that's the spirit!

There's something admirable in this.

Germany Men's [x-c skiing] team skipped Falun relay... partied instead!

The German men’s relay team sat on the sideline and drank beer while Norwegians, Italians, Swedes, Frenchmen and other nations struggled through the 4 x 10 kilometer relay in warm conditions in Falun, Sweden on Sunday.

FIS and Vegard Ulvang disliked the German ”stunt." They choose not to race the final World Cup race of the season. Instead they brought several kegs of beer and lined up along the course in the sunshine.

- This is not cool, but it’s not mandatory to race. It’s voluntary to start or not, so it’s not much we can do in this case, said Ulvang on Norwegian television.

Overall World Cup winner Tobias Angerer didn't see any problem with their decision not to race.
- We have had a long and good season. The batteries are empty, so we are choosing to stay here today, said Angerer to German television, while a sequence of Germans were cheering for Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset (of Norway) and drinking beer was shown in the background.

Source: Langrenn.com

olive branches

Christmastime 1989. I was visiting a good friend in Freiburg during my year in Germany. Though I don't recall how she got there, there was an American girl with us in his apartment. I was "entertaining" her and while I don't remember her name and how or where I met her, I do remember she wanted to read each and every day of his daily Far Side calendar for 1990. Much to my friends distress, I humored her since she was female and I was a bachelor seeking companionship (it soon became obvious that once again I was looking in all the wrong places). I ended up escorting her home and leaving her there alone.

Every once in a while I am reminded of my friend's agony at having his entire year read out in advance by this girl and his "friend." Usually it happens when Bridget is upset that someone (we in her family all know better now) reads ahead in one of her daily calendars.

So I sent him a new Far Side daily calendar as a way of making up for this old faux pas.