Olympic Level Cheese

Okay, this is a little different. Maybe a bit weird, but that's just how I roll. Life is funner that way (or if you prefer, "more fun").

I have never been very good at cutting nice even slices of cheese using just a knife. They were always really fat on one end and really thin on the other, or lots of quarter or half slices, etc.  Ever since the 2012 Summer Olympics, I have really improved.

I know the Olympics seem unrelated to cheese-slicing, but a little Olympic effort can go a long way. It started one day near the end of the Olympics. We were watching... something, maybe gymnastics or diving or something and I ran into the kitchen to make a sandwich. My first slice of cheese was a typically uneven off-the-edge half slice - "It's a 4.5!" ; my next was quite a bit better - "8.3!". You get the idea. I haven't stopped judging my cheese slicing ever since. Jeran even got in on it once or twice, producing a few good scores and a few bad scores. That is what makes it so fun - in our house at least, it takes real effort and a bit of luck to get a freehanded, perfect, thin slice of cheese.

There are many factors to take into account when rating a slice. Is the slice complete? Is it even in width all around? Are the corners sharp? Is it the ideal thickness? Did you use good cutting technique (pretty objective since I don't know a "proper" technique)? And so forth.  And as an added bonus, sandwiches and hamburgers and whatnot are easier to eat because I don't have one-inch pieces of cheese falling out all over.

Look at what a little incentive can do!

Olympics

I am pretty excited for the Olympics. There is something great about finally having sporting events where basically our entire nation is rooting for the same team/individual instead of our intra-national NBA, NFL, NCAA, etc. I'm a little bummed today because we are probably going to miss the Opening Ceremonies, which are usually pretty amazing.

I can't decide which sport I am looking forward to most. There are so many exciting sports in the Winter Olympics! For me, the coolest are snowboarding, figure skating and freestyle skiing. The racing events are less exciting to watch than the events involving artistic form and routines. The lamest is curling. Obviously. But what even is Nordic Combined? I have no idea.

Anyways, I can never remember what all the Winter Olympics includes so here is a reminder of the medal events:

Alpine skiing - 10 events incl. downhill and slalom

Biathlon - 10 events of varying course lengths and team sizes

Bobsled - 3 events: 4 man, 2 man, 2 woman

Cross-country skiing - 12 events of varying course lengths and team sizes

Curling - 2 events: men's and women's

Figure skating - 4 events: Men's and women's singles, pairs, and ice dancing

Freestyle skiing - 6 events incl. moguls, aerials, and skicross

Ice hockey - 2 events: men's and women's tournaments

Luge - 3 events: 2 man, 1 man, 1 woman

Nordic combined - 3 events all individual of different courses

Short track speed skating - 8 events of varying course lengths and team sizes

Skeleton - 2 events: men's and women's

Ski jumping - 3 events: small hill, men's large hill, team large hill

Snowboarding - 6 events incl. slalom, half-pipe, and snowboard cross

Speed skating - 12 events of varying course lengths and team sizes

Also here is the TV schedule from NBC.

Go team USA!