So the Olympics started yesterday. I'm sure you were all aware of that. Vancouver is a little over an hour's drive from me (not counting the time spent at the border). A few things I have observed lately:
On a clear day I can see the Canadian Coastal Range, but it's been pretty cloudy the last few days. I can't see Whistler, but I am pretty sure the lights I can see are from Cypress--one of the Olympic venues. Based on where I think Cypress is relation to Vancouver, it seems like the right location. But more than that, in the last couple of weeks the lights on the mountain have gotten brighter and brighter, so bright they cut through the clouds. **Edit: I think the lights I see are from Grouse, not Cypress. Sometimes, there are faint lights on the mountain to the west of the brightest lights [Grouse], and the last few nights there has been a glow surrounding the mountains to the west of Grouse. That glow is probably Cypress.
The Vancouver International Airport is about 45 miles from where I live, and there has been a very visible increase in air traffic. When I see a plane heading into Vancouver I can't help but think, "I wonder if someone famous is on that plane?"
American TV sucks ass. Living on the West coast we get everything tape delayed. Since this is all in my time zone, I had hoped I would see events live. Nope. The rest of the country gets to see events semi-live, but we get them three hours later. Luckily, I get Canadian TV and they shows the medal events live (many of the qualifying events are taped). And the announcers aren't as annoying as the Americans.
The one thing I learned today about Canadians: All other sports pale compared to hockey. I mean, I knew that to a certain extent. I remember hearing a program on Canadian radio where people were crying because they saw and/or touched the Stanley Cup. So, I shouldn't've been surprised when the Canadians showed women's hockey over everything else... yet I was.
I've been trying to decide if I wanted to brave the crowds and craziness in Vancouver to experience the whole thing. After watching bits and pieces of the opening ceremonies (I was at work when they started, and I went out with a friend for copious amounts of margaritas after work) I decided I need to experience this in person. From what I understand most of downtown Vancouver is blocked off for the Cultural Olympiad: Lots of free bands for people without tickets. I even checked the train to see if I could get a last minute ticket for tomorrow or Monday (three day weekend!) but they are sold out. Boo. But I still have two weeks to get up there.
Vancouver is one of the most international cities in the world, and it is so many kinds of awesome. I want to experience it when it is overflowing with "foreign people" (as Sweet Pickles would say).
My other motivator? I want to see famous people.
2 comments:
My primary complaints about NBC's Olympic coverage so far: (1) too much sappy discussion of figure skaters (or, with the Summer Olympics, it's always the gymnasts); (2) endless analysis of injuries the hotties are coping with (how many times must I hear about this Lindsay Vonn person and her bruised shin??), and (3) way too much "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" drum-beating.
Yesterday I was watching the end of the men's cross country ski race after work--the U.S. men were nowhere near getting medals, and yet the announcers' only comments about the winners (from Switzerland, etc.) was how far ahead they were of the Americans. Like, no information about them, just their location in relation to the Americans. Booooooo-ring. Tell me about them! Or tell me about the Ethiopian at the tail end of the pack! I'm all for some human interest stories being thrown into the mix, but I really wish they'd broaden their scope a little bit.
I understand their coverage is getting beamed out into the U.S. so that's the audience they're trying to hook, but give the public a little credit--a lot of us are interested in athletes from outside our own borders, too...
Also: I found their repeated airing of Friday's luge accident really tacky. I understand it was a big story, but to air it in prime-time, right before the Opening Ceremonies were about to start, seemed in very poor taste to me. I don't understand what purpose that served.
I have been watching the Canadian coverage almost exclusively--I get it live and there aren't as many commercials. Most of their coverage has focused on Alexandre Bilodeau--he is the first Canadian to win gold on Canadian soil. (I was really surprised that no Canadian ever won gold during either the Montreal or Calgary.) If the coverage wasn't on him it was on Dale Begg-Smith--a Canadian who went to Australia so he could ski his way... or some such thing (he won silver to Bilodeau's gold). And all the people they interview are Canadians which in and of itself is incredibly amusing.
So instead of "U.S.A!" I've been getting "Go Canada Go!"
Other than Alexandre Bilodeau, the the weather--too much snow in Whistler and not enough in Cypress. Oh, and that people can't get close to the cauldron to take a decent picture of the flame.
I did watch the pairs short program on both NBC and CTV and the NBC coverage was annoying due to the commercials they showed between each pair of skaters. The CTV coverage was live so they weren't able to show commercials as frequently.
Post a Comment