Am I the only miserable?

Question

grumpy, cantankerous, scrofulous cat-strangling old fart who is sick to death of hearing about the bloody Olympics?

We get "100 days to the opening of the Olympics"

Then it's "Its 99 days 17 hours 23 minutes and 9 seconds......" etc. You get the idea.

Now it's "Will the Olympic torch be passing near you?"

I don't give a toss. It could go right past my front door, and I wouldn't even bother getting off the sofa.

Why are we so sport fixated in this damned country? Starting Friday, it's wall to wall sport until Monday evening, counting replays, highlights, replays of highlights, highlights of the replays and replays of the replays. Then repeats of the replays of the highlights of the replays!

It's enough to make me strip naked, and run through Bridlington town centre going "Aaaarrrrggghhhhhhhh!".

Except no-one would take any notice.

They'll all be inside watching bloody sport on the telly!

Answer 1

I am with you regards olympics and sport. I have no interest whatsoever and wish I never had to hear about either ever again. Why can't all sport be confined to sports channels only on tv, sports only radio stations ,sports only newspapers. Can't somebody with a brain convince these sports people that it is only sport and not very important at all,and those with no interest are fed up with it all the time.

Answer 2

I haven't been to Brid for many a long year, does the Boat still go around the Bay?



My Aunt has just had a knee operation which has stopped the terrible pain she was suffering, and has now got as far as the end of the next road, (about 200 yards) using two sticks, and is aiming to do the same with only one stick by the end of the month.



She reckons she will be able to make Starbeck High street to be able to see the torch go by, and that is her goal.



So yes you miserable old sod, you are in a minority, but I guess you are like a bloke (Andy) that I work with who also isn't happy unless he has something to grumble about LOL.

Answer 3

Excuse me even with the indisputable fact that the Scottish are not from now on depressing human beings. i won't be able to maximum acceptable you about calling them Scotch as everybody else has instructed you the reason why its Scottish. i changed into born in England and are available from a lengthy, lengthy line of Scots and that i'll guarantee you they don't look depressing. possibly the folk you recognize do no longer purchase you a round because they do no longer prefer to drink with you, or of route they could imagine you're the depressing one. you ought to take human beings as you hit upon them and in no way from the position they originate. there is adequate complications contained in the united kingdom without taking off yet another argument between the Scottish and the English, and in no way forgetting the Irish and the Welsh.

Answer 4

Better you than U.S. (get it?) < sick>

Answer 5

no your not alone. i actually dont give a sh*t. its going to ruin my summer. i swear.

Answer 6

Matthew, you are definitely not alone.



I never could see the sense of, never mind getting excited about 22 supposedly grown men chasing a lump ot leather around a field. Or Another bunch of supposedly grown men whack an even smaller ball around with a bat.



As for going out into the miserable, wet, cold British climate and paying good money to catch pneumonia whilst watching them chase their silly ball. Well my Initials may be JS that does not signify my name is Joe Soap.



As for the olympics. What is so spectacular about seeing who can get round a circle the fastest, or who can jump the furthest in a sandpit. Headless chickens the lot of them.



As for what would happen if the torch went past my door. I would rather sit here answering your question. If I want to see a flame I can strike a match and see one.



I will be out of the country from the 17th of next month for 6 months. The best bit about this is that I will be 2000 plus miles away when olympic fever reaches its peak, and not back until the arguments are all over as to how it all went wrong.



My advice would be. Do not watch TY news. Keep up to-date via the internet. That way you do not need to open any olympic or any other sports links.



Your empathically



Beulah

Answer 7

Get used to it.

And it's only going to get worse.

When we (Canada) hosted the Olympics, all the hoopla started a year before and didn't end until 6 months after it was over.



Go visit a long lost relative and rent your place out for big $$$$.

Answer 8

no my friend your not,you can trust me on that.

Answer 9

No you're not the only one!

We have to put up with Sh*ty sports everyday over here in the US..I try to ignore it as much as possible!..You shall do the same!..=)

Answer 10

I haven't seen an Olympic commercial and I watch a lot of TV. Your country must be hosting it.

Answer 11

You certainly have a point, Matthew,

Although I love some sports, the

Olympics seems to be totally elitist

giving people knighthoods for riding

a bike and suchlike, and as for those

young women who lay in a bathing

pool, waving their legs about, how

on earth is that called swimming?



The Athens Olympics set the Greeks

on the road to financial ruin, no doubt

there will be problems paying for the

London Olympics too.



If you do run through the streets of Brid

please keep your hat on, Sir, you will

catch your death of cold without it. :)))

Answer 12

i was sick of the olymics about 40 yrs ago

Answer 13

Hey Matthew, Lots of people get enjoyment from watching sports. You aren't interested, no bother, unless you get very few channels, there is much more to pick from. Science channels, Discovery channels, comedy channels.



I enjoy watching football, baseball, mostly the Texas Rangers. I watch very few other sports. Some of the events in the Olympics are pretty fun to watch.



No one is twisting your arm are they? Or hiding your remote? Please yourself and if you can't find something you enjoy watching, read a book or do something else.



If you are an American citizen, don't refer to our country as "this damned country" please.



My mistake, but I think you shouldn't speak of your own country that way either!

Answer 14

Excellent question and well put - this is a madhouse and that is that !

Answer 15

Sir Hopkins, even though you hate cats and the olympics, I like you. You remind me of my dear old dad who passed years ago. When he was a child his birthday was coming up and he told his mother not to invite a cousin he loathed, well she did, so he refused to attend his own party. He said he started to walk along the railroad tracks and walked for miles. He didn't do it naked though.

Answer 16

The only hope to keep from being brainwashed is to chuck the telly. Mine is around here somewhere.

Answer 17

I gave up my TV 4 years ago and don't miss it so i am no longer getting pissed off about sports preempting what I wanted to watch, taking up so many time slots, etc. I do think there is too much of it around. I find people wasting money watching adults play kids games for obscene amounts of money really stupid. Especially when most of those Neanderthals can bare speak more than Umm, you know.

Answer 18

Let me assure you, you are not alone.

Answer 19

I hope that your question does not indicate that you are one of these people who switches on the T.V. the moment you come downstairs in a morning and switches it off again when you go back to bed at night.



There are other ways of spending your time. All you need to do is try something else and why wait until the olympics begins to begin thinking how bored and ignored (by the media) you are.



Wake up and smell the coffee they say - well wake up and get a life doing something different from being a viewer. Sit in a park and feed the birds (if that's not banned in Bridlington), read your newspaper out in the fresh air. Go for a ride on a train to a place you've never visited before. Ask if you can volunteer in a charity shop (they are not all manned just by senior ladies or kids on Job Centre schemes you know).



The world is yours. Pretend you don't have a T.V. today and think what you can do instead of watching it. You'll come up with some brilliant ideas by the time the olympics starts and maybe watch a lot less T.V. in future. You can even switch off the news (or turn the sound down) once they start mentioning sport.

Answer 20

No, you are not the only one. Thankfully the toob has an off switch.

Answer 21

You might be miserable, but you made me laugh this morning, and I needed that. :)

Answer 22

No I am too but for very different reasons, had to applaud your humour it is lovely,

Answer 23

We don't have that problem here. I like the Olympics and it was great to watch the torch passing by my place of work in the 1984 games.



If the games were being held here, I would probably be tired of the hype, too, but as it stands, I am looking forward to them.



Personally, I am weary of all the political ads being foisted upon us. I cannot wait for the election to be over.

Answer 24

Your lament is entertaining and hope that you can find some alternative to all the continuous coverage. I'm sure you're not alone. Maybe start a blog of others that are fed up. Birds of a feather type of thing. It'll soon pass. If it helps, here in USA we'll start on the political 2012 election for president and that will be over hype here. Can't wait for it to be over already.

Answer 25

Well you still have a little time to start working on your timetable of activities for the duration of the olympics. If you are the sort of person who relies on being entertained by a television I feel sorry for you. There's a world out there, go out and enjoy it OR get some books for the library, take up a hobby (maybe something you've never tried before) Maybe you'll stick with it once the olympics are over and watch less T.V. into the bargain.



If you actually live in Bridlington then go out and smell the lovely sea air. It's a lovely place. I've had many holidays there when I lived closer to it than I do now. With the olympics keeping many people indoors then the streets of Bridlington will be much quieter (as will streets everywhere of course) so that would be an excellent time to have the place 'almost' to yourself '. Pack your sandwiches a packet of crisps and a nice flask of hot coffee and go out; buy a bag of sweets if you find a shop open and enjoy the difference that the olympics will have made for you.

Answer 26

I'm sick and tired of hearing about this f**king election coming up, and everytime I hear Obama's voice, I gag.

Answer 27

Hello Matthew,



Not at all!



1) I think they are a white elephant and waste of time and money which most cities can ill afford and ultimately the tax payer will be hit hard when they go in the hole. Here in Canada it took 40 years to pay off the damn Montreal summer Olympics and we will pay for years for the 88 Calgary and 2010 Vancouver inter Olympics. Why all the fuss to cater to several hundred elite sports people. There are lots of other priorities that need money.



2) I had hoped to make it over for a visit with my wife this year but I see once again things will be ruined as hotel index articles have already shown hotel prices are going to be doubled. We are going to Mexico instead.



Cheers,



Michael Kelly

Answer 28

It's not just the olympics. the news media runs everything into the ground so much so that something I might have enjoyed, I'm sick of it before it even starts.

Answer 29

You're definitely not alone - I hate sport!

Answer 30

no

Answer 31

lmao! youre right i wonder what people would do withh it all and had to go back to midevale times they would probably eat each other

Answer 32

I agree, I mean it isn't as if it were the Superbowl right? lol.

Answer 33

I loved that description of yourself. Now I know there are two of us in this world but the olympics (Whatever country they're in), is not the cause of my angst. It's the state of politics here in the USA that drives me up the pole in quest of the poor cat.

Answer 34

Ooh Matthew deep breaths now, no you're not alone and I hate to break it to you but the closer we get to the 'O' word I fear the worse it will get.



You're obviously not an Olympian in either the sportsman or spectator side of things so may I suggest you do as I intend to do and make more frequent visits to your library or up your DVD collection.



But do please leave our Feline friends alone and spare the blushes of our pals in Bridlington...x

Answer 35

Everyone says get rid of your TV, but all the other media is lousy with sports, too. Especially the radio. I've never understood sports mania. If some people were as passionate about causes as they are about a ball being thrown around, we would really have something.

Answer 36

I know what you mean, it'll be all " Pomp and Circumstance " too! as no doubt some of the royal family will be there!

They'll be security running round more than the runners, nothing will go smoothly it never has for us Brits over the years!

Anyway i'll probably watch the interesting bits like the finals and hope we win something for a change!

Good Luck? We Blooming Need It.!!

Answer 37

Hmm - seems I'm in a minority - VERY MUCH looking forward to London 2012.

I reckon it will be a great show-case for the UK - sporting interests apart.

As happens - I'm quite interested in sport generally - and will be cheering on our cyclists, rowers, fencers, marksmen, yachtsmen, boxers, track & field athletes etc etc etc.

But in particular - hoping the HUGE investment will pay off in many different ways, longer term.

Declaring an interest - ie my East End London roots - I'm more than pleased Stratford and its environs has been 'regenerated' at long. long last.

I have clear recollections of Stratford High St - Christmas 1947 - when I was aged 4 - when post war austerity dampened the festivities. The area remained 'depressed' for decades thereafter - but London 2012 gives it a long overdue 'shot in the arm'. A huge new shopping mall has been opened - and with Stratford Railway Station now a major link (internationally) the area now has the basic infrastructure to compete with the west side of London (Heathrow, etc).

Which must surely be all to the good ?

Even for the denizens of Bridlington - with no interest in sport whatsoever ?

; ))

PS - please issue advance warnings if you feel compelled to run naked through Bridlington's town centre - so that I can be sure of being somewhere else.

; )))

Answer 38

My friend, we choose from amongst the millions of stimuli out there which one we will concentrate upon. I didn't think once about the olympics until you brought it up. I frankly do not care who performs, who wins or who dies of a heart attack sitting in the sun watching.



I focus on my life and what I can do to make it fulfilling as well as useful. YOu have that same choice but prefer to grouse about a business that makes billions from all the sports-addicted people who take their thrill watching someone else win medals. Me? I prefer to get trophies for my own accomplishments if that is meant to be and to get satisfaction simply from doing them as well as i am able if they aren't noteworthy.



If I fart, it will be in the form of a melody that can be whistled and danced to. "Nothing wasted" is my motto.



So have fun grouching but you won't see me sitting in the grump seat anytime soon.

Answer 39

Ooh, I used to love Bridlington when my kids were small. I agree with you entirely about the Olympics but what upsets me is the billion pound cost and who does it benefit? Certainly not people in Leeds, where I live. In times of acute austerity, is seems gross to spend such huge amounts of money on a sporting event for the elite.

Answer 40

Yes you probably are even though I. too, am sick of hearing about the olympics. Unlike you I am not a grumpy, cantankerous, scrofulous cat-strangling old fart.



Please let me know which street in Bridlington you'll do the run (plus date and time of course). It should be interesting to say the least. Doing your run around the harbour wall would be interesting also. Maybe you'd frighten the fish into jumping into the boats and save the fishermen some effort.



EDIT



I should have added that it helps not having a T.V. I won't be inundated with coverage because the screen is absent from my home. I'll be able to use my computer, C.D. player, sudoku puzzle book etc. just as on any other days of the week and go for walks in the sunshine (if we have any) or whatever else takes my fancy. Sport has never been on my agenda so I don't have to think of alternatives - I already have them.

Answer 41

CAT-STRANGLING! Even if you are an old fart, you do not need to strangle us. We have nothing to do with the Olympics....not our fault. Take a nap and you will feel better (I hope for the sake of cats everywhere).

Answer 42

No Mathew, you are not alone.

Answer 43

Im giong to share a secret with you. One which will end your problem, and show you a new world of joy away from that monstrosity. But you have to be willing to listen:



TURN OFF YOUR DAMN TELEVISION.



Its much nicer without them. I promise.