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Look for me tomorrow at the Maracana. Opening Ceremonies - Section 115 Row O. Oprah is arriving with Michelle and the girls. Maybe we'll be sitting together LOL Saturday and Sunday with fencing followed by sessions of men's and women's gymnastics in the Barra Olympic Park. Monday with swimming and more fencing back in Barra. Tuesday at Marina da Gloria to see the sailors get ready. In my younger days I raced 2 different Olympic classes -Finns and 470 Wednesday out to Deodoro for 6 games of Rugby 7's with the men beating on each other - maybe I'll see an New Zealand haka? - followed by Canoe Slalom. Way too cool. Thursday I am working doing the floral designs for a supper in honor of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg back out in Barra by the Maripendi Lagoon. Friday through Monday in Sao Paulo with a friend visiting from up north. The second week has cycling at the Olympic velodrome, a session of track and field at the Engenhao and finishing up with the men's basketball semifinals and final. Go Team USA. I've been in and around the city the past few days. Yesterday's 6 women's football games went off without a hitch in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the Minerao in BH. Today the men are in action. Tomorrow the Sambodromo hosts some archery even before the official opening ceremonies at the Maracana. The VLT line is completed and operation. The second line was never planned to be operating before the games began. Praca XV has been turned into the "Boulevard Olimpica" with over a dozen food trucks, dozens of Skol beer stands, a Nike video cube, Nissan hospitality installation. Various video screens. Multiple bathrooms with water tanks in places that look like mini mobile homes. The CCBB has an art exhibition with 85 post-impressionist works from the Musee D'Orsay and Musee de L'Orangerie. They've got the tunnel open and the route is completed linking Santos Dumont past Praca Maua all of the way to the bus station Novo Rio. I was in Copacabana last week and the beach volleyball stadium is completed and enormous. Casa Suica at the Lagoa baseball field is done. I was by the Stock Exchange today and nothing showing that Casa Australia was ready to open. It looks ready to open the new Praca Candelaria by the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, the workers are gone, but the temporary construction fences are still up. The even have my favorite, the Diana fountain running. The biggest no-no is Guanabara Bay which I see and smell daily. Two or three months ago there was an interview with a politico who said that it was never in the card as the money for building the Deodoro complex came from the installations of new sewage treatment facilities.

I have read your postings over at "The Other Site" and I am very pleased that you have joined us over here. I hope to meet you in person some day.

Same goes for buttholes...

Kri McClean has escaped jail- legally! Prosecutors will drop the charges if he continues in therapy, takes his meds, and otherwise behaves. He left court stylishly dressed on Friday: Let's hope that he stays out of trouble. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/nake-times-square-man-case-conditinoally-dismissed-article-1.2739702

Welcome Brian

Wishing you and the rest of the cariocas all the best.

"I hope they are able to pull this off..." They have two days to do as your "hope" stipulated! I, too, truly hope the cariocas are mighty successful in spite of all of their apparent difficulties. And to Firecat's statement, NBC definitely has shown some great Rio footage since Monday; ...hope they continue to do such and that these match what truly is and will be transpiring during the next two weeks, beginning on Friday, the 5th of August 2016.

OMG can't you just quit the drama?!?!?!?!??! WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE ANY MORE. QUIT BRINGING IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Smith, thanks for the kind words. I hope that you are right about the dancing model. I would hate to see his future damaged by something he did so young and so likely high. He may be a bit confused, and, no doubt, when he came to the US, there were many who wanted to abuse him in the snaky world of modeling. (Gee, I could be his lawyer!)

I too am very happy to see you back here, Lucky. The forums were much the poorer without you.