Happy Birthday to me

Listening to: More than this-The best of Roxy music. Revisited after hearing 'Same old Scene' in the first episode of 'Ashes to Ashes' last week, and on Active the other day, and realising it is in fact quite good.

Birthday number 32, post number 299, watched the end of the 7th Olympics I can remember last night, stayed up too late, somewhat tired, 1000 odd days until the next ones start.

Without being too portentous, 32 feels like the last birthday of one phase, and 33 will be well into a new one (as well as being the title of a very good Smashing Pumpkins song).

Normal service will be resuming now that the games have finished. Unashamedly sentimentally, I love the Olympics. I love the human drama of people pushing themselves as hard as they can to achieve, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing. I love the reactions of the winners, especially if they are overjoyed or weren't expected to. I like seeing people realise their dreams. I love being exposed to sports I would never normally make time for, and I love that unlike other world events, so many different disciplines are covered, even if they are occasionally wierd (I mean honestly, synchronised swimming?). I like being witness to great things, even if only by the proxy of television.

I tried very hard not to be cynical, and keep sport and politics separate this time (although I kept wondering if any comparisons could be made to the 1980 games), and I largely succeeded. I like the Olympics because it is generally so apolitical. There are the athletes, and there is the competition, and that is usually it. While there are negative things about the games (and not insignificant ones), at their best the Olympics are arguably one of the pinnacles of human achievement.

Right then, back to normal.

300th post up next. Hmmm, I wonder what I will do with it?