A SpotsBug’s World

olympic withdrawal

It has been just three days since the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics… and I’m experiencing withdrawal of Olympic proportions. 

As I stated in a previous post, I love the Olympics.  I love everything they represent - the sport, the heart, and the unity.  It all simply astounds and amazes me every time the Games roll around.  I love the human stories behind the medals and events.  It also reminds me that probably the only sport I would have ever had any hope to compete in would have been archery… standing still, one swift motion, let a piece of equipment do the work… my kind of sport… or really, it may just be my laziness showing through. 

But I digress… really, this Olympics was one of the best I can ever remember.  I think I watched at least five minutes of nearly every sport… sports that I normally would never even consider to have any interest in otherwise.  But every four years I am re-exposed to events that I forget about in between Games.  I relearn all the rules and find myself mesmerized by it and overwhelmed by the need to sit and watch until the medals are handed out.

So here are some of my favorite moments of this Olympic games:

1. Yao Ming being accompanied by the precious nine-year old boy who was one of the few that survived the devastating earthquake in China several months ago.  The heroism he displayed when he helped some of his fellow students is something of a lesson for all of us.
2. Watching as underdog Stephanie Brown Tafton became the first U.S. gold medalist in the women’s discus event since 1932.  As she carried an American flag that was sent to her from her friend who is a soldier in Iraq, patriotism filled my heart.  Her friend sent a note with the flag that stated, “it’s flown in Iraq, now make sure it flies in China.”  And as if this couldn’t get any sweeter, the very next day as I watched her in an interview, she wore not only her Olympic gold medal around her neck, but also one made out of construction paper by her young niece.  Aaahhh – just makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside…
3. Constantina Tomescu’s record breaking marathon run seemed to take all she had.  As I watched her last eight miles I just wanted to reach through the screen and help this poor woman out.  Her frail body seemed to tremble with each pounding step.  I kept waiting for the breakdown.  Miraculously though, when it looked like she had nothing left to give, this 38 year old woman crossed the finish line.  At that moment, she not only became the oldest person ever to medal, let alone win, an Olympic marathon but it seemed to be just the refreshment she needed because she kept running, and running, and running…  as if she were just beginning her 26.5 mile run.  With the flag draped around her shoulders she paraded through the Bird’s Nest and gave Forrest Gump a run for his money… literally.
4. Jason Lezak’s nailbiting race to the finish line during the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.  It was one of the most exciting swimming events I have ever seen. 
5. One of the other most exciting swimming events I witnessed belongs to Dara Torres in the women’s individual 50m freestyle.  Coming up just short of the gold medal by one 1/100 of a second – the frustration she must have felt.  But again, the incredible gratitude, sportsmanship, and grace she displayed proved to be yet another patriotic and sentimental moment for yours truly.  And I can’t even begin to tell you how amazed I am at her accomplishments when you pair the fact that she is a 41 year old mother who’s coach is terminally ill and, of course, could not travel for the Games.
6. The U.S. domination in volleyball, both indoor and beach versions of the sport.  What especially touched my heart was the incredible strength the men’s indoor volleyball coach, Hugh McCutcheon, expressed as he overcame the tragedy of his father-in-law’s senseless murder in Beijing the night after the opening ceremonies.  He was with family for the team’s first three matches and then returned to lead the team to a gold medal.  He mentioned in an interview that the 17 days had brought him the “lowest of the low and the highest of the high.”  When the team won their final match he hugged his fellow coaches and then buried his head in his hands only to walk out of the gym a few moments later.  He had to compose himself.  He returned to congratulate the team and then stated, “my work here is finished,” and with that was quickly on a plane to return home to grieving family members.  What sacrifices these athletes and coaches make…
7. The sweet smile of the Spanish rythmic gymnast as she finished her last routine in this, her 7th and final Olympics.  At the end, she kneeled down and kissed the mat signifying her retirement and last competition.  She was not expected to make the finals, but in a strange turn of events made it through by the small margin.  Her final routine was with the ribbon, it was graceful and clean – a wonderful way to finish her career, even if she didn’t medal.
8. The U.S. women gymnasts taking both the gold and silver in the individual all-around competition.  This was a first for the history books.  Nastia Luiken with her graceful moves and long lines and Shawn Johnson with her power and speed dominated the competition from the start. 
9. And despite all the publicity he’s already received I suppose watching Michael Phelps win each of his eight gold medals was a highlight as well.  The man can swim, there’s no doubt about that.  Since he seemed to break nearly every swimming record I am anxious to see what he will do at the next Olympic Games in London…

Okay, so these are just a few of my favorites.  I have many, many more but I didn’t want to bore to tears – however, you may already be there.  I suppose now I’ll have to figure out what to do with all my free time until another couple of years has passed and the Winter Games in Vancouver begin.  Alas, my Olympic withdrawal continues… 

the naming game

After about 8 weeks I have decided that the cat family who arrived on a hot summer afternoon in June are here to stay.  I have watched the little ones grow and change over these last couple of months.  They have gone from just eating and sleeping to eating, playing a lot and sleeping only when they have to.  It’s been fun watching them explore their world, expressing curiosity about every little thing that moves.  For me, they have been a great distraction from everyday life.  It’s been nice to have some company at the house every morning as I get ready to go to work and every night as I return home.

Since I seem to be the sucker of choice for these three felines I’ve been concentrating on names the last couple of weeks.  Up to this point I have just called them “mama” and “babies.”  But I figure if they are going to be a more permanent fixture, they need names.  Thus started “the naming game.” 

So I started thinking about every possible naming combination I could.  I have a boy and girl kitten so of course naturally girl and boy teams pop into mind like Jack & Jill.  But I thought I could be a little better than generic.  Then I started thinking of gender neutral pairings like Baker & Taylor (I work at a library).  I really liked that one for a while, but then I decided I wanted something else.  Those names just didn’t seem to fit their emerging personalities.  I really love horse racing and so for a time I thought of every possible racehorse, trainer, jockey, and any other racing vocabulary I could to see if a fitting name jumped out.  Nothing.  So then I moved to photography, I thought the kittens are black and white so who are my favorite black and white film photographers.  Of course, Ansel Adams and Fred Archer come to mind… so then I was on the Ansel & Archer kick for a few days.  Again, though, just something didn’t seem to fit.  I continued on the photography path with names like Kodak & Nikon, Flash & Focus, Meter & Prism… but again, not really feeling it. 

I decided that having a meaning to or pairing of the names was becoming a futile search.  I backtracked.  I started observing the kittens and their mother… what do they do, how do they play, how do they interact with me and each other.  As I watched them, I learned that they are three very distinct and individual personalities and therefore required no pairing at all, just a simple name that fit each one.  So here it goes, my naming game has ended and here are the results:

Casey – the “mama” cat is the first one that approached the house looking pitiful and asking with her expressive eyes for food and shelter.  She is a very attentive mother, always watching the kittens, cleaning them, calling to them to make sure they are within earshot.  She has nursed them back to health as one overcame a respiratory infection and the other a fairly bad injury that left two open wounds to clean.  She is still quite hesitant to allow me any physical contact, but I believe its more due to the habit of reacting that way than to the idea that she doesn’t trust me.  Hopefully, she’ll continue to feel more and more comfortable – besides I really, really, really, need to have her spayed before she brings any more kittens my way.

Bo – (short for Bogie) this handsome little guy started out as the runt.  He was ugly and small with congestion-filled eyes and nose.  But over the last 8 weeks he has flourished.  His fuzzy coat which started with more of an orange tint has now become a sleek, jet black.  He is much larger than his sister now and has come out of his shell to also be the more courageous of the two.  He is interested in everything and is not afraid to climb my pants leg to tell me he’s hungry.  He was the first to allow me to pet him and also the first that has become comfortable sitting in my lap (granted he still needs to be distracted by food to do this – but it is progress).  His distinguishing mark: a single, black spot on his front left paw. 

Audrey – this baby girl is as sweet as she can be.  She’s timid and shy, but just loves sitting beside me on the porch step as she watches her mother and brother explore and play.  She seems content to watch.  She started out as the larger and darker of the two but is now a shade lighter and much smaller than her brother.  She has a gentle spirit but also happens to have a little devilish side as well and will, without warning, attack Bo and wrestle him to the ground.  It’s the little fiery streak she gets from her mother.  She spent about a week recovering from an injury to her leg and neck to which I still have no idea about what happened.  But she is on the mend and doing very, very well.  Her distinguishing mark: a white tipped tail.    

So Audrey, Bo, and Casey are my new family members.  I suppose I’m starting my ABC’s or something… but seriously, I don’t need 23 more cats to complete the alphabet.  My next hurdle is vet visits to get the required shots and the mandatory spaying and neutering… wish me luck.

say what we need to say

We’ve all been in situations where we’ve held back what we really wanted to say.  I know I do this and for a multitude of reasons.  Sometimes its because the fear of rejection sneaks up and catches me in a weak moment and then other times it may just be because I don’t feel its my place to comment.  For whatever the reason, I often find that my pride and frustration take over and I decide to speak louder with my actions.  Avoidance, grumpiness, and glaring looks become my way of dealing with certain people and situations.  This is usually a result of me feeling as though I’m not able to say what I need to say. 

This has happened recently and how I wish I could tell this person how much he’s hurt our family – but I don’t.  We’ve “talked” about the issues before, we all know what they are, but nothing is ever done.  No problems are ever fixed, no gaps are ever bridged.  I used to be more open and communicative, but my pleas have gone unanswered, my opinions and thoughts ignored.  Because of this, I have found myself hurt on one too many occassions and therefore decided in recent years that avoidance is my best defense. 

But this isn’t good enough.  Because it should work, our relationship should work.  The relationship should be easy and open instead of becoming such a horrible imposition on everyone involved.  So much has happened in the past it is hard to overcome.  But how can we overcome it if we are unwilling to talk about it.  And we have to be willing to talk about it without accusation or anger.  We have to be able to say what we need to say…  I think only then can we begin to heal and move forward.  

Excerpts from “Say”
by John Mayer

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems
Better put them in quotations

Say what you need to say…

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you’d be better off instead
If you could only

Say what you need to say…

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You better know that in the end
It’s better to say too much
Than never to say what you need to say again

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say…