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August 17, 2004

Pike and tuck

In the last few days the only Olympic event I’ve watched closely is men’s synchronized diving. (Yes, even more than gymnastics.) That is some good stuff right there. The agility and grace, and yes, the little Speedos. Don’t think I didn’t notice. The Greek pair took first place in the springboard event yesterday, winning Greece its first gold medals of these Olympics. Not so good was that the mid-afternoon broadcast on NBC ran past the allotted timeslot, and so TiVo didn’t catch the very end. (Aside: as some sort of publicity stunt, a spectator evaded security, walked onto a springboard, and belly-flopped into the pool before he was taken away by police. Wacky. This incident, somehow not surprisingly, was not shown by NBC.) Individual diving events get underway this Friday.

Speaking of the Olympics, Tina and I were talking about the reportedly slow ticket sales for the various events. I mentioned one article that quoted people who were able to walk up and get tickets at the last minute. I looked at my work calendar and said, “You know, the Olympics aren’t over yet…” And she replied, “Ooh, Priceline!” Don’t worry, I’m not rushing off to Athens. I only wish I could.

Pen show

I read on Amanita.net that there was a fountain-pen show in the area last weekend. (All of a sudden the “Dog Show” sketch from Saturday Night Live pops into my head. Everyone, beat your little drum and yell, “Pen Show!” But I digress.) I love fountain pens. I’ve been meaning to acquire more of them; the only one I have right now is a Rotring, which I received as a birthday present a few years ago, along with a bottle of Parker Penman ink—a little web research tells me that this line has been discontinued, so perhaps I should use it sparingly—in the color mocha. Mmm, mocha.