Hubby and I and our friends Kim, Joanna and Miss M made our way out to Richmond Olympic Oval yesterday to go ice skating.
Miss M had been sick all day, but she was so excited to be going skating at an Olympic venue, she desperately wanted to go. So away we went. Miss M was fine, until we pulled into the parking lot, and then she sick in the car. But she still wanted to go.
Good thing Kim, Joanna and Miss M brought their own skates. The line up to rent was huge. An oval staff member said the wait was about an hour! I know it was longer. Hubby and I waited for a whole 5 minutes, when we left the oval an hour later, the family in front of us was still in line.
Our friends hit the ice for a couple of laps, by then Miss M was exhausted.
I borrowed Joanna's skates and took a spin around the ice. A very slow spin. Hubby chose to stay off the ice and be the official photographer.
We are going skating at Richmond Olympic Oval this afternoon, so I thought it was timely for me to post this....it's been sitting in my drafts for a while.
Stephen Colbert, speed skating, ice-holes, syrup suckers..... No idea what I'm talking about? Have you been living under a rock? Or not? Do you even get The Colbert Report in Australia and England?
It's been well covered in the media, blogosphere and everywhere else, so a quick summary:
US athletes complained that Canada was being nasty and they were not receiving enough training time at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic venues, the Richmond Olympic Oval among them. Even the New York Times weighed in.
Canada says nuh-huh. Canada is following rules established by the various organisations that govern the sports.
Stephen Colbert announces on this nightly show that Canadian's are syrup sucking ice-holes and launches his Don't Be an Ice-Hole letter campaign encouraging viewers to download and send a letter to VANOC.
US Speed Skating loses its sponsor (and therefore it's funding) when Netherlands-based bank DSB Bank (DSB)declares bankruptcy.
The City of Richmond (Richmond Olympic Oval is home to long track speed skating) fights back.
Chief syrup-sucker, Ted Townsend, otherwise known as senior manager of corporate communications, issues an invitation to Stephen Colbert to be the official Richmond Olympic Oval ombudsman during the Games in February. The position even comes with a uniform - a lovely pink toque (beanie).
Stephen Colbert would like to take up the offer but is not sure if he can work in Canada.
Besides being our 10th wedding anniversary, yesterday Miga, Quatchi, Sumi and Mukmuk celebrated their 2nd birthday. Today is their birthday party at The Bay Downtown.
Did you know that at www.vancouver2010.com there are colouring pages and 3D paper mascots you can make yourself. Clicking on any of the images below will open the full size pdf file.
alll images VANOC/COVAN
Check out all the mascot souvenirs available at the online store. I think the hooded towels are adorable.
Did you miss out on being an Olympic Torchbearer? Maybe you'll get a change to be a Paralympic Torchbearer.
VANOC/COVAN
From the news release:
Beginning March 3, 2010
The Paralympic Flame — which has no ancestral home — will spring to life in a special Aboriginal-themed Lighting Ceremony with a uniquely Canadian flair on the lawn of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Each of the 10 provinces and three territories will select a torchbearer to participate in the ceremony.
Apply to Become a Paralympic Torchbearer Any Canadian over 13 years of age who is interested in becoming a Paralympic Torchbearer may apply though the Province of British Columbia at http://www.yougottabehere.ca
Potential torchbearers will be asked to tell their story in 250 characters or less, explaining why they want to be a torchbearer in the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay. They’ll also be asked to tell how they demonstrate the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality in their lives. What would being a torchbearer mean to you?
The Paralympic Torch Relay will light up the following Canadian cities and towns:
March 3 — Ottawa, ON. March 4 — Quebec City, QC March 5 — Toronto, ON. March 6 — Esquimalt/Victoria, BC March 7 — Squamish, BC March 8 — Whistler, BC March 9 — Lytton/Hope, BC March 10 — Vancouver (Hillcrest)/Maple Ridge, BC March 11 — Vancouver (UBC)/Vancouver (downtown) March 12 — Vancouver (downtown)
Can you believe we've been married 10 years today? Some days it feels like yesterday, some days it feels like forever.
In 10 years we have
bought 2 planes and sold none
owned 2 cars and 2 trucks
lived in one house, one flat and one townhouse
traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Mexico, San Diego, Disney World, Disneyland, Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle, on a Caribbean Cruise and across Canada. And I went to England
had one job (Dave) and 8 jobs (me)
repainted the bathroom 3 times
found a favourite Indian, Mexican and Italian restaurant
been to so many air shows and aviation expos that I have lost count
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.
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.
Remaining Whistler-based Olympic tickets will be available for sale exclusively at the Whistler Main Ticket Centre and only to residents from Squamish to Mount Currie.
This offer is open to people with a primary or secondary residence in the region and you must purchase available tickets in person at the Whistler Main Ticket Centre.
Tickets cannot be used to access the Olympic bus network from Vancouver. Tickets will have "No Olympic bus network access" printed on them, however tickets will still provide access to local public transit from Squamish to Pemberton on the date of the event
Tickets purchased through this program cannot be resold through the fan-to-fan marketplace.
To purchase Whistler Olympic tickets at the Whistler Main Ticket Centre, customers must provide Government Issue photo ID and have an address in the Sea to Sky region or proof of accommodation in the area.
You are welcome to purchase tickets on behalf of friends and family but they will require transportation and/or accommodation in the Sea to Sky region in order to use the tickets.
Whistler Main Ticket Centre:
Opens today (November 26th, 2009)
Location: Whistler Medals Plaza
Hours of operation: Tuesday Sunday: 10:00-18:00 (closed Mondays) Please note: In recognition of Visa's 2010 Winter Games sponsorship, we are proud to acknowledge Visa as the only payment card accepted. Cash will also be accepted.
Whistler Victory Ceremonies:
The entertainment schedule for the 15 nights of Whistler Olympic Victory Ceremonies will be announced on December 4. I am excited to find out.
Contrary to the myth that Whistler accommodation is "sold out" or too expensive at Games time, there are many options available from luxury hotels to apartment-style lodges throughout the resort. I'm still trying to find a room for one night for Mum, Dad, Hubby and Morag for the 2 days of tickets they have in Whistler, so they don't have to go back and forth each day from Vancouver.
If you have a ticket from Phase 1 or Phase 2 that allows travel on the Olympic Bus Network, bookings start on Monday November 30th. Book early as the fare goes up January 4th, 2010.
Thinking of taking a day trip to Whistler, go skiing for the day, or have local's tickets and need a way to get to Whistler. There are several commercial companies that will be running services to Whistler.
Your event ticket includes free public transport on the day of the event. So how do you get from Whistler Village, or your Whistler area accommodation to say, Whistler Olympic Park? On BC Transit.
Lots to take in, isn't it?
Hubby and I are off to Seattle on Friday for the weekend to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary (27th November 1999). I hope you have a great weekend.
I can't explain it. So, straight from the press release:
"Starting at dusk on February 4, 2010, 20 robotic searchlights will create a quiet canopy of light in the night sky above and on the sparkling surface of English Bay below with designs created by people around the world and delivered via the Internet. Called Vectorial Elevation, it is the first time the internationally celebrated work of art will be displayed in Canada and over a body of water.
The 10,000-watt lights will move and create patterns silently from locations in Vanier Park and Sunset Beach that cover an area of 100,000 square metres and be visible within 15 kilometres of the city’s downtown core, stretching to Richmond, the peaks of Cypress and Grouse mountains and freighters and boats on the water."
And guess what?
You get to design the show! And you don't need to be in Vancouver.
Again, from the press release:
"Visitors to www.vectorialvancouver.net can design how the lights will move, their angles and how they are clustered in timed sequences to create their own patterns for the world to see. A personalized webpage will be automatically created for each participant to document their design. Organizers estimate 130,000 different patterns will be created in the 24 days the project operates from dusk to dawn.
A real-time video stream of the work from four cameras placed around English Bay can be accessed on the Internet. Those who opt to create patterns can also send a personal dedication to friends or a sweetheart anywhere in the world at www.vectorialvancouver.net. The project was developed in consultation with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation"
Vectorial Elevation is the work of Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer . The installation has previously been staged in Mexico, Spain, Ireland, and France.
This is a photo by Martin Vegas of the installation at the Zocalo in Mexico City, 2000.
Can you ice skate? If I use my imagination I can. I can go forward. I can go round a corner. Slowly. I can go backwards. If someone is pushing me. I can stop. Using the wall. Let's just say ice skating is not one of my strong points. Doesn't stop me from trying.
On Sunday we are going to the Celebration of Ice at Richmond Olympic Oval. We get to skate around the Olympic oval. You can too. But you'll have to be quick. This is the last time it will be open to public before the Olympics.
When: Sunday November 29th, 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Richmond Olympic Oval
Price:
1/2 price admission (adults $6.25, kids 6 to 12 $2.25)
skate rentals $3.00
helmet rentals $2.00 (compulsory for kids under 12)
What:
public skating
off ice activities
Olympic Mascots
Interactive games
and prizes
Wanna come join us? Hubby, Kim, Joanna, Merdeka and I will be there from around 3:00pm for a couple of hours.
Can't make Sunday? How about a tour of the Oval on Friday or Saturday instead? Learn about the history, architecture, operations, public art, sustainability and fun facts on a 45 minute tour. Available Friday at 1:00pm and Saturday at 1:00pm and 2:30pm. Saturday is the last day for tours.
Can't make the Celebration of Ice or the tour, check out the virtual tour.
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.
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.
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. If you give 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.