Back in November at Skate America in Lake Placid, I said: The returning Shen and Zhao were clearly the best, showing they still have what it takes to win.

I also said: I think Lysacek has a good chance to reach the medals at the Olympics next year.

Can I call ’em, or what? Okay, so lots of other people were saying those things, too, but Ellen and I have enjoyed every moment of the Olympic figure skating shown so far, and feel happy and gratified that these athletes made it through to win gold. We’ve been following all three for many years, and are particularly happy for Evan. We watched him struggle against Johnny Weir for years, then beat him, but at the last Olympics he was too ill to perform well, and this year he proved he has what it takes to be a champion. We always thought he did.

The rest of the Olympic sports have been fun to watch, too. My news blackout plan worked fine all week except for one slip this afternoon when I had to visit the U.S. Olympics website for some info, and got a litte more than I wanted. It seems like there are more crashes than usual this year, though, which makes watching some sports like downhill skiing and bobsled nerve-wracking. I guess the antidote for that would be curling, but it’s on during the day, and while I’ve put it on once or twice, I don’t have time to really watch.

In all it’s been great entertainment, and we’re looking forward to the final week.