend like that was the first time, either. Every time a Canadian athlete won a medal, or someone was really excited about being at the Olympics, or someone did something cute, I got teary-eyed. Every time I saw a cheesy Olympics-themed commercial, or I heard the CBC Sports theme song, or watched one of those RBC segments on The Olympians, I had to blink back tears. And hearing Oh Canada blaring as two of our greatest female athletes stood side by side, giggling, on the podium? Oh man, how could I stop the waterworks?
I guess that's just one more thing I love about the Olympics: it brings out my inner sap. I'm the kind of person who rarely cries at the saddest, most depressing movies, so the fact that the games move me so much says a lot about what they mean to me. I love Canada and I'm so incredibly proud to be a Canadian, that's no secret, but I think the Olympics make me about 50 times as patriotic as I always am, and I love watching my fellow Canadians working so hard to achieve something really special. I know I've been griping quite a bit about the male athletes not stepping up and doing what we all know what they're capable of, but at the end of the day, it's really not about how many medals they bring back. It's about how hard they fight, and how gracious they are regardless of the outcome. It's about never giving up and always believing, as trite as that may sound. And I think we can say that (for the most part) they all did exactly that, and that makes me so completely happy!
But back to the women for a second, because I really do think what they achieved at these games was remarkable. They showed the world that they are strong, capable, and determined, and we really couldn't have asked for anything better. The CBC commentators kept saying that they hoped all of these female athletes would serve as role models to young girls and women in Canada, and you know, it might sound cheesy, but I really hope they do too. I hope that my cousin can look up to the Cassie Campbells and the Beckie Scotts and the Clara Hughes of the world and know that she can do anything she wants to, and be thankful that she lives in a country where anything and everything is possible. I hope that, years from now, when I have kids of my own, they'll be able to look at these people as inspirations because I really can't think of very many better role models for my (non existent) children.
Poll Goodbye, Torino!
[ETA: Gah! I spelled Beckie Scott's name wrong and now I can't fix it. I'm sorry, Queen Beckie(EEEEEEE), please find it in your heart to forgive me.)
When Clara Hughes was interviewed after her gold medal win on Saturday, she mentioned her involvement with Right To Play and explained that, while some athletes (like American Joey Cheek) were giving their gold medal winnings to the charity, she couldn't go that route because Canadian gold medal winners don't get a bonus for their winnings. (Don't even get me started on how uncool that is, because that could be a whole entry in and of itself. But if you agree with me that it's more than a little bit fucked up that Canadian athletes get next to nothing in terms of funding and bonuses, go here for more info.) So what did she do? She dipped into her savings and donated $10 000 of her own money. Oh, Clara! As if your ecstatic dancing on the podium wasn't enough to make me cry, you had to go and do that?!
Anyway, want to help Clara Hughes and Joey Cheek in their quest to make the world a better place, so to speak? Go here and donate, donate, donate!
I watched the closing ceremonies yesterday with butterflies in my stomach. It sounds silly, but I swear a little part of me died the instant the ceremonies began, because I just knew the fun and excitement was over, and really, what is there to replace it? Nothing! There is nothing in this world quite as wonderful as the Olympic games, and quite honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself for the next four years. Studying? Working? Spending time with family and friends? Please!
While brainstorming ways to deal with my grief, I thought momentarily about killing myself. But I quickly changed my mind as I came to realize that ending my life would make it pretty hard for me to get to Vancouver in 2010, wouldn't it? So I decided instead to channel all my energy into planning for those games, and I've decided that I'm going to be there, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME. (I've really never been more serious about anything in my life.)
All I want to do right now is search the country for every single newspaper with Cindy Klassen's adorable face splattered on the front, so that I can cut all those pictures out and plaster them all over my bedroom walls.
What would we do without her?!
*squishes her*
It's not just the five medals in a fortnight thing that makes her amazing (though, yes, that definitely does help!), but it's all about how unbe-freaking-lievably CUTE she is. Like, seriously, it should be illegal for anyone to be that precious!
I was sauntering through The Bay on Saturday looking through the racks of official Olympics gear again when they announced that Clara Hughes had won her first ever gold and that Cindy had won her fifth medal of the games, a bronze. I stood in front of the huge TV in the middle of the store and watched the presentation of the medals with about fifteen other excited customers, and it was all so fantastic that I, um, sort of had to run out of the store because I got really choked up and didn't want anyone to see me crying.
I'm not going to pretend like that was the first time, either. Every time a Canadian athlete won a medal, or someone was really excited about being at the Olympics, or someone did something cute, I got teary-eyed. Every time I saw a cheesy Olympics-themed commercial, or I heard the CBC Sports theme song, or watched one of those RBC segments on The Olympians, I had to blink back tears. And hearing Oh Canada blaring as two of our greatest female athletes stood side by side, giggling, on the podium? Oh man, how could I stop the waterworks?
I guess that's just one more thing I love about the Olympics: it brings out my inner sap. I'm the kind of person who rarely cries at the saddest, most depressing movies, so the fact that the games move me so much says a lot about what they mean to me. I love Canada and I'm so incredibly proud to be a Canadian, that's no secret, but I think the Olympics make me about 50 times as patriotic as I always am, and I love watching my fellow Canadians working so hard to achieve something really special. I know I've been griping quite a bit about the male athletes not stepping up and doing what we all know what they're capable of, but at the end of the day, it's really not about how many medals they bring back. It's about how hard they fight, and how gracious they are regardless of the outcome. It's about never giving up and always believing, as trite as that may sound. And I think we can say that (for the most part) they all did exactly that, and that makes me so completely happy!
But back to the women for a second, because I really do think what they achieved at these games was remarkable. They showed the world that they are strong, capable, and determined, and we really couldn't have asked for anything better. The CBC commentators kept saying that they hoped all of these female athletes would serve as role models to young girls and women in Canada, and you know, it might sound cheesy, but I really hope they do too. I hope that my cousin can look up to the Cassie Campbells and the Beckie Scotts and the Clara Hughes of the world and know that she can do anything she wants to, and be thankful that she lives in a country where anything and everything is possible. I hope that, years from now, when I have kids of my own, they'll be able to look at these people as inspirations because I really can't think of very many better role models for my (non existent) children.
Poll Goodbye, Torino!
[ETA: Gah! I spelled Beckie Scott's name wrong and now I can't fix it. I'm sorry, Queen Beckie(EEEEEEE), please find it in your heart to forgive me.)
When Clara Hughes was interviewed after her gold medal win on Saturday, she mentioned her involvement with Right To Play and explained that, while some athletes (like American Joey Cheek) were giving their gold medal winnings to the charity, she couldn't go that route because Canadian gold medal winners don't get a bonus for their winnings. (Don't even get me started on how uncool that is, because that could be a whole entry in and of itself. But if you agree with me that it's more than a little bit fucked up that Canadian athletes get next to nothing in terms of funding and bonuses, go here for more info.) So what did she do? She dipped into her savings and donated $10 000 of her own money. Oh, Clara! As if your ecstatic dancing on the podium wasn't enough to make me cry, you had to go and do that?!
Anyway, want to help Clara Hughes and Joey Cheek in their quest to make the world a better place, so to speak? Go here and donate, donate, donate!