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Alison Skirtboston

Skirt! Boston editor

Skirt! is evidence that the universe is paying attention: I spent the last six years at mach speed, whether finishing college (Emerson) while writing full time for Boston Globe West (2001-2004) or editing the Boston Parents’ Paper during the day while holding down the steady gig writing for Globe ...

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Love the Olympics

Alison

Who else just can’t get enough of the late-night Olympics? From the coverage this week, you’d think we were all getting prepared for the sea level rising by sprouting fins and breathing through gills. Can they swim the marathon next time?

Still, I must say, BRAVO DARA TORRES!! She’s the (local) over-40 swimmer who is taking home two silver medals after keeping up with the 20-somethings in amazing fashion.

Here’s what Scott Ostler said about her on sfgate.com:

“Natalie Coughlin is 25 years old, an elder stateswoman of swimming.

Dara Torres wears goggles that are older than Coughlin.

Torres is 41. In swimming, that's not old, that's Pleistocene.”

Ouch, but that’s true. We’re all expected to  hang up our goggles sometime after college – definitely before our toddlers are blowing bubbles in the pool –  but there’s Torres competing in her FIFTH Olympics. Truly amazing.

And, thanks to Torres, we hear something other than “Michael Phelps” once in a while.

But there was a good joke about him on National Public Radio’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” show this weekend. The panel was discussing Phelps’ 12,000-calorie-a-day diet and the best punchline was “America doesn’t have an obesity crisis, we have a swimming shortage.”