I fell asleep several hours ago on accident in my uniform and with the light on. My roommate's iTunes happened to play a '90s industrial song, and I popped up out of a deep slumber to ask, "(Title of the song), seriously? Have you seen this music video?" (She had not seen it.) I didn't bring my iPod to China, which happens to be filled with '90s music. Bad decision. I miss my extensive, embarrassing Nine Inch Nails and other bands-that-will-remain-anonymous collection. A lot of people have been blogging about what they miss from home. Besides my family, friends, iPod, and the convenience of having a clothes dryer, I'm pretty set right now.
Today we watched a few cycling teams train at the Velodrome. It was supposed to be a wild and crazy day filled with flash quoting the piles of cyclists milling about; instead it was pretty relaxed. I even sat in the stands for a while with the rest of the Blue Army (all the Chinese volunteers at Laoshan wear the same uniforms as us, but they move in a huge unit, hundreds of people deep.. hence "Blue Army"). The view of the track from the stands is awesome. Tomorrow there will be even more athletes to interview and we can get stuff cracking. The opening ceremony is in two days, but the track cycling events don't begin until the second week of competition. I'm sure my observations of the Olympic front will become more exciting as the Games progress.
Speaking of excitement, the other day Andrea and I tried to ride on one of the electrical scooters that the "runners" use to get around the Laoshan Bicycle Cluster. Here's a picture I stole from Traci's blog:
I imagined Andrea and me heroically sailing toward the mixed zone like Che Guevara and Alberto Granado riding on "The Mighty One" in Los Diarios Motocicletas. As we bumbled and nearly crashed on a 20-yard stretch, however, we looked more like Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne from Dumb and Dumber. Passers-by watched in horror as I narrowly avoided smashing over a high curb and into a fence. Slick electrical scooters that everyone else can steer: Who needs them? Pish! Not me. But I do dream about taking one of those gadgets (or even better, a Segway) on the BMX or mountain track at dangerously high speeds, so it's probably best if I don't get too close.. not that I could even get it up to the track without wiping out. Believe it or not, I'm really a non-issue at this point.
It's 3:44 a.m. in Beijing. I took the law into my hands yesterday morning and woke my roommate up with Peking Opera music because she was ignoring her alarm again. Although she already got revenge by painting my toenails pink and purple with sloppy flower detailing, I should go to bed so I don't get a taste of my own morning treatment, which probably tastes like the grass flower gum I buy at the supermarket on campus or a block of pig's blood.
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