Was I the only one who thought the ceremony would last for days, not hours? Yes, some of the spectacle was eye-popping as advertised, and the tribute to the fallen Georgian luger was genuinely moving. But the actual opening – the part where each country enters the stadium in alphabetical order – was borderline torturous and reminded me of the Miss America pageant. Listening to Matt Lauer and Bob Costas compare small foreign lands to various U.S. states (“Andorra is one-sixth the size of Rhode Island,” etc.) became tedious, and by the time China came on the scene, I said to my husband, “They’re only at ‘C?'” But what really burned me was the way NBC delayed the ceremony. It was supposed to air at 7:30 but didn’t start until 9. Talk about a tease.

Here’s John Stewart’s take on the proceedings in case anyone missed it.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Opening Ceremony
www.thedailyshow.com
http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:107812
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I know. I know. He was talking about the Salt Lake City Olympics. Is there baseball yet? Please?