Saturday, July 28, 2012

Olympic Fever!

Friends and family keep asking me, "Don't you wish you were in London right now?" Guess they don't know me very well because my idea of hell is being stuck in loud, sweaty crowds with no easy means of escape. Not to mention if you want to watch the Olympics, the best seat in the house is usually at home where you can see everything much better thanks to network cameras. I'll save London for another day. I'm content to see the sights from this side of the ocean.

I did stay up last night to watch the opening ceremonies. Well done, I thought. Not much of a surprise there as I like Danny Boyle, but I did find it odd that it overly emphasized British literature, film, and music over than sport and athleticism. I'm not going to complain, though, because the soundtrack was outstanding: the Clash, Bowie, the Sex Pistols, the Chemical Brothers, the Pet Shop Boys, Clapton, and more. We did not see Elton John or Coldplay. And I loved that when Queen came on, their music got an extra cheer from the crowd.

Speaking of queenly matters ... did you like the James Bond short? I thought it was fun. And good for the Queen for playing along, although she looked rather glum all night.

Another thing I enjoyed about Boyle's direction? The homage to Britain's sense of humor. The Brits just don't take themselves so seriously, unlike Americans. (A huge generalization, I know.)  I doubt you'd see the likes of an American director let someone like Rowan Atkinson goof around with a renowned orchestra. I mean, look how offended we get when Ricky Gervais pokes fun at Hollywood celebrities? Wait -- I guess it's the Hollywood celebrities who get offended. But I stand by my original assertion.

I loved the look of the Ralph Lauren-designed uniforms for the U.S. athletes, though I was dismayed to find out they were made in China. Grr. And while I've seen the athletic wear that Stella McCartney designed for Team UK, I wasn't thrilled with the look of the uniforms they wore at last night's opening ceremony. (Those gold patches under their arms? Yuk.) I also liked Canada's outfits -- they were simple, but really stood out.

Anyway, it was a pleasant way to spend the evening and I managed to get a good bit done on my 2012 Ravellenic Games entry, my Go America! socks:

socks for Ravellenic games

I had to rip them back a bit after I'd discovered I'd cast on an extra stitch, but otherwise good progress. This morning I manged to add another two inches to the leg, and I suspect by the end of the weekend I'll have the heel turned. My son is down in Connecticut this weekend, so I have some extra free time.

Are you watching the Olympics over the next several weeks? Are you participating in the 2012 Ravellenic games?

5 comments:

  1. Also, the Ab Fab women's involvement. Hilarious. I loved the James Bond piece, with the corgis and the queen. How the monarchy has changed--pre-Diana, you wouldn't have seen her involved like that for the world.

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  2. Agree, Amy. The Monarchy has loosened up a lot since 1997. Since all the other scandals haven't brought them down, the Queen probably figures a little fun with Daniel Craig isn't such a big deal.

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  3. I'm with you - as much as I love London there is no way I would want to be there right now!

    I loved the bit with The Queen. When it first started my husband and I sat there wondering if it was a commercial, then when she turned around and it was really Her we couldn't believe it. She did look a bit glum at the ceremonies. I wonder if she is exhausted from all the activity that has surrounded her Jubilee.

    And Mr. Bean in the orchestra was hilarious!

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  4. Even we loved the opening ceremony: in fact we have ditched out customary cynicism during the games, and London has indeed been crowded: but uncharacteristically affable. My commuter husband informs me that this week, the effect seems to be continuing.

    Your crowd instinct was a good one: we got used to being herded, for sure. However since we are excellent queue-ers, we fared better than I thought we would.

    Lovely post: and nice to find out what people were thinking on the other side of the pond.

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  5. Thank you, Letterfrombritain! Very kind of you. I read a lot of British bloggers who attended the ceremonies and it does look like crowd control was excellent.

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