All Good Things...

...must come to an end.

The closing ceremonies were stunning, but that's not a surprise.

I was delighted to see one of the people who has entertained me the most in film - Jackie Chan. Yeah, yeah, I like Jackie Chan movies. No, he's not exactly the height of Chinese culture, and what he has to do with the Olympics is beyond me, but it put a smile in my face to see him there.

The Chinese put their best foot forward throughout the games, welcoming foreign guests with dignity and grace - and if there were a few scandals along the way, well...at least they didn't have a giant blue sperm for their mascot, and no one tried to blow them up, so they are two up on Atlanta.

Ultimately, I am glad that I watched what I did - not everything, because my pesky family kept wanting to do things like eat, sleep, and occasionally leave the house so they didn't grow moldy - and I'm proud (for the most part)(and the ones I am ashamed of, well - they got a good dose of instant Karma every time) of the humanity involved with these games. People strove, and win or lose, every athlete was one of the very best the world has to offer. For two weeks, a mixed bag of my fellow Earth-dwellers didn't just get along - they cheered each other on, comforted each other through disasters, and gave each competition their very best efforts.

And now, on to London. I have a feeling they watched these game, the opening and closing ceremonies especially, and gave a collective "Aww, crap."