It's 08.08.08, People!

In trying to explain to my co-workers what Wednesday was like, I first said "It was like Christmas!" And then, thinking about it a bit more, I said, "Well, a sad Christmas." Which is a good description, but, I realize, doesn't make a lot of sense until I explain.

On Wednesday, while I worked a big part of the day in the rowing office, Gearry headed out to Brown County to spend the day with his friend and best man, Tim, for the last time for at least awhile. Tomorrow, Saturday, Tim and his girlfriend, Jess, are moving to California. We're excited for them -- Tim has a great job lined up and his family lives there -- but we're sad to see them go. They've been good friends and although I am sure we'll make it out there to visit them, perhaps even next year, it can't really be the same.

So, that's the "sad" part of the Christmas analogy. The "Christmas" part comes from the fact that since Tim and Jess are driving all the way to California (with their belongings, three dogs and multiple cats... that should be fun!) they wanted to give us some things from their house. Which resulted in us receiving this crazy awesome stainless steel grill:

Cookout at the Young Caudell house! Mmm, I can taste all the yummy things we'll be making on it now.

OK, and perhaps even better than the grill... If you know me, you probably know how much I LOVE condiments. Love, love, love. Especially ketchup, but I'm open to all kinds. Where most people think a condiment should be a complement to a food, I think that the food is simply the vessel for the condiments. Jess and Tim didn't want to take any of the food they had with them on the long trip, so we became the proud owners of pretty much every condiment, oil and sauce you can ever imagine: ketchup, mayo, mustards, balsamics, dressings, barbecues, Thai sauces, vinegars, etc., etc., etc. If you can think it, we probably have it. Three boxes worth. And while most people would be like, "Eh, condiments," I was like, "Yay! Condiments!" Yes, I'm a dork. Behold, a tiny sampling of the goodness:

A whole shelf and a door in the fridge and a whole shelf in the pantry dedicated solely to the flavor-licious sauces that make food worth eating? This is a grand, grand thing my friends.

Away from my freaky obsession with sauces and on to the greatness that is 08.08.08: The opening of the summer Olympics! Now, I know there is a ton of controversy with China as the host, which makes sense, but that doesn't really deter my excitement for all of the great feats of sport to take place over the next two weeks. Every four years (I'm not big on the winter Olympics) I get sucked into the television for the games. It's fun to watch new and unique sports, but I mostly tune in for gymnastics, rowing, swimming, diving, triathlon and track & field. A fellow athlete at IU, Christina Loukas, is a very strong contender for a medal in diving (She was in the top three at Worlds this year) and I can't wait to cheer her on, even if it is through the TV!

Rowing, of course, is always awesome to watch, because I know just how hard those guys and girls are working. They may make the sport look graceful, but you can't even imagine the pain they are in. I can't even really imagine the pain they are in, since I've never rowed at the national/international level, but I have a small idea at least.

Right now I am watching the opening ceremony, and it is absolutely indescribable. I hope that you are watching it too, but if you aren't, you should check out some of the pics at http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galleryid=183797.html.

There is just something about the Olympics that makes me think the world really could exist in perfect peace if everyone would just try. I know that it will never happen. It can't. And it will never even come close. But can it get better? For two weeks, at least, I like to think so.

AND... my last day of work is a week from today :)