Sochi-see

So cheesy.  That is this picture of me and Vladimir Putin in front of the Red Square in Moscow.  Ok, it is a fake Vladimir.  But it is a real me.  It was a toss-up between Vlad and Stalin.  I chose Vlad since he is like a Russian Jack Bauer (former KGB and all).

I love the Olympics.  And so I thought why not write a little bit about my favorite parts of the Winter Olympics and this year’s Sochi games.  Here’s my favorites (so far):

Slopeside Snowboarding – this is a NEW event this year for the Olympics.  X Games has made it to prime time. When I come back in my next life I no longer want to be a Golden Retriever.  I want to be like this guy in this picture.  And my board will have Awesome on the bottom too!

Next life.

Jamaican Bobsled Team – Who doesn’t love the Jamaican Bobsled team?  I have a friend who has a half USA half Jamaica flag as her profile picture.  I’d like to be 1/2 from Jamaica too.  It is just a happy-go-lucky country and they win the gold for looking like they are having the most fun.

Ya Mon

Scott Hamilton – this guy cracks me up almost as much as Will Ferrell.  He LOVES his figure skating sport and his passion comes through in his announcing.  But I can’t get the SNL and Blades of Glory skits out of my head (he was in BOG).  So…I used to not watch figure skating but because of Scott I’m now a fan.  He makes me laugh.  I love it.  (And by the way – he’s a great humanitarian.  He has gone through a lot with cancer and continues to be one of the top supporters for various causes including the Paralympics and the Make a Wish Foundation where  he was named the first ever Celebrity Wish Granter of the Year.)

Kudos

Toilets – My extended family (mother-in-law, brother-in-laws) run plumbing businesses up in Wisconsin.  And so, I do get a kick out of any toilet related humor.  I feel bad for the folks of Sochi but unfortunately this toilet humor and their Olympics will forever be linked in my mind.  The truth is they’ve had many issues which became public via the Twitterverse.  I posted one image on FB of a hotel that tells you to not flush toilet paper (nasty) so I won’t repeat that.  But here are several others that were very good in my opinion.

Innovative conference room idea.

Just in case you thought about fishing in the toilet…don’t do it!

People are very creative.

Skin Cancer Prevention Tips:  Many of you have been bombarded by my personal “campaign” to raise funds in support of the Melanoma Foundation of New England (http://www.crowdrise.com/mfneboston2014/fundraiser/paulgourley).  Hopefully there has not been duplication of “ads” but I do want to get the word out not only about my participation in this year’s Boston Marathon on Team Running for Cover but also about the things you can do to help prevent Melanoma.  Here’s a few new tips and a link at the bottom if you’d like to help support my efforts.  Thank you.

1. Being a white male over the age of fifty
   Although people of any race and age can get melanoma, people in this demographic are at particularly high risk for getting and dying of melanoma.  In this group, melanomas are most common on the back.  However, pay particular attention to moles on the scalp, since melanomas on the scalp have a higher mortality rate than elsewhere, because they are usually diagnosed when they are thicker and deeper.
2. Having other family members who have had a melanoma
   Melanomas often run in families.  The more family members you have with melanoma, the higher your risk.  Some of the genes that occur in people with familial melanoma have been identified and can be tested for, but many patients who have family members with melanoma have no gene problem that can be tested for.  Most melanomas are easy to stop if caught soon enough — all it takes is a yearly skin exam.  Go find a dermatologist and just do it.
3. Use sunscreen!

http://www.crowdrise.com/mfneboston2014/fundraiser/paulgourley

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