Three days in

I've said this before, I think, but the thing that always amuses me about the Olympics is its ability to make you spend hours watching sports that you would never, ever, under any circumstances care about.

I spent three hours on my couch yesterday afternoon, glued to the biathlon coverage. Biathlon, of course, is the one with the cross country skiing and the shooting. It is not exactly thrilling, I have to say, but oh, the SKILLZ. These guys are racing along on skiis, heart rates presumably through the roof, and then they have to drop to the ground and shoot five targets--each the size of a silver dollar, as the commentators told us numerous times--before getting up an skiing some more. Can you imagine trying to hit a target that size with your heart beating wildly like that? I cannot. It is seriously impressive.

There are also, of course, the sports that are TOTALLY EXCITING, like the short track speed-skating. I cannot get enough. Obviously Apolo Ohno is part of the draw, but also the DRAMA! Did you see that race the other night where he got his sixth medal? The Koreans were going to sweep! But then they crashed! And Apolo and that adorable JR Celski kid medaled! You cannot make this stuff up.

And then last night, bless his heart, the Canadian moguls skier Alexandre Bilodeau brought home Canada's first gold medal on home soil, which may have been even more exciting than when Hannah Kearney won the gold for the U.S. in the women's event the previous evening.

Oh, the drama. Oh, the awesomeness. I love the Olympics.

OH! That reminds me, I never told you what twizzles are. As I was looking up an easy definition just now, I found this handy feature from USA Today, where U.S. ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto show us some twizzles. Now you'll all be able to impress your friends during the ice dancing when you can identify the twizzles. (Can you tell that I like saying twizzles? I do. And, oddly, I now find myself craving Twizzlers. Huh.)