8/17/2008

am I the only one?

Why I'm not watching the Olympics:
1) I don't have a TV
2) I have books to read
3) It just doesn't cross my mind (unlike gardening and petting EllyCat on her furry belly--both of which cross my mind plenty these days)

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, I have a TV and I still cannot be bothered.

Lisa said...

A)I have a tv that I seldom watch
b) dont care for sports
c) have FAR too many books to read... and I bought 2 more saturday and another one yesterday to add to the pile

Im just not interested.
Seriously I was at a yard sale saturday and the person running it kept running in the house to check teh standings...

musingwoman said...

Hi, Jana,

I quoted you today on Blogtations. I thought I'd contacted you first but looks like I messed up and hadn't.

Would you email me and let me know if it's okay? (my contact form is linked in the sidebar)

Sorry for the mix-up!

Catherine at Frugal Homemaker Plus said...

I'm not watching, but I've never been into sports of any kind. I'd rather read.

justmeg said...

I have a TV but would rather read or spend time with the kids plus there is always housework that needs to be done or yardwork. No time for TV.

CaitlĂ­n Rosberg said...

I'm not watching either, mostly because i can't force myself to support the IOC in any way. I live in Chicago, I don't want the Olympics here creating false economy and chaos in a city without the infrastructure to deal with it. And I can't support an organization that's a) so ridiculously corporate in nature, and b) decided that China was a great location.

I'm also just not that interested in anything besides the Paralympics, and they don't broadcast those anyway.

The Numismatist said...

It's summer! I want to be outdoors watching the birds or playing with the kids at the pool.

I live in Utah and having the Winter Olympics here in 2002 was an incredible experience in spite of the rocky start and 911 aftermath. Don't know about Chicago, but we had plenty of time to prepare and it all went extremely well. Also, the Paralympics were well-covered here.

AutoSysGene said...

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one not watching...I was beginning to think....

Unknown said...

Jana, thank you for letting me be part of this group. I don't have tv, if I did I wouldn't watch it and I do'nt particularly like the summer olympics.

I have felt shamed and unpatriotic and when a conversation comes up about who is winning what I try and change the subject to something I can actually converse on.

I might have to blog about this...it's a guilt thing.

littlemissattitude said...

Okay. I confess. I've been watching the swimming and some of the gymnastics.

Other than that, the Olympics are on the TV sometimes when I'm at home...and that hasn't been that much recently...but it's mostly on for noise when it is on. I'm getting used to living alone for the first time after having to put my mother in a board and care facility, and I'm still not used to being by myself so much, so sometimes I want the company of noise, and the TV is the easiest way to get that.

But, I will also confess that I do like (some) sports, and so I prefer having the Olympics on when the TV is on to having, say, talk shows or sitcoms on.

EmilyCC said...

I'm with you! I don't watch the Olympics because I HATE the sentimental stories (that leave me crying every time).

I feel so manipulated by the music, the story that feels less-than-real, and the schmultzy shots of the athletes looking off in the distance.

Janna said...

(This is my first Pilgrim Steps comment, so I'm bucking inside a bit about being a contrarian). I am totally into the Olympics, and have exhausted myself staying up too late watching them. Are there reasons to feel guilty about watching them? I was patting myself on the back that, for once, I was taking time to honor and revel in the beauty of my fellow men and women...

p.s. I love your blog, Jana. I've been lurking for awhile. Your words (and pictures) have made me think and laugh, and cry on more than one occasion.

jana said...

Janna (and others):

You see, the thing is that I _do_ find the Olympics fascinating. And I did watch some brief clips on a recent JetBlue flight (gymnastics--gorgeous, and since CatGirl studied gymnastics for awhile at a school with Olympic-caliber athletes, I actually have a bit of background knowledge on this event).

I have nothing against the Olympics per se. I admire excellence. Gazing at healthy bodies is a visual thrill. But it's a HUGE investment of time and energy. It's also drama. And I'm just not interested in adding the drama to my life right now. I feel odd for not joining in the fervor and/or having an opinion about Phelps' physique. But I'm just going to pass this time, methinks.

mfranti said...

i'm a sucker for the olympics. ever since the '84 games and the running of the torch in my home town.

i swore i wasn't going to watch the Beijing games because they are in china and china...well, i have my principles.

but,niel turns them on every night and i have no willpower...or principles.

those athletes work so dang hard to be there- i just have to watch.

Unknown said...

Jana,

I met John while he was in Utah for Sunstone, so I decided to visit your blog as well. (I've actually been here a few times but I keep forgetting to put it on my feed. :)

We don't have TV either. And we have way too many books to read. And we just couldn't care less. In fact, I'm really annoyed because it seems like that's practically all that's being discussed on NPR, which is the one and only place I get my news or listen to strangers talk in my house. So, beyond just "not caring" about the Olympics, I hope it hurries up and gets over with so NPR can go back to normal. :)

RE said...

I have a tv. I've been watching public tv, the news, and comedy central. Haven't seen a single event.

Plus, competitions seem to breed stuff like doping and nationalism and I'm just not down with those aspects of it.

I heard on the news last night about the poor treatment of the Chinese performers during the opening ceremonies (and training leading up to it). Very disheartening though not surprising.