As someone who lives in the USA, it's a weird time to have the Olympics. I mean, I absolutely love the Olympics, winter and summer. I watch every moment of every figure skating (I watch the entire season of figure skating religiously, every year), snowboarding events (even qualis -- and I watch every x games I remember and realize the schedule), and ski aerials/halfpipe/acrobatic jumps and I watch the rest of it on prime time/late night highlights. I do really love speed skating as well, but not in a "watch every heat" the entire time way.  But watching the opening ceremony today, it's a really hard time to feel anything but shame to be American while this regime is in power with all the terrible things they do, no matter how much fierce pride and joy I have for the athletes themselves, especially those I have followed outside and beyond Olympic ice and snow. (And it's not lost on me that USA is supposed to hold the next summer Olympics in LA and the historic echoes with Hitler's Olympics and the mass incarceration sites called detention centers but the conditions currently known meet every textbook definition of concentration camps.... 

It's a hard weird time to be an American.... 

And I'm so proud and joyous for all the athletes! Especially those I follow throughout their competitive seasons in figure skating and snowboarding!  I just wish they had a country whose actions were worthy of the honor and pride in their home nation that they should feel during the Olympics ... I wish they lived in a version of this nation they should feel proud to represent and that I could feel like celebrating our country's medal wins. 

It's just a weird time to be an American, especially one living this close to Minne, watching the Olympics I love to watch and with so many athletes I watch throughout their competitive seasons. 

I dunno. 

(It's also weird to have Super Bowl during the Olympics. I'm rooting for Seahawks. And not just because I have family in the Seattle area and Monroe is a Seahawks fan (even though the rest of her family are Packers fans.) my parents are actually at the Super Bowl this weekend (so I am watching both dogs Thurs night til Mon night and only short times to spend with my cat during the weekend days) because the store sold enough Acers to be chosen as a vendor. So my parents are in San Fran, seeing the Killers and then in a suite for the game. I actually don't have any have tos this coming week (besides watching Olympics and work hours) other than the dog sitting this weekend until the 13 when my parents and Crissy and I have tickets to Kimberly Akimbo tour. And then on the 17 (Chinese New Year, new moon, eclipse, primary election, so much going on astrologically) I am an election official, but only assigned 1p-close not the full day because it's such a comparatively small election. And then after that some Skerryvore shows but I don't remember which days I'm seeing the Scottish lads. I actually wasn't expecting to see many of my international musician friends this year given all the everything, so I feel every chance a gift. Gadan last week and Skerryvore later this month. And we will see how the rest of the year plays out if I get to see any of them. On verra. )

anyway, it's just a weird hard time to be a  American watching the Olympics. (I do love the long toggle coats the America team have.) Which isn't helping at all my current 'nothing feels like it sits quite right in reality as it is right now' feeling of this Aquarius season.....