Did you know that the Winter Olympics are happening?  Soon?  Maybe even now?  I’ve been marginally aware – and it looks like it’s not now … but soon.  Like a matter of weeks.

I have very fond memories of discovering the winter games for the first time – back in, let’s see, maybe 1964.  Yeah – 1964.  We had our old black and white set in the living room … and some nights there was even a fire in the fireplace.  It felt very special and I was enthralled.  I probably wrote reports about it for school.

This was all before the Olympics, like everything else, became a commodity to be marketed to us.  We had the space to sidle up to an event like that and become interested on our own – rather than being goaded and implored and having it thrust in our faces constantly.

I liked it then – having some space.  Being able to “discover” things.

Now I’m more inclined to want to push things away.  There’s not much you can sidle up to … it’s all already in our inboxes and on our flatscreens and dvrs.  The Nokia Sugar Bowl and the Chick_Filet-Whatever-Bowl and the Bud Lite whatever … and shite!