Friday, April 9, 2010

Thought-provoking statements

I am hoping to get back to regular blogging asap (this coming week at the latest), particularly on my two equine-related blogs, so please bear with me. In the mean time...I must seek out and marry whoever wrote this: not only have they got a great sense of humour, but they are so brilliantly correct ;)


Even when opportunity knocks, you still have to get off your ass and open the door.

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to
immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when
you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap
when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm
pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you
how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a
moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything
productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue
Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and
it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper
that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never
wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello?
Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times
and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the
phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and
then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I
know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given
Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was
younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on
when I first saw it.

22. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in
each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.


24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between
boredom and hunger.

25. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you
just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word
they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of
cars team up to prevent an A-hole from cutting in at the front. Stay
strong, brothers and sisters!

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never
get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber
every year?

29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure
you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate
drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate
cyclists.

31. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times
and still not know what time it is.

32. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating
their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the
Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the
snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed,
first time, every time!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Whatcha say

Okay, this keeps nagging at me so I am going to finally blog about it. Video below.



Jason Derulo, Whatcha Say. Lyrics here.

I love the woman's lyrics, how the chick in the song is sarcastic "of course it is", "well of course you did". Booya!! I only wish she had slightly more self-respect in the movie, and did not open the door to him at the end. Why? Here's the problem. The guy in the song is your typical guy. Self-serving, wanting the cake and to eat it too. He did not stay true to her (though I do believe personally that cheating is the result of something wrong within the relationship, which may be a result of one party or both parties, rather than simply the cheater's fault) and does not realise all his mistakes until the end. Fine. I understand forgiveness. But like I said, your typical selfish bachelor-living guy who only looks after himself and does not realise what he has until it is gone. But then he goes on to say "but when I become a star we'll be living so large, I'll do anything for you". That's the problem. See, guys I know it's natural for you to want to play the role of the 'provider'. You think it's enough to just bring home the dollars and work your ass off, but, and I realise this sounds bitchy, it's not. You have to invest in the relationship as well, because eventually we get tired of it being one-sided and of carrying all the weight. Don't tell us that you'll do anything for us "because we'll be living so large". We (well, any down-to-earth woman, I am leaving out the shallow twits here) don't want your money. We don't need to live large. We just want you, and we want you to play a part in the relationship.

*sigh* rant over. Sorry, I realise this is just a song, but it really showcases how it really happens. Guys honestly somehow really think this, that it's ok because they'll treat us well and make up for their mistakes in living large. Trust me, I've heard it before and it's annoying to get through to guys - so listen up guys!!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Olympics: Days 9/10/11 & final conclusion

Our Day 9 of attending the Olympics encompassed watching some fabulous Speed Skating with Matt's parents. We enjoyed observing quite a few oval records as well as a new Olympic record!! All our Canadian skaters did exceptionally well; it was quite fun to watch! Meanwhile, we also watched the Russia/Canada game, which we won (7-3 for Canada) - wohoo!!!

Day 10 (Day 14 of the Olympics though) Matt and I attended the Freestyle Skiing Men's Aerials Final at Cypress Mountain. It was a little chilly but well worth it. Vanoc once again stepped up to the plate, moving 9,000 people from SFU to the mountain within an hour; they were fantastically organised. We stood for well over an hour to keep our spot with a decent view, haha, meanwhile freezing our feet off (we sort of under-estimated how cold the mountain would be, ashamed to admit as Canadians, lol). After the first round, the Canadians were doing fantastic, with Kyle Nissen I believe it was, sitting at the top. Unfortunately though we were beat out of any medals at the final round!! It was a bit of a let-down, however it was still an enjoyable and worthwhile event to attend (and our first where Canada did not do something exceptional or go on to do something exceptional!).

Friday we were up early to pack up and head out!! I already miss the old house we stayed in, everything else now just seems so lacking in history, character, and stories ;) We headed out to Lone Butte, BC, where we checked out a horse we were interested in (and ended up purchasing) and were treated to the hospitality of some of my family's friends for the night. The following day, after a last visit with our new filly, we headed back to the Olympics, this time to stay in Hope, BC, so that Matt could attend the Gold Medal Men's Hockey game with his dad.

Today Matt was up early and was out with his dad for the game (our Day 11 of the Olympics); I definitely took advantage of more sleep, hehe, before heading out to the nearest bar with his mom to watch the game on tv. And what a game it was!! I have to admit to a sigh of relief escaping with the first goal, and another with the second goal. The Americans soon tied it up though, which only made for a more intense game which included my perching nervously in my seat and even knocking over a glass of water (re-hydrating, don't worry, as a true Canadian I was drinking, hahahaha). We had to win, after all we'd endured from the Americans. Sorry US friends, but some of your fellow comrades were downright disrespectful and cocky up here!! They needed a good boot in the butt for some of their behaviour. Like, using our flag as a doormat in the changerooms (US women's hockey team), apparently. And claiming our winning a Gold and Silver (cannot recall which event though?) over the US was all part of a 'conspiracy'. I'm sorry, but that's just downright un-sportsman-like. Pull up your socks, suck it up, and be a fricken sport. Hockey is OUR sport and we deserved that win today - kudos to Crosby for that game-winning goal in overtime!! I am so proud to be a Canadian, we rock!!

Tomorrow we are headed back home to more mundane tasks such as sleeping, taking three horses to the vet for dentals, checking in on one of my fully leased-out horse and letting someone try out another to potentially be leased, riding my Thoroughbred, checking out properties for sale, and packing for work (3 weeks of it, look out!). It'll be nice for a break, and watching a few events on tv (and the game today) was a nice, slow, let-down from the Olympics high from attending the events we did (we attended 11 Olympics events/venues of 17 days of Olympics)...plus, we're finishing the Olympics on a bright note - DOMINATION!!! Muahahahahaha....*silence*.... ;P

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Day 8

As plans usually prove, yesterday's did not go as planned and we did not make it to the Aquarium - but it is on my list of things to do next time I am out here for sure!! I definitely recall loving it as a kid and am anxious to see it as it is now.

Prior to hitting the hockey game, we toured about Granville St and Gastown, including a stop at Lululemon for some hockey hats (only the coolest hats ever to wear to the hockey game! Muahahahaha!!), a couple of stops for souvenirs for family, and a stop for crepes (oh my!). Everything was much less packed than is usual, due to the drizzly weather. By the time we were finished our shopping, we were pretty happy to be headed to our venue and a break from the rain, which had increased and now included some fairly strong winds. I was a little chilly underneath my raincoat (I had just a Canada t-shirt on beneath), but was pretty ecstatic to find that I was completely dry under my coat!! The water just beaded off as if I were a (very cool, I might add) duck - it was so cool to shake off the beads later (hehehe, yea, I know, simple minds, simple things, yada yada yada). Matt's coat was alright but the extra $$ paid for my coat seemed to have paid off, as his was a little less resistant to the water. I was so glad that putting the money into a really good raincoat paid off, because usually you find things tend to be the other way around (lol).

Today was our 8th day attending an Olympic event/venue, 12th day of the Olympics (did you see that Gold yesterday by our Figure Skating Ice Dance, Virtue and Moir?? WOW!!! First time in North America for such a Gold!!!): today's special was attending the GER/CAN game!! Wow, our boys played fabulous today! We used Luongo in net today, which proved amazing - he did an absolutely fantastic job of goalkeeping. Canada produced 39 shots on goal today, in comparison to Germany's 23, and Luongo made 21 saves (for a 91.3 saves percentage) to the Germans' 31. First goal was scored by us at 10:13 in the first period by Thornton, second goal was scored at second period by Weber at 2:32 into the period! Weber's shot actually broke both the net and the glass behind the net; we had to wait not only for repairs but also for a decision - they did not notice the goal right away. Third goal was scored by Iginla just a little over a minute later, then again 8:50 into the period. Finally the Germans fought back with a goal at the end of the second period, but Crosby added another goal to our roster just over a minute into the third period. Richards topped it off at 6:41, as did Niedermayer at 11:22 and Nash at 16:28. Finally, just before we finished the third, the Germans fought one more goal into the net, just over a minute prior to the horn. Some of those goals were absolutely amazing to see!! Crosby's was so neat and tidy - he just sort of tipped the puck into the net as it was about to slide past between him and the net (while Greiss was on the other side of the net, blocking) . It was so seemingly effortless and fluid :) The game finished at 8-2 and plenty of singing and chanting on the trains (I don't think I've ever sang the Canadian anthem so much!!).

Tomorrow Canada plays Russia, so hopefully we can keep up the good goalkeeping and aggressive plays (Staal beautifully wallpapered a German player today - it was AWESOME!!) for a win. Fingers crossed!!!! We'll be watching on the iphone, as we are attending, in person, Speed Skating tomorrow: 1,000m women's qualifying; 500m men's qualifying; and Ladies 3,000 medal relay...I think Canada has some medal possibilities in the relay, which would be great! We have been pretty lucky so far to have attended some great events where we either watched Canadians make medals (Golds included) or where they've played/competed great to go on to win a medal :)

Monday, February 22, 2010

Day 7

Well the walk through East Hastings was fine and actually proved another great evening of exercise :) I definitely greatly enjoyed the figure-skating pairs at the Pacific Coliseum tonight - the 3 hours of competition passed rather quickly!! Each pair did a different dance within the theme of folk/country. There was spanish salsa, hawaiian dance, country (as in, country music), opera/folk, everything. My favourites were probably one of the French pairs (though I cannot recall at the moment, sitting in the dark so late at night, haha, who they were and what they danced to - they might have been a cowboy/girl pair??), the Great Britain pair who danced to an Irish folk song (the song was beautiful and their dancing fantabulous!), and then of course the Canadians, who scored highest and stole first in the event!! They were amazing - they flowed beautifully and truly appeared to dance as 'one'. I loved too the various pairs (US and French I believe) who danced to country songs, dressed as cowboy/girl pairs - they were quite fun to watch. There were some very young dancers there and quite a few brother/sister pairs, which was also pretty neat. I also enjoyed watching the jewish dance put on by the Isrealites - it was neat to see that country represented. Apparently we saw some of the best dancing in history, and we were obviously thrilled to see Canada hit the top spot!

Unfortunately Canada lost to the US tonight (we kept a close eye during intervals, at the score). Had they won, I would have kicked myself a little (though I really enjoyed the figure skating, so the kick would not have been overly hard), but since they lost, I was not too upset I missed the game. Not having to see the game and live every moment lessens the acuteness of the pain of the loss. A little. Canada put a lot of shots on goal though at least, which is an improvement over the Swiss game. I hope they played as aggressively as their stats belied (I don't know, not having seen the game myself), though I would love to see Luongo in net for our next game in lieu of Brodeur. We cannot afford to lose any more games and really have to (continue to?) step it up a notch, which includes fewer goals per shots on goal!! Good news is that I hear no team has ever won Gold being undefeated in the leading games so I guess statistically we still have a good chance (though, being Canada, of course we still have a good chance, hehe). I guess the Americans deserved a rain to their drought against Canada and at least now we'll have more games to pull us together tighter (hopefully). Lucky us, we actually have tickets to the Canada versus Germany game, so that should be a blast!! I am hoping too that we really kick Russia's ass...that'll be the next one to worry about, I hear. GO CANADA GO!!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Day 6

The day started out, a beautiful sunny day, with some wandering down GasTown, which was pretty neat!! It's been a lot of years since I was down there and to be honest, I do not really remember it at all. So it was neat to see all the different shops. Downtown was packed and Granville especially was shoulder-to-shoulder. We stood maybe 10 minutes behind the CTV tent to get on the news (in the background, behind the reporters speaking live) before moving on down to a Cream Puff shop (yum!) and then on down to GasTown before hitting up the Men's Curling.

I have to admit to never having seen curling in person before, and to never having really taken a vested interest in it, even on tv, before yesterday - but yesterday it was pretty easy to get into the Canada versus Great Britain game!! Pretty soon I was not only evaluating strategies, but I was successfully figuring out what the next move needed to be (or the options for the next move) and cheering our Canadian team on. It was a really close game, with GB even making a steal on one of our ends!! The Canadians had to throw away the 9th end to keep the hammer, but then scored 2 points in the 10th end for a one-point win over GB!!! It was pretty crazy in there! Another highlight of the game was seeing Gretzky (I felt bad, poor guy probably gets absolutely no quiet time!! haha), who was stationed in the same corner as us, just one section over (just on the other side of the stairs from us). We actually had fabulous seats, just three rows up from the ice on the CAN/GB side, directly across from the 'Vancouver 2010' line written on the ice and at the home/scoreboard end of the ice. Lucky us!! We quite enjoyed it :)

Apparently, rumour has it, that Vancouver originally considered gathering up all the homeless and bussing them out to the outer edges of Vancouver, to keep them away during the Olympics!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding??!! Just the thought makes me livid at whatever low-down politician thought of such a 'brilliant' idea. How low can one possibly stoop!?!

On a related note, we were walking downtown one day and I noticed Olympics-paid individuals (recognisable by their badges and blue jackets) picking bottles out of the garbage. Now, were they doing this because they are so concerned about recycling and would like to collect the $$ from any bottles thrown away? Or are they doing this to keep the homeless from picking bottles out of the garbages and thus keeping the homeless out of the downtown area due to the lack of bottles (thanks to VANOC)??!! I suspect the latter. I understand Vanoc's position to an extent, but the thought of some of the things they are doing and thinking are rather disgusting.

Though we ourselves have not seen any protesters, we of course have heard of them (as wall as the anarchists who were smashing business windows - not to be confused with the protesters themselves, extremist or not). The stories about the homeless and the huge sums of money being expended for this event have really got me thinking too that, as fabulous as the Olympics are, these protesters have got at least somewhat of a point. On one hand, the Olympics being here will bring a lot of (both short and long-term) business and tourism to a city that could use it and to a country heavily laden in debt and in a recession. So the Olympics being here could bringa lot of good. However the Olympics are also taking away from (at least short-term) this very city and its people (including some programs and areas of the budget that really required the funds the Olympics stole from). In addition, I heavily suspect that the $$ being generated through Vanoc is not being used as wise as it should be, that much of the money is lining someone's pockets and that the committee is not as transparent as it should be. I mean, everywhere you look, Vanoc is generating funds. Everywhere and through everything. You cannot even take 'the wrong photo' and post it on your blog (such as displaying the Olympic rings) without a copyright infringement. Vanoc is very tight and iron-clad in keeping and generating every last possible cent. Perhaps more of the money could be used to help - directly - boost this city and country, and to help provide programs for those who most need it (such as the homeless)? What about the athletes, how much of this money is going to help them?? Anyways, I'm just saying - maybe these protesters have some sort of point, and Vanoc does seem rather elusive and suspiciously quiet and sneaky about it all (at least at times). Keep in mind, I am saying this knowing too though that Vanoc does have its 'pros' and that it has helped some athletes and has done a lot of good. Just sayin'.

On a much happier note, the German house greatly under-estimated Canadian beer-drinking capabilities (hehehehe). I love that they had to fly in an extra 300 kegs of beer, only to find even that was not enough!!! Turns out, us Canadians can really drink our socks off!! Apparently we have already drank more beer than was consumed in both Torino and Salt Lake City combined (and that's just at the German house!!!). Pretty crazy, eh!! :P Sounds like we're giving those Germans a run for their (drinking) money!! Gotta love it ;)

Day 7 (today) will be spent walking through East Hastings and out to the Pacific Coliseum to watch some Figure Skating (pairs)! Unfortunately though it will mean missing the CAN/US game :S however I think it will still make for a good time. I am pretty worried about the CAN/US game (after that near loss to the Swiss) so am actually (secretly) a little relieved to not have to undergo the stress of actually watching it (I know, pathetic, hahaha). On the other hand though, a huge part of me really does not want to miss the game (and especially not if we win!) - I want to live every moment!! :P I'll be definitely keeping tabs on the game though (hellooo, mobile internet! yay! haha) and crossing my fingers for Canada. GO CANADA GO!!!

Tomorrow will be a nice lax-ish day spent touring the Aquarium at Stanley Park :)

Friday, February 19, 2010

Day 5

Today we took our time and left rather late in the day but early in the evening, for the Victory
Ceremonies. First up was the celebration of the NorthWest Territories, which was very interesting - btw I've re-newed my pact to take the horses up there within the next year or two, for a week or two of trekking :) Then we oh-so-joyously (oh, sense the sarcasm) celebrated the US's 4 medals (well, I admit I was happy to see the individuals themselves win their medals, US or not, hehe, and really I'm only sarcastic about the US itself accumulating medals because it seems their people here are getting quite cocky, haha - but who blames 'em, eh), as well as Norway's, Australia, Sweden, and Poland. Lastly, we had...THEORY OF A DEADMAN!!! YES!!!! Lol. It's been several years since I last saw them and since they're the first concert I ever saw, they hold a special place in my heart ;P They were awesome, and I forgot how hott the lead singer is!! LOL :P

Tomorrow (Day 6 of our Olympic involvement) up: Men's Curling Round Robin CAN versus GBRIT :)

Oh, and we're (CAN) up another medal (a GOLD!) today, thanks to Men's Skeleton (Montgomery, 7 one hundredths of a second - did you see him chugging that pitcher afterwards - atta boy!! Haha!)!!! The streets here were loud and wild with the win, haha.

We have been walking a good 5km (min) each day (some days several more, some days a km or two less) so by the end of this I had better be missing some winter chub!! LOL ;P

Day 4

So yesterday turned out to be a pretty long day, hence my lack in posts (not that anyone is reading though, hehe - this is more for my own record than anything, at the very least, as well as to hopefully update any reading family).

The day started out rather early-ish (well, for me, I'm a night person, not a morning person, haha) with the Women's 1,000m Speed Skating. We watched some incredible athletes, including a 15yo from Russia and a German setting an incredible pace (but dying out juuust at the backstretch, so coming up short of a record). All four Canadians won their heats (including against the Netherlands, against Germany, against Japan, and against the US), for Gold, 4th, 21st, and 25th placings!! Finally, second last heat, we watched Christine Nesbitt steal the Gold from the Netherlands, by 2 one-hundredths of a second (time of 1:16.56)!!!!! It was incredible to watch!!!

Next, we power-walked it to the Ozone, where we were (thanks to the fast pace I set all the way there, hehe) by very short lines - no go on the Heineken house though, as it had a line of several hours (and Dutch get preference). We walked around a little before hitting it off for a nearby bar (we found a BP's) to watch the Switzerland/Canada game. We were pretty excited to score the first two goals, but the rest of the game was admitedly (in my mind) rather embarassing. Canada just did not seem aggressive enough - lots of 'almost' goals, but no actual goals, leading to a 2-2 tie between the two teams!! Come ON Canada!! Eventually we did win, but not until after 5 minutes of overtime and a shootout!! Crosby eventually scored the winning goal during the shootout, after his first attempt being blocked. Canada: better step up your game if you hope to beat the US this Sunday!!! And you have to beat the US (this is not a choice!), else we're all going to have to bury our heads in the sand, especially considering how cocky the Americans are getting out here, what with their eighteen medals!! I'm already nervous for the game, haha.

Lastly, we footed it back to the Ozone to watch Our Lady Peace on the (outdoor) main stage. By the time we were in the Ozone, honestly, my feet were dead tired. But we made it! The Arkells hit the main stage just prior to Our Lady Peace - I admitedly missed them due to a long mini-donut line-up (though I could see the stage and easily hear the music, I was only a couple hundred feet away, just not directly in 'my spot' in front of the stage)...but the mini donuts were well worth it (mmmm....), hehe. Our Lady Peace was absolutely fantastiLICIOUS!! LOVED 'em, and loved the energy of the crowd!!! The only 'adventures' provided us was a pair of older, VERY drunk women who pushed past us twice (I almost took them down when they drunkenly chose to stand in front of me - and I use the term 'stand' loosely - but fortunately they moved on just before my patience ran out, hehehehe), and a pair of gay guys (very clearly gay, we won't get into details, haha) who were very evidently high as kites - they eventually 'pushed' a large circle of 'open' around them via all their unpredictable bouncing, lol. I think a few guys were about ready to take them down too, but finally they moved on. My other source of entertainment was the Irish guy next to me for awhile who, I swear, was taking down EVERY girl's number in his vicinity - hahahahaha. It was all pretty hilarious, and all a FUN part of the outdoor concert experience ;P

Finally we were hoofing it home - attempting to beat the other thousands of spectators pouring out of the Ozone (and everywhere else??!) down to the Sky Train station resulted in dead feet, splitting shins, and the (again) overstretching of one of the ligaments in my right foot (my little problem child, lol - my fault though, as I have yet to find the time to properly re-hab it, which is admitedly dumb on my part). Of course this finally ultimately meant my being unable to walk, haha, which was interesting. Finally I hobbled it onto the first Sky Train (from Richmond to the Vancouver Waterfront). At Waterfront, here I was (very) painfully shuffling up the stairs when all of a sudden a huge roar broke out on the landing above me. Ever the seeker of excitment (and anticipating a huge fight or a riot - it was that loud on the platform of stores above us), I of course bolted up the rest of the stairs to see what was above. Where are the Police?!! Why aren't they rushing past me to the riot!! Was the first thought out of my mind as I scrambled up the stairs as quickly as I could. I was SO excited, hahahaha. Finally, I reach the top of the long stairs, to find....

Nothing. Well, throngs of people, but no riot, no fights. Know what it was? A group of Americans (a dozen or so), had started chanting U-S-A! U-S-A!! Of course then, their chant was met with a rebellious roar CAN-NA-DA!!! CAN-NA-DA!! You can imagine this continued throughout our train rides. Those same cocky Americans rode our particular train car and were met with much furious chanting and singing when they so much as began to utter a 'USA', haha. So proud of us Canadians, LOL - it was great and an incredible feeling. A great end to a great day!!

Of course my noteworthy bolt up the stairs and excited push for the trains resulted in my - literally - being unable to walk the last 1 1/2 km's home, but I managed, haha (our progress was frustratingly slow though, LOL). This morning, actually, I am surprised to have recovered rather well - I had to shuffle around a bit, but not overly bad or moreso than usual. Of course that is after about 12 hours of sleep though, heeheeheehee.

Sidenote: I LOVED how the Vancouver Police organised the Sky-Train throngs!! In Sydney, Australia, it was a huge fight to get onto the transit systems and Police were rampant immediately after the New Year fireworks. They just could not fully fight the shoving and pushing that persisted though - many people were arrested and if I recall correctly, some were trampled. The Vancouver Police, however, stopped people before they even got into the station - at the entrance!! People lined up along the streets and then were let forward in 'train-capacity' groups. No pushing, no shoving - completely calm, relaxed, safe, and quick! The trains came at short intervals and were able to accomodate (as much as possible) the people coming on. So kudos for Vanoc or to the Van Police (whoever ultimately organised it) for setting up a safe and efficient system!! Thanks too to the Salvation Army for providing us all hot chocolate as we stood waiting to be let into the train station :)

Tonight we're headed to the Victory Ceremonies, which include a tribute to the Northwest Territories and a concert by Theory of a Deadman! It's been a few years since I have seen them in concert, so I'm excited to (luckily) be able to see them again :)

Day 3

Our evening was spent gratiously being toured about by Matt's cousin, Bonita, and his uncle, Tom. Bonita showed us some of the sights of Vancouver (we saw the Zip Track line, Granville St, etc), exposed me to the wonders of Lush (uh oh! hehehe), and told us of some of Vancouver's hot spots. A dinner with her and her husband Mike as well as Tom, and we were all off to the Czech/Slovakia game.

What an AWESOME game between Czech/Slovakia!!! I am admitedly not wholly familiar with international hockey and am only faintly familiar with our own hockey (cringe) - I watch NHL when I can and try to keep at least somewhat abreast of standings and such, but I did not really have any vested interest in Czech versus Slovakia, so I just sat down to enjoy a good game of hockey (and did I ever!!). Seems everyone expected the Czech's to win (they had some fantastic players), which they eventually did at 3-1. Vokoun was in net for the Czech's. Czech's really bombarded the Slovakies over the first period, scoring one goal, but the Slovakies hit back the beginning of second period to score one goal. Afterwards though the Czech's stepped it up and continued to play hard the rest of the game. During the second period, the Czech's scored two goals within the last two minutes of the period - the second goal during the last TWO SECONDS of the period!!! I felt both teams really played hard and were quite aggressive; the Slovakies played a good game despite their loss. It was neat too to see the rivalry between the two teams, amongst the fans. Such a close game though made for some really exciting and tense moments!!!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Day 2 Olympics

Day 2 was actually spent in a nearby bar (Timbre), watching the Canada vs. Norway Men's Hockey game - we won 8-0!!! We originally had tickets to the Snowboard Cross however our tickets (general admission - standing room) were cancelled. It has rained so much and the weather has been so warm here that the snow platform we were intended to stand on, has washed away! So we were restricted instead to watching it on tv. Unfortunately for us then, we missed watching Maelle Ricker's Gold medal for Canada (Ladie's Snowboard Cross)!!!! CANADA'S SECOND GOLD!!!

While the bed has proven a little rough to sleep on, I have to admit to loving this place more and more each day. Each time we come through the front door I can envision the parlour doors (now converted rooms behind closed doors) open wide and victorian women gliding through the entranceway and into the rooms beyond. The old wood floors creak and groan with every weight shift, and are worn with the treads of many before us. I keep anticipating seeing a ghostly spectre (I know, I know, no laughing) at the end of a hall or on the stairs, but no such luck yet! Haha. LOVE it! It was cloudy with some rain the past day or two however today dawned completely bright and clear. Super sunny, very warm (10C?). Makes for gorgeous weather for us, however I feel for the athletes. Downhill skiing was playing earlier, during which several falls occured due to the icy conditions on the hill. Sucks!! I find it difficult to complain for them though (sorry!), since this warm weather is definitely nice for us! Apparently there was 7cm of snow in Calgary this morning, with more coming in a continuous curtain of white. So, NOT complaining!! It IS rather embarassing though that we have to truck and helicopter in snow. IN CANADA. Haha. Aaaah *sigh*.

Tonight (Day 3) will be spent touring about with Matt's cousin prior to watching (live, in person) the men's Hockey Czech vs. Slovakia game. Tomorrow's a long day (min 19 hour day!) as we drop off Matt's truck at the dealership (warranty work) then watch/attend some events!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Olympics bound!!

Those were the words written on or expressed through flags on a variety of vehicles on our trip from Airdrie, Alberta, to Vancouver, BC. Our trip included a one-night layover in Osoyoos, BC (near the US border) with Matt's parents and a second night layover in Kelowna, BC (Valentines Day). As I type, I am seated in an antique chair in a little nook of our small room, next to a small opened window. Snowboard cross plays over the tiny tv above our armoir. Our home for the next week and a a half, an old Victorian home, echoes of ghosts past and includes gold-framed paintings twice my size, as well as mirrors (everywhere!). Our room is a little wee bit smaller than we had anticipated (lol) and is one of 3 or 4 in the upper level of the house, almost in the attic. I almost expect to see some translucent apparition descending the squeeky wooden stairs; odours reminiscent of an old antiques shop flood your senses upon entering the wooden doors of the house. It's quaint and a little cramped, but I love it. It's also hot here - I doubt we'll be needing our thermals, even on the mountain, haha. Tonight we've got tickets to the Victory Ceremonies - we are watching Canada's gold being awarded. Our first ever gold on our own soil - a historic moment!! We're pretty chuffed :P

UPDATE: The Victory Ceremony was fantastic!! It was amazing to see the Gold awarded to Canada's Alexandre Bilodeau (Men's Moguls)!!!!! The Silver awarded to the Freestyle Skiiing Men's Moguls Dale Begg-Smith was Australian but had Canadian roots as well (Begg-Smith is Canadian, skiing for Oz), which was pretty neat! It was Quebec night, so afterwards Gregory Charles came on for a performance (fireworks inclusive!). It was fantastic to be present for such a historic event :)