the watch of time

With the official opening today…

• Bask in the glow of a more diverse range of sponsors
• Partake in live jingoistic television coverage with gushing announcers
• Enjoy the non-violent excitement of sports like archery, shooting, and boxing
• Gape at the sorry-looking, illogical Games mascot (i.e. a multi-colour porcupine in Toronto?)
• Explore the souvenir store, offering such worthy and rip-off mementos as small-scale volleyballs
• Watch tax dollars at work in new or refurbished facilities, with the possibility of a larger sink-hole expenditure, via using these Games as a stepping-stone to another Summer Olympics bid
• Take advantage of the more-convenient-for-us North American time zone
• Enjoy the couch potato inspiration of sports like bowling and sailing
• Witness powerful episodes, such as jaw-dropping incompetence leading to athletes being disqualified (i.e. two medal hopefuls from Canada’s badminton team out due to a registration error)
• Engage in the patience-sucking joys of travelling to events being held in a dozen communities outside Toronto