I’ve lived in an apartment much like the hotels in Sochi.

In one apartment in which I dwelled, black mold covered the wall and baseboards. In another, the walls were so thin, I could hear the neighbor filing her nails.

I didn’t have yellow water that was dangerous to apply to exposed skin and stray dogs didn’t wander in and out of my bedroom. Still, they weren’t the most luxurious accommodations.

The difference between my living arrangements and the hotels in Sochi is I got what I paid for.

That’s not the case for the journalists who traveled to Russia to cover the Olympics.

These winter games have been a disaster for Russia, which already had a shaky public relations record.

When #SochiProblems is trending on Twitter, you know there’s a problem.

Beyond the hotel drama, which continues by the way, the games themselves have lacked personality.

When the most exciting thing to happen so far is the pants the Norwegian Curling Team wore, the Olympics are lacking a certain style.

It may pick up as the games move into the second week. There was already a shocker when Shaun White didn’t medal in the halfpipe.

Bottom line, though, was White didn’t deserve to medal. His runs were disastrous.

He isn’t the only American to have a tough winter games.

Bode Miller? Beyond disastrous.

Shani Davis? Third time wasn’t a charm for him, either.

And then there is the U.S. women’s curling team, which lost by mercy rule to the Brits.

I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a mercy rule in curling.

It hasn’t been all bad for the Americans.

Apparently, the United States can churn out gold medalists in women’s snowboarding like the Russians can churn out figure skaters. And despite a tough loss by the U.S. women’s hockey team to Canada, the Americans still have a chance at a gold.

There have been other somewhat compelling stories from these Olympics:

A tie.

Tina Maze from Slovania and Switzerland’s Dominique Gisin tied in women’s downhill skiing.

A tie? In skiing? Really?

Yes. Right down to the hundredths of a second.

Who knew?

Arielle Gold.

This was a slam dunk. A girl named Gold in the Olympics. She just had to win, right.

Well, not so fast. Gold injured her arm in a halfpipe training run.

No “Gold for Gold” headlines this year.

Bob Costas and his eye.

Costas had to miss a prime time broadcast because his eye was so red and inflamed from an infection.

A Russian plot to weaken American resolve during these Olympics? Nah. That’s what the dangerous yellow water is for.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.