Bob Costas' face looks fake

I missed another day of bloggage-- sorry! This winter has been a little light on entries, I admit. When I went to write last night, the wi-fi at Jan and Doug's wasn't working. Anyway.

Happy Valentine's Day! I am a fan of the holiday. I already mentioned my affinity for the Real McCoy of candy hearts-- Necco brand Sweethearts. Jan managed to get her hands on a few of them, and they were delicious. However, I like the ones that are fresh from the bag because they're a little softer. They are almost like dried icing. I'm into it. Also, I get a little irritated when people complain about the holiday. Check it out-- it's nothing but an extra push to celebrate love in your life. It doesn't have to be romantic love. And it doesn't have to be about shelling out a load of cash. Plus, an excuse to wear all shades of pink? Come on!

I'm fully immersed in Olympics fever. I think I am enjoying the Jeux olympiques d'hiver even more than the d'ete ones. Let's unpack this a little-- each sport, in either set of games, is appealing to a particular audience. And when you identify the pairs, then you can judge which event is actually more entertaining. For example:

1. Gymnastics vs. figure-skating: the routines that gymnasts perform must have an element of artistry, paired with wicked athleticism. This is also true of figure-skating. There are compulsory moves that get more and more challenging as years go by. (Remember when it was bonkers when a woman did a triple jump in skating? Nowadays, a female skater HAS to nail several triples in one program to even be a contender. And the menfolk are doing quads! It's unreal.) There's pageantry in gymnastics and figure-skating, and both events probably attract a similar audience. For me, the winner is figure-skating. Hands down. Gymnasts are FREAKS. They all talk like they've been sucking helium, and the women are like 4 feet tall. Plus, I saw the Nadia Comaneci biopic too many times. Plus, The Cutting Edge. Easy.

2. Soccer vs. hockey: I think any real soccer fan will attest that Olympic soccer means very little compared to World Cup soccer. Olympic Hockey, on the other hand, is awesome and has a rich history. And again, The Cutting Edge Advantage: hockey.

3. Curling vs. table tennis: Both are kind of obscure, but have loyal fans in origin countries. However, curling is hilarious to watch and it's not the same thing over and over again. Plus, one of my favorite memories of watching sports was when my sisters and I saw a curling match in which one of the sweepers was injured. Guess how. Yeah-- she was holding the broom in the air, and when she brought it down, she accidentally hit herself in the eye. Awesome. Plus, curling is very popular in Canada, and I must give a nod to the Canuck blood that courses through me. Advantage: curling

I could go on and on. I really enjoyed the freestyle skiing event last night and earlier tonight-- the moguls competitions were fierce and great to watch. Both the men's and women's contests were dramatic and tight, and those athletes are fantastic. Now, I recognize that I am a total sucker for those puff-pieces that NBC concocts and the way that Bob Costas delivers them, but I was very entertained by the whole man-of-mystery thing that was going on about Dale Begg-Smith, the Australian mogul skier. That shit was hilarious. And it made the final outcome even better: he was this cocky traitor with legit technique and talent, and he nailed his run, easily taking the top spot-- and then the Canadian native, Alexandre Bilodeau, gives a flawless performance dedicated to his older brother with cerebral palsy, natch, and takes the top spot. There was only one skier left, Frenchman Guilbaut Colas, who took the fastest time but failed to complete a grab on his second trick, so despite his #1 ranking after the qualifiers, he took 6th. It was awesome, and Bilodeau ended the streak of Canada never winning gold on home soil. Ohhhh, classic Olympic dreaminess. I love it. And I love that there are 2 more weeks of it.

Anyway-- the day after tomorrow will be my one-year mark. Jury's out on how I'm feeling about it.