Strange days indeed

So there I am, watching the men's marathon in the Olympics and marveling at how great Brazilian Vanderlei Lima was doing, as he was leading the race by a decent margin with about three miles to go. Then all of a sudden, this wacko comes running out of the crowd and tackles the poor guy. Bystanders pull the nutjob off Lima, who's obviously stunned but keeps going. Alas, he soon was passed by Italian Stefano Baldini and American (by way of Eritrea) Meb Keflezighi, but he managed to at least hold on to win the bronze. There's no guarantee Lima would have won the gold because Baldini was coming on strong, but what a crappy way to lose it. Turns out the mad tackler was a former Irish priest who did something similar at a European Grand Prix race last year, running out into the middle of the track during a race, forcing racers going 200 mph to swerve around him. His cause is to proclaim the end of the world. What a strange way to end the Olympics, but at least it was free of any terrorism.

The Republican National Convention is underway in NYC, with thousands of protesters converging on the city to voice their opposition to Dubya. Meanwhile, the Republicans are getting their groove on, as evidenced by this fine fellow.

The audience at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday booed both Kerry's daughters and Bush's daughters as they made a plea for the yutes of America to get out and vote. Apparently, the crowd wanted the show to get back to its main focus: the lip-syncing of crappy songs.

A week away from my big race, and now my right Achilles tendon is acting up. Fortunately, I was already cutting back on the miles, so it's rest, ice and Advil for the next few days. Hopefully, I'll be able to get through the race without any problems.