Am I unAmerican if I don't watch the Olympics?

It seems like everyone has Olympic fever. Except me. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe, if I actually sat down and watched it, I'd like it. I just don't have the interest. Especially for winter sports.

I've never been the type to voluntarily go out in the snow for any longer than it takes to get from the house to the car. I don't think I enjoyed snow much as a kid either. Oh, I remember making the requisite snow angels. I don't, however, remember enjoying it. My first memory of actively hating the snow and cold was the first (and last) time I rode on a snowmobile. I was 14. Why anyone would think that racing through the cold with the wind whipping you in the face and bringing freezing tears to your eyes is fun is beyond my comprehension. Talk about wind chill factor!

I did try skiing when I was in high school. My favorite part was sitting by the fire with hot chocolate. I am sedentary by nature. I liked the idea of skiing and even ice skating but the reality fell flat for me. I actually break out in hives if exposed to wet cold for more than a minute or two. Yup. I'm allergic to snow.

Winter has been heavenly since I moved from the Great Frozen North (aka Syracuse, NY) to central Virginia. A snowstorm meant an inch or two that was gone by the next day. Until this winter. Schools are closed again today. This is going on three weeks since our school district had classes. People talk about global warming and laugh hysterically. If this keeps up, cabin fever will become more of a health concern than swine flu.

Is it any wonder I'm confused by people who actually choose to spend hours and hours in the cold and snow and call it sport? Am I a bad person for wishing the Olympics would be over sooner rather than later so I can get back to watching my shows? Everything is either preempted or in reruns. If I do decide to give the Olympics a break, what should I be watching? What's the most interesting to you, the most compelling? What wouldn't make me break out in hives?

These earrings are my homage to the Olympics.