Olympics

Every two years, alternating between winter and summer, I become more of a couch potato than usual. I can't get enough of the games.

Example, one morning I stayed up until 1 AM to watch the men's basketball game and set the phone alarm to wake me at 4 AM for women's soccer.

Jim printed out an 18-page TV guide to every channel every day showing every event.

Videos of travel sites in China take me back with fond memories of wandering around the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square and scrambling along the Great Wall. OK, I didn't scramble exactly, perhaps sauntered around pretending I was watching for marauding hoards of Huns coming over the mountains. No one ever accused me of having a dull imagination.

But that was four years ago. China had been named host of the Olympics and they had already begun to move dozens of families out of areas where Olympic venues were to be built. China wanted to put their best foot forward and began cleaning up their space. They were determined to look good in the sight of the watching world.

The lengths they would go to do this was further revealed this afternoon when it was discovered that the darling little 9-year old singer during the opening ceremonies was really lip-syncing. The real voice was emanating from a very talented 9-year old with an unfortunate overbite. The Chinese did not want her to represent them and so picked a perfect little specimen of childhood with straight white teeth to put in the spotlight.

It hardly merits mention then since it is so obvious that countries and people are very similar in this aspect. People cover up flaws with make-up, clothes, false confidence, braggadocio (just love spell check) lip-syncing or bold lies, hoping that no one finds them out, finds out who or what they really are. Like countries we spend a lot of energy trying to hide who we are so people will think the best of us.

A lot of energy. A lot of wasted energy. And that's what I think about it.