The Olympics!

The Olympic rings are silhouetted during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium in Beijing on Aug. 8. (Kyodo via AP Images)

The Opening Ceremonies are under way as I type… and although the ceremonies aren’t on teevee, live, there’s a live blogging effort underway at NBC’s web site (doubtless there are other “live blogging” places, too… I just stumbled upon NBC’s blog). Here are a few excerpts from their blog, in reverse chronological order:

Five orchestras from five continents play welcome music as, first in, per tradition, the Greeks.

The Greeks -- men and women -- are wearing white suits, looking very natty.

The parade Friday night will go according to the Mandarin calligraphy. Countries have been organized by the number of strokes in the first character of a nation's name.

Second in: Guinea.

Third: Guinea-Bissau.

Fourth: Turkey. One of the guys from Turkey is on his cellular phone.

Fifth: Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic.

The Americans are due to go 139th.

[…]

The delegation from Chinese Taipei enters to loud cheers.

The Taiwanese, as usual, come in behind a special flag used for such moments of Olympic protocol, the Olympic rings encircled by red and blue ribbons.

The delegation from Hong Kong came in just moments later -- the Central African Republic in between Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong. Cheers for those from Hong Kong as well but not as loud as those for the Taiwanese.

[…]

Team USA, and President Bush and the First Lady, waving American flags, stand in salute.

On the field, some of the athletes are waving American flags, too. Some are just waving fans. It's hot and humid -- the thermometer reading 87 degrees at 10 p.m., a few minutes before the U.S. entrance.

In full, the U.S. delegation numbers 596. Some of the biggest stars, such as swimmer Michael Phelps, are not in the parade. Nothing political. Phelps swims Saturday.

The U.S. delegation was met with cheers.

Only a handful of Americans are using videocameras. None appears to be on a cellular phone.

There's Tyson Gay, the sprinter, his white driving cap cocked to the side, smiling a big smile.

The Americans look snappy in their Ralph Lauren uniforms -- blue jackets and white pants (women in pants, too), white shirt, white shoes, white driving cap, red- and blue-striped tie or scarf.

They look like they're en route to a luncheon party at a yacht club. Or a Southern picnic where croquet might follow a mint julep.

Wow! How exciting! “Let the Games Begin!”

As for me? I’m off to do laundry... what with the fact I’m into the Vintage Tee-Shirts… and have been so, for a couple of days now.