I'm in Amych's corner WRT professional athletes. Phelps is a professional athlete, even though there isn't a professional swim organization (or maybe there is?) and he certainly has a right to support himself as an athlete.

I think this year's US Basketball team, while embarrassingly dominate, is a great example of professionals who are playing in the true nature of the sport, and not as NBA stars -- for Bryant or James to play 10 minutes or less a game is shocking and kind of cool. Ditto to see Jason Kidd show up at the volleyball events to cheer on a team. And the fact that the men's team has been showing up at the women's team's games to support them shows that this year they have gotten the spirit right.

Sigh.

Just back from the docs. They are considering sending N to PT and speech therapy. I don't have TIME to run him to appts all week. I work full-time. Crab Crank Grump...

Curling rocks! Except when one falls and one breaks one's arm.

I lvoe this picture from the equestrian events: [link]

Suddenly I'm nauseous and shaky and have that migraine eye-socket feeling, if anyone know what I mean.

It also sounds a little like low blood sugar can sometimes feel, Jesse.

Curling rocks! Except when one falls and one breaks one's arm.

Ahem! Exactly!! Not that I would have ANY knowledge of that sort of event, whatsoever.

I *TRIED* to go exercise my new and exciting right to be a voter who is represented in congress and all that jazz! Sadly, when I got to the voting location (and was madly outnumbered by people working there, and was told "OOH! You're the first person in your subdistrict today!" (it's a primary, today)), I was then looked up in the rolls, and told "Um, they sent you an absentee ballot?" Except I didn't request one, and more importantly, didn't GET one.

So I had to complete a PROVISIONAL BALLOT!! I felt all possibly disenfranchised and shenanigan-y. Oooooh. I also had my cheat-sheet from the local alternative paper.

Now I'm wondering where my absentee ballot ended up, and if someone else FILLED IT OUT FOR ME!

Are you sure you're not living in Chicago, megan? I believe their motto is "vote early, vote often."

Wah wah wah. I did make it through the meeting, which is something. And my minion bought me ginger ale and saltines. Cute! My diagnosis is migraine, disguised by the Aleve I had taken an hour before.

ita - if you're here: Koji Murofushi.

Remember those balloon Jesuses I linked to earlier? Our buddy Bill Donohue doesn't like the Bitch Ph.D. blog post about them, and is demanding that Bitch Ph.D. lose its blog credentials for the Democratic National Convention.

Heh.

Bill Donohue, blog critic

“On the home page of Bitch Ph.D. there is a picture of two children: one of them is shown flashing his middle finger. Today’s lead post, which was written August 17, is called ‘Jesus Christ’ It begins with, ‘I’m a really crappy Catholic who hasn’t been to mass in ages because most parishes around here ‘will’ insist on being aggressively anti-abortion….’ The writer then objects to some children’s toys on the grounds that they are more offensive than desecrating the Eucharist. The toys are actually balloons that have been made to depict Jesus in various poses, including a crucified Christ; one of these images shows Jesus with a penis. Several who commented on this image made patently obscene comments.

...

“Both of these blogs should be cut immediately from the list of credentialed sites. Neither functions as a responsible media outlet and both offend Catholics, as well as others. To allow them access to the Democratic National Convention sends a message to Catholics they will not forget. We look for Leah Daughtry, CEO of the Convention, to nix them ASAP.”

Phelps is a professional athlete, even though there isn't a professional swim organization (or maybe there is?) and he certainly has a right to support himself as an athlete.

Yeah, one of the things that really struck me this year was just a passing comment from the gymnastics commentators that the reason we're seeing all these older athletes -- especially the multiple men in their late 20s or so -- is that they can support themselves in gymnastics. It used to be that they all had to drop out after college. And that makes me think that it wasn't just the body types or the incredibly punishing nature of the sport all along, that the opportunity to do it was a bigger part of it than we ever admitted in the days of amateur-only.

I mean, not that that's a huge surprise. But I hadn't heard them acknowledge it before in quite that way.

Oh and a friend emailed me this info from CNN:

Barack Obama's campaign confirms that the Illinois senator will hold an event in his home state Saturday, kicking off the "roll into the convention" — but would not confirm or deny reports that he might be joined on stage by a running mate.

The event will be held in the Old State Capitol in Springfield — where Obama first launched his presidential bid a year and a half ago.