Friday, October 9, 2009

Snow and golf

So this morning I woke up and there was THREE inches of snow. I love snow. It puts me in a good mood and waking up to it is even better.
I dusted off my winter jacket and found my gloves as I made my way to my car. My feet crunched new paths and I was in a good mood.
And there it was in all it’s glory covered by the white stuff.
That’s when my mood dropped.
I don’t have a snow scraper and there was no way I could make it anywhere without dusting off my car.
Donning my gloves I cleared the snow and made my way to the store to get a snow scraper.
As I walked straight to the automotive section, I met five other people in the same situation as me. It was obvious as that was the only thing I brought to the check-out and the cashier definitely chuckled at me.
I bought my car in July, why would I have prior need for one?

The mountains covered in snow are amazing. Coming from Minnesota, I’ve seen my fair share of snow but this is different.


This snow has moved the State golf tournament back a couple days to Monday. Hopefully the extra days will help the course turn green instead of white. Seems necessary though.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Thursday's thoughts

three highlights of the week:
-Polson boys soccer: the Pirates pulled out two wins, one against Whitefish and the other against Columbia Falls to keep their state hopes alive
-Ronan football: won 34-32 at Whitefish’s homecoming after losing in their own
-Polson volleyball: the ladies beat Libby and stay undefeated

upcoming attractions:
-Charlo’s homecoming: parade at 1 p.m. on Friday before the Vikings take on Noxon
-Arlee’s homecoming: the Warriors take on Lincoln
-Polson boys soccer: the Pirates play Libby and Bigfork this week to figure out their future

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Olympic hosts

So the Olympics will be in Rio de Janeiro. I think that will be neat. Rio seems like a place where everyone is having fun and the culture is less strict, than say, China.

I picture lots of colorful costumes and bright colors in the opening ceremony with neat music. Maybe I’ll actually watch the opening ceremony, rather than waiting until the United States walks in to watch.
Poor Chicago.
It tried very hard to get the Olympics. I mean, if Atlanta can pull it off, I was sure that Chicago could. I was surprised to see Chicago out in the first round. Mr. Obama made a special trip to advocate on behalf of his city. And he was busy.
Bright side: Chicago can focus on things other than the Olympics now. Like cleaning up the city and the violence problem.
However, I have an idea.
Since I now reside in Montana, there’s a slim chance the Olympics will ever show up around these parts, which is unfortunate.
The mountains are great for snowboarding/skiing and there is enough room around here that if a building needs to be constructed, space issues won’t be a problem.
My proposal is that states are able to lobby to hold the Olympics. This would allow places like Montana and Alaska would stand a chance up against cities like Rio.
The one place that should throw their hat in the ring is New Orleans. I think that Preparing for something would make the rebuilding process get on a horse and go. So many things are bogged down for whatever reason that if there was a deadline I feel people would start to take notice and help out.
When I brought this up to Aimee, she did bring up a good point that this already happens. When Salt Lake City held the Olympics, events were all over, not just in Salt Lake.
Touche.
However, Salt Lake got all the credit. With my idea, the whole state gets the credit.
That is my great idea for the week.

Also, there should be a size requirement to host the Olympics. Just like those cheesy signs that point out you aren’t tall enough to have fun on that particular ride. (Those signs have crushed so many dreams.)

A city/state/area needs to be so big in order to host it.
To build on my idea that states can host the Olympics, I want to also say that countries should be able to host if their cities and states don’t meet size requirements.
My vote for the winter Olympics in 2018 is Jamaica.
I shared this idea with others in the office and many deal-breakers came up:

Aimee says:
Jamaica doesn’t have snow. The climate is tropical, hot humid.

I say:
They can build an indoor snow mountain dome. Dubai has one. I’m sure they would share the floor plans.







Aimee says:
Jamaica is an impoverished country. They don’t have enough money for this.

I say:
They borrow money for this. They will be able to pay back their loans with the revenue they make. They can’t borrow it all from one country because some countries, like, oh say, the United States, don’t really have any money to borrow themselves, let alone anyone else.
So, we get countries to lend money to Jamaica. Interest can be negotiated. We make sure that everything is converted into the same currency so it all adds up and makes sense.
We can also start campaigns like (red) for AIDS and pink stuff for breast cancer. Totes, plates, clothing. The Olympics already has a symbol, one less thing to worry about.
People and countries can also donate money to this fund. In a gold level, silver level, bronze level type system, the more you donate, the more prominent gift you get. Think PBS tele-athon.
Another idea is to have countries sponsor buildings, in a form of corporate sponsorship. We could have the Canadian ice rink or the England/Ireland decathlon course, including rifle-shooting station.

Aimee says:
Jamaica is smaller than Connecticut. There is only 15% farm able land. There isn't enough room for all of that indoor snow.

I say:
I don’t have all the answers. That is what the Olympic committee is for. Hire me and I’ll figure it out. We are in the planning stages.
One answer to build up, not out, urban sprawl style.

Jenna says:
They won’t have enough hotel rooms.

I say:
The locals can rent out their houses/rooms. The whole point of the Olympics, besides countries proving they are better than one another through athletics, is to show the world the host’s culture. What better way to do this than by residing IN it rather than some fancy posh hotel. The athletes can have the hotels because they need to get their beauty sleep so they can look their best when they win a medal or lose horrifically.

Aimee did apologize for all of her nay-saying. She really does want this to work out for both myself and Jamaica.