Deep Purple

Sometimes you can pick a color or a shade that describes a feeling or a stage in your life.  Sometimes it is based on a mood, sometimes it describes the weather, or an activity.  Last night, it came in the sound of a band.  Deep Purple, otherwise known as the band who played "Smoke on the Water", performed at the Nordic World Championships opening ceremonies, and let me tell you, here in Czech, they are still HUGE!  People stormed the towards the stage, pumping fists and listening to the sounds that brought them back to their glory days, the 70's.  It's always fun to see what music does for people.  Like colors, it can bring them back to a time or place that they had forgotten about, a song that reminded them of a time in their lives when things were different, or a person who made them smile, a trip they went on.  Deep Purple did that for many last night.  

Today is the first day of racing at the World Championships.  The women are kicking it off with a 10K classic and tomorrow the men will race a 15K, also classic.  On the women's side we are racing 4: Morgan Arritola, Kikkan Randall, Laura Valaas and Morgan Smyth (who won the qualification race yesterday!).  I am not racing today, but will be in the 15K pursuit on Saturday.  The venue has been windy and snowy every day we have been there, making for drifting, slow snow on parts of the course.  I am about to go out and watch the race, so I will update later with pictures and results, etc.