1 month to go, are you kidding me? I have so much to do.
Organise the home office so hubby can sleep on the futon in there.
Clean our room so my parents can stay in there for a month
Finish the craft room so Morag can sleep on the futon in there
Decide what the hell I need to take to Whistler for 5 weeks and what I can live with out
Work (don't even get me started on what I need to do at work)
Friends ask am I excited? I am excited to see my parents. I am excited to see Morag. Right now the rest is just stressful. Ask me again in about 3 weeks.
On to some more interesting news.
To celebrate 1 Month to Go, why don't you try out some Olympic Winter Sports. You could even win some prizes - A Panasonic LCD TV, an ACER laptop or a Panasonic camera. Details are here.
And finally a pin winner. All you had to do was post a comment here about the pins you collect to win a Coca-Cola Pin Trading Centre Opening Day Pin. Apparently they are now sold out. And a random winner was selected. # 11 which is Chrisina Wallaert. Christina send me your address and I will send the pin to you.
The information below is all borrowed directly from the blood services website. I'm not allowed to donate blood, because I spent 3 months or more in the UK between January 1st 1980 and December 31st 1996 (I lived in London from December 1991 to March 1994). But if they would have my blood I would donate it. Do you donate?
B.C. will be celebrating the biggest party in its history in 2010 and Canadian Blood Services wants you to join in on the fun – at a blood donor clinic!
From Feb. 1 to Mar. 31, a limited edition “Vancouver 2010” gold commemorative pin will be offered to all donors attending a blood donor clinic in B.C. as a way of saying thanks for saving lives and being a true hero this winter
“When you think of the Olympics, donating blood isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind,” says Britt Andersen, Regional Donor Services Manager for the B.C. & Yukon Region. “And yet it’s so important for people not to forget about giving. Without blood donors, there can’t be blood recipients.”
In fact, we expect our blood collections in the Lower Mainland to decrease by about 15 per cent – or 650 units of blood – during the Games, based on the experience of blood centres located in former Olympic host cities.
“For such a big event, people tend to alter their routines, staying at home to avoid road closures and increased traffic,” says Andersen. “This mentality could greatly impact our clinics, and we want to encourage people from across the entire province to consider donating blood in February and March to help keep hospital patients healthy and safe.”
We need to collect 19,000 units of blood throughout the province in February and March. Please be a 2010 hero and donate blood at a B.C. blood donor clinic. Call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) today to book an appointment.
Canadian Blood Services’ “Vancouver 2010” commemorative pin will be available in the donor refreshment area at all B.C. clinics from Feb. 1 to Mar. 31 for anyone who attends a blood donor clinic.*
Did you know that Coca-Cola sponsored the first official pin trading centre at the Calgary '88 Olympics? Well,they did.
During the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Coca-Cola will have 3 official pin trading centres.
Vancouver International Airport:
Domestic Departures
February 8th to March 3rd
8:00am to 8:00pm
Skytrain - Airport Station
CTV Atrium:
750 Burrard Street (downtown Vancouver)
February 12th to February 28th
noon to midnight
Skytrain - Granville or Vancouver City Centre Station
The first pin trading centre opened today at The Olympic Superstore:
in The Bay Downtown
from today, January 2nd to March 31st
9:30 am to 9:00 pm
During the Olympic Games (February 12th to 28th) hours will be 9:30am to midnight.
See the map of the world at the back? You can add a pin to show where you are from. Tasmania, so far, is empty. I didn't have a spare pin with me or I would have pinned Tasmania.
They even had a special pin to commemorate opening day of the pin trading centre, and I have one to give away. Leave a comment before Sunday January 10th telling me if you collect pins, which pins do you collect? And if you don't collect pins, why not?
Are you a hockey fan? If you aren't then this is not going to make sense or be of any interest to you. If you are a hockey fan, then Thursday could be a very exciting day for you.
It's your chance to meet Alexander Ovechkin. I'm not a big hockey fan, I like going to a game or two, or watching a game at the pub but even I know Alexander Ovechkin is a big deal.
When? Thursday December 17th, 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Where? The Olympic Superstore at The Bay Downtown, Vancouver
Starting tomorrow (Tuesday) you can pre purchase items from the Signature series. You must purchase on of the signature series items in order to meet Ovechkin and have your item autographed.
Signature Series merchandise
2010 Signature Series hockey poster
2010 Signature Series puck Signature Series hockey stick Team Russia jersey Ovechkin Team Russia matted photo
image - VANOC
Oops, I forgot to draw the pin winners. I have a slew of pins to give away.
Kate won the first pin - the umbrella. I have been remiss in sending it out. Don't worry Kate you will get it before Christmas.
Next up was the seaplane for anyone who left a comment between Nov 22nd and 29th. There were 11 comments left, and random.org chose commenter #4 - Michelle who said, "Hello I asked the VANOC how long your ticket is valid on the olympic bus network for your event?? They told me it was good for only 2 hours after your event, and not valid for Victory Ceremonies late at night?? Have you heard anything different.thanks Michelle ( great blog)"
In honour of the mascots 2nd birthday I had 4 pins to give away for anyone who left a comment between Nov 22nd and Dec 6th:
The Bell ice skating pin goes to Andrea
The We're Next pin goes to Sarah
The mascot totem pins goes to Roro
The mascot visa pin goes to Jawnbc
And finally Jawnbc was the first person to post on the Paint the Town Red post and is therefore the winner of the red toque pin.
Send your contact details to tinkblue(at)gmail.com
And tomorrow they announce the performers for the Whistler Victory Ceremonies. Woohoo.
The pin design is the work of Glenn George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. It represents the sun rising between two mountain peaks. The sun gives life to Mother Earth. The mountains, commonly referred to as the Lions, represent protection.
Did you also know that a third of the royalties received by VANOC from the sale of Aboriginal licensed products will go towards this program also? Check out the Authentic Aboriginal Product at the online store.
This the 2nd pin (I think) that Molson Coors have made to support fundraising efforts for 2010. The first pin in a limited edition of 2010 and is available for a donation of $20.10. Actually you'll get two pins, one to keep and one to give away. Funds raised go the Canadian Olympic Federation to support athletes.
What? It's a chance for Canadians to show their team spirit and be part of the biggest celebration Canada has seen.
How can you paint the town red? How about wearing red? Flying a Canadian flag? Make red cupcakes? Drink red wine? Dye your hair red?
What are hubby and I doing? Well as it's December 1st and Christmas is only 24 sleeps away, so that makes it easy:
christmas gifts in red paper
red pajamas
red mittens
my new red bag
red and white decorations on the tree
red fairy lights (they'll go up later this week)
and who could forget the red nosed reindeer.
Today was the first day of our advent calendar. Behind pocket #1? Wrap a Christmas present. Which was harder than it should have been. I finished shopping about 3 weeks ago, and all our gifts have been wrapped and in front of the fireplace for about 2 weeks. But we did find a gift we'd forgotten about. It's now wrapped too.
And finally, in honour of Paint the Town Red, the first person to leave a comment describing how you paint the town red will win this red toque pin. Isn't it cute?
November 27th, 2007 the Vancouver 2010 mascots were revealed at the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey in front of an audience of 800 school children.
Miga, Quatchi and Sumi are designed by Meomi Design, a Vancouver- based company.
Miga is a sea bear who loves snowboarding.
Quatchi is a shy sasquatch who dreams of being a world famous (ice hockey) goalie.
Sumi is a guardian spirit who wears the hat of an orca, flies with the wings of the Thunderbird and runs on the legs of the black bear. Sumi is a big fan of all the Paralympic sports.
Joining the three mascots is their sidekick, Mukmuk. Mukmuk is a rare marmot unique to Vancouver Island. Mukmuk escaped from his cyber world only status on the 27th November 2008.
Today they are 2. Tomorrow they have a birthday party at The Bay in downtown Vancouver and you are invited to attend.
The Mascots will tour the Olympic Superstore for ½ hour at 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm each time.
Get your photos taken with the Mascots!! (printed photo by a minimum $2 donation I believe)
Cake cutting at 2pm! (Yum!! Cake!!)
Facepainting in the Mascots merchandise area
Kurt Browning (Olympic figure skater) and Gaetan Boucher (Olympic Gold Medal speed skater) will be signing autographs at 2pm
Goody bags for kids!!
To celebrate the mascots 2nd birthday, I have 4 pins to give away.
First up this Bell pin was given out in 2007 for the mascot launch in exchange for a coupon from the local newspaper. They are hard to come by and this one could be yours.
We're Next - A retail pin with a limited edition of 1000.
Mascot totem pin - this is not sold in stores. It's sometime given out at mascot appearances. (photo to follow)
Visa Mascot pin - a sponsor pin, that's not sold in stores.
Leave a comment on any post and get one entry, post a link to this post on your blog then leave a comment to let me know where and you get two entries, or twitter this post and leave a comment here and you'll get 2 entries. All comments must be left before 5:00pm PST on Sunday December 6th. 4 winners will be drawn that night.
Andrea also has a mascot pin to give away on her blog.
Check out the mascot page, there's games, wallpaper, videos and more.
The Molson Brewery is located at the foot of the Burrard Street bridge in Kitsilano, it's a high traffic location. One side of the building has been set aside for the mural. It's been unveiled slowly and will eventually cover 4000 square feet.
image Molson Blog
The mural is made up of thousands of individual photos of people from all across Canada. The photos will form an Olympic image and an inspirational message. The final mural will be revealed right before the Olympic begin and will remain throughout the games.
image Molson Blog
There are still some spots left. You can submit a photo of your smiley face here. And for every face on the mural Molson will donate $1.00 to the athletes. Go on do it. After all how often do you get a change to have your mug on the side of a building.
Do you buy Molson Canadian 24 packs? Don't forget to enter your pin and Molson will donate $5.00 to Canada's Olympic and Paralympic athletes. And if you Give'r you'll get a chance to win one of five ultimate 2010 Winter Games Experience in Vancouver.
And don't forget you can still buy passes to Molson Canadian Hockey House. It'd be kind of cool to go for a day or evening. It's not in my budget, maybe it's in yours.
Don't forget to leave a comment between now and Sunday for your chance to win the float plane pin.
This summer hubby participated in the Cross Canada Century of Flight. 100 planes flying from Vancouver, BC to Baddeck, NS. I was lucky enough to join him for the last 3 days from Brampton, ON to Baddeck, NS)
On Saturday night we went to the premier of the documentary. It will be seen on Global TV in Canada, The History Channel in the US and on several PBS stations, in January and February I think.
Can you pick out Dave and I in the photo?
Dave piloted the plane that had one of the cameramen and a still photographer. He even gets a mention in the credits. Maybe he can start a new career as a movie pilot!
The theme song is Over Northern Skies by Tiller's Folly. There is a great music video of it on the DVD we got last night, with lots of aerial shots taken from Dave's plane. You can hear the song below.
In honour of the Cross Canada Century of Flight I have another Olympic pin to giveaway. A float plane with the Vancouver skyline. Have you been in small plane? Leave a comment about your favourite destination or where you'd like to go between now and 5:00 pm PST Sunday November 29th and your name will go in the draw to win this pin.
And the winner of the umbrella pin?
Our random number generator selected...
commenter #3...
Kate Trgovac. Kate email me your address and I will send the pin. Congratulations.
You can now watch the Torch Relay live, wherever you are. CTV's new Olympic Torch Cam is following the relay from Halifax to Vancouver.
The Paralympic Torch Relay will begin March 3rd, 2010 in Ottawa. It will visit 11 communities over 10 days. Details regarding the Paralympic torchbearer program will be released later this month.
image VANOC/COVAN
A ticketing update:
The Main Ticket Centre opened Wednesday in downtown Vancouver in the UBC bookstore at Robson Square. Anyone who bought tickets in Phase 3 and chose the "will call" option can pick up their tickets here. Tickets purchased in Phase 1 and 2 will be delivered in early December.
Canadian Press
It's been raining and raining and raining and raining and raining and raining, and well you get the picture. I bought a heap of these pins to send to friends and I have one left over. Pin #1157 from the Iconic series. Yep it's an umbrella and it's perfect for this week of wet weather.
So leave a comment and when it stops raining Mukmuk will draw a random winner. I'm kidding, we could be waiting a very long time. Leave a comment before 5:00pm PST on Sunday November 22nd.
