Monday, February 13, 2006

Winter Oh Lick Lips

One of my twins once called the Olympics the 'oh lick lips'. The twins were always mangling words, and I never corrected them, prefering 'spalstic' to plastic, and finding 'hopper grasses' much cuter than a grass hopper.

Anyhow, I love watching the olympics, and so yesterday I had the TV on while I worked, and I managed to catch the mens' downhill and see the French guy win, much to the surprise of everyone. (it's nicer when the winner is a surprise) And then I got a lot more work done during the cross-counrty ski race, (that lasts an hour and a half), since there are practically no commercials here in France. I managed to get a lot of work done because you see five minutes of cross country skiiing - you've seen it all.

I'm looking forward to the skiing and shooting race, which a journalist over at the Guardian likened to swimming a legnth of a pool, then getting out to strangle someone...That might be entertaining too, especially if the swimmer has to chase and catch his intended victim. (swimming, racing, and wrestling) But I happen to like sharp shooting, and the skiing helps me get a lot of work done while I don't watch it.

And speaking of shooting, I read that the VP of the US, Cheney, shot someone while hunting quail. Now, I don't hunt. But I grew up with a passle of hunting uncles, and my husband is an avid hunter. The VP shot someone in the face and chest, which meant he was shooting way low - birds fly in the air, folks, and unless you're trigger happy and close your eyes when you shoot, you wait until the birds are high enough not to endanger anyone, you take your finger off the trigger as you raise that gun, and you don't shoot unless you're positive about what you're shooting. What I'm trying to say is he is a terrible hunter, and since he shot a lawyer I bet he's plenty 'embêté' as they would say here in France, or down in New Orleans, come to think about it.

Now New Orleans, I just read, was a unmitigated disaster. Supposedly the levees were breached the day the storm hit, the Prez Knew about it and lied, saying they weren't breached until a whole day and a half later. Is it to protect his buddies in the insurance companies? Or are they planning on submitting New Orleans' candidature for the summer olympics and having a ready-made water park? I bet lots of folk wanted to swim out of New Orleans and strangle the president. He was smart not coming until a few days later. That can be a new sport - the swim, chase, and strangle. Right up there with the ski shooting.

Anyhow, one year the twins and I went to Mégève, a very lovely French ski station in the Alps. I put the twins in ski school. The teacher was an elderly man of infinite patience, who, it turned out, won the bronze medal for skiing at Squaw Valley in 1960. He also told me my son Sebi didn't listen to a word he said, and that he'd never taught a child like that. I was mortified, but he honestly didn't seem to mind. He just let Sebi do his thing (Sebi only wanted to be pointed straight down the mountain and go as fast as he could) while he took the others on their slow, curving way down the hill - and on the end of every curve he'd call Sebi, who'd point straight down and whoosh straight for the teacher, who would catch nimbly him and set him upright again, and tell him to wait. Sebi never did learn to turn, but he and the teacher got along great.


FTS said...

I enjoy the winter olympics, especially since I'm moving soon to a place where there's mountains and skiiing.

Thanks for visiting. :)

Karen Scott said...

Was it bad that I laughed when I read the Dick Cheney news item this morning?

Sam said...

Hi FTS - I envy you moving to the mountains - how wonderful!
And Karen,
Me too.

Daisy Dexter Dobbs said...

Cheney did that, huh? Well son of a gun. This just goes to show how writers can get so wrapped up in their fantasy worlds that they don’t even know what the hell is going on in the real world around them. Imagine that I had to read a post written by a blogger in France to learn what just happened here in the U.S.! LOL

Cute skiing story about Sebi, Sam. Sounds like he’ll grow up to be an adventurous man and an independent thinker. :-)

Loved the 13 things you hated about The Da Vinci Code, Sam. Believe it or not I still haven’t read it yet. And big congrats on the release of Planetary Passions - Renegade Aquarius!

Sam said...

Daisy, I wake up and get a cup of coffee, and while I'm trying to really wake up, I scan the NY Times, the Guardian, the Wahsington Post, and the Christian Science Monitor. I get most of my news that way, because I hate watching television.

Sam said...

Comments from the Cheney post at the Guardian:
best of guardian's comments
1.This is what happens, when old men with electronics assisted hearts go out in an ambulance to shoot healthy birds, with lots of life and future. Poetic justice indeed.

2. Maybe if Dick had done his time in 'Nam he'd have known how to work that gun!

3.I don't understand why there are no reports on the condition of Dan Quayle himself after this shooting, or why Dick Cheney was hunting him so openly rather than resorting to his more normal underhand tactics.

4. Dan Quail (sorry Quayle) had better look out.

5. Blast - It took so long to post that the Quayle joke became old. Actually the bravery of these guys should not go unremarked. The average weight of a quail is between 5 - 7 oz. Males are slightly heavier. An adult quail grows to be around 9.8 inches (if given the chance). You wouldn't want an enraged quail coming at you.

6. Why is anyone surprised that Dick Cheney didn't hit what he was supposedly aiming at? After all, when we were supposedly aiming for Al Qaeda, he's the one who ended up having us shoot Iraq instead.

7. Maybe Cheney got a bit nervous with Whittington 'coming up behind him.' Sure they weren't near Brokeback mountain at the time? I wonder if he needed a stiff one after it happened.

Jona said...

You've just reminded me, my eldest is off skiing tomorrow - without me! *sob*

Madeline Hill said...

I love to watch the ice skating with my black and white kitty cat,Miss Lana. She jumps onto the corner of my coffee table and her little head goes back and forth with the skaters. No one believes she really watches TV with me. So it's just our secret! We love the olympics!

Jim Donahue said...

I am not what you would call athletic. But two years ago, I got talked into cross-country skiing.

I didn't exactly do well on the first day. I fell a lot, though I did have fun.

Day two, we went to a different spot, and the snow was more compacted and icy. Going around a turn, I fell, hard, on my left hand. It hurt like hell, but I didn't think it was anything serious. A friend, a school nurse, was with me, and talked me into going to the ER.

Well, I fractured my wrist. Ugh. Six weeks in a cast and a couple months of physical therapy followed.

And I will never--NEVER--go cross-country skiing again.

Sam said...

Maddy - I believe you about your cat - my dog loves to watch TV -
and Jim - Ouch for your wrist!!
My daughter went cross country skiing and Hated it - swore she'd never go again, lol.

Virenda said...

I would first just like to comment and say you are a wonderful writer and I love your french/Englsih.

My friend had posted about the Cheney thing and I couldn't believe it, that man shouldn't be allowed a gun. ~sigh~

I feel bad for who ever was shot, bullet spray to the face is horrible.

"...You see five minutes of ccs you've seen it all." too true and very funny ;0)

I enjoyed your post today and hope that V-day is good to you.

Sam said...

Thank you for your kind words Virenda - I am ashamed to say my blog posts are not edited and sometimes I look at them and just cringe - but your words brightened my day (Another Valentine!)
It was a good day!

Gabriele C. said...

I like embêté; in French nasty things sound so much more beautiful. Who knows, maybe he was a bit ivre, too.

Those Guardian comments cracked me up, esp. no. 6.

Wynn Bexton said...

Exellent post Sam. As always I enjoy your blogs. Loved the stories about your boys! I enjoy watching the ice skating best and wow! did you see that Chinese skater take that nasty fall then get up and go on to win silver? Amazing!
The Cheney thing is ridiculous. Old farts with guns (oh, we didn't have anything to drink first, says he. Yeah?) Aiming low enough to hit a guy in the face? And now one of the pellets has actually reached the old dude's heart and caused a minor heart attack. What a stupid scandal. But it's to be expected from that whole Bushy bunch.