The Dead of Afternoon

Not being able to handle the stress of the impending overtime of the Canada vs. U.S.A hockey game (and thinking that it was over for Canada) Jenn and I decided to leave our house and go to an open house.  As expected, the streets were eerily silent as we walked.  After hearing a brief squeal I began to wonder that if Canada scored, would we would be able to hear it?  After a second or two Jenn mentioned that she thought she heard a cheer and expressed the same sentiments.  It wasn't but a few steps later that we heard a muted eruption and our musings were verified.  We heard cheering and car horns honking during the whole half block that we walked to the open house.  It was quite something - I'm not sure whether anyone in Canada would NOT know that we had won the gold medal hockey game.

Walking home from the open house, Jenn and I both, at first, wondered who scored the overtime goal.  We both picked Sydney Crosby but then dismissed it because it would have been too corny, too poetic.  Then we started picking other players (Jenn: Eric Staal, but only because he is from Thunder Bay) because the initial option would have been just too appropriate...

I have to say that I've been impressed with Vancouver - it wasn't looking like there was going to be a lot enthusiasm for the games with all of the negative press and a muted mood that suffused through the lower mainland.  Once things started though, things were quite euphoric.

It's hard not to be a naysayer though.  Millions, if not billions of dollars were spent on an event that did not improve the overall well-being of all the people in our society.  Albeit, the Olympics were remarkably galvanizing - it was near impossible to not get swept up in the euphoria.  But, there is always the homelessness issue, not to mention that Jenn and I's jobs will be in great jeopardy because of funding shortfalls.  So, hard to approve of something that does not affect truly important and essential things in our lives, you know?  The depression that would have fell over the country if the men's hockey team had lost would seem so absurd - why waste all that energy over something that will not really affect our well-beings?  We should be more depressed over a lot of the things that Harper and our government are doing to our country...

Aside from that, it is a great day out here.  The magnolias are flowering alongside the cherry trees and pockets of rhododendrons.  The air was on the warm side of 12 degrees and you could tell that it has turned to an official beginning of spring (at least here on the west coast and the Okanagan valley).

Now if Jenn and I just shed our colds...

Online Opening Ceremonies Footage

Jenn's mom sniffed out some online footage on CTV's website of the opening ceremonies.  It is quite a bit different than what was shown on TV.

You can see Jenn for longer, but I'm not sure if it is as close up maybe??  Check out these times: 1:46:26 - 1:46:34 (beginning the dance) & 1:52:10 (for her bow).

Website is: http://www.ctvolympics.ca/video/collections/collectionid=40427/index.html

Jenn in the Opening Ceremonies

For those of you who recorded the Opening Ceremonies or have Shaw Video on Demand (Olympics stuff is free) you can look for Jenn in the Rhythms of the Fall segment.  She is wearing a red dress with no other paraphernalia and can be seen up close a minute or two after the beginning and at the very end of the segment.  There are a couple of other times that you can see her but it is not as obvious.