Semi-random thoughts

● As you may have surmised, I was pre-occupied with the Olympics for a couple weeks. (I'll put together a post with my thoughts on the Games sometime soon.) This week it's the Democratic National Convention and the U.S. Tennis Open that are taking up my time--not to mention the pile of mail that accumulated while I was watching the Olympics. I will try to resume my posting frequency, however.

● Since I finally shook off the cold that was plaguing me for a couple weeks, I've resumed exercising every day. Yay me!

● I don't remember ever needing to repair any of my refrigerators in my entire life even once. But now it's twice for the current one. It's making a strange, groaning noise (which, strangely, stops when I open the freezer drawer). I will grant that this is the first one that has an ice-maker/cold water dispenser (which is what failed the first time), but it sure seems that they don't make them the same way they used to. (UPDATE: Unsurprisingly, it was the ice maker motor. We were advised that as long as it's continuing to make ice it isn't worth replacing. Also, turning up the thermostat (i.e. letting the freezer get a little warmer) might make the noise disappear.)

● I think it's a little sad that some of Hillary Clinton's supporters can't get over the fact that she lost (a couple of my Facebook friends continue to post anti-unity things). What I've noticed is that some of the most vehement Hillary die-hards are gay men. They seem to have invested so much of their own identity in her campaign. It’s as if they feel that having a woman president is as close to having a gay man elected as they’ll ever get.

● On Saturday the University of Wisconsin Badgers start the football season with a game against the Akron Zips. The Zips???!! Who in their right mind names an athletic team the Zips? (I sure hope they're no relation to Appalachian State.)