Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Bye, Bye Beijing
Please accept my apologies for not publishing an accounting of our final hours at the Beijing Olympics sooner. I had intended on recording my thoughts on the plane trip back. Unfortunately, at the airport in Beijing, the Chinese authorities discovered that I indeed do not exist. They, therefore, confiscated my laptop, concerned that it might contain imaginary secrets. I think that they actually wanted to dissect my computer, trying to determine if it was truly fantastic
I received a surprise on Saturday. Wanting to take full advantage of my last day in China, I arose early and started packing my bags. I wanted to spend some time in the city before taking in the final women’s basketball game, after which we would be saying our goodbyes to this adventure, or so I thought. Maribel was just returning home from yet another night of revelry, as had been her habit on this trip. She started talking about plans that she had made for after the game, and a great restaurant she wanted to take me to.
“Maribel, my dear,” I said. “We’re leaving after the game. We won’t be here for dinner.”
“Father, dear,” she responded, “all of the players on the girl’s team,” (she calls the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team the “girls team” for some reason), “will be staying to watch the boys.” (She calls the … well, you get the idea) “I just reminded a few people that we were here with the girl’s team and we were expecting to attend all of the same events that they did. So we’ll be flying back on Monday with them!”
This turned out to be very exciting. Whilst the Women’s team won the gold medal easily, the Men’s gold medal game was very exciting. I was quite exhausted at its conclusion. I do not believe that I have ever enjoyed a game quite so much as that one.
After the game, Maribel was approached by a well-dressed woman who had a heavy, eastern-European accent. She has seen Maribel working out with some of the US Olympic players, and had also talked to her college coach, and asked if she would be interested in trying out for the women’s professional league in Russia. Maribel was terribly flattered, but politely told the woman that she wanted to return home and weight her options, but would be in contact within a week. However, she was giddy all the way home thinking that she might have a chance to continue her basketball career.
So our long trip ended with a long plane ride, and a reunion with Angela and Colette, as well as The Boyfriend. Colette asked a million questions, but after the first hundred thousand or so, I had to ask her to slow down, as I was so tired that I thought that I would fall into a nap in mid-sentence.
I have a few hundred more stories of the 2008 Olympics, but time and space preclude me from presenting them at this point. However, I will save them for future updates. For now, I will simply return to my boring life, my boring job, and my not-at-all-boring family. There might possibly even be a few spankings to tell you about.
It is fair to say, though, and not at all an overstatement, that attending the 2008 Beijing Olympics was truly a fantastic experience.
I received a surprise on Saturday. Wanting to take full advantage of my last day in China, I arose early and started packing my bags. I wanted to spend some time in the city before taking in the final women’s basketball game, after which we would be saying our goodbyes to this adventure, or so I thought. Maribel was just returning home from yet another night of revelry, as had been her habit on this trip. She started talking about plans that she had made for after the game, and a great restaurant she wanted to take me to.
“Maribel, my dear,” I said. “We’re leaving after the game. We won’t be here for dinner.”
“Father, dear,” she responded, “all of the players on the girl’s team,” (she calls the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team the “girls team” for some reason), “will be staying to watch the boys.” (She calls the … well, you get the idea) “I just reminded a few people that we were here with the girl’s team and we were expecting to attend all of the same events that they did. So we’ll be flying back on Monday with them!”
This turned out to be very exciting. Whilst the Women’s team won the gold medal easily, the Men’s gold medal game was very exciting. I was quite exhausted at its conclusion. I do not believe that I have ever enjoyed a game quite so much as that one.
After the game, Maribel was approached by a well-dressed woman who had a heavy, eastern-European accent. She has seen Maribel working out with some of the US Olympic players, and had also talked to her college coach, and asked if she would be interested in trying out for the women’s professional league in Russia. Maribel was terribly flattered, but politely told the woman that she wanted to return home and weight her options, but would be in contact within a week. However, she was giddy all the way home thinking that she might have a chance to continue her basketball career.
So our long trip ended with a long plane ride, and a reunion with Angela and Colette, as well as The Boyfriend. Colette asked a million questions, but after the first hundred thousand or so, I had to ask her to slow down, as I was so tired that I thought that I would fall into a nap in mid-sentence.
I have a few hundred more stories of the 2008 Olympics, but time and space preclude me from presenting them at this point. However, I will save them for future updates. For now, I will simply return to my boring life, my boring job, and my not-at-all-boring family. There might possibly even be a few spankings to tell you about.
It is fair to say, though, and not at all an overstatement, that attending the 2008 Beijing Olympics was truly a fantastic experience.
