We had a nice day with ballet and jazz tonight - lots of work there for Madison. Daddy was busy helping out with the ONE Marriage Conference, helping set things up while also working on the finishing touches of our "Elevate" series. It's been a great theme, one that went hand-in-hand with the Winter Games. It's been a great series, and as a bonus, some of the set pieces of the KidPak winter set will go towards the upcoming "Frozen" production materials, probably for some photo backdrop material. Yay for recycling!
We finished "When the Sea Turned to Silver" tonight, which was a really enjoyable book for Madison. She's enjoyed both of these books by Grace Lin, no doubt not the last ones. You really learn to dislike the Emperor in this story - he's a rotten sort of character, and his comeuppance is a happy little moment! But there's a lot to love in the protagonists, and of course all the stories that take place within this book. We can't wait to read the next one, but until then, Madison is anxious to return to a Nancy Drew book we got for Christmas, so we'll hit that one afterwards.
Tonight's ballet and jazz were longer, of course. We're getting closer to the "Frozen" production. We've got some marketing materials, such as posters and car magnets to use to promote the ballet. We've got a magnet on our car right now, so folks will know when the show takes place. With the "Frozen" theme, the tickets have been selling more plentiful lately, so that's good to see for the ballet company. Also, we've gotten our tickets much earlier as always, four of them in the usual location at box five. No, not box five, but the front of the balcony as always. We'll be there to see her then, and Daddy will probably be an usher as well for the other productions. It'll be fun!
We didn't have much time when Madison got home. That's the way it usually is. We watched a bit from the Olympics, and we also continued with Lara Croft, doing a bit of Tomb Raiding. Madison really likes this game - we're getting close to the end of it, but she'll want to go back and pick up extras and so forth.
We said our prayers tonight, and Daddy got back to writing for the finale of the "Elevate" series. We wrap it up this weekend, and then move on to "Legends," which is a new series. It's all good, with so much going on at KidPak.
Speaking of the Olympics, here's something Daddy was writing to someone else earlier, about one particular athlete that caught everyone's attention this week:
You could choose your nationality ahead of time, representing USA, USSR, Japan, England, and many other countries, including the fictional country represented by the video game company itself, EPYX. We played this game for longer than I'd care to admit. To this day, Daddy has a weak spot for Olympic-themed video games!
We finished "When the Sea Turned to Silver" tonight, which was a really enjoyable book for Madison. She's enjoyed both of these books by Grace Lin, no doubt not the last ones. You really learn to dislike the Emperor in this story - he's a rotten sort of character, and his comeuppance is a happy little moment! But there's a lot to love in the protagonists, and of course all the stories that take place within this book. We can't wait to read the next one, but until then, Madison is anxious to return to a Nancy Drew book we got for Christmas, so we'll hit that one afterwards.
Tonight's ballet and jazz were longer, of course. We're getting closer to the "Frozen" production. We've got some marketing materials, such as posters and car magnets to use to promote the ballet. We've got a magnet on our car right now, so folks will know when the show takes place. With the "Frozen" theme, the tickets have been selling more plentiful lately, so that's good to see for the ballet company. Also, we've gotten our tickets much earlier as always, four of them in the usual location at box five. No, not box five, but the front of the balcony as always. We'll be there to see her then, and Daddy will probably be an usher as well for the other productions. It'll be fun!
We didn't have much time when Madison got home. That's the way it usually is. We watched a bit from the Olympics, and we also continued with Lara Croft, doing a bit of Tomb Raiding. Madison really likes this game - we're getting close to the end of it, but she'll want to go back and pick up extras and so forth.
We said our prayers tonight, and Daddy got back to writing for the finale of the "Elevate" series. We wrap it up this weekend, and then move on to "Legends," which is a new series. It's all good, with so much going on at KidPak.
Speaking of the Olympics, here's something Daddy was writing to someone else earlier, about one particular athlete that caught everyone's attention this week:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Elizabeth Swaney has been an interesting topic at the Olympics lately. She went down the half-pipe doing ...nothing. While others were doing all kinds of stunts and flips and back-flips, Swaney was just going back and forth. How on earth did she earn a spot in the Olympics? Overly simplifying it, she was in the top thirty of a sport that didn't have thirty athletes. Anyone who could travel and ski could have done what she did, and now she can say she's an Olympic Athlete, and nothing can take that away.
It's pretty fascinating to me, given that our generation is what brought Eddie the Eagle and the Jamaican Bobsled Team (and their movies) to the table. The NPR headline says Elizabeth Swaney “scammed” her way into the Olympics, which sort of lets you know how that author feels. It appears to be a polarizing issue, and these days, what isn’t?
Me personally, I love it. We have been really into the Olympics this year (even going so far as to watch an entire curling match or two).
I always have loved the games - remember EPYX Winter Games for the Commodore 64? Of course you do. How many others of us can actually say they played a video game version of biathlon? Every four years the memories flood back, trying to get that pulse down after a hard-fought ski segment.
Anyway, all that said, I kind of understand the whole sentiment of the Olympics. It appears her heart is in the right place, just wanting to be in the Olympics. She seems like a super fan of the games, and she saw a way that she could become an actual athlete, something like a tourist with the best seats of all.
Ultimately, she’s not hurting anyone else (except perhaps the feelings of those US skiers that didn’t make their own country's top four). But you can’t complain about her breaking any rules, because she didn’t. If it upsets folks that much, the best thing to do is work to change the rules next time.
Of course, if you did that, then all the ladies wouldn’t get to see Mr. Shirtless Oiled-Up Tonga Guy walk in the Opening Ceremonies either. No, I haven't heard too many people complain about that. Oh, he’s only been skiing on actual snow for three months now, and sure, he came in 114th place. But he’s a shirtless oily hunky guy, so I guess that makes it okay!
And the truth is, it is okay. Shirtless Tonga guy isn’t a problem, and neither is Elizabeth Swaney.
In conclusion, I must apologize for this polarizing bit of writing, and I hope it hasn’t offended you. Disagreement and division is certainly not the spirit of the Games! Instead, let us all gather under one flag in unity! Yes, beneath the only flag that matters, the one you can choose to represent in the Epyx Winter Games:
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