simply the best
Today was remarkable for being one of the most unremarkable of my life. That is not to say that others had very remarkable days, but I was just not one of them.
My Olympics intake was a bit minimized as it was men's short program figure skating, and I really had my fill of that sport yesterday (at least until it's Sasha time). I did peek in from time to time to see who was leading and I saw that at one point, one of the Americans was in second place, but I think that was really early on. I missed women's speed skating 500m entirely (that must have been on earlier in the coverage), but I did catch men's combined downhill, which was one of the more exciting competitions so far.
Bode Miller must have been seeing double from partying the night before (and hey, I'm not one to talk, obviously) because he crapped out on another event he could have medaled in when he straddled one of the gates in the slalom portion of the combined and got disqualified. I was pretty bummed, because it's cool that there's an olympiad who can drink me under the table and still kick ass, but that opened the door to other lesser-known skiiers and that really made things interesting. The youngest guy on the US ski team Ted Ligety turned in a stellar performance and took gold, thanks to another DQ from frontrunner Austrian Benjamin Raich pulled a Bode. That's five golds for the US, but I was even more happy for Ivica Kostelic from Croatia, who took the silver. The dude broke down when he saw his time and knew he was guaranteed a medal. It was super emo, but not in a fashionably pouty sort of way. Ivica's sister Janica, as it turns out, is a vicious beast in downhill skiing as well and kicks ass on a regular basis, but this was Ivica's first Olympic medal. I'm sure he'll wear it to family dinners. I would.
Tonight's biggest winner, however, wasn't some dude whizzing down the side of a mountain like a crazy person, or some perfectly sequined and coifed figure skater, or a yoked-up woman playing human NASCAR on a skating rink. It was Rufus. And he's a dog.
Rufus, a colored bull terrier, won this year's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Best in Show, held at Madison Square Garden in front of a frighteningly enthusiastic live audience.
He decimated the terrier group and found himself some serious competition for the coveted title. There was (my personal favorite) a goofy rottweiler named Shaka Zulu, who was paraded around by his very enthusiastic owner/handler/treats giver; a dalmation; a prissy lil' pug; a foofy-haired English sheep dog; some kind of stock hound; and America's dog, a floppy-eared, shiny coated dog food bag photo-ready golden retriever, who I think was pretty sure he had the whole competition wrapped up.
Then of course, there was friendly Rufus, with his ponderous head, bewildered gaze and stocky appendages. Not only did he have to overcome his own physical shortcomings, but also the image of the bull terrier which has been forever marred by the notorious lech and party animal, Spuds McKenzie. Still, Rufus puffed up his chest and trotted around the green carpet. His eyes set on treats and a better future. Then came the moment of truth. You could see the retriever mouth "sorry losers" to his competitors. Well I could. The judge gave everyone a once over, then a twice over, then a thrice, and then walked over to the table to record his decision. He then stepped forward with his minions. The retriever practiced his acceptance speech. Then the judge said, "the winner is...Rufus!"
The crowd went wild, but not as wild as Rufus who, still holding the same look of bewilderment, now bounced with excitement. I think it was more than the promise of kibble. He knew what he had accomplished. Spuds be damned.
Oh. And Happy Valentine's Day.
My Olympics intake was a bit minimized as it was men's short program figure skating, and I really had my fill of that sport yesterday (at least until it's Sasha time). I did peek in from time to time to see who was leading and I saw that at one point, one of the Americans was in second place, but I think that was really early on. I missed women's speed skating 500m entirely (that must have been on earlier in the coverage), but I did catch men's combined downhill, which was one of the more exciting competitions so far.
Bode Miller must have been seeing double from partying the night before (and hey, I'm not one to talk, obviously) because he crapped out on another event he could have medaled in when he straddled one of the gates in the slalom portion of the combined and got disqualified. I was pretty bummed, because it's cool that there's an olympiad who can drink me under the table and still kick ass, but that opened the door to other lesser-known skiiers and that really made things interesting. The youngest guy on the US ski team Ted Ligety turned in a stellar performance and took gold, thanks to another DQ from frontrunner Austrian Benjamin Raich pulled a Bode. That's five golds for the US, but I was even more happy for Ivica Kostelic from Croatia, who took the silver. The dude broke down when he saw his time and knew he was guaranteed a medal. It was super emo, but not in a fashionably pouty sort of way. Ivica's sister Janica, as it turns out, is a vicious beast in downhill skiing as well and kicks ass on a regular basis, but this was Ivica's first Olympic medal. I'm sure he'll wear it to family dinners. I would.
Tonight's biggest winner, however, wasn't some dude whizzing down the side of a mountain like a crazy person, or some perfectly sequined and coifed figure skater, or a yoked-up woman playing human NASCAR on a skating rink. It was Rufus. And he's a dog.
Rufus, a colored bull terrier, won this year's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Best in Show, held at Madison Square Garden in front of a frighteningly enthusiastic live audience.He decimated the terrier group and found himself some serious competition for the coveted title. There was (my personal favorite) a goofy rottweiler named Shaka Zulu, who was paraded around by his very enthusiastic owner/handler/treats giver; a dalmation; a prissy lil' pug; a foofy-haired English sheep dog; some kind of stock hound; and America's dog, a floppy-eared, shiny coated dog food bag photo-ready golden retriever, who I think was pretty sure he had the whole competition wrapped up.
Then of course, there was friendly Rufus, with his ponderous head, bewildered gaze and stocky appendages. Not only did he have to overcome his own physical shortcomings, but also the image of the bull terrier which has been forever marred by the notorious lech and party animal, Spuds McKenzie. Still, Rufus puffed up his chest and trotted around the green carpet. His eyes set on treats and a better future. Then came the moment of truth. You could see the retriever mouth "sorry losers" to his competitors. Well I could. The judge gave everyone a once over, then a twice over, then a thrice, and then walked over to the table to record his decision. He then stepped forward with his minions. The retriever practiced his acceptance speech. Then the judge said, "the winner is...Rufus!"The crowd went wild, but not as wild as Rufus who, still holding the same look of bewilderment, now bounced with excitement. I think it was more than the promise of kibble. He knew what he had accomplished. Spuds be damned.
Oh. And Happy Valentine's Day.
3 comments:
I love dog shows. We semi-religiously watch them. Each one of us has a favorite type that we cheer on. The Girl likes the foofy little yappy dogs, mom's strictly a german shepherd gal, I generally go for the sleek types like the greyhound or whippet, The Boy isn't much of a dog person, but can appreciate them from a distance, and my father likes the big, goofy dogs.
More often than not, the dogs we're rooting for don't win.
i kinda like all the dogs...except the little yappy ones. though some of them are kinda awesome too. i really like terriers like Rufus, though. all hail Rufus!
Hehehehe, Rufus looks like his smiling!
Dog shows are so much fun, i prefer watching them than people!
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