Opening thoughts

I love Love LOVE the Olympics. The pageantry, the comraderie, the freakin' performances! Oh, and I like the athletes, too.

The opening ceremony in Turin was all that I expected. Thought they were a little heavy on the disco, the music was perfect for a party.

The highs:

1. A sneak peek at the downhill practice. This is going to be an amazing competition. The fact that the Americans are still competing for a spot on the team is mind blowing.
2. The sun and moon balloons. Beautifully painted, impossibly gorgeous.
3. The Ferrari!!! An F1 doing donuts, screaming louder than the crowd.
4. The perfectly choreographed 'ski jumper'. That SO rocked.
5. La Bomba!!!! It was so good to see Alberto Tomba bringing the torch in.
6. Pavarotti ... the man has the perfect tenor voice. Though he sings opera, he doesn't do it with any of the annoying vibrato that other tenors are guilty of overusing (I'm talking to you, Domingo). He sang one of my favorite arias, 'Nessun Dorma'. By the end, my skin is one huge goosebump and I'm practically sobbing. Perfect pitch does that to me. Weird, hunh?

The lows:
1: Bob Costas is an officious prick. The fact that he thinks he has to tell us what we are seeing, that we are too stupid to 'get' it, pisses me off.
2. The beating heart was a little weird ... the cow print dance outfits, wtf? ... the bubble heads ... ok, there were a few things I just didn't get. On the up side, neither did Bob.
2. Athletes being banned already. Sadness. Hopefully this will get cleared up.

Ok, day one down. I'll be glued to the set for the next 17.