August 27, 2008

Funny that

After the bike ride on Sunday I treated myself to some breakfast at a cafe in Bothell. I sat at the bar and read the Sunday paper while I waited for my omlette to arrive. I was reading the sports page and came across Ron Judd's recap of the second week of the Olympics. When I got to the passage about the gymnasts in day 10, I laughed out loud.

Day 10

Famed Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang withdraws from the Olympics after his Achilles tendon is crushed by the combined weight of the expectations of 1.3 billion people.

Phelps signs lucrative endorsement contract with Hostess Ho-Hos.

Chinese tanks roll into the Athletes Village. Rogge praises their environmentally sound hybrid technology.

American gymnast Nastia Liukin, 18, and Chinese gymnast He Kexin, 4, post identical scores in the uneven bars. To break the tie, the gold medal is awarded to Canadian figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.

Phelps is named national spokesman for the United States Pork Rind Foundation.

Alluding to the age controversy of the Chinese gymnast team by listing He Kexin age at 4 cracked me up. My fatigue and hunger might have had something to do with it, but it was pretty funny.

I don't laugh out loud very often. I am pretty even-keeled - no major highs or lows, not a lot of emotion bubbling to the surface. The wife is quite different. She is much more expressive than I am. I came home a week ago to find her crying because she had been laughing so hard at a show she was watching.

I know she wishes I was more expressive. When she catches me laughing out loud, it is like it makes her day. I'm not exactly sure why I am like I am. My heart has hardened some over the years, but I have always been pretty reserved/quiet/shy.

There is a plaque in my parents house - "Behave like a duck - remain calm on the surface but paddle like crazy underneath". I guess that kind of sums it up. I tend to keep most drama underneath the surface and just keep plugging along. But unfortunately the highs tend to stay submerged along with the lows.

I certainly don't want to become more dramatic. I'm pretty happy that day to day things don't alter my mood or drag me down. But like everyone, I could use a good laugh now and then.

3 comments:

Holly said...

I can hear your belly laugh, and picture your tears on your wedding day/ marathons. but I guess you're right for the most part. We'll keep you anyhow.

SeanH said...

Man, it's the same in my house.

Jenn said...

Your belly laugh really does make my day. But it is probably more enjoyable because it isn't a daily event. Wouldn't change it, not for the world. I agree, I think we'll keep ya!
PS - for those that weren't at our wedding, for the record, those were tears of joy. :)