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.
