A Whale of a Time

Over Labor Day weekend, Nathan and I escaped to the Oregon coast for a short camping trip with my parents.  We went to Beverly Beach, which is one of my very few “approved” campgrounds.  I have a lot of requirements for an acceptable campground, including but not limited to: flushing toilets, showers, minimal dirt and bugs, weather that is not too hot, and a low risk of being mauled by a bear while I sleep.  All in all, I do not think these are unreasonable requirements.

I was a little nervous about camping with my parents.  Not because I don’t love spending time with my parents, but because they have a much higher appreciation of nature than I do.  As in, they aren’t afraid of dirt, bugs, and bears.  They even like hiking!  Yikes.  I am really not a nature person (or a camping person, for that matter).  I just really like going to the beach.  So off we went.

The weather was absolutely beautiful all weekend.  We spent most of Saturday at the beach, enjoying the sunshine and getting A LOT of exercise.

My parents, being ambitious and nature loving and all that, took off on a walk and disappeared immediately.  I, on the other hand, dawdled slowly down the beach, then got water in my shoes and had to take a break to dry off.  This is when I learned the lesson that driftwood does indeed have splinters, and you should sit on driftwood at your own risk.  Just an FYI. 

While we were sitting, Nathan pointed out a cliff in the distance.  He thought the cliff looked really similar to Devil’s Punchbowl, a state park day use area that we usually drive to from our campground.  Somehow, he managed to convince me that it would be a good idea to walk there and see if it really was the Punchbowl.

So we walked.  And walked.  And walked some more.  We passed my parents, who had walked to the distant cliff and were on their way back to camp with my dad’s prized beach finds.

My parents said that they didn’t see any access from the beach to the top of the cliff, and that they did not think it was Devil’s Punchbowl.  Nathan insisted, so he and I continued walking.  And walking.  So much walking . . . but finally, we reached the cliff.  And the stairs.  The millions and millions of stairs.  But FINALLY we reached the top.

The view from the top of the stairs.  I was not kidding about the long walk!

Once we reached the top, we noticed a large crowd gathered at the lookout over the Punchbowl.  It was low tide, so the Punchbowl couldn’t be that interesting.  We wandered over and were rewarded with the sight that made the walk all worth it.  WHALES!  Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, but a whole gigantic POD of whales!  (TAKE THAT, STUPID LEBRON JAMES!)

As you may know, seeing whales is one of my most favorite things ever.  I get very excited and jump up and down like a child.  Judge all you want.  Seeing a whale breach is one of my life goals (sadly, despite an hour and a half of whale watching that day, none of the whales breached).  But it made up for it by seeing so many at one time.  There must have been some good food in that water, because the whales were everywhere!  After several texts to my mom about how cool the whales were and how they were missing it, she and my dad texted that they were heading back.  I figured they were about halfway back to the campground beach and must just be turning around. 

When they finally showed up over a half an hour later, I asked what took them so long.  Somehow, they had managed to walk all the way back to our campsite and smuggle in my dad’s prized seaweed by the time Nathan and I reached the Punchbowl.  And then they turned around and walked all the way back!  (I told you these people love exercise and nature.)  They were glad they had walked back though, because the whales were still swimming all over the place.  It was so much fun to watch.

The walk back really tired everyone out, so we spent the afternoon relaxing, reading, and eating some yummy food!

Just before dinner, the Nature-aholics struck again and somehow forced me into a hike on the nature trail around the campground.  I sort of blame Nathan for this, because he agreed to go and therefore I was forcefully dragged along.  I did try to make a break for it a couple times and turn around to go back to camp (I would have succeeded too, if not for my husband.  Apparently he pays more attention to what I am up to than I thought.)  I nearly had a heart attack when we stepped onto the trail and saw the sign saying, “CAUTION! A bear was sighted here on _______.”  Nathan and my parents claim that this sign was just posted just in case someone ever DID see a bear, and the fact that the date was blank meant no bear had been spotted.  Since my escape attempts had failed, I had no choice but to believe them.  So they won, and I unwillingly went on a hike.  (But you better believe I whined the whole way.)  We had a nice dinner out in Newport and yummy s’mores for dessert.

On Sunday, my parents went home and Nathan & I stayed one more day.  The weather was even more perfect that day!  We spent Sunday laying on the beach like lazy bums.  We ate lunch, read books, and it was warm, sunny, and perfect.  The best part was, the whales were still around, and we could see them spouting from the beach!!!  The trip was definitely a success in the whale watching department.  We ate dinner at the campground that night and enjoyed the sunset on the beach.

Contemplating life.

All in all, it was a much needed, relaxing, and fun vacation.  Hopefully we can do it again next year!

Be Jealous!

Because I, Megan, have a date with destiny!

That’s right, Seattle!  Watch out, because Megan & Nathan are coming to town!

Now, all that remains to determine is how much more Patriots gear I need to purchase.  Did you know that you can buy stickers for your FACE????  This is a very tempting thought.

In other related news, the TBFC dominated (and I mean DOMINATED) Week 1 by crushing their opponent 131-68 and leading the league in points (only two other people scored over 100; 111 and 101, respectively)!  All this was accomplished with mediocre RB play, a defense that scored negative points, and only an average day from the Golden Boy.  The wide receivers that I “didn’t love” stepped up big time.  As did the kicker I hated.  And then after this was all said and done, some dude offers me Jordy Nelson for Reggie Wayne.  I have a hard time seeing how this will benefit them, but it will certainly benefit me, so I took it.  Put in claims on Kevin Ogletree and Dexter McCluster by dropping the frighteningly terrible Ryan Williams and Jonathon Dwyer.  So, we’ll see if we can continue the path of excellence in Week 2.

I don’t like to brag, but this is likely the only week I will do so well, so I had to do it.  There is currently a poll in our league posing the question, “What do you think? Will Tom Brady Fan Club go all the way to the championship game?”  So far, there are ZERO “yes” votes, and 3 “no” votes.  And one of those no votes is mine!  So for today, I will brag all I want.

Team Nabime (the team of ever changing names that my dad and I, joined this year by Nathan, run in a league where real money is on the line) continued its history of underachieving.  Team Nabime really outdid themselves this week, scoring the second lowest points of the weekend and kicking off the season with a loss.  I find this shocking, since we have what I consider to be a great roster.  I would kill to have some of these RB’s and WR’s on the TBFC!  But despite all this, our KICKER was our high scorer for the weekend.  And unfortunately, there is no one but myself and our good for nothing wide receivers to blame.  Now you you see why I have to brag when things go well!

THE COUNTDOWN TO OCTOBER 14 STARTS NOW!

Flashback Friday: Raising Your Political Voice

HA!  I bet you all thought I had forgotten about Flashback Friday after its one and only debut performance.  Well, fear not and call me an elephant!  Because I never forget. (About Flashback Friday, that is.  About what day of the week it is, that’s another story.)  And all the talk of politics lately has made me a little nostalgic.

The first year that I was able to vote happened to be an election year, in 2004.  At that time, I was a freshman at UO.  I lived on campus that year, and it was such an exciting time to be there!  People were really buzzing about the election, and it was THE big thing on campus that fall.  There were rallies, voter registration campaigns, and it was the main topic of discussion in the dorms and around campus.  One day, Howard Dean came to talk at the EMU, and the turnout was huge.  Everyone was going to attend to hear what he had to say.  I myself did not go (I had a class at the same time), but you could hear the rally inside the buildings and blocks away at the dorms.  For everyone who says 18 year olds don’t care about their country?  That experience was proof for me that they do. 

I was so excited that my first vote could be part of something big like a presidential election.  I remember on election night, the girls on my floor all spent the night parked around the TV’s in our tiny dorm rooms, eating ice cream and watching the results.  At the time, a lot of people on campus were disappointed that George Bush was elected to another term.  I’ll admit, I was a little disappointed too.  I didn’t like Kerry, but I also did not like the direction our country was headed.  In retrospect though, it was the right thing, and I think most of those disappointed students would agree with me.  If it weren’t for that loss, we would not have had the victory that really mattered with Obama in 2008.

I was even more excited for the election in 2008.  The message of change really hit home with me (still does), and in Barack Obama I saw our future.  I was honored to vote for him, and watching his speech on election night filled me with so many emotions.  On that night, for the first time in my relatively young life, I understood how it felt to be truly proud of my country.  One of my co-workers in Eugene got to be in Washington during that time, and she brought back election buttons for my parents and for me.  I have a whole box filled with mementos from that election, so that one day I can share them with my children, and maybe help inspire them in the same way.

Most people know that Eugene is a fairly liberal town.  It’s what I love most about it.  It’s why I loved attending school there, working there after college, and one reason why I was so hesitant to leave my job there, even though it was time to move on.  Eugene and UO are filled with open minded, forward thinking people.  If you have spent much time with me (or taken a look at my car in the last four years), you know that I am fairly liberal in my beliefs as well.  I credit most of that to my parents, who raised me to be open minded and think for myself; but I also credit some of it to my time in Eugene.  I was raised in and currently live in a very close minded, conservative, and fairly uneducated part of Oregon.  This is not an insult or criticism to the area; it’s simply the truth.  When I was at UO, I met a lot of new and different people, who lived a lot of different lifestyles.  If I hadn’t spent that time in Eugene, I might feel very differently about certain issues.  My experiences there solidified my beliefs.  More importantly, my experiences taught me that it is okay to have different political opinions from some of my friends and family, as long as we share the same values. 

So, now we are here in 2012.  Some of you probably think I should be keeping my big mouth shut and my opinions to myself.  And that’s fine; you can think that.  But the thing is, I’ve never been very good at keeping my mouth shut and my opinions to myself.  Some of you have your own opinions, but don’t want to verbally announce them to the world.  And that’s also fine . . . for you.  But not for me.  If I learned anything these last eight years, it’s that things won’t change unless you stand up for what you believe in and make your voice heard.

So here is my voice.

I believe in healthcare reform.

I believe in raising taxes. I would actually support a tax increase for everyone, including my middle-class self.

I believe we are in a better place then we were four years ago.  I certainly am.

I believe in marriage equality, for EVERYONE.

I believe in moving forward.

I believe in Barack Obama.

And I will not apologize for the believing in any of these things.

I encourage everyone to make their own voice heard.  Whatever your voice may be.  You don’t have to agree with me.  The point is, nothing in this country ever changed for the better because people stood by idly and watched.  Things change for the better when people get out there, do something, and make their voices heard.  Too many people do not stand up for their beliefs.  Or even worse, they don’t vote!  One of my biggest frustrations is to hear people complain about the state of the nation, and then say in the same breath that they aren’t even a registered voter.  Get out there and VOTE.  Make your words and beliefs count.

I encourage everyone to visit HealthCare.gov, and learn some real facts about healthcare reform. In particular, I recommend checking out the timeline of changes and reading about the key features of the law. I was introduced to this website through work last year (I work with insurance companies for a living), and I found it very enlightening.  There are a lot of misconceptions out there about healthcare reform, and you should not make up your mind before you know the real facts.

I encourage everyone to listen to President Clinton’s speech from Wednesday night, if you have not done so already.  He laid out the facts, plain and clear.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I also come from a world where 2 + 2 = 4.  My mom is a math teacher; I know my arithmetic!

While you’re at it, I also encourage everyone to listen to President Obama’s speech from Thursday night.  He gave a picture of how far we have come, and then explained why we can’t stop there.  Why we need to continue to move forward, and how we will accomplish it.

And if, like me, you believe in moving forward, then I encourage you to get your free bumper sticker and let your voice be heard among all the people on the road!

I am raising my voice – forward, for the future.  For my future, my parents’ future, and my children’s future.

Happy weekend, go Patriots, and rock on TBFC and Nabime!

Introducing the Tom Brady Fan Club!

No, not an actual fan club.  Duh.  I am not THAT big of a loser.

 

The Tom Brady Fan Club (TBFC) is my kick-ass, sure to win a championship, fantasy football team!  Headlined by the golden boy himself.  Because obviously, the TBFC would be a stupid name without their namesake on the team.  Could you imagine if the quarterback of the TBFC was Eli Manning?  Yikes!

 

Anyways, carrying on, please meet the 2012 version of the TBFC!

 

Quarterback

Tom Brady, New England

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo

 

Thought Process: I will only need Fitzpatrick one week (yes, I know these sound like famous last words).  If I don’t like Fitzpatrick by the bye week, I will dump him for someone else.  You never know, Timmy T. might be starting for the Jets by then!

 

Running Back

Jamaal Charles, Kansas City

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati

Donald Brown, Indianapolis

Jonathon Dwyer, Pittsburgh

Ryan Williams, Arizona

 

Thought Process:  I hate running backs.  They get injured all the time and are such a crapshoot, which is partially why I did not take one until the third round.  I feel like every single one is a risk on some level, but they also have perks.  Charles could be great if he is back in top form; Green-Ellis has never fumbled (never meaning NEVER); Brown is going to be the starter and primary back, which adds up to carries; and Dwyer and Williams both stand to benefit from starters being out.

 

Wide Receiver

Julio Jones, Atlanta

Demaryius Thomas, Denver

Pierre Garcon, Washington

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis

Mario Manningham, San Francisco

 

Thought Process:  I waited until the fourth round to take my first wide receiver.  I don’t love my receivers, but I also don’t hate them.  And based on where I actually got them in the draft, I feel like I got good value.  In other words . . . we’ll see.

 

Tight End

Jimmy Graham, New Orleans

Jared Cook, Tennessee

 

Thought Process:  Unless you have Graham AND Gronkowski . . . my tight ends are better than yours.

 

Kicker & Defense

Matt Bryant, Atlanta

Cincinnati Bengals

 

Thought Process:  I took my kicker in the third to last round (simply because I needed one before they were all gone), and my defense in the very last round.  Last year, I felt like my receivers and running backs won/lost me more games than my kicker/defense, so I just don’t think they are that important.  As far as defense goes, last year we drafted the Packers (who were supposed to be good, but ended up being a total bust), and finished the year out alternating between Seattle and Cincinnati (undrafted), both of who performed just fine.  If the Bengals don’t work out this year, I am fairly confident that I can find a decent undrafted team, so I was not wasting an early pick on a defense.

 

And there you have it.  Welcome to the world, 2012 TBFC!

 

via the New England Patriots on Pinterest

Things That Go Beep In The Night

First and foremost, this is a public service announcement.  From me to you.  NEVER purchase a Kidde smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector.  I feel the need to share this information with you, because I hear Home Depot advertising these psychotic, possessed alarms on the radio on a regular basis.  And I know better.  Do not question me, just trust me.

The smoke detectors in this house and I have a very rocky relationship.  A little more than a year ago, shortly after we moved in, I was home alone and rudely woken in the middle of the night by every smoke detector in the house going off.  This includes the damn Kidde carbon monoxide detector, which helpfully shouted “Fire! Fire!” and “Warning: Carbon Monoxide!” repeatedly.  (Did you know fire alarms could talk?  Because until that day, I did not.)  I will spare you the gory details, but long story short, it took a 3 AM visit from the fire department and new batteries in every detector to finally shut off the alarms.  We had to get a replacement for the malfunctioning Kidde detector.  And I was left permanently traumatized with a paralyzing fear of all smoke detectors and anything that goes “beep” (including my mother’s dryer).

So, you can imagine how happy I was at 4 AM last night when, as I was enjoying a dreamless sleep, a very loud BEEP invaded my subconscious.  I made the mistake of opening my eyes, and was greeted once again by every smoke detector in the house.  Luckily Nathan was home from work this time, and the smoke detectors went off after about a minute.  Being a veteran of malfunctioning smoke detectors, I knew our best course of action was to do what worked last time, which was the battery replacement.  Hence a 4 AM Walmart run for 9 volt batteries.  We got the batteries replaced and were asleep by 5 AM.  And that was that.  Or SHOULD have been that.

So you can imagine how even more pleased I was when tonight, now that I am home alone for the weekend, one of the smoke detectors upstairs beeped loudly three times.  No windows open, no food cooking, nothing – I was just downstairs watching TV.  I could not believe this was happening to me again.  I briefly considered running to my mom & dad’s house for the weekend and leaving the house to fend for itself.  But then that would mean that I let the smoke detectors win. 

I couldn’t call the fire department for advice because for some reason they do not make their non-emergency line public.  If someone knows the number, please share!  I certainly was not calling 911.  Luckily, we have a good family friend who is a fire fighter, and luckily he was home when I called.  Apparently something that can happen commonly with smoke detectors is the membrane in them gets dirty, or blocked by something like a dust or creepy crawly spider, and that will set them off. 

So, Nathan’s friend Chris came over with his girlfriend to help.  He took down all three smoke alarms (one beeping in protest) and cleaned them out with the air compressor (loud beeping protests from all).  We thought we had identified two of the three as possible culprits, so I told him to only put one back up, and I took the batteries out of the other two.  Just as I am thinking how smart I am, both disconnected, battery-less smoke alarms start going off at random intervals.  And oddly enough, beeping noises then seemed to start coming from the holes in the ceiling.  And just to top off the sundae with a cherry, the one smoke alarm we had hooked back up decided to beep some more too.  WHY!?!?!?!?

So, all the smoke detectors went back up.  All three got reset, of course with lots of loud beeping and shouts of “FIRE! FIRE!” from the evil talking Kidde downstairs.  I am sure my neighbors were just loving me, as it was after midnight.  (It serves them right.  It’s called payback, people.)  Finally, all was quiet.  Chris, his girlfriend, and I were congratulating ourselves on a job well done.  And as they went to walk out the door, we heard a faint, but familiar “Beep!” from upstairs.

I give up.

Clearly these smoke detectors are possessed.  I don’t know how, but they know when I am home alone.  And why do they only go off in the middle of the night?  They win.  I have no other strategies up my sleeve besides beating all three smoke detectors with a baseball bat, but based on tonight I am not even sure that would work.  So, since it is now 1 AM, I am going to watch TV in the hopes that I will relax enough at some point to fall asleep, and that all will stay quiet.

And if I hear one more beep?  I am out of here, and this house is on its own!

Home Cooked Summer

I might have mentioned that with Nathan home this summer, I had to get creative with my cooking and learn some new recipes.  Before his injury, I only cooked dinner for both of us twice a week, he cooked on Monday nights, and the other four nights a week I got eat whatever junk I wanted.  Suddenly there were two of us at home seven nights a week, and my limited repertoire of recipes got really old, really fast.  I want to share some of the delicious, homemade recipes that we have tried recently.

I am particularly proud of a dinner that I made last week. I found this recipe from for spaghetti with sautéed chicken and grape tomatoes on Pinterest.  Due to lack of ingredients in my house, not caring about the calorie count, and frankly sheer laziness when it comes to cooking, I didn’t follow this recipe very well.  But that is exactly why I am so proud!  I took the general concept, changed it to suit my ingredients and cooking abilities, and it still turned out great!  We both loved it, it was super easy, and super filling – the three keys too a successful meal in my house!

I hate working with raw meat and am way too lazy to sauté chicken like the recipe says, so I used the pre-done frozen grilled chicken strips from Costco.  I also used regular spaghetti, because that is what I have (and also because pigs will fly before I purchase low carb pasta).  I also substituted minced garlic and garlic powder for garlic cloves, regular olive oil for extra virgin, and lemon pepper instead of regular black pepper.  Then I decided to sauté the tomatoes with all the seasonings that were supposed to go on the chicken (basil, oregano, salt, and pepper) in addition to the garlic.

   When everything was cooked, I just had to dump the spaghetti and chicken in with the tomatoes and mix, add some fresh basil, and sprinkle on parmesan cheese.

And I ended up with this beautiful bowl of deliciousness:

Of course, there are plenty of unhealthy dessert type things you can make from scratch as well.  And you can bet we dabbled in that!  Nathan decided to conquer homemade desserts for my birthday, and it was a major success!  First, he made me a homemade Funfetti cake.

I can't tell you how he made it, but I can tell you that it was sugary deliciousness.  So much so that you need a glass of milk to eat it.  But on your birthday, you deserve to indulge. 

The other birthday surprise that he made me was just as yummy and delicious.  Not to mention super duper awesome.

Yes folks, that is butterbeer!  In mugs straight from Hogwarts (Thank you, Erika)!  If you do not know what butterbeer is, you need to brush up on your Harry Potter knowledge.  Suffice to say that it is sugar, cream soda, and more sugar.  Yum, yum, and more yum!

As of today, Nathan is officially in a shoe and back to work, so it’s back to cooking just a few nights a week.  However, I really hope we can keep this pattern up (although maybe more on the healthy side and less on the sugar coma dessert side).  We are both at a place where we need to get back into shape and get rid of a few extra pounds, and I think cooking more meals from scratch is going to help us get there.  So bring on the recipes, Pinterest!

I Heart Olympics!

I have been majorly obsessed with the Olympics the last couple weeks.  Maybe because it only happens once every four years.  Maybe because it’s the one time that track & field gets some well deserved attention.  Or perhaps it just has to do with all the good looking male swimmers walking around.  Suffice to say, I love the Olympics!

I love how every four years, the Olympics brings us new athletes to cheer for.  Last time, I got hooked on beach volleyball and cheering for Kerri Walsh & Misty May-Treanor.  This time around, I have become a gigantic Missy Franklin fan.  I totally admire how much she has accomplished and how mature she seems for being only 17.  Plus, she seems really genuine in comparison to a lot of other world-class athletes.  She even made me hate that stupid “Call Me Maybe” song a tiny bit less with this video:

 

2012 US Swim Team “Call Me Maybe” video from Dailymotion

 

(But only a little less.  The original version of that song really needs to go away, pronto.)

Another thing I love is Michael Phelps’ medals record.  People really need to stop hating on the guy.  They give him all this grief for not training as hard this time around.  If I won eight golds in one Olympics, I think I would find it very hard to get motivated too.  How can you top that?  As Nathan pointed out, an easy day for Michael Phelps is probably way more than any of us would ever attempt on a hard day of working out.  It is so impressive that he has accomplished that much, and I for one am very glad he was able to end on a high note and get some individual golds. 

I also have discovered a few new sports that could potentially spark my interest.  Say what you want, but I love any sport with a potential for a crash.  I don’t want people to get hurt, I just enjoy the excitement and unpredictability.  Take bike racing – totally boring . . . until someone wrecks, and they go down like dominoes! So you can imagine my joy when I discovered the individual canoe race through rapids.  Where they have to navigate swirling waters and go through gates!  Although nobody actually tipped a canoe (at least not when I was watching).  So, good for them.

Anywhoo, as much as I love the Olympics, I seriously hate NBC’s coverage.  For starters, they really need to re-evaluate their definition of “prime time”.  I don’t know what prime time is in other parts of this country, but in my house, bed time is 10 pm.  So I kind of have a hard time understanding how NBC can consider “prime time” to be from 8 pm to midnight.  And even at 8 pm, they spend two hours showing us prelims and diving, saving anything remotely interesting to air after 11 pm.  At which point I am asleep.

Another problem I have with NBC is Brian Williams.  I realize that this may seem like a very specific problem.  That’s because it is.  Brian Williams managed to bump himself up to number two on my most-hated news anchors list on the very first day of the Olympics (George Stephanopoulos is firmly situated at number one, in case you were wondering).  Call me old fashioned, but I don’t own a smart phone (yet) and I like to be surprised when I watch sports on TV.  Between that and this new idea of prime time, I am on about a 24 hour delay with the Olympics and avoiding all media and Internet (including People magazine website, which is seriously damaging my celebrity gossip knowledge.  Figures that stupid Kristen Stewart would break Robert Pattinson’s heart during the Olympics when I can’t read about it).  So I do not appreciate that while I am making all these sacrifices, I turn on the Olympics coverage, in the middle of which Brian Williams comes on live from London posing as part of the Olympic coverage team but is really there to do his dumb old evening news, and without warning announces that Michael Phelps has been crushed in the 400 IM.  He then justifies it by stating that the news has already rocketed around the world so he isn’t really spoiling anything.  HELLO BRIAN WILLIAMS?  THE NEWS HAD NOT ROCKETED INTO MY HOUSE YET.  I don’t watch the news, but if I ever start, it won’t be his.

My last problem (well, the last for now, anyway) with NBC is their choice of commentators.  Could someone please explain to me what Shaun White and Apollo Ohno have to do with the summer Olympics?  Not that I don’t love watching Apollo Ohno, but seriously.  Dara Torres or Michael Johnson would make a lot more sense.  I am not thrilled with John McEnroe as a commentator either, but at least he played a summer Olympic sport.  But the greatest offender of all is the alien robot posing as a human named Ryan Seacrest.  I say alien robot, because there really is no other explanation how one person could possibly work so many jobs and still have time to breathe.  Seriously, would you be that surprised if he was a robot sent here to take over the world?  First Fox, than E!, the Weekend Top 40, NBC.  Next up, ESPN, Facebook, and planet Earth.  Even if he does turn out to be human, I find it rather unbelievable that he ever participated in a sport in his life.  Therefore, I do not see any reason he can be considered a credible commentator.  I hated his interview with the Phelps family; I would much rather see a former Olympic athlete who knows the right questions to ask doing interviews like these.  If he ever shows up on Monday night football, I may have to boycott it.

But I guess in the end, NBC wins.  Because they are still playing stuff late at night and using useless commentators, and yet I am still watching.  Because I love the Olympics as much as ever, and probably always will.  Go Team USA!