The Olympics

I have to admit, I've never been a huge fan of watching the Olympics, particularly not the winter ones. I don't know why -- maybe because I grew up in Florida and never saw, much less even played in, snow. But this year, something has changed!

At this moment I'm watching one of my new favorite sports -- Curling! Our men are playing Denmark at the moment and winning, so yay! I still don't understand the scoring, but I love what's involved in the game. Also, it's a sport you can participate in at any age, so that is appealing, too.

Last night I was thrilled to watch Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White, and Shani Davis win gold medals. I can't begin to imagine the amount of work and dedication these young people have put in to their respective sports. I don't have that kind of determination, unfortunately. How do you foster that in a person? Is it just ingrained?

I've played softball and bowled on teams, but I hated the competitiveness of others. Others put way more stock into the outcome of the game rather than just having fun. That ruined both and maybe all sports for me. At least team sports. I can see doing individual sports, but just not the team thing.

I don't even like to play board games because of competitiveness. Back in the 80s, when Trivial Pursuit first came out, I actually had a friend of mine's husband accuse me of memorizing all of the answers! Mind you, there are thousands of questions! If I "memorized" all of the answers, wouldn't that still count as if, as I had, learned the answers in school or in life? I'll never forget the shock I felt when my friend's husband made that statement...as if it meant I was cheating. I didn't cheat -- I didn't have to cheat. I really did know the answers and won't apologize for having a good memory.

Here's hoping you're also enjoying the games! Let me know which is your fave and why, if you're up for it. :)

Krist Kristofferson at the Ryman

Last night I had a wonderful Nashville experience -- I got to see one of our best songwriters singing his songs on the stage of the historic Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry. I can't say enough good things about how much I enjoy shows there. The one negative is that the seats really are church pews, which can be quite uncomfortable for a long show.

The house was sold out, and it was clear that the audience came prepared to participate in the song selections. Kristofferson seemed very willing to oblige, and even seemed humbled by the reaction of this house of fans.

Everyone went nuts for "Sunday Morning Coming Down" (my personal fave), "For the Good Times", "Help Me Make it Through the Night", and "Why me Lord?" The crowd sang along, when it wasn't cheering. I can't adequately describe the sense of intimacy I experienced in this house of 1400 or so folks. At times it was just me and Kris -- I only *wish*!

Looking forward to the next show I get to see there. I'm hoping it will be Norah Jones, but we'll have to see. Tickets are not on sale yet, but I hope they will be soon. I'll just be grateful for the opportunity to try to get tix for that. lol

More of my live music experiences later. This is a topic you'll find here frequently, so don't be a stranger if you're a fan of live music, too!

A clean start

This is not my first blog. I've had a couple before, and kept up with them for a while, but somehow lost interest in writing at some point. However, I'm willing to give it another shot and try, if possible, to stay fresh and topical.

Today I'm watching "Julie & Julia" and having a marvelous time. Julia Child is played beautifully and zestfully by Meryl Streep. The part of Julie is played very convincingly by Amy Adams. I admire anyone dedicated enough to take on such a task as to cook one's way through anything as fancy and serious as a Julia Child cookbook. I know she hoped to make French cooking accessible to the common cook, but deboning a duck, or actually making something from a calf's hoof? Seriously -- not happening here.

I do plan, along with my friend Ali, who is a fearless and wonderful cook, to try cooking some new cuisines, starting with Indian. Now, I don't know the different regions, but I do know the things I like, so that's my plan of attack. I'll start with daal, maybe a biryani or korma, and Chicken Tikka Masala. Ali makes the best Tandoori Chicken, sans tandoori oven, among other things, so I feel I'm in good hands.

That's it for today. I hope to write regularly, so please do leave your comments. Interacting with readers is very reinforcing. I do love to meet new friends. :)