Go teams!

I love Olympics opening ceremonies. I watch them faithfully every couple of years, and always find that I learn about the unique culture, history, and people of the host country. My favorite opening ceremony remains the one from the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer Norway, which was hauntingly beautiful.

So of course I watched - and enjoyed - tonight's ceremony from Beijing. I marveled at the precision of thousands of people all doing the exact same thing at the same time, starting with the 2008 drummers. I was absolutely amazed by the movable type printing part of the performance, and my mouth literally dropped open when they revealed it had all been done by people, not hydraulics. That was the biggest wow moment for me, in an evening of remarkable displays.

I even stayed awake through most of the Parade of Nations. I zonked out and headed to bed before the torch lighting, though. That 12 hour time difference finally got to me!

I'll be up late for the next several nights, watching and cheering on all the teams. Mostly the Americans, of course, but I'll be cheering for everyone else as well! Just not against the Americans. :) Just kidding - I actually love to cheer for the "home" team, and anyone who is considered an "underdog" too. And I'm just impressed with the incredible athleticism of anyone who makes it to the Olympics. So go teams!