Tuesday, May 22, 2012

31 Ways to Waste Time - Day 22

Today's way to waste time involves the Olympics, and boy are there plenty of ways to avoid work using this one. There are so many that I'm going to use my most favorite article-writing tool...bullet points!
  • Meet the Mascots
    Every Olympic games has a mascot, and London gives us double the fun with a pair of them for 2012. Meet Wenlock and Mandeville. (After Canada used Bigfoot as a mascot in 2010, these paled a little in comparison. But honestly who can compete with big foot? Except maybe the honey badger.) When I first saw them, my comment was NSFW but then I found this explanation and it all made total sense. Why not spend half a day a few moments playing mascot games with them!


    But honestly, don't they look a little like...something else? I thought so at first, but even more so when making my own Wenlock creature.


  • Learn about the less popular sports, like archery.
    NBC's Olympic archery website has a lot of useful information. With the popularity Katniss from the Hunger Games giving the sport a much-needed boost, there's hope that it will receive more airtime than 10 minutes of recap at 2am in my time zone. My husband has practiced archery for more than two decades and I know he and both our sons, who also shoot traditional-style bow and arrows, are pretty excited about this. The World Archery website has even more information, videos, etc.

  • Check out the latest about TEAM USA!
    TEAM USA is where you'll find news about Americans who qualified for a trip to London to represent their home in the games, follow an ongoing Twitter conversation, and even buy your TEAM USA apparel. Sadly while they do offer plenty of accessories there's not a pair of shoes to be found.

And there you have it. If you manage to read this and not waste any time today, it's not because I haven't tried to help you. In all seriousness, I have loved the Olympics since I was a kid and tear up at watching the representatives step onto the field to the tune of our national anthem every single time. And I'll cry if one of them gets a medal. What are your favorite things about the Olympics?

31 Ways to Waste Time - Day 21

EDIT - Changed the title to Day 21, instead of Day 31. No, I wasn't tired!

Today's way to waste time is at National Gallery of Art's Kid Zone. You can play with a variety of paintings, adding, removing, and customizing features to create your own masterpieces. I used the "Faces and Places" feature to create this priceless gem. Feel free to share your own creations in the comments below!