i heart the olympics

remember how today is the last day of july? i'm always amazed at how quickly the time goes.

anyway, since the olympics have more or less taken over my life since saturday, i decided to list the reasons i love them. in a particular order. here we go.

1. bob costas. i'm not sure what it is, but every time bob costas is on the screen, i just squeal with delight. i unequivocally equate him with the olympics.

2. volleyball. the past two mornings i have woken up to u.s. women's and then men's indoor volleyball. it is so awesome. i think i maybe like watching volleyball more than any other sport, and olympic-quality volleyball is especially great.

3. olympic theme and fanfare, courtesy of john williams. even as i was looking up that video, i got chills. so great.

4. swimmers. like this guy.

5. national and international pride. i feel like i'm a patriotic person, but the olympics magnify that times a thousand. i love cheering on team usa. but, i also love that the olympics are a time when the whole world is coming together. rooting for the underdog, the country that has never won a medal, the athlete with the heart-warming story--what's not to love about all of that?

6. obscure events that end up being really intense and/or entertaining. handball? i changed to that channel and didn't recognize what sport was being played. how is that possible? archery (not that obscure but still)? that gold medal match between the u.s. and italy was crazy! who knew that i could be on the edge of my seat for archery?

there are some things about the olympics that bug me (a million commercial breaks=why i don't watch tv anymore), but i won't go into those so as not to take away from the majesty of the games. can't wait for the next two weeks!