johnguinness's Diaryland Diary
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last days on Aussie time
Suddenly I'm down to two tennis matches, one each at ridiculous hours of the morning on Saturday and Sunday. Kirilenko and Azarenka lost their final in three sets because Vika has some weaknesses, especially mental, on the doubles court. She's only twenty, so she can get better, but people are obviously not telling her the things she needs to hear. Nice girl on Twitter, though.
I've given up thoughts of watching bike racing, or caring what's going on in the sport. But I'm still following the Contador legal saga, because a couple of people need me for support, and because it's turning into a David versus twin Goliaths story.
So far, Spanish cycling has told him provisionally that they believe he's innocent of doping, so only recommend a one year ban instead of the two required by WADA's godawful Strict Liability rule. He was at team camp in Majorca training hard with the guys when he got the unexpected news. He told his teammates, and said some things. They clapped as he walked off, and he cried, and holed up in his hotel room. His brother traveled there to be with him yesterday, and for a big press conference today.
People are telling him to accept the one year ban, because he could race again in late Fall, and because a one year ban means he doesn't have to pay the UCI three million Euros of salary. But they'd take the Tour de France away from him. But he's like the client in a court TV show, where the lawyer tells them to take the plea bargain, and they say they can't, because they're innocent. So he's willing to risk a two year ban that would probably make him retire, and more than three million Euros, to clear his record in a sport where most people don't seem to care about the truth. See the new Daily Telegraph article, "Alberto Contador Is the Face Of Disgrace".
I had to talk myself down from ordering pizza last night, and from going on a comfort food run to buy pastries at the convenience store at three this morning. I substituted stuff from the food pantry, and ate instant mashed potatoes, and tried to make pancakes from mix this morning. I really need a good nonstick pan.
I've got a couple of TV episodes to watch, and the stories following the press conference to follow, then nothing until the Clijsters match at 2:00 A.M. I do still have a few days of Netflix left. I've done really well at staying away from all the life-unaffirming chat at Justin TV. Life is better because of that. By the way, I just remembered Ninja Video the other day. I guess I blocked them from memory after a visit there killed my computer dead, and they later got busted. Now I mostly Google the name of a show and Sidereel. From there I can get to links of any episode. Some are sketchy, but I pick the vidxden ones and get amazing quality.
I need to fuel up some more to prepare for the next round of news stories. I'm so grateful to be out of the loop on what other "fans" of the sport - it really is short for "fanatics" are saying about the story. People have apparently been trying to leave nasty comments at the American fan site, even though in reality they were abusing the lady who runs it and moderates comments, not anyone else.
7:51 a.m. - Friday, Jan. 28, 2011
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