I can’t even begin to explain just how obsessed I am with the Olympics. It can’t be healthy the number of hours that I have chosen to lose over watching Phelps make history, or the US Gymnastics end with split results. Every evening as soon as I walk in the door straight to NBC I go, and in the morning I find whatever channel and watch no matter what it is. Throw in the fact that every TV in my office is turned to the Olympics, and well it could be overload pretty easily. The twist however goes a deeper than my love of anything athletic, and instead stems from the fact that as a child I spent most of my younger years grounded to my room with no TV, radio, and the strict rule of no napping. My parents were evil I tell you.
The Olympics though are as dear to my heart as the sixth grade teacher who assigned us the task of actually having to watch so many hours of the Olympics and log it. By sheer luck this fell during one of those, stay in your room unless you need the restroom times, and my TV which was old school and still on wheels was placed in a closet on the other side of the house. I honestly couldn’t believe my luck and remember running home that faithful day to show my mom.
“LOOK!”
“I have to watch TV.”
“It’s for SCHOOL, school I tell you.”
That evening my TV was rolled back into my room, and the endless hours of the Winter Games began. I did not just watch whatever the required number of hours; I went for all the extra credit I could get. This one time of over achieving had nothing to do with being the best in my class, but instead everything to do with being able to watch TV. To be very honest I would have watched ANYTHING as long as the “idiot box”, as my mother called it was on and providing some sort of entertainment.
I am not sure that grounding is actually cruel and unusual punishment but at the time it was a fate worse than death. Looking back it probably did more good than harm. I mean when given the choice between corporal punishment and being grounded I begged my parents to beat me. Which is most likely why the grounding started in the first place, I think I was a little too eager at the thought of getting my punishment over with quick, and painful, if it meant outside and friends were in my future.
Ever since the homework project I have been a faithful watcher of the Olympics. I figure it’s the least I can do in honor of the athletes who played, and the teacher who handed out the assignment. As far as my mother is concerned, she’d still send me to my room if given the change.
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