Saturday, July 12, 2008

4 Weeks and Counting...

Photos By: G. Pollak
Please note that the above and all following images are, to my knowledge, the work of the above photographer.
The images were incorporated into a PDF file that was a chain email to me from my father.
He thought it might be "interesting" or amusing to put on my blog. Would love your input.


The 2008 Beijing Olympics are quickly approaching. They begin August 8th and continue through the 24th. Now I am not a huge sports fan. If I never saw a football game, baseball game etc... I could care less. Unless of course said game was featuring one of my children as a key player. But the Olympics... They have a certain Je ne sais quois! The word Olympic. They history. The feeling and camaraderie. All the countries represented. I REALLY enjoy the Olympics. I usually prefer winter as I am a big skier and really enjoy the ice skating. But the summer Olympics are nearly as exciting and hold some sense of Nostalgia for me. My how things have changed in the past several years.
4 years ago, I watched the games in Athens at all sorts of odd hours. The events were replayed several times. I had a newborn baby girl (my first child) who was only a couple weeks old. So I was nursing around the clock basically. Many events, I missed. Many I saw on a repeated a few times. Funny how that works. It was a time when my only concerns were taking care of, feeding and playing with my baby. I didn't have any pending work. I slept when she slept. I read or watched TV while nursing and playing. I was tired. In a different way than now. But it was a time of great contentment. Life was easy.


Wind back another 4 years. I lived alone in a hip apartment complex that I payed way too much for. I was working for an ad agency in Newport Beach and was dating-- A Lot!!! Nobody serious. But I had plenty of dates. Plenty of fun. Right about the time the games started in Sydney, I had a few dates with a young man from Australia of all places. On one occasion he brought over several Australian beers and we watched the games while doing a taste test. It was a fun summer. Lots of parties. Lots of beach outings. Lots of "boys". A Hawaiian vacation and more. Work had its stress but everything else was pretty carefree.

So now I have sooooo much more to do! The kids. The business. The house. I cannot say life is carefree or mellow. But it is good. Very tiring. Sometimes frustrating. Sometimes overwhelming. And sometimes I really really want a break. A day off. A day of no kids and no work. But that is probably a looooonnnngggggg way off. But all in all it is good.

Now back to Beijing. Here are some more of the sidewalk food stands that are purportedly in the area.










Now what will our Olympians eat??? Would you eat any of this? I like to think I am an open eater. That I have a wide palette. But these delicacies? Yikes! I guess the corn looks alright. My diet would go a lot better/easier over there in the east. I would be sooooo thin if this was all I had to choose from. Let me know your thoughts!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did i see scorpion brochettes?? Yum! hahaha. Wow, that's scary! I don't think Olympic athletes will eat that but you never know. Maybe bug eating makes you run faster! hehe. I travelled to shanghai last year but i didn't see anything like that. Maybe i didn't dig deep enough. :)

Yay for the Olympics! Take a break, you deserve it! :-)

Michelle said...

All I can say is ick! But it was very interesting, seeing what people in that part of the world eat. I'm a little worried for our athletes. Hopefully they will find something better. Or else, they will win all their competitions just by trying to escape this creepy food.

Carrie said...

EEK! I'm in agreement that the only thing that looks edible is that corn and maybe the vegetables...although those come with a healthy serving of dog. I can't imagine our athletes will be lining up to eat anything from a stand that's grilling up Fido. I know I couldn't! :-(

Nicole said...

Zen- I am sure the athletes will have plenty of good food that does not consist of any form of bug. I do deserve a break. You want to take the kids for a day???? ;-)

Michelle- Ick is the perfect word. I cannot imagine PAYING for that!!!

Carrie- Dog just sounds scary! But then again, if I had to kill and cut up the cow myself, I might have to become a vegetarian! I suppose if you are raised thinking it is normal???

Anonymous said...

Mmmm..... I'm so hungry now! I will have you know that I am biting at the bits for the Olympics to start!!!! Never was I a big sports fan (like you), but the Games have in a tizzy. My son is a swimmer & we watched trials every night & online earlier this month. He's met a handful from the team (Phelps, Hanson, Joyce) & they're practicing at Stanford this weeks which just makes me want to drive over there now & stalk them all 'til we're best friends. My son's dream is to be an Olympian & hopefully one day he will celebrate his August birthday during the Games. So, while you're watching the Olympics down south, I'll be up here watching them too.

xoxox Amy

Nicole said...

I remember seeing the post you did with your son and.. was it Phelps? Anyway, isn't the Olympics exciting. I love seeing the other countries. I love opening night. Although part of the time I will be watching the games from the east coast this year! We go to Vermont every August to see my husband's family.

Anonymous said...

Okay, send them to me!
I'll make them COOK! hehe

Nicole said...

Zen- They would LOVE that!!!!! But beware! Your kitchen and home would never be the same.... You will find food, milk, spills and messes in places you never imagined!!!

Lauren said...

I don't know, sometimes I feel like there are some things I would have to eat just to say I had tried it, but I don't want snakes or bugs anywhere near me, and that includes in my tummy!!!

Nicole said...

Lulu- Yeah... I am NOT a huge fan of bugs! Although it's funny because my husband thinks I eat bugs because I love shrimp and crab and lobster ... and he says they are just big ocean bugs!