Cam I Am

Well, here we are now near the tail-end of the Winter Olympics here in Vancouver. Depending on the source, some people (or media outlets) are saying that it’s not going well, while others think it’s great. I’m more inclined to agree with the latter opinion.

For months, VANOC was warning us of impending road closures and traffic/transit congestion. The truth is that my 75 minute commute from home to work (and back) has been reduced to 35-40 minutes through the duration of the Games. Yes, you read that correctly.. The Olympics are good for my commute. Who woulda thunk it?! Whether it was intentional, VANOC seemed to prepare us for the worst, but the situation turned out really well. I drove downtown the other day and parked on the street a block away from The Bay.

People are generally more friendly and patriotic! I’ve seen more Canadian flags in the last two weeks than you ever do for Canada Day. People are waving them in the streets and drivers honk as they go by. The Olympics seem to have really united this country…. even for a couple weeks.

I took my kids downtown last weekend to take part in the general celebrations.. It was amazing! Lots of people everywhere, but I didn’t notice very many people that seemed frustrated with the crowds. The lineup to get into the Olympic Superstore at The Bay downtown appears long, but only takes 15-20 minutes to wait for.

It’s been a challenge trying to find the popular Team Canada hoodies too. Even though they were in stores for four months prior to the Games, I never bought one.. By the time I decided that I wanted one, they were nowhere to be found. Eventually, I resorted to Craigslist to find one for my wife and I… paying double what they would have in the store just one month earlier.

Now everything isn’t all sunshine and puppy dogs though. There have been issues with the Games too. Everyone has heard about the tragic death of Georgian luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, which has brought into question about the safety of the track. Even the IOC has stated that they never requested that VANOC build a track as fast as they did.

The lack of snow has been an issue. I’ve lived here for nearly 13 years and this is the mildest winter I can recall. Even my first visit to Vancouver in February of 1997 was warm, but not like this! Fortunately, Whistler and Cypress Mountains have managed to work around it and (to my knowledge) get the events rescheduled.. It is too bad that 28,000 tickets had to be refunded for Cypress because of unsafe conditions for spectators that weren’t in the stands.

I am glad to hear that the pavilions are going to be open for the Paralympics too. I think that we should make just as big a deal over them as the Olympics. I guess we’ll see how that all turns out in a couple more weeks. I bought tickets for Sledge Hockey too.. I could afford those tickets!

That’s about it for now. I’m hoping to make it downtown tomorrow to take in more of the amazing atmosphere down there.. If not, I will definitely be going there during the Paralympics.

I was picking up a few groceries at the Pitt Meadows Superstore when I walked by this.. I just had to take a picture of it..

Really? It may have come in contact with nuts? WTF?

This past weekend, my wife and I went down to Seattle to go see the Billy Joel & Elton John concert.  While some people may scratch their heads and wonder why I would want to do that, let me assure you, it was probably one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.

Once we arrived in Seattle, we checked into our hotel (The Grand Hyatt), and figured out where to go, with the wonderful help of the concierge, Paul.  He directed us to Chandler’s Crabhouse, covered the cost of our taxi ride there, and surprised us by ordering (and paying for) an appetizer.  We had a great meal.  I had steak and seafood (and it probably was one of the best steaks that I’ve ever had), and my wife had Alaskan Crab Legs..   Unfortunately, we were in a hurry to get to the concert, so after dinner, we called a cab and headed over to Key Arena.

As I said, the concert was incredible.  They sang all the songs that I remember growing up as a kid.  At first, it didn’t look like there was much of a set or lighting, but we quickly discovered that the pianos and other instruments were raised and lowered through the floor when they were needed..

The concert lasted 3 1/2 hours with no intermission! We were impressed with how long it was.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Cheesecake Factory for some coffee and dessert..

The next morning, we went shopping and headed back home.. When crossing the border, we discovered that you needed to spend at least 48 hours before you could have an allowance for duty-free items.. Whoops! We got pulled off to the side, had to show all our receipts, then pay the duties on part of our purchases..

All in all, it was a very good trip!

You and I go way back.  For years, you have been a good friend to me.. or so I thought.

I’m writing you this letter to let you know that our relationship can continue no longer.  Oh yes, I do love your cold, smooth Blizzards.  And we will always have the memories of countless banana splits.  Your chocolate sauce…  dipped cones..  the occasional Dilly Bar..   And how could I ever forget ice-cream cakes..   I’m drooling right now just thinking about it..

But I’m getting off track with this letter.  This isn’t working for me.  While things at the time always seem good, when you aren’t around, my true feelings of regret come forward.  When things are going wrong or if I’m having a bad day, you are always there for me.  I get a temporary feeling of being content with you around.  But that always quickly fades..  In the end, I always end up feeling worse off for having you around.   So, we must end this destructive relationship we have before things get worse..

I’m sorry..  That’s just the way it has to be..

I took a picture of this street sign back in the summer..

This has to be the most unimaginative street name ever!