Friday August 15

The same weather that stranded us in the bunker at the top of the Great Wall mountain caused the C2 and Women's race to be postponed till today.  

I got up early this morning and spent a few minutes alone walking through the park next door to our hotel.  I couldn't help but take the time to browse my personal thoughts about what has happened in our lives and especially Benn's.  I also wondered what happens next for him.  I'm not going to share all of that with you.  I've gotten personal in this blog, but there is a limit.

Instead I will tell you about the walk from a level closer to the surface.  The infinitely curious Chinese people continue to watch me as if they are trying to decide which American I am.  I can feel it going around in their heads.  Is he George Bush, Brad Pitt or Peyton Manning?  Of course that is pretty funny since, to an American, I don't look anything like George Bush.

As I entered the park there was a group of 30 or so older people exercising to music.  They each looked like Jackie Gleason trying to do Jackie Chan in slow motion.  It became more dangerous as I went further.  The Jackies were wielding swords and spears.  I wondered if I had strolled into the wrong section of the park.  After a while though I found a group that was only holding fans and though noisier than the swords they seemed safer.  Next to the fan group was another group in unison doing what appeared to be the yoga position where you stick you left foot in your right hip pocket.   It sort of all seemed fairly non-threatening and I did survive to go eat some more rice for breakfast.

After having purchased nothing more than a pair of shoes, a wallet and a shirt, Davis has somehow developed the reputation of being the Doc Holiday of the local Pearl Market.  Mimi, to the true blogophile that would be GOO (Grandmother), has hired him out for the morning to go with her on a shopping spree.  MOO went along as well.  And although having earned full rights as MOO, in the Pearl Market Moo has been instructed to be quiet and stand back out of the bargain master's way.

When they return we will take the number 60 bus to the subway and figure out how to take the subway to the Olympic Green for a meeting with Benn.  After some kick back time, although not much, MOO and SOO (She prefers STOO but we don't get it) will go to a tennis match.  Davis and Benn and I will hang out and later go to Track and Field.  We will come back to the hotel very late, get up very early in the morning and head for the airport.  This will most likely be my last Beijing blog.  I do plan to keep writing it some although now it is really more for me than anybody else.  The drama is done except for the part where we struggle to get back into day to day life.  Hope it's been fun.  Now I'm wondering if I should change the name to benn2chinaandback or benn2normalcy or something along those lines.  This part might actually be more of an adjustment for me.  I have already admitted that I anticipated that one day Benn would go to the Olympics.  I never anticipated what it might be like to be FOO, DOO or POO after the Olympics.

Tom