HB COLD

With the Olympics under way - and yes I have been taunted at length already over the USA's deplorable showing last night - I have finally developed a system by which I can decide who to root for before the winner is decided. If there is not an American or Finn in competition, I am going to choose the athlete from the country whose food I like the best. So, if there is a Japanese athlete competing, or an Italian or a Mexican or a Spanaird, that's who I want to win. I will not root for an athlete whose country I cannot guess from the three letter clue and a flag I have never seen before.

Also, as much as I like to play badmitton, it may very well be the most boring sport to watch on television. I have decided to learn to play tennis rather than improve my badmitton game, it just looks cooler.

I had a unique experience the other day while driving home from Kuopio, which is a city about an hour West or J-town (my new nickname for Joensuu). We were traveling the winding road, going in and out of rainstorms, when a rainbow appeared. The rainbow seemed to touch the ground quite close to the road, but the touch-down spot always moved further away as we approached it. Until, we curved along with the road and, straight ahead in the distance, the rainbow touched down on the road, directly ahead of us. It only last a second or two, but there was time enough to look around for the elusive pot of gold, but it was nowhere to be found.