Athens 2004

The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad of the Modern Era begin next Friday night. I plan to watch them religiously, as I do every two years. It surprises even me; I've never participated in any athletics, nor do I usually enjoy watching them on TV. Why, then, do I have such an attachment to the Olympics? Mostly to try to understand myself, here's a list, in no particular order:

* The Olympics absolutely reek with symbolism, ancient and modern, from beginning to end. As an example, this year's marathon is being run along its 2,500 year-old original course, from Marathonas to Athens. How often do you see such old traditions being observed today? (More than you think; ask me about Reagan's funeral sometime.) I've got a huge soft spot for rituals of all kinds, even when their original significance has been forgotten. They make you feel connecting with the past in a way that simply reading history never can.

* When you see someone compete at the Olympics, you know without doubt that they are among the best in the world at whatever it is they do. There's a peculiar thrill that goes with that, even when you wouldn't otherwise be interested in the activity. I enjoy watching masters at their craft, basically. World Poker Tour is another good example of the same phenomenon.

* They only happen every two years. Well, duh, but it means that I don't have a chance to get sick of them. I can watch anything once, but these days it seems like most of the professional sports somehow manage to go year-round; they're always on. The games are not.

* There's a huge variety of things going on, and you can never hope to see them all. Maybe I've just got a short attention span, but it's kinda cool to be able to flick on the TV and have an equal chance of seeing dozens upon dozens of different sports; some featuring people you've heard of, and many that you haven't. It feels like serendipity.

* It's a travelogue. The Olympics take place all over the world in historic and, let's face it, often gorgeous locales. I like The Amazing Race for essentially the same reason. Also, the host cities spend years and millions of dollars to look their absolute shining best. It's probably a worthy goal in its own right (urban renewal), but it also gives them a fairy-tale quality that can't ever be replicated in a later visit.

I think that's the gist of it. So yeah, I'll be watching. Anyone gets bored, invite me over and we'll do so together. (Oh, and also: I got to hold an actual Olympic torch once, back in 1996. So awesome.)

Finally, of course, the obligatory news tidbits: I finally got Jesse to go to the Oven, which he enjoyed; the long delay was apparently due to his inexplicable theory that the place was only for dates. Strange, Jesse, strange. Everybody help me think of something to get/do for his birthday, which is coming up very soon.

Ribfest starts next weekend, and I can hardly wait. Still need to see the Village, about which I've been getting mixed but not wholly negative reviews. A new batch of games is on the way from GameSurplus, an entirely awesome site with really good prices. Rsync might be one of the most Unix-centric programs ever written. Alan's site is down, due to his altruistic and slightly silly gesture of sacrificing its innards to revive his employer's server. Google's initial public offering will raise e billion dollars.

That is all.