tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73299256189241194392024-03-12T21:26:07.029-07:00Vancouver 2010Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-561240365242117022010-03-28T10:49:00.000-07:002010-11-14T08:26:31.584-08:00Home at Last! Home at Last!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT01IE84klmGD0Y8P7u2NohDOGc4MYbgX-8avZ6poZp6hTVJkjHEeD0yuZx0n56SWdVWAQKeceRk5tDkVPZNPb4OV-G70S8_uvUQaZQ628r2oy-CtWhbQhXHkr2HWOlpoZ5ePJt7z3_y8/s1600/P3250022.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT01IE84klmGD0Y8P7u2NohDOGc4MYbgX-8avZ6poZp6hTVJkjHEeD0yuZx0n56SWdVWAQKeceRk5tDkVPZNPb4OV-G70S8_uvUQaZQ628r2oy-CtWhbQhXHkr2HWOlpoZ5ePJt7z3_y8/s320/P3250022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453749803385562802" /></a>I'm not sure if it is a Vanoc policy, a B.C. policy or just a venue policy but all of us at the Athlete's Village received a CPR doll before the Olympics even started. My CPR training was completed a short time before my trip to Whistler, so what to do with that CPR doll? Didn't feel like brushing up, so I just threw it into the top shelf of my closet. Serious decisions had to be made however when packing my suitcases and the CPR doll would have had me overweight. Finding the maids in the hallway, I decided to donate my CPR doll to them but I did it in my own way!<br /><br />We had one last job to do on our trip home. We had to deliver our Bell vehicles to the Livingston warehouse in Delta. Everybody else was scheduled on a bus directly to a heavenly sleep at the Westin. It was weird to drive by our venue and not make that left hand turn at Function Junction. All the smurfs were gone, yet we still had some security staff on hand. Our venue had been the Whistler Athlete's Village but it was already quickly becoming Cheakamus Crossing. Although we were trying to stay ahead of our bus, there was always time for a last stop at Tim Hortons in Squamish. We considered one last trip to Fields but were afraid that Nadine and her other handsome friend with the bad brunette wig would be in a hugging and worse, kissing mood. Straight to Delta with no incidents.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSxHaxVX-31yjRGJb_x0mXujYYqu3uowGWSYH9tLseA-muEt1n3IeHKexprAPie76qEQKemXgfF0k1DZjxTUDMtuyDgjmOfE1lKtW6sKJLjYKs-YLIX6PEgn6ka_wY2-EaKriubIF0X4/s1600/P3250025.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSxHaxVX-31yjRGJb_x0mXujYYqu3uowGWSYH9tLseA-muEt1n3IeHKexprAPie76qEQKemXgfF0k1DZjxTUDMtuyDgjmOfE1lKtW6sKJLjYKs-YLIX6PEgn6ka_wY2-EaKriubIF0X4/s320/P3250025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453755069080296146" /></a>We tried to get everybody together on our last night in Vancouver but there were three trains of thought for the perfect evening. Hot tubbing, Earl's or The Keg were on the list. Most of our village team opted for The Keg. Joe decided to accept a challenge set by our server at The Keg. Twenty four ounces of prime rib (which was a special order and is not on the menu). He ate it but that didn't leave much room for anything else. He had already started on his meal by the time we took the picture with Liz (who visited us for a drink only). I wished more people had returned later to my room for a last shot of "Paarl" but everybody had their own way of saying farewell. Since I still had practically a full bottle of brandy and I had no way to safely pack it, everybody said that I should just make somebodies day by leaving the bottle on the curb. That just didn't feel right to me. I left the bottle in my Vancouver hotel room, just like we had left all of our left over food and drink in our Whistler hotel room. At least our Coast hotel in Whistler took all the unopened food and brought it for us to the shelter. Maybe one of the staff could have used it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTlzCCefM3VW2YQt0KU0iKBoUrn0ioFLqh-SfP81VyXHlNprVegTnLfFmqGAl79WHWwW5oZ6bLPdGpyRCos6Dccc_Fcx6gWJWCpJ8qq7SudHNfFTNVIVvcFAFP4MgfEjDq9bB-_tXmbk/s1600/DSC_0222.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTlzCCefM3VW2YQt0KU0iKBoUrn0ioFLqh-SfP81VyXHlNprVegTnLfFmqGAl79WHWwW5oZ6bLPdGpyRCos6Dccc_Fcx6gWJWCpJ8qq7SudHNfFTNVIVvcFAFP4MgfEjDq9bB-_tXmbk/s320/DSC_0222.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453767427124022274" /></a>We all went to the Olympics to do our little part in providing the world a "flawless games." There were a variety of other reasons we went though too. Some of us, like Larry and Tony were there as their swan song. They will be retiring soon after. Some of us went for the adventure and some of us were there for the ride merely to escape a "numbers only" manager. We collectively gave the world their "flawless games." There would be no medals or parades for us on our return but I would gladly do it all over again for the chance of meeting all those people who struggled beside me. Those people I hadn't known before on the Bell team (like Joe, Maurizio, Jeff P, Rich, Remo, Mark, Predrag, the two Brians, the two Alexs, Jean, Dave, Ken, Tony, George (from Kazakhstan) Franco, Fernando, Werner and Leslie) but also those that got thrown into the "Technology trailer" (Alexa (it's her fault), Tatiana, Germana, Andy, Magda, Melissa, Erwin, Lucas) and let's not forget all the rest of those lovable "smurfs" (you really couldn't have an Olympics without those smurfs, Christian, Laura and Adrian (Pat--my day wasn't complete unless we got a good look at Pat and found out if we had enough courage to try the "Crocodile Dundee" male/female sexing maneuver etc). We worked hard but we had a blast doing it. Although I couldn't be everywhere nor could I record everything on this blog site, I hope that at least these pages will trigger your own memories (since I'm not flawless) and those memories put a smile on your face.Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-90651322937305457572010-03-25T05:57:00.000-07:002010-11-14T08:30:05.615-08:00The Journey HomeThe time clock is counting down but it is still measuring in "days". It takes a few moments for me to convert to hours and by that time I have to start the whole process over again because I am getting more and more of these "old age moments." Joe will soon understand this as he is turning 40 today. Just in time as I still have a bottle of "Paarl" and I'm not afraid to use it. We have gotten through Joe's meat locker and I'm kind of happy to be going back home and not being so much of a "meatatarian."<br /><br />Although we spent months building our network at the "Athlete's Village," it has taken the Bell team two days to take down. We removed all the IP phones, HDTV's, projection TV's, DVD's, WAP's (wireless access points) and LAN/WAN switches. All this hardware was packed and wrapped by our "ARCes" team (Bill and Jeff P) in the Logistics tent. They told me they were the founders of the "asset recovery crew" but preferred to be known as "arses," not "arcs."<br /><br />Guy from Opti-net has come back and will remove all the temporary wire that was laid down (which is now exposed on green grass) as well as the overlay wires that were placed in the HPC (high performance centre ie gym), lodge(lot 5), lots 6, 7, 10 and lot 8 (pointy building) and the hostel (lot 13). It's funny now to hear these areas as places designated on a drawing because from the Olympics we know Canada owned lot 3. Sure Great Britain was there with Japan, but Canada owned lot 3. The USA was in the lodge, Italy was lot 10 and for reasons that only the "Village People" can truly appreciate, Finland was in lot 4 and France was in lot 11.<br /><br />We found that although we might have had the best medical staff with us on site, we also ended up with the most colour blind medical staff. Our "Games" network was totally separated from internet access and our "Admin" network. The Admin network would give you access to the internet. The Games network was dedicated to the Olympics only for timing, scoring and for our purposes at the village, results reporting. We used green cat 5 cables on the Games network so everybody would know that you would not be able to surf the net on it. Most everybody understood this. Most of our visits to the Polyclinic however, were for Games port violations (where the port would shut down on unauthorized use) and not because we wanted to chat or because we were feeling ill.<br /><br />Getting back to the Paralympics, you have to love those Swedes and of course, our Canadians. Both of these countries over-estimated the amount of beer they could consume (safely or otherwise). In our hardware sweep of lot 6, the Swedish team left us one can of Heineken and many cans of Coors light. Somebody bought a combo pack and drank all the good stuff. The Paralympic Canadians who were in lot 8 (pointy building) of course, left Canadians! A number of us drank a few in the team Canada offices until Tim the VGM (venue general manager; not fond of Bell techs drinking "illegal" McDonald smoothies) saw me (and probably a few more of us) as he lurked past the hallway in front of the team Canada office. Apparently, it is cool with Tim that we drink a beer in a Team office but not okay that we drink a "smoothie" outside in front of the athletes. Maybe he was just not cool with one of us!<br /><br />Somebody, (won't say who, so don't ask) felt that he got sweet revenge by shoving a pin into Tim's keyhole followed by copious amounts of instant glue. Not feeling that was enough, this person proceeded to take Tim's "Gator" for a one way trip into the forest which surrounds our venue. I'm not sure how this will affect Germana and Maurizio as they will remain on site for a few weeks and this "somebody" made sure Tim knew who the perpetrator was!<br /><br />I'm not sure if that will be this "somebody's" highlight of the Games. I look back to the Calgary Olympics and one of my fondest memories was watching Karen Percy receive her bronze medal. That for me defined those Games but that was from the perspective of a spectator. There have been many highlights at these Games and I'm not sure yet what the defining moment will be. I'm working on it as there are many to choose from in the spectator's perspective.<br /><br />There are also many to choose from in the workforce perspective. Just the other day, Joe and I were driving our Bell van up the hill toward lots 11 and 17. There was a Croatian athlete at the side of the road with his thumb out looking for a lift up the hill. Once I convinced Joe that he wanted to latch on, we backed up and our Croatian athlete grabbed hold of our mirror with his left hand, continued smoking with his right hand (yes smoking) and shifted his body to steer his wheelchair up the hill. The few remaining "smurfs" that witnessed this sent one of their representatives up the hill to take pictures. Although we were all laughing, I had to shout protests to this "smurf." I was going to be in this picture as was our Bell logo. That might not look so good on Facebook!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-74528516594641360692010-03-17T13:12:00.000-07:002010-03-25T05:57:35.891-07:00Two hundred and ten hours and counting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM7pIe5N-fMmFexWUrGM7q8iePkweV3H50jmasc_HrJ4pAJ9wAUlxb-d5w45aoymQlIsDtaaaxl4qO5DqOJDcVmyIaFkCeD_EsUgfp8d7iwLYPnF7nwuCS2UMMX1vwWZ5lexlUDFJAYI/s1600-h/P3170005.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM7pIe5N-fMmFexWUrGM7q8iePkweV3H50jmasc_HrJ4pAJ9wAUlxb-d5w45aoymQlIsDtaaaxl4qO5DqOJDcVmyIaFkCeD_EsUgfp8d7iwLYPnF7nwuCS2UMMX1vwWZ5lexlUDFJAYI/s320/P3170005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450408734388321618" /></a>The Paralympics feel like such an afterthought. There is now more coverage of St. Patrick's Day than there is of the Paralympics. The media is more concerned with what we are doing for this Irish celebration than for covering a blind skier (and guide) skiing down the same run our Olympians competed on. There is limited coverage here in BC but I understand that there will only be highlights for the rest of the country. I feel lucky that we have camera coverage from each venue (with just "satisfactory" commentary I might add--no big guns here). The "secure" village has shrunk as two lots (3 and 4) are not being used by athletes and only half of lot 17 is being used. Even the Canadian moose is gone! Flags are the only decoration the athletes use to liven the place up.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrnwGsLR2XiS0q_dZCJqX-adbj9FnsR4e6QK9Rx3vM4W1YY82EW59V68PjncUdV3jd5_kat77Vyvo0bSK6e01Zk6K7NJ9jU2dpz_86shOrMces0Q28Z1pY0mJyNitTp3C5FDOtEjOUVY/s1600-h/P3150001.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrnwGsLR2XiS0q_dZCJqX-adbj9FnsR4e6QK9Rx3vM4W1YY82EW59V68PjncUdV3jd5_kat77Vyvo0bSK6e01Zk6K7NJ9jU2dpz_86shOrMces0Q28Z1pY0mJyNitTp3C5FDOtEjOUVY/s320/P3150001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450409810827520466" /></a>As for the Bell team here, we have changed from looking at the number of shift cycles we have left, to the number of days we have left, to the number of hours we have left. Some of us have even downloaded a countdown clock. Things are pretty slow during these games otherwise. It looks like the people in VSS are responsible for the increased usage of condoms but not in the way you would expect. They must be bored as well. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintBs846Fjg0aR_Bw_jtERb1yQ4RVPOwfUInttaMttzxqLVspLRjmF7dYM7BdkzUmJG-zLfkBnj4cKOklEyyy4vmxFokeHnWhP3vJ6lPgVQCWLgmcOc5G1aeiUF9eQI3dXl31D-vxDlxg/s1600-h/P3170004.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintBs846Fjg0aR_Bw_jtERb1yQ4RVPOwfUInttaMttzxqLVspLRjmF7dYM7BdkzUmJG-zLfkBnj4cKOklEyyy4vmxFokeHnWhP3vJ6lPgVQCWLgmcOc5G1aeiUF9eQI3dXl31D-vxDlxg/s320/P3170004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450410245448236002" /></a>Remembering what Annlou's school does in Belgium in their final year (where her school marked the 100th day left with a party), I suggested we have a 100th hour party and what the heck, a 200th hour party. I know I still have a bottle of red, a bottle of brandy and a couple of shots of vodka that I am not going to pack! That should get the party started!<br /><br />The 200th hour party was celebrated a little early on the evening of St. Patrick's Day. The dining tent even gave us cheese cake as a dessert with an offer of "green" topping. I took the cheese cake with special Baileys topping, thank you! ("Tweedle-Lee-Dee Potatoes" as the Scottish comedian Danny Bhoy would say!)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvvp_XLtgLyi16lsv9c7ENQwdBeQWmDHv3TYGJqhSbJe4GW6W2Zf4OOaEZ-LJ-lItoWEhBCbdABOmPw4dOCaAEh5k9ALOIu2EZLcpzVZK118xuTgjrOFj3NZnQ7svBCRjzoD70UBGGbU/s1600-h/P3180010.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvvp_XLtgLyi16lsv9c7ENQwdBeQWmDHv3TYGJqhSbJe4GW6W2Zf4OOaEZ-LJ-lItoWEhBCbdABOmPw4dOCaAEh5k9ALOIu2EZLcpzVZK118xuTgjrOFj3NZnQ7svBCRjzoD70UBGGbU/s320/P3180010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450408387274129650" /></a>Joe and I were on the fence this morning as to whether we should go skiing or play golf. Since I brought all my ski stuff home I would have had to borrow gloves and used my one free ski rental. Too much drama! We decided to play golf since it was going to be 12C, sunny and calm in Squamish. We were in our short sleeves all day, shot a good round and apres, found out how tasty "15 16" lager was. When I placed my order, it sounded to me like I couldn't make up my mind on how large a beer order I wanted. The bartender didn't think that was so funny! I guess she hears that all the time!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-31793535003195825132010-03-12T21:34:00.000-08:002010-03-17T13:36:11.047-07:00Olympic Fever Alive and Well, Thank you!I have been down to Vancouver twice since the Winter Games ended. It has been very different to see so few people in Whistler and Vancouver still wearing the red and white. It was almost like everybody forgot that we had the Games here. Amnesia seemed to take hold so quickly once the torch was extinguished. <br /><br />But then I started to get asked whether or not the Paralympics would be televised. I told everybody the same thing I was told, "No, probably not!" I guess the outcry was not just from my family and friends because I just finished watching the Opening Ceremonies for the Paralympics and they did not disappoint. CTV decided to broadcast the Opening Ceremonies tonight in BC and rebroadcast tomorrow to the rest of Canada. On a sidenote, those of you with Bell TV are already saying "I know that!" Maybe a little more push from viewers and the whole Paralympics will be televised.<br /><br />The Athlete's Village is bustling again. Although our work is completed (not including the 'change orders' and 'games port violations' that still seem to trickle in), we still manage to get out of our technology trailer (mainly to try to stay awake). We generally hop into the "Gator" and take a quick drive down our main street. What is different this time around is that the athletes in wheelchairs give us a good run for our money. These people are zipping around the venue at mach speeds and seem to be challenging us to hit them (or maybe they're just trying to race us)! The Olympic athletes were reserved and more cautious around our motorized equipment, but these Paralympians are fearless! These athletes also seem to be more pleasant and are more approachable. I think I will probably get my Canadian flag out and try to get autographs.<br /><br />We were told that we would be eating in the "Promised Land." That of course made us very happy, however, what wasn't said was that we would still be eating "workforce food." The food seemed to improve for a bit before the athletes arrived and the chefs were looking for things to do but the food now seems to have reverted back to Mickey D's as the more palatable choice! The reason workforce was allowed into the athletes portion of the tent is strictly logistics. The number of athletes have decreased and since support staff (ie. smurfs, security etc) have been moved into our venue from other temporary accomodations (ie. Mona Lisa cruise ship in Squamish), our numbers have increased! There are not enough chairs at this moment in the workforce dining area for all those extra people. Joe and I still find ways to enter the "Promised Land!" Let's just say that we ensure optimal performance on our IP phones, computers and HDTVs in the Athlete's dining tent! Then once we're in, the taste of an 'illicit' smoothie or cappuccino is that much more sweet!<br /><br />The weather seems to be co-operating for the Paralympics this time around. I of course, decided to bring my skis home. We received about six to eight inches of new snow at the base but I am now in golf mode. It will be hard for me to decide to ski if the weather is agreeable for golf in Squamish! I might have to do the ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon, that is of course, if I can convince Joe to stay away from "Fields" in Squamish and his "Paesano" discount. <br /><br />Joe might be more agreeable to that now though since he took one for the team on our last visit to "Fields." Joe promised his "paesana" an Olympic pin on one of his prior visits. It turns out that one of the more handsome female cashiers (the one that isn't our paesana and wears a very bad hairpiece) was so ecstatic to receive an Olympic pin, that she hauled off and gave Joe a big celebratory kiss. Maurizio and I backed away as a cautionary measure and were relieved to find she was satisfied with stealing just one kiss from Joe. Maybe it was the look of shock on our faces but we all agree that we might have to resort to tackling (or at least a pick), paesana or not, should that scenario play out again. Chalk it up to good oral hygiene!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-72411303866750273122010-03-07T16:44:00.000-08:002010-11-13T18:00:22.473-08:00Olympic Hangover<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQrIdKKxbpmPbHKFR3kd-5mkMluyEsKEHS7zqeBLEMU6ZFGiQFjpKQpXNIBHwWbxfFY59Jpy7N6akyMdb2QGxIFqRgnE-4lzP7dUWLGH3n7eEzYzRx6Qc06Z7GcvnGMbpA1k1Qrbg-xU/s1600-h/P2280111.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQrIdKKxbpmPbHKFR3kd-5mkMluyEsKEHS7zqeBLEMU6ZFGiQFjpKQpXNIBHwWbxfFY59Jpy7N6akyMdb2QGxIFqRgnE-4lzP7dUWLGH3n7eEzYzRx6Qc06Z7GcvnGMbpA1k1Qrbg-xU/s320/P2280111.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446070429944487810" /></a>The Athlete's Village has felt very different this week. Part of it was because only half of our village team remained while the other half went home for a well deserved rest. All of the athletes were gone, with some leaving even before the closing ceremonies. We lost McDonalds for the time being which will improve our diet but forces us to stand in a cue for food that can at times be repugnant! We're all wondering when the boxcar of sausages will be emptied and if "they" believe "they're" tricking us by calling them bavarian sausages one day and italian sausages the next etc. We even lost our Olympic rings this week. As far as I know, they have not been replaced with anything for the Paralympics. Our "smurfs" have been busy removing all signs of the Olympic rings and the 2010 Inukshuks from our venue and replacing them with the Paralympic logo (part of the logo reminds me of somebody swimming in ocean swells). <br /><br />The Love Lounge is different too because although many people left we also gained a few people that transfered from Vancouver. The poker games are all but over and one of the guys that transferred is a hunting channel freak! This guy is always in front of the TV and since our TV is first come first served, we have been watching alot of TV in our rooms! You can only watch so much deer, moose, duck, rabbit, gopher, crocodile, gerbil (pick an animal) hunting. God I miss the days when I would bring a bottle of brandy, Tony would bring a bottle of scotch and Ken would bring a bottle rye and we would all be drinking bottles of beer and/or finishing our bottles of wine from dinner! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpFiP5zN57efjTKUid2O43bV3KqSDJwP0k2l85SiII22Lx_zWCbeSd7iYING2sQwjxFH1s21v65DButJqtkxa8tLf-9birtCcKavP7TruZT2zPCKYIzY0_-9cBy0rJYOh150xannsDQM/s1600-h/P3030121.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpFiP5zN57efjTKUid2O43bV3KqSDJwP0k2l85SiII22Lx_zWCbeSd7iYING2sQwjxFH1s21v65DButJqtkxa8tLf-9birtCcKavP7TruZT2zPCKYIzY0_-9cBy0rJYOh150xannsDQM/s320/P3030121.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446070676331126850" /></a>Many days ago I said that we were ready for the Paralympics. We knew then that we still had to move a few IP phones, HDTV's and computers to new locations and box all the extra hardware that these Paralympic games would not require. Enter the "smurfs!" We have not yet conclusively found out who it was that directed these loveable beings to remove all the HDTVs and IP phones to our trailer, but when I saw all this hardware, all I could say (in my best Russell Peters accent) was, "Some buddy gonna dead!" Our four days were spent trying to ready all the buildings by undoing most of what the "smurfs" had done.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNwRRlpC0RHYBBfD9Keip0S2Eb5gRnj_Lr9RECbfNuihXI30d6XktFaYiffldby3bnVZ4KPQjMi5RzVPKV3f7P4sURdbg0wZHqs3Y5rg3F_G9idPKoErvChxHaoOSsp1FVLL-5dQ_Cag/s1600-h/P2240108.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNwRRlpC0RHYBBfD9Keip0S2Eb5gRnj_Lr9RECbfNuihXI30d6XktFaYiffldby3bnVZ4KPQjMi5RzVPKV3f7P4sURdbg0wZHqs3Y5rg3F_G9idPKoErvChxHaoOSsp1FVLL-5dQ_Cag/s320/P2240108.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446070186167976674" /></a>Many actual rock-pile type inukshuks have been made by people with too much time on their hands at our venue and all along the Sea to Sky highway as well. I would like to blame the "smurfs" for the inukshuks but I think some have been built by our security forces as well. There are many officers (with stripes) at our venue and there have been no incidents where we required them. I'm not sure but I think it would be too difficult for a "smurf" to build an inukshuk while juggling an IP phone, a computer and an HDTV.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIw6OUdTemh0h35FU3KbCAUlzm1zR9BlHLI42ktb1ExyNhg4jNUzxVLAem9Qsl_xW7rfm9hbPsM92TEXe3TTu89HUQ5_PL2YxRAdTn2h-GOWutNRaXCwbXDFaZxZr-yEFob53fqZ83_JA/s1600-h/P3030123.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIw6OUdTemh0h35FU3KbCAUlzm1zR9BlHLI42ktb1ExyNhg4jNUzxVLAem9Qsl_xW7rfm9hbPsM92TEXe3TTu89HUQ5_PL2YxRAdTn2h-GOWutNRaXCwbXDFaZxZr-yEFob53fqZ83_JA/s320/P3030123.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446071545531298066" /></a>There are rumours that we will be eating in the "Promised Land" for at least part of the Paralympic games. We were treated there for an Olympic Wrap-up party. I had third helpings because one never knows when one will ever be entertained in the "Promised Land" again. First course, two slices of pizza and caesar salad. Second course, chinese stir fry with two types of dumplings. Third course, a skewer of shrimp, mussells and half a piece of steak. Oh yeah, I forgot the piece of celebratory cake. It was nice to eat food that was tasty and not cooked to death on a steam table (or containing sausage in whole or in part). We even had beer tickets and when the beer was done we started drinking wine. Suddenly, the transgression committed by the smurfs didn't matter so much. After all, they are all so cute!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPl5qaM6qmgSOJ_wFU1BHOWYoVqEANODoFIGobzZxYFy3OIFVt7oVu50J8EwIHnyRqa1j98S5Vkl0jteVtBz_uyhWCWYB5uB2ia-38qHBKRJMK5VrdBPxUvJbUJL5vH2Ea-pspcSZj0A/s1600-h/P3030124.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPl5qaM6qmgSOJ_wFU1BHOWYoVqEANODoFIGobzZxYFy3OIFVt7oVu50J8EwIHnyRqa1j98S5Vkl0jteVtBz_uyhWCWYB5uB2ia-38qHBKRJMK5VrdBPxUvJbUJL5vH2Ea-pspcSZj0A/s320/P3030124.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446071984428198802" /></a>Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-62835131045517684192010-03-02T18:04:00.000-08:002010-11-13T14:31:35.867-08:00The After Gold--My Olympic Moment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXiqo0z9BHyvInhQyxOPBULtbRzy36nOA_4Gjb0hZ007Nb0ouEbs7nfFZrH3bD_K5XPKVZtXj-EbNTuAixL2Z_NK9PcbzncR40ldENBkz6USt1EkR1lDXJZ2QhXZtRTh-5HERBGSFVuk/s1600-h/Golden+celebration.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXiqo0z9BHyvInhQyxOPBULtbRzy36nOA_4Gjb0hZ007Nb0ouEbs7nfFZrH3bD_K5XPKVZtXj-EbNTuAixL2Z_NK9PcbzncR40ldENBkz6USt1EkR1lDXJZ2QhXZtRTh-5HERBGSFVuk/s320/Golden+celebration.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444228302722624466" /></a>I'm not sure if anyone will still be reading this, since the Games are over. As usual, I didn't know what to do with myself after the Winter Games and their televised coverage were over. The "Closing Ceremonies" left me disappointed and scratching my head! We had such an excellent "Opening Ceremony" that I thought we could do better with the closing. Maybe the farcical ending was meant to entertain the rest of the world. I know many people here thought the only thing funny was the look on the faces of William Shatner, Catherine O'Hara and Micheal J. Fox as they each were unceremoniously flushed down the centre of the stage. The music later on was good though, for the most part, if you stayed tuned that long.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENNPzf7xbIQrCmYr_uWcmoEACJrQWjpPQbal4SrANF7QrppHPSKQiNpdKlxoY7eQxbEAMSqS9zk-5BOZfr8_TLcSvcMuFlU17siFiCpvCgGZbPWdDjo65bpbvk_t7YqLSLuiWB8iDtI0/s1600-h/DSC_0190.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENNPzf7xbIQrCmYr_uWcmoEACJrQWjpPQbal4SrANF7QrppHPSKQiNpdKlxoY7eQxbEAMSqS9zk-5BOZfr8_TLcSvcMuFlU17siFiCpvCgGZbPWdDjo65bpbvk_t7YqLSLuiWB8iDtI0/s320/DSC_0190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444229351127209058" /></a>In recognition for all our hard work toward a flawless games, our entire Bell team was given the day off and we were driven down to Vancouver for a party (in our honour) at the Bell Ice Cube. We were given a $25 gift card at the door which went toward the purchase of drinks for the rest of the night. The place was packed and it became immediately apparent that it was easier to purchase drinks with cash (and save the card for later, hopefully, if the cash on the card doesn't get dissolved)! Our CEO George got on stage to congratulate us and later Justin (our "chef du mission") got up as well. He shared his "Olympic Moment" which he said was going out to each of our venues and meeting "the Team!" We got to meet Clara Hughes and shortly after my picture with her, she found her bronze medal and began posing with it. She was asked to speak and we were informed of her "circle of strength." She impressed me with her eloquence and her ability to speak in front of a large audience. We were also treated to a live band which I didn't think was that bad until the lead singer looked out and said "we don't normally play to a room full of guys!" "Hey, these guys are family!" I thought! Of course, I can't forget that the entire Bell team from Whistler was also treated to a night at the Westin Grand on Robson Street, which meant we all got to sleep on one of their "heavenly" beds! <br /><br />In the end, it was all bittersweet though as we had to say goodbye to a "goodly" number of our team. Kristin asked that I never quote "Lord of the Rings" in this blog but she has since told me that she has had enough of the Winter Games and I think she doesn't read this blog anymore. So, in defiance of my daughter, I will quote Bilbo Baggins from his eleventy first birthday party speech (and I hope I get this right)! "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." I hope that a day will come when we can all get together again and reminisce over a glass of Paarl (or whatever) and rekindle some of the good times we had here. The new friendships I made here were my Olympic moment! I think that is the same sentiment Justin was trying to express!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-17570606817865849222010-02-28T16:06:00.000-08:002010-02-28T16:13:05.934-08:00Gold in Hockey<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2zaVMEKLvt6YXuyftQmVTs-pRsmWbQVcGjX1OInut3i80X-WkyOVdo_3v63xICs150oXbKY0ZQSqMnB_OfbcWJiHD0HNVwA-h4Hg2a9l70l7p7HigF0UavWJ8WWbUKIGdR33e1FwqHY/s1600-h/gold.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2zaVMEKLvt6YXuyftQmVTs-pRsmWbQVcGjX1OInut3i80X-WkyOVdo_3v63xICs150oXbKY0ZQSqMnB_OfbcWJiHD0HNVwA-h4Hg2a9l70l7p7HigF0UavWJ8WWbUKIGdR33e1FwqHY/s320/gold.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443450740925545234" /></a><br /><strong>WHEW!</strong>We can hear "Oh Canada" from the "stroll" all the way to our hotel on Blackcomb Mountain. There is yelling and screaming and horns and whistles and I can't wait to get down there.Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-27811034856730557032010-02-26T16:09:00.000-08:002010-02-27T17:55:25.240-08:00Olympic Spirit<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mDOm_fJwR3rCARN0iJylEi423w3j9GU3gHQZmdjAfuBYVzgZfP_-mZyrOfDs9BSDOcb0HALWz1ER6fd1wfVLp_y0kPPeBuP4TGvtoNj_JONJegv_Juh6mAe7V53w60cxAQwrdV65SUM/s1600-h/chillin+at+the+village.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mDOm_fJwR3rCARN0iJylEi423w3j9GU3gHQZmdjAfuBYVzgZfP_-mZyrOfDs9BSDOcb0HALWz1ER6fd1wfVLp_y0kPPeBuP4TGvtoNj_JONJegv_Juh6mAe7V53w60cxAQwrdV65SUM/s320/chillin+at+the+village.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443103906774851826" /></a>There has been a definite change in the mood of the Athlete's village. When the athletes first arrived they were sticking close to their teams and allotted beds. You would only see them training in the streets and basically just sticking to themselves. We are now seeing them leave the village with us on the no. 10 or no. 98 bus and believe it or not, they too are shopping for the red torch mitts. Many of the athletes have competed and are starting to relax a little bit. (On a related note, many of the dispensers for Durex condoms we see in all the Athlete's bathrooms and the Polyclinic have been emptied! I don't think I have seen any balloon fights. Nudge! Nudge! Wink! Wink!) <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM0e7VvpSawMlIdxT7WpbVfBlp1FXTY4wd4KWyAVVD95eGEBOBayv_gxPBoYbDXBr78QwX7GgN5TDVr6OpyHVW2qUoyGuGLNxyvG_qNd6g8buPi4TASK3IywhZFTmVAUmb-3ABaKoYXE/s1600-h/promised+land.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM0e7VvpSawMlIdxT7WpbVfBlp1FXTY4wd4KWyAVVD95eGEBOBayv_gxPBoYbDXBr78QwX7GgN5TDVr6OpyHVW2qUoyGuGLNxyvG_qNd6g8buPi4TASK3IywhZFTmVAUmb-3ABaKoYXE/s320/promised+land.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443103480797637874" /></a><br />Canada by far has decorated their lot 3 better than any other country but we did see that Australia has placed some wickets in the rear of lot 5 (the Lodge) for cricket practice. Many countries have also sent a good number of their athletes home. We are now wondering if the cooks in the "Promised Land" (Athlete's side of the dining tent) will want volunteer tasters to cook for!<br /><br />We had a visit from Justin who is our Bell "Chef du Mission." He also ran the torch in North Vancouver and he decided to bring the torch for a visit. I decided that I had to pose the torch in front of those Australian cricket wickets as if the torch was a cricket bat. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVd_IiPEtnl1J60U36p6Qy7YBN7sW0NGhjftDYGC9RzSHnBZJpbH27fOLmHiHbXEb5ZzZV0CwXGQcSF-UjewQFVUx40v97wm0ZfOeaZ6sHvwZJ6dL590rez7kE6Ezf88ZtcgqEqh508c/s1600-h/torch+bat+cricket.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVd_IiPEtnl1J60U36p6Qy7YBN7sW0NGhjftDYGC9RzSHnBZJpbH27fOLmHiHbXEb5ZzZV0CwXGQcSF-UjewQFVUx40v97wm0ZfOeaZ6sHvwZJ6dL590rez7kE6Ezf88ZtcgqEqh508c/s320/torch+bat+cricket.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443104451417205362" /></a>Justin, for reasons only he knows, decided that he wanted to eat McDonalds in the dining tent of the Athlete's village. (We only decide to go to Mickey D's when we feel the food is too revolting and I have to admit we are pretty close to being extras in the film "Super Size Me!") As we were waiting for Maurizio to supply enough meal tickets, I held the torch in front of all those dining "smurfs." It didn't take long before people came up and asked to pose with the torch. Some of them even asked if I could pose with them even after I explained "the torch is not mine! I'm holding it for a friend!"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdaHKugHQGHk0hJ0KqmrkzGMetJ40hw7ruxnXdr8jB-8AaBVcXJC1BF9_FxjUb8_-4Pf3b3L9WxhRjzTnPyNIbmVxwQridv_2KTqoNkeDxX3v5d9oKAeIWRaHffpgK6VV3jnR8nX8LKw/s1600-h/Granville+st.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdaHKugHQGHk0hJ0KqmrkzGMetJ40hw7ruxnXdr8jB-8AaBVcXJC1BF9_FxjUb8_-4Pf3b3L9WxhRjzTnPyNIbmVxwQridv_2KTqoNkeDxX3v5d9oKAeIWRaHffpgK6VV3jnR8nX8LKw/s320/Granville+st.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443105718051990146" /></a><br />It makes me so happy to finally find that the Olympic spirit has filled the nation but more specifically, British Columbia! I can now honestly say to Fiona, Catherine and their friends that I predicted this would happen (Read my blog from November 15). I'm not sure if that is their experience as well but I can't guesstimate how many cheers and tears I have witnessed being in Whistler and visiting Vancouver (for my Fin/Ger hockey game). This is all in witnessing the pursuit of gold medals for our Canadian athletes. I thought "the stroll" in Whistler was crazy after a Canadian medal but I witnessed "crazy" on Granville Street walking back and forth from Canada Hockey Place (known outside of the Olympics as GM Place)! After that Friday night (Feb. 19th), police in Vancouver had the liquor stores close by 7:00 pm to try and maintain some peace. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonTe8fJhIETD-e5zgp-BYh1vvKtKv3Zxs-XUS84mx1YTeZPlUsLjJETw8RDI2DJCI2aa6ZtE6dTHw6muuLBjQaxoaKHJDSr5SQX_u6H3J-rujw4osUzWtVFEGT4w7GcSGX1h4mw3KtC8/s1600-h/Kaillie+Humphries+Heather+Moyse+2+womens+bobsleigh--gold.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonTe8fJhIETD-e5zgp-BYh1vvKtKv3Zxs-XUS84mx1YTeZPlUsLjJETw8RDI2DJCI2aa6ZtE6dTHw6muuLBjQaxoaKHJDSr5SQX_u6H3J-rujw4osUzWtVFEGT4w7GcSGX1h4mw3KtC8/s320/Kaillie+Humphries+Heather+Moyse+2+womens+bobsleigh--gold.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443106762304721778" /></a> I watched as a reveller needed to be subdued with a tazor. I declined taking pictures since the police were taking video of their own. (After all, I know that the police had a box of latex gloves and were not afraid to use them! Imagine the fun now with tazors!) Closer to the chalet, fierce Canadian supporters were antagonizing American supporters on our no. 6 bus before the famous game on Super Sunday. When have you heard Canadians doing that, especially in laid back Whistler! Maybe it's a good thing these Games only last just over two weeks!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-69544306888735191552010-02-23T09:17:00.000-08:002010-02-23T16:32:22.143-08:00Our Olympic Vacation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvivvb5t9n1_1G6o43SlFd37nPgvMmJ3OeDNQzAUOtnQ90WL7zTFIxpGPITL8CRr1c54NiDj6xTDUOnctNp2hhuO0VmaJPixtohXlE3HdLor3PHAJnz2SrDhkrenPrAjZEdKDY7IoXpA/s1600-h/on+the+golf+cart.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvivvb5t9n1_1G6o43SlFd37nPgvMmJ3OeDNQzAUOtnQ90WL7zTFIxpGPITL8CRr1c54NiDj6xTDUOnctNp2hhuO0VmaJPixtohXlE3HdLor3PHAJnz2SrDhkrenPrAjZEdKDY7IoXpA/s320/on+the+golf+cart.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441599909853321250" /></a>In California (and one place in Hawaii that I know of) many people talk about surfing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon. In winter, in the Whistler area, people talk about skiing in the morning and playing golf in the afternoon. Maybe it's because there are no places to surf close by. Joe and I contemplated skiing in the morning and personally, I think that was close enough to qualify (it would have been easy enough to strap on the skis and do a few runs on the learners hill). We decided to drive down to Squamish to play golf and take a vacation from the Olympics. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcqiutk7CsMrVC0XKzbNkroTfSm_ewD1R7f5UQ5Z60cQOTfWgMR_PzlPOW6-5KQJfRCHGzWuDYC8gkKVWhrkXL1d_5WPP4Esf0MtrQ-t_xoyaEtcZ-zeJpdVx2moN0Np69b6NmjAgpa8/s1600-h/swing+pose.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcqiutk7CsMrVC0XKzbNkroTfSm_ewD1R7f5UQ5Z60cQOTfWgMR_PzlPOW6-5KQJfRCHGzWuDYC8gkKVWhrkXL1d_5WPP4Esf0MtrQ-t_xoyaEtcZ-zeJpdVx2moN0Np69b6NmjAgpa8/s320/swing+pose.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441600632406570562" /></a>Our life in Whistler has been totally concentrated on this athlete's village and the Olympics. We, more so than the average public (outside of smurfdom) have been watching Olympic coverage almost non-stop since before the Opening Ceremonies, especially since we have the direct feeds from the different venues. The "I Believe" tune, with or without lyrics has been etched into all of our brains. I catch myself humming it when I'm bored or when I'm sleeping, standing up. I also generally have an irresistible urge to hum the theme for the "Smurfs" but that's another story.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ey0fQ3mABspDG-winqTC9cF62lJwjv8NZvwja71afaolvg4uOLGYQWUG6UoX-rKLjXTsXl6mEaeIVTg2y3xg_YNNrS3qvOwK9sn1FElm0mBoDV9r5DoZCa4OmfafM3Iifr0WmqV-WNE/s1600-h/joe's+swing+pose.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ey0fQ3mABspDG-winqTC9cF62lJwjv8NZvwja71afaolvg4uOLGYQWUG6UoX-rKLjXTsXl6mEaeIVTg2y3xg_YNNrS3qvOwK9sn1FElm0mBoDV9r5DoZCa4OmfafM3Iifr0WmqV-WNE/s320/joe's+swing+pose.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441601054706596754" /></a><br />We borrowed a vehicle from Dave and his media centre crew. It was something we didn't know we could do! We grabbed the van (and the Sea to Sky permit) and just drove south in the bright sunshine watching the outside temperature rise. It was conveniently displayed on the dash. The snow became a memory just after we passed the "WOP" (Whistler Olympic Park) and we arrived in Squamish to calm winds and 12 C temperatures. Perfect day for golf. Scores didn't matter, especially because they were poor and we couldn't blame them on our rentals (Nike Sasquatch--We thought it would be funny if we scratched in Quatchi, but we were on an Olympic holiday and Squamish Valley Golf and Country Club might not have thought it was that funny). I would have loved to have had my spikes (and my own clubs) but let's face it, we were playing golf in Canada on the 22nd of February. It was a good antidote to Olympicitis.Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-16936373554911976902010-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:002010-02-23T15:56:47.371-08:00Beer Belly Gold Medal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dgtAidAFfM2OsbuttA-IsjI3AiJ_qaJwwcFT8BpqEVMvaRmg2Jpavuu3Fdr4bkWUvRAk6lV6VXQktDt5DngIRwInER_7DMIKQ83IZRUOJaQwmUrICUU65OKwSjjq47u6IECg8hA3Agg/s1600-h/beer+belly+gold.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dgtAidAFfM2OsbuttA-IsjI3AiJ_qaJwwcFT8BpqEVMvaRmg2Jpavuu3Fdr4bkWUvRAk6lV6VXQktDt5DngIRwInER_7DMIKQ83IZRUOJaQwmUrICUU65OKwSjjq47u6IECg8hA3Agg/s320/beer+belly+gold.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440989198972660434" /></a>As usual, Joe and I came down off our mountain and went for our morning "stroll." We got to visit "Celebration Square" today. Let me remind everybody that we had to work the 2:30-23:00 shift and the real medal ceremonies start in the evening. Our visit was a little more special because somebody (name withheld in case we get unnamed person in trouble) just gave us an all access pass. I, of course, was the entertainment and at the time of this writing, the only recipient of the Beer Belly gold medal. Actual medal to follow, once I can find a gold coloured metal can to crush and bend into a weird shape.<br /><br />We also managed to find a real gold medalist today. We found Jon Montgomery showing off his crushed gold can, bent into a weird shape. He is such a ham:)! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijexU-gon88p3n-64eABarUvvPNznbjUG-LssHEJWSN5mp5LZ629rJnsVtVtvkJnxk78lgcJTOLUlpNu0jI2xhP9vxE5cJgtvnKoavs-G_RFQGZp1YCSdzc4_mc4YQkwOnz061uJsa_pg/s1600-h/Jon+Montgomery%27s+gold.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijexU-gon88p3n-64eABarUvvPNznbjUG-LssHEJWSN5mp5LZ629rJnsVtVtvkJnxk78lgcJTOLUlpNu0jI2xhP9vxE5cJgtvnKoavs-G_RFQGZp1YCSdzc4_mc4YQkwOnz061uJsa_pg/s320/Jon+Montgomery%27s+gold.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440990367592766786" /></a><br />If he stops exercising and stops launching himself head first down a ribbon of ice on a food tray, I will personally invite him to become the second recipient of the Beer Belly gold medal (BBGM). I watched him on TV training for the BBGM and I must say that he needs work. A true BBG medalist would have finished that jug of beer in a single swig and not allow the beer to get warm as he walked down the "stroll" being interviewed and in general, hamming it up.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEowqDBiXwNEARkB_3AGAuN0rs1UuoSvsDYZnC18IXKew1qhcUKnYml-w9YyD5hcRRRurBWNpNhz1LWPudk3uWxLXux_nSUxZpIcrwoDDPWqqWLsuQ5cfsel_IVg1AL-RwjPcNEs5tA_g/s1600-h/Nodar's+memorial.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEowqDBiXwNEARkB_3AGAuN0rs1UuoSvsDYZnC18IXKew1qhcUKnYml-w9YyD5hcRRRurBWNpNhz1LWPudk3uWxLXux_nSUxZpIcrwoDDPWqqWLsuQ5cfsel_IVg1AL-RwjPcNEs5tA_g/s320/Nodar's+memorial.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440991607479453586" /></a><br />We also found the memorial for Nodar. I'm not sure how it got there but many people visit and some leave things but most just pay their respects. An artist from Calgary decided to paint a memorial painting over one of his own canvas paintings. He drove in all the way from Calgary with no idea how he was going to get it to Nodar's father. He did find a "smurf" that could help him and I expect this painting will make it to the closing ceremonies. (Handy, those "smurfs" in a tight situation! Just don't expect to get in through the out door of the welcome tent.)Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-41862416908520305292010-02-18T12:12:00.000-08:002010-02-20T09:19:17.327-08:00Not Tea, Just Burnt Toast<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYj5ygZWg2oDOOIpA0uhWcDh2wSLWwBzscS7UsrlouKQTLeDDJHwntv6KX9ddisT9mtHOQ_8v-fNepKc9sCYUpraOKsDXEFy5R0iHFbrCOlS1Ns7P-zVUDwHeeQgRNg7HNiq0mzg29l8/s1600-h/DSC_0169.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 291px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYj5ygZWg2oDOOIpA0uhWcDh2wSLWwBzscS7UsrlouKQTLeDDJHwntv6KX9ddisT9mtHOQ_8v-fNepKc9sCYUpraOKsDXEFy5R0iHFbrCOlS1Ns7P-zVUDwHeeQgRNg7HNiq0mzg29l8/s320/DSC_0169.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439989315937745218" /></a>We were just getting ready to go to bed on Tuesday night (since we had the early morning shift on Wednesday) when the fire alarm went off. Realizing that my best buddy Jeff might not be able to hear this (since he was in the shower and listening to music at about 125 dB), I decided to knock on his bedroom door. He has complained to me before about my "courtesy rap" on the bedroom door to get him up in the morning and now I might know why. Through the sound of the fire alarm, the loud music and the shower, he was able to hear my life saving "courtesy rap!" Maybe I should use an open hand to execute the "courtesy rap" from here on in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_Dx9xf4c6gkK0OZG1iAOZjXzE0alqPPW1flM5XVs9-FkStEjqlUtnDu5SbdZxkdbyezpcq_dg0jUruJ0fzgFtJYq8qQxB82FmxxRtpetGFhVgFCKW56oeTih8wRpHvB0nIMMkzEGd2Q/s1600-h/Alexander+(Russia-silver).JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_Dx9xf4c6gkK0OZG1iAOZjXzE0alqPPW1flM5XVs9-FkStEjqlUtnDu5SbdZxkdbyezpcq_dg0jUruJ0fzgFtJYq8qQxB82FmxxRtpetGFhVgFCKW56oeTih8wRpHvB0nIMMkzEGd2Q/s320/Alexander+(Russia-silver).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439987344345562386" /></a>Now back to the fire alarm. We have a variety of guests at our "chalet" these days. We have several people wearing Russian uniforms that appeared coincidentally at about the same time the press announced eight athletes were caught on doping. I think they might just be reporters because we also have a large contingent of reporters, all from different countries. Of note for this story, is that once the fire truck arrived (basically to turn the alarms off), the reporters from Germany came rushing out to get to the bottom of this fire alarm story. If they put the camera any closer into the faces of the firemen, they would have come away with their DNA sequencing! Courtesy of their in-depth probing (one reporter asked, "What happened?"), we found out that a Russian from the sixth floor burnt some toast. I guess those Russians don't know toasters! Thank God they didn't try to turn the oven on!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PZZ3R4P90B4PsycMNAR4pz8n62dBd1AuQ2fzh50qtW_07koflbauxlknKJTTTNRisdKsL-Dj6h6ZcIpGNbaIKXYROE91C3YbDsXhnEqHRseC6zij1RS1tlITp6rlPAi6A6HJ5nP_BJA/s1600-h/Justyna+(Poland-silver).JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PZZ3R4P90B4PsycMNAR4pz8n62dBd1AuQ2fzh50qtW_07koflbauxlknKJTTTNRisdKsL-Dj6h6ZcIpGNbaIKXYROE91C3YbDsXhnEqHRseC6zij1RS1tlITp6rlPAi6A6HJ5nP_BJA/s320/Justyna+(Poland-silver).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439985969327039570" /></a>Joe and I have been trying to spend alot of our spare time on "the stroll." We typically start from the IGA (or iga as Laura and I say when we're in Quebec) and walk over to the bus loop. Along the way we will try to "vogue" for the CTV, TSN cameras (and even the "beauty cams") that are planted along the way. Joe is getting pretty good at picking a spot over Kelly Vanderbeek's shoulder to have his moment on air. We have found that the "scalpers" stand around Celebration Square (just behind IGA) to buy and sell Olympic tickets but we aren't too interested in their wares. We happened to be near the Polish cross-country athlete Justyna Kowalczyk talking to reporters about her silver medal win. She was totally surrounded! (We also saw Alexander Panzhinskiy, Russia-silver and Nikita Krivkov, Russia-gold) Joe turns to me and says "Hey, there's Trevor Linden!" Trevor like us, was trying to figure out what the fuss was all about! It's funny that he is just another face in the crowd when it comes to the Winter Games. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfZ2c056D_ejSvATmc7oxPfk3iLZ0ebVZ-MAPJvuA5goAD9Z4ad5TQS2LqwG7SIE2t-PnhebijO5I5v4gIqkuL5ZPAU6YYP6vmjJfg8bJywuWghNzn4jd0WxmR3csZR4zCzucDdT8xdg/s1600-h/DSC_0215-b.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfZ2c056D_ejSvATmc7oxPfk3iLZ0ebVZ-MAPJvuA5goAD9Z4ad5TQS2LqwG7SIE2t-PnhebijO5I5v4gIqkuL5ZPAU6YYP6vmjJfg8bJywuWghNzn4jd0WxmR3csZR4zCzucDdT8xdg/s320/DSC_0215-b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439989510204016658" /></a>Apart from Mike Lansberg, Kelly Vanderbeek and the CTV/TSN crews, we also found the "Access Hollywood" crew (as well as a huge assortment of European crews). It's funny watching the different filming styles as the 'AH' set was like filming a movie. We had Billy Bush doing a couple of lines and then Maria Menounos taking over the set and doing her lines. (FYI; I had to Google their names because although they look familiar, I wouldn't know them from Adam). There were cuts and retakes with Maria asking where her hot tea was in between takes! The CTV set went live, on air with just a "heads up" from Mike to Kelly to let her know what they were going to talk about.Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-35903434230386102652010-02-15T09:14:00.000-08:002010-02-15T19:49:29.613-08:00A Good Gold Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrocfPOO7cMunIRa-x7po8oCTkS108-s1Z3hGByq22yGmc6Tqse7TF_F2Xsa9bRYwZ1qPhxyZwvBRdBylvZzKO35I1IoO0pVcFDCF_WDVoC8l5wUdo3tfaYWCL3Tj8zvDTiMIa64InRKI/s1600-h/CIMG0195.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrocfPOO7cMunIRa-x7po8oCTkS108-s1Z3hGByq22yGmc6Tqse7TF_F2Xsa9bRYwZ1qPhxyZwvBRdBylvZzKO35I1IoO0pVcFDCF_WDVoC8l5wUdo3tfaYWCL3Tj8zvDTiMIa64InRKI/s320/CIMG0195.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438669670281497218" /></a>I had the early shift Sunday and to make it worse, it was raining. It was monsoon raining! We normally get a lift from Maurizio on these early morning shifts but since things are slow now, he has changed management shifts to more decent hours (8am-9pm). <br /><br />Joe and I made our way to work and I convinced him that if we stayed on the no. 6 to the bus loop and then picked up the no. 98 to Squamish (this bus also turns into our Athlete's village), we would get to work sooner, but more importantly drier. One of our team was also on the no. 6 bus and she decided to stick with the no. 10. Well, I was right on one count but I think it was the most important one. Joe and I arrived, just minutes before 6:00am, fresh and dry. Our team mate did beat us by a few minutes but she also looked like a drowned rat!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixebtO05vj-jMN0dJ3PCMCBpUEVEv2EJiiXF8w5O-tNdZTKRHkUGs9fLrTBd6OYuQ7wWlqBKcX_GsbB3IJGxQxNxNSr-gISejrksNg5iqngmsdNGupduZ7LrRltbdAColLG3N16cGgicA/s1600-h/CIMG0162.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixebtO05vj-jMN0dJ3PCMCBpUEVEv2EJiiXF8w5O-tNdZTKRHkUGs9fLrTBd6OYuQ7wWlqBKcX_GsbB3IJGxQxNxNSr-gISejrksNg5iqngmsdNGupduZ7LrRltbdAColLG3N16cGgicA/s320/CIMG0162.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438681032375750562" /></a>We hunkered down into our trailer and hoped that we wouldn't have to go out on the "Gator" in all that rain! Then things started looking up! The rain subsided and out of boredom we jumped onto the wet "Gator" and went for a ride. We found about a half dozen black cars in a section of the Village called "Plaza Entry." We figured these were for Nodar, our fallen Georgian luge athlete and suddenly felt uncomfortable being in this section of the village. Back to the trailer, just in time to avoid another downpour! As it turned out, all those cars were for our Governor-General, Michaelle Jean. Back out in the rain and the wet "gator" to get as close as we dared and with all the security we felt uncomfortable reaching into our pocket to grab our cameras but we did manage to take a few pictures. The entrance to the "plaza entry" has a checkpoint and while standing out of the rain there, none other than Steve Podborsky walked through. He was shorter than I had imagined!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwp3kLa1Ua-KiWiXT4ChDdDEiHflnmMK4OTwGetXK78WE_TNjAhQJrdPeTun5Jfejd6NTLNE1JZpkofwEZzDJoLhYeFSGZVUSaPSEun48rzbx0SiZG0S0GjuZmmKrUr50o5GLNFcabM0/s1600-h/CIMG0176.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwp3kLa1Ua-KiWiXT4ChDdDEiHflnmMK4OTwGetXK78WE_TNjAhQJrdPeTun5Jfejd6NTLNE1JZpkofwEZzDJoLhYeFSGZVUSaPSEun48rzbx0SiZG0S0GjuZmmKrUr50o5GLNFcabM0/s320/CIMG0176.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438681582689557874" /></a>Since Joe and I had not done much sight seeing at Whistler during the Games, we decided to go to the walking village to celebrate Jennifer Heil's silver medal. We were told to visit our Bell Store because they were handing out branded cow bells. Sure enough we got them! We found our GLC (where Much Music sets up shop) was brimming to the rafters so we turned around and went to Merlins. We did happen to get a table on the upper level and set up with a plate of their famous cheese nachos and beer. Men's Freestyle was on the tube and the place erupted when Marquis and Rousseau were leading in first and second. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMszZYcITkGvelnNmQ1Hfp-JXriM17vyE6vk_z8Xkb4UZ8-_ek31qk6kl21CaOVWJyNjRRfAHkwWjuo2T7HOHQtqTKiYZbrXTW-LpK02G4NPQvjuwWvs7_0CFxyK5wC6R37I_gbWgaYVc/s1600-h/CIMG0178.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMszZYcITkGvelnNmQ1Hfp-JXriM17vyE6vk_z8Xkb4UZ8-_ek31qk6kl21CaOVWJyNjRRfAHkwWjuo2T7HOHQtqTKiYZbrXTW-LpK02G4NPQvjuwWvs7_0CFxyK5wC6R37I_gbWgaYVc/s320/CIMG0178.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438683197042322018" /></a> Right about then the band that was playing started the Canadian national anthem. Everybody stood up and started singing. Our Bell "cow bells" were coming in handy. There was booing when the American Bryon Wilson took first and then more loud cheers from the Australians when Dale Begg-Smith took over first. I can't describe how loud it was, not only in that bar but throughout Vancouver, Whistler and Canada when Bilodeau placed first when all was said and done! His victory speech at the bottom of the hill, extolling his older brothers drive was icing on the cake.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4x_hLu2yGS3Dj7NyqwHVRKkuCTgfyVGPVW0kR3pH5_VclAjMbgIFqrjsUUTjWLCYSq-M8ATtlSkGqdMn2HEm3ZNDjWsmLyetBwAwJcDLS132SYZ0Ntz1idlm7I1vyMSoLOZXbMSObQ4/s1600-h/canadian+luge+team.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4x_hLu2yGS3Dj7NyqwHVRKkuCTgfyVGPVW0kR3pH5_VclAjMbgIFqrjsUUTjWLCYSq-M8ATtlSkGqdMn2HEm3ZNDjWsmLyetBwAwJcDLS132SYZ0Ntz1idlm7I1vyMSoLOZXbMSObQ4/s320/canadian+luge+team.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438575304522723682" /></a>We decided to go back to the walking village to celebrate and see if we could get on camera someplace and maybe get some pins. Again, those branded cow bells came in handy as the race results and Alexandre Bilodeau's run was played over and over on all the TV screens throughout. The walking village was packed! In typical Canadian fashion, a hockey game broke out in the middle of the walking village. I loved the look on the little guys face when "Luonglegs" got a penalty for high sticking! We also got a picture of our Bell team on the Omega 4-man bobsleigh but I liked to call it the Canada 1 bobsleigh. I got a picture of our mens luge team in front of the CTV studio. Sam Edney (Canadian men's Luge) placed seventh in an event that is measured in the thousandths of a second. They were signing autographs and hopefully inspiring another batch of future Olympians. It just turned out to be a good day!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNy9zdFRP5taAOpmuuCyEWvgtxxlKSBErkBHNQqUuHV4fLVs5978kzspc9gEDnyMU85vuU3wOUHLejBShmov4CLLd1UjganAvm3ghvwLvLiBDHR6uW_qZrQ7JKQ1p_UeHvHvr9ArfeEss/s1600-h/ball+hockey+in+walking+village.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNy9zdFRP5taAOpmuuCyEWvgtxxlKSBErkBHNQqUuHV4fLVs5978kzspc9gEDnyMU85vuU3wOUHLejBShmov4CLLd1UjganAvm3ghvwLvLiBDHR6uW_qZrQ7JKQ1p_UeHvHvr9ArfeEss/s320/ball+hockey+in+walking+village.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438574896150282898" /></a>Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-85114307449873855182010-02-12T14:55:00.000-08:002010-11-13T13:53:40.387-08:00Ceremony ParadeA terrible accident happened today involving the Georgian competitor, Nodar Kumaritashvili, at the finish line of the Sliding Centre. I had taken a few pictures near that spot with Joe and Mike a few days ago. My new camera takes four pictures every second. The slider was in only two of them. It just illustrates how fast the slider was going. My heart goes out to his friends and family.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh354nNUTAoE6we3pzIptKvfmj3FbN49n4lQPhANjARHWEfXDZJ9V771gpHw6md6KLdZCVCZ8Vr77JY0quAdI2ipFw6eB1OxVuiLaJwLJbMVXzuAzzeMXKgh196ncbbTxhH4KoiJ7Qu0Ys/s1600-h/photo+ops+at+the+lodge.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh354nNUTAoE6we3pzIptKvfmj3FbN49n4lQPhANjARHWEfXDZJ9V771gpHw6md6KLdZCVCZ8Vr77JY0quAdI2ipFw6eB1OxVuiLaJwLJbMVXzuAzzeMXKgh196ncbbTxhH4KoiJ7Qu0Ys/s320/photo+ops+at+the+lodge.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437501467635182402" /></a>There was alot of pageantry today as the athletes dressed in their parade uniforms gathered together and made their way to the buses under the direction of Christian. It made me smile (and proud) to see our beloved "smurfs" line the pathway that the athletes used to get to the buses which took them down to Vancouver. They clapped and cheered as each country, big or small walked past. It looked impromptu, so I hope it's something the athletes remember. I know I will.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DJHz_DvhWrilm8G8QNQVyHi3ZGJV6FYSXp9SODsclFsVR-RYEAuW4MWu6wqaRot3R1voBjZhPW6EpUej71WZBq8JyruZDzrUgvuK3SMmLsuhpXwpZD2MZkccGMS3tyI3L_maX3XnZgo/s1600-h/showing+your+colours.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DJHz_DvhWrilm8G8QNQVyHi3ZGJV6FYSXp9SODsclFsVR-RYEAuW4MWu6wqaRot3R1voBjZhPW6EpUej71WZBq8JyruZDzrUgvuK3SMmLsuhpXwpZD2MZkccGMS3tyI3L_maX3XnZgo/s320/showing+your+colours.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437502252814719762" /></a>I still can't talk about the Opening Ceremonies, but nobody said that I couldn't post some pictures of the uniforms the athletes wear to them!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF1i4xH8vD4MTCI5L5bVIMV1QMQZucYLZSaa90MJqDlxbSalSBtm21ivy2YqJw3j1immEeSvtIcYYwmZtgIvNHQ6uRcPlSPQMDcmWVyI92kM2qTDQ20OW3pw5UCj8kLQy3JTbSvBByE4/s1600-h/smurf+salute.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF1i4xH8vD4MTCI5L5bVIMV1QMQZucYLZSaa90MJqDlxbSalSBtm21ivy2YqJw3j1immEeSvtIcYYwmZtgIvNHQ6uRcPlSPQMDcmWVyI92kM2qTDQ20OW3pw5UCj8kLQy3JTbSvBByE4/s320/smurf+salute.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437596364855310658" /></a>Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-52852552314863164862010-02-11T18:55:00.000-08:002010-02-12T10:31:12.317-08:00Eve of Games<A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLD93ju4T8NxY87rf0wBK9UqGoFErv72IufXlmHynWxFslJ-lHc7L8ziZ51Oi3AmJ9D3cuZ0aQhvLLxtwXiPdUhmnFTcFZAy9l6jjYEPoyooGQqk3uPQV2K2WVSklMZZtkUrM5Lr5xMA/s1600-h/DSC_0016.JPG"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437222152744334322 style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLD93ju4T8NxY87rf0wBK9UqGoFErv72IufXlmHynWxFslJ-lHc7L8ziZ51Oi3AmJ9D3cuZ0aQhvLLxtwXiPdUhmnFTcFZAy9l6jjYEPoyooGQqk3uPQV2K2WVSklMZZtkUrM5Lr5xMA/s320/DSC_0016.JPG" border=0></A>We have all looked at our schedules and we realize that the beginning of the end of our time in B.C. is marked with the start of the Winter Games. We have taken stock of all the "stuff" we have accumulated and wonder how we will get it all back home. Joe has looked in his freezer and found that his search for bargains at the butcher shop has put him in peril of not being able to consume his stock before his trip home. Joe figures he should have just enough as long as he becomes a "meatatarian." The rest of us have volunteered to help him with that noble quest. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0HIqMe_AB10q6SZPf7dJXJfGybEBZUPAEsUlFUykwLnKMji5al4bW4iGx60OtMDR23CUiKpTTXp71GUdCCuRvoki1S79f6BSQxQiaIdxkgi4ypsDKlau9YL3A0gwY8UGqL8B2vVQWWE/s1600-h/Pemberton+009.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0HIqMe_AB10q6SZPf7dJXJfGybEBZUPAEsUlFUykwLnKMji5al4bW4iGx60OtMDR23CUiKpTTXp71GUdCCuRvoki1S79f6BSQxQiaIdxkgi4ypsDKlau9YL3A0gwY8UGqL8B2vVQWWE/s320/Pemberton+009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437425711252325890" /></a><br />We are all looking at the number of days left on our "Edge Ski Pass" and counting up how many days off we have left on our schedules. We are also looking at doing some of the things we wanted to do at the outset. Bill, Jeff P. and Maurizio drove down to the ferry and went to Tofino (on Vancouver Island). Neil and my best buddy Jeff went snowmobiling on the Pemberton Ice fields. They were able to look down from their mountain top to the mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb. They were sledding at an altitude of 8,300 ft. Their pictures were incredible! At some point you will be able to see some of his pictures on www.totallyawesomeadventures.com. Even if you can't find Jeff on this web site, I think you will get the point! <br /><br /><OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-b7ad68013908ea84 height=266 width=320 contentId="b7ad68013908ea84"></OBJECT><br />On our day off, Joe and I met up with Bill and Jeff P. who were skiing down the "Learners Run" for a few hours before they had to go to work. This slope is at the base of Blackcomb and is totally free! It is serviced by a couple of "magic carpet lifts" and by one triple chair. The runs are green and are about as long as any runs you have to pay for in the Toronto area! More free stuff the guys have found in Whistler! <br /><br /><A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p9WrwJEdGC5RVIdKiwXgLgQxhlaaaoyIoW9mQnvgEVNyAtmn6d1r75h_ogeXf94fxvBuPXqoVCgocHUe6k14I5PdRMlkXZa_eqKFFhlOI8-JXxJaWBhmflUZH9TTQxoC-WCNJDjP2uM/s1600-h/DSC_0111.JPG"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437227188055483346 style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p9WrwJEdGC5RVIdKiwXgLgQxhlaaaoyIoW9mQnvgEVNyAtmn6d1r75h_ogeXf94fxvBuPXqoVCgocHUe6k14I5PdRMlkXZa_eqKFFhlOI8-JXxJaWBhmflUZH9TTQxoC-WCNJDjP2uM/s320/DSC_0111.JPG" border=0></A>Apres ski consisted of a visit to the nearby Whistler Sliding Centre. We were lucky enough to watch some training runs in the Men's Luge event. It was amazing to walk down the course and see how high the sleds etc. climbed up the vertical walls of the banked turns. These guys hit speeds of 150 kms/hr when they reach the bottom (turn 16--Thunderbird). Turns 14 and 15 are chicane-type turns and are nicknamed the 50/50 turns for obvious reasons (you have a 50/50 chance of making it). I was lucky enough to have an excellent camera with me (which was supplied and transported to me--even with all my objections, by my lovely wife Laura).Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-5449768059236093742010-02-08T07:30:00.000-08:002010-11-13T14:10:08.726-08:00Pins, Pins and more Pins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qulbtGvik4zTwBvL09hQJ5Hho8UDfjGUnMHFbrzAYpBbY7PUn40Xz41br6jPKjrWvgHzrWeeBhcVA91IaqeYOJCa0n6m6o0aKMNuiAN29KnqZNIFXxZw4i9yW-0z8i7tUJ1NZtiuva4/s1600-h/Believe.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qulbtGvik4zTwBvL09hQJ5Hho8UDfjGUnMHFbrzAYpBbY7PUn40Xz41br6jPKjrWvgHzrWeeBhcVA91IaqeYOJCa0n6m6o0aKMNuiAN29KnqZNIFXxZw4i9yW-0z8i7tUJ1NZtiuva4/s320/Believe.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435959216052744594" /></a>Most of the athletes have now arrived. With that comes calls for no connectivity and worse yet, moves and change orders! Generally, in "payment" for these inconveniences, we are offered national team Olympic pins. Now, although this is my second Olympics, I still really don't understand the need for all these pin exchanges. I gladly accept them but I'm still wondering what I will do with them once the Games are over. In the heat of the moment though it's hard not to become a "pin monger!" (I was going to use another word but I figure I stretched the limit with my last post) Our shifts have changed from working every day to working a morning shift one day (6am-3pm), afternoon the next (2pm-11pm) and a day off on the third. Originally, Brian (AVTCM) had us coming in on the afternoon shift then the morning shift and then a day off but that would have been hard with only 7 hours between shifts. This seems like a break from all the work we did to get us here.<br /><br />All of my crew were lucky enough to win tickets to a single event and also the Opening Ceremony rehearsal. Neil and my best buddy Jeff were voluntold to look after things at our Athlete's village so I feel bad for Jeff because I know that he wanted to go. Things would have been better if everybody but two on our crew were given tickets to the Opening Ceremony rehearsal. Once in Vancouver, we had to sign a contract that we would not disclose anything that happened and we had to surrender all devices that could take a video or photograph. I did notice some flashes going during the show and I wish that I could have taken my camera. I think you guys will love it! My other ticket was for a hockey game in Vancouver (Finland/Germany). Again, my best buddy Jeff was ready to sell his soul for that ticket but I think I will keep that one. It did get annoying hearing him make plans to watch this hockey game in my place while I was still holding the ticket. I was on the verge of just giving it to him but many people told me to hang onto it even it I didn't go. Something else for me to put into my drawer in the garage.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRyIdttBFzV3yacg52s8kfRRX8o8WnahtvNTxC9_AQQExKHxazgJh1q9kzeWYpK9Zcxzuro4WkS95WPjat0sRCScCc0znNS8as3WLGcveDzOxji1IUBzZhh5ttTOmgBW4ECG7FPNMlbs/s1600-h/CIMG0079.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRyIdttBFzV3yacg52s8kfRRX8o8WnahtvNTxC9_AQQExKHxazgJh1q9kzeWYpK9Zcxzuro4WkS95WPjat0sRCScCc0znNS8as3WLGcveDzOxji1IUBzZhh5ttTOmgBW4ECG7FPNMlbs/s320/CIMG0079.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435932340339418706" /></a>We were treated to the other side of the dining tent on a couple of days. Once for breakfast and once again for lunch. The athletes really do eat much better than we do. I wasn't on shift for the breakfast but I was on shift for the lunch. It makes eating our lunch that much harder because we know that steps away from our meal, there is a really tasty "athlete's" meal happening. Joe and Maurizio got their picture with the famous "Micheal Smith." For those of you that don't watch the Food Network, he has four programs on it whose titles all seem to start with "Chef at..."<br /><br />The final transformation of our village has been completed. It started out as a garbage dump and now we have watched the paving of our "road to Beirut and the road to Kandahar." Our venue now houses the most elite winter athletes of our day. Every room has been turned into a bedroom and I mean every room. Pairs of althetes sleep in the garage, kitchen, dining room and some even manage to sleep in actual bedrooms. I feel bad for the athletes that have devoted their whole life to training to be the best to compete at the Olympics but sorry, the only room we have for you is here in the garage! Yeah, they're carpetted and look like bedrooms but even the dullest of athletes would see that they are actually sleeping in a garage! <br /><br />We have watched the athletes perform their dry land training and it's amazing. The Romanian team uses the incline on one road in Lot 17 and does something that resembles a wind sprint up the hill. They extend their stride so that it looks like they are leaping from foot to foot with their follow-through having their foot touch their bum. I guesstimate each stride to be about twelve feet! The athletes are really focussed and seem antsy. It's hard to get them to see you never mind greeting them in any way!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBzNf6zZ3vsVEksz1nkGN85hEjdrermByNVxXh7FvFDDTQrox1D2fC4YF7AEuSx1kPo5PDwKvegO-bBScVVpexZAn7eA4genA4Criwsgj9Z_Y6t3samKkYx7S3cPUYEhyphenhyphenk63Xfouebfs/s1600-h/CIMG0069.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBzNf6zZ3vsVEksz1nkGN85hEjdrermByNVxXh7FvFDDTQrox1D2fC4YF7AEuSx1kPo5PDwKvegO-bBScVVpexZAn7eA4genA4Criwsgj9Z_Y6t3samKkYx7S3cPUYEhyphenhyphenk63Xfouebfs/s320/CIMG0069.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435933812637487250" /></a>Joe and I drove through the venue after it got dark to try and take some pictures of the lights. Although it really is a prison we are in, the lights take the edge off. I travelled around during the day and wondered what some of the flood lights were for. It was revealed at night! Vanoc is projecting messages onto the landscape. "Believe! Inspire! Courage!" The Canadian team is also trying to liven the place up. All of the teams have their flags on their housing units but the Canadian team have stepped it up a notch. Firstly, they have their moose. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7OS9iN0UTdbfg9zUSQWBu-j_mfm-8lnFW1fBbc6yigF9d2osd7mwfo4nF6bpBFwBsZ_uTPMFn2_2dLdgt4yNvNI3grxjd6_BvMVVuuyJQy_UgEjbtO0zm0kBK75xVCM3uNCNqYpjsXE/s1600-h/Canada+(Lot+3)+on+the+hill.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7OS9iN0UTdbfg9zUSQWBu-j_mfm-8lnFW1fBbc6yigF9d2osd7mwfo4nF6bpBFwBsZ_uTPMFn2_2dLdgt4yNvNI3grxjd6_BvMVVuuyJQy_UgEjbtO0zm0kBK75xVCM3uNCNqYpjsXE/s320/Canada+(Lot+3)+on+the+hill.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435959584320159106" /></a>In the rear of the units, we have a Canadian flag created with white and red lights. We also have a single red arch. Both of these are visible from most of the village. In the front of each unit, we, of course have a flag but we also have two lawn chairs. Each lawn chair has something Canadian, like a maple leaf and all of them have a space on the arm rest for a can. How Canadian! The only thing missing was a can of beer but I think that was implied!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-34993384263316216742010-02-02T10:14:00.000-08:002010-11-13T13:37:58.824-08:00Joe and Lou's Excellent Bus Adventures<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn1Itsawviv967e9nQN2BsSgF5xtwiTnrGwexV4Mk8r-8bpwarqfdVF8JKfqa-PMl3imKx89J-0uua-ntpKYKM8XpbD6YTazd8-FnYbisU_FzFLH7jpYWTjI20ZmlhjFyuUJNnzD0U_I/s1600-h/Great+Canadian+Moose.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn1Itsawviv967e9nQN2BsSgF5xtwiTnrGwexV4Mk8r-8bpwarqfdVF8JKfqa-PMl3imKx89J-0uua-ntpKYKM8XpbD6YTazd8-FnYbisU_FzFLH7jpYWTjI20ZmlhjFyuUJNnzD0U_I/s320/Great+Canadian+Moose.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434082375603008226" /></a>Joe and I decided to take the bus to try and get the full effect of these 2010 Games. We have become acquainted with the routes up and down our mountain to our "chalet." We know that the no. 6 bus will take us down Blackcomb mountain to Merlins (for apres ski at the base of the ski run behind our hotel) with the terminus at the bus loop (just at the bottom of Blackcomb and Whistler gondolas. This is also where you can find the "GLC" (Garibaldi Lift Company) or the "Irish Pub" that other people on our Bell team seem to like for apres ski). We can take a variety of routes through town by bus or by car and generally we know that all the roads are two-way in Whistler. We also found out that the no. 10 bus will take us directly to our Athlete's Village venue. Take our beloved no. 6 to the no. 10. Spit, spot! Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt!<br /><br />Enter the Games! Apparently, Whistler Transit does not have enough staff to handle the crowds for these Games. They too have imported drivers from across Canada to try and move people around town and to the variety of venues in the region. There were droves of buses scooting around town which were "out of service" as the new drivers were learning their routes. There were scores of drivers also riding the active buses (ghosting), again trying to learn the routes. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQuGewmab0qgVM8e5ryYxQxB-1rL060BZlsQj1PjQ8ra1uE8ILS0UjRkimUWw7ZDW2LapaT4pmE8uZ7IuNDbgTZKqESmSdSGXqIKpjtBSWo5x4hz2OZQyjzAsaTnr2hyP3LAKmvnY4jI/s1600-h/road+closed.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQuGewmab0qgVM8e5ryYxQxB-1rL060BZlsQj1PjQ8ra1uE8ILS0UjRkimUWw7ZDW2LapaT4pmE8uZ7IuNDbgTZKqESmSdSGXqIKpjtBSWo5x4hz2OZQyjzAsaTnr2hyP3LAKmvnY4jI/s320/road+closed.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434081551474788994" /></a>Enter the problem! Just in time for the Games, the bus routes have been modified. Also, just in time for the Games, some roads have turned from two way traffic into one way traffic. Let's not forget about all those new bus drivers trying to keep the bus on the correct route! Then there are the locals (of which I now include myself) that thought they knew the bus route (before it changed). What you get from any passenger waiting for a bus are rumours which turn into advice which become legend!<br /><br />I know it's a little off topic but before I go any further I have to say that both Joe and I have had our fill of the food at our venue. It is not that it is unpalatable, but we both like a little more flavour in our food and let's face it, even though "Michael Smith" is the master chef, we are still eating cafeteria food. Anyway, Joe decided to have his own lunch that day and I would have too but I'm not that ambitious about lunch. I went down to the lobby at the predetermined time and found that Joe had not yet arrived. That wasn't a big problem because I knew that he wanted to have a wholesome lunch before heading out. It wasn't a problem until I saw the no. 6 bus come around our loop. In a panic, I called Joe to get his ass down to the bus stop or face missing that no. 6 bus. When he answered the phone I know he had a mouthful but I heard him say he would be right down. The bus still hadn't left when he got down and with sweat on his forehead we made a run to the bus stop. We caught the bus but we didn't have time to talk about how we were going to make the no. 10. The bus driver just handed us a bus schedule but a "ghost rider" explained what we had to do to catch the no. 10. It was only after we had sat down that Joe admitted he had scalded his entire mouth wolfing down hot pasta. The sweat on his forehead was not just from rushing down the elevator but also from pain!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LiNXqFPled36bNBPSrsSVTDi7qheMIeHeVwHrPA52PSPELGUqcUeu3W39jUNrq-Lr8eDClrFBs1ObZn2n749mW-wJiiIpvnK5_cZlfG3WwVwH5qR8PvWqEwdkFLyuC7gIJgr2ogGyVw/s1600-h/CIMG0074.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LiNXqFPled36bNBPSrsSVTDi7qheMIeHeVwHrPA52PSPELGUqcUeu3W39jUNrq-Lr8eDClrFBs1ObZn2n749mW-wJiiIpvnK5_cZlfG3WwVwH5qR8PvWqEwdkFLyuC7gIJgr2ogGyVw/s320/CIMG0074.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434190849494929634" /></a>Our trip home on the bus was just as eventful, but it had nothing to do with the buses. After we took the shuttle to the entrance of our venue, the "smurfs" (smiley, happy volunteers in uniforms of blue including hats, God bless them) directed us out a fenced in walkway which led to our beloved no. 10 bus. Just like cattle, we followed their direction because they haven't lied to us so far and because they are just so cute. It was all a ruse though because the gate which led to freedom had been locked at 9:00 pm and it was 9:05 pm. In any thriller movie, that's typically the time that panels come down on the fence and something evil enters to smite some of the good guys! In that vane, I grabbed hold of the locked gate and exclaimed "I want free! I want free!" (That was me re-enacting a scene from a movie) We now had two options to escape our venue. We could either go through the tent where the scary RCMP officers sniff out our vehicles or we could go into the Welcome tent where the "smurfs" typically scan (yes, just like an airport) visitors. The Welcome tent seemed more appealling as I had heard a rumour that the RCMP had a new box of latex gloves and they weren't afraid to use them. <br /><br />We banged on the exit side of the Welcome tent door and somehow the "smurfs" seemed perturbed! "This door is exit only!" ("So is my butt," I thought, "now let us out, I want to go home!") <br /><br />"You must exit through the gate!" <br /><br />("Twenty grown people have tried that and lived to tell the tale" I thought! The way is shut! It is constipated! Get a hold of the RCMP! They have new latex gloves and they're not afraid to use them!") <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXJ7jYchKAYJTbJN4g5FIesCj0tl-e7v7PAsG0KHafd8BU5RwLR2Cvd0YOw7IXt0bGGvC2BYUcuVaSw17MaJU-BdGp3g0dgwEghVaYs_6_O2Ip5VGzKC99vsF7VSuMun-4LQxuaPg64w/s1600-h/CIMG0068.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXJ7jYchKAYJTbJN4g5FIesCj0tl-e7v7PAsG0KHafd8BU5RwLR2Cvd0YOw7IXt0bGGvC2BYUcuVaSw17MaJU-BdGp3g0dgwEghVaYs_6_O2Ip5VGzKC99vsF7VSuMun-4LQxuaPg64w/s320/CIMG0068.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434191245324218002" /></a>After much pleading, the "smurfs" finally agreed to let us walk in through the out door. There were several brooms and ice-scrapers in a garbage pail at the entrance to this Welcome Centre! There were handles on the outside of the entrance doors that conveniently looked like D-rings. I joked that I should take some of these brooms and ice scraper handles and slide them through the D-ring door handles and lock them in for a while! I bet the gate would be opened up pretty quick when it was the "smurfs" turn to go home! I don't think I can trust a "smurf" any more!<br /><br />We found that there is a short walk from where we exit the no. 6 bus to where we pick up our no. 10 bus. Since the bus routes intersect, it would have been too convenient to have a bus stop near that intersection point. We needed to cross at a side walk and found a "crossing guard coach" showing what I was assuming to be a volunteer (in civilian clothes wearing a high-vis vest) how to wield a "stop sign." He was telling the young lady to be assertive and make sure that there is no indecisiveness in the raising and lowering of that "stop sign." I thought that in itself to be amusing but I am easily amused these days riding the bus routes of Whistler! We heard an ambulance siren wailing in the distance and the crossing guard coach jumped into action! He ran into the middle of the intersection and started screaming orders at his crossing guards! "Let that car pass! You, move over there and stop that traffic! Come on people! Look alive!" I guess our crossing guard coach must have felt that 20 minutes of instruction on how to raise a stop sign was somehow invigorating for volunteers!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-16391911526921196802010-01-29T18:29:00.000-08:002010-01-31T14:56:45.122-08:00Moving day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnal6EJizohPTc_iP3B-V5tMQkfpphJS8XKSlNA520t6lUf3G756bbpsi1hXr0S-AGlhsR92_QW0TOaNk1-zv2ecoEYnRXWspjk1rQZ5vv0PGi7XhkmnYD6p20cRijzVMEFhaVwsEpDk/s1600-h/Not+the+Smurfs.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnal6EJizohPTc_iP3B-V5tMQkfpphJS8XKSlNA520t6lUf3G756bbpsi1hXr0S-AGlhsR92_QW0TOaNk1-zv2ecoEYnRXWspjk1rQZ5vv0PGi7XhkmnYD6p20cRijzVMEFhaVwsEpDk/s320/Not+the+Smurfs.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432686607915434626" /></a>We received our uniforms last Monday and I have to say that I (and most everybody else) is totally impressed. Many of the other groups at our venue have complimented us on our uniforms. Although our ski jackets are blue, we don't appear to be smurf like at all. We were asked to provide black pants and if it is cold enough we wear a black Sun Ice fleece jacket. Without the blue ski jacket, we look like "Men in Black." Maybe that's a bad analogy but at least we don't look like smurfs anyway! <br /><br />Twice this week our venue was buzzed by CF-18s. I'm sure each venue here in Whistler is claiming these jets as their own. It seems they do a fly by when the skies are blue so I figure we won't see them again for a while. In the meantime, we get daily 'sorties' from several assorted helicopters. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpVyHPBkAM84SEgOTZX6Njf_juW4HVMYv122zct8dRQkoacJjeOGWXthThHxq4nh3xxOALlS1tRZ5GTdimH3I35ZV91FpFkYIpgADrcgbjIFUqMEh1woyJZ-pUQ7gi8k8JnqoqmM9dAA/s1600-h/Eye+of+Sauron.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpVyHPBkAM84SEgOTZX6Njf_juW4HVMYv122zct8dRQkoacJjeOGWXthThHxq4nh3xxOALlS1tRZ5GTdimH3I35ZV91FpFkYIpgADrcgbjIFUqMEh1woyJZ-pUQ7gi8k8JnqoqmM9dAA/s320/Eye+of+Sauron.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432684730574508178" /></a>There is also this tethered balloon that we generally see high in the southern sky with what we assume to be a camera. I've begun to call it the "Eye of Sauron" (Lord of the Rings). <br /><br />If we are not being watched from the sky, then we are being greeted by a host of RCMP officers and police, all from a variety of cities across Canada. (Don't forget about the armed forces lurking in the woods and patrolling the venue) I asked an RCMP officer if he, like me, got into this detail from some sort of lottery or competition. He said he was reassigned to the Olympics and had no choice. RCMP officers could only refuse this detail if they had what was considered a legitimate excuse.<br /><br />It is Friday and I still don't have my full accreditation pass. I received day passes for Wednesday and Thursday and was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it was to get through that whole procedure. I thought everything was taken care of Thursday evening when Christian (at the day pass office) told me to go across the tent to find out if my accreditation check by CSIS was completed. (He doesn't do that unless he knows it has been completed). I got another surprise though once they handed my pass to me to find that although I was "bona fide" according to CSIS, I could not get into my own venue to work. That's the venue I helped complete! I only got a mini pass. I needed an acceditation upgrade to work at my own venue. I guess for now that only makes me "fide!" (Or another "f" word) At least that only adds to the number of "souvenir" passes I have, compared to my other Bell team members.<br /><br />We figured today (Sunday) that since the Teams were arriving, we would head into the athlete's dining tent to check that their phones and TVs were working (but really it was to see if their food was better than our food). <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1wEtWx_uzk_k8jx-pkrm-jMMgLIyFtkJg-iagzU0B-VoPhecdghDQkhByKvNN7g1cGmmXcc7YHdCg4jVWrjgfDxZJ_PkzCyfPvkBGTHJ85zI6S8pD051bDlrUvlDN9WhhL9NZxiATao/s1600-h/Laura+(Aunt+Shirley%27s+friend).JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1wEtWx_uzk_k8jx-pkrm-jMMgLIyFtkJg-iagzU0B-VoPhecdghDQkhByKvNN7g1cGmmXcc7YHdCg4jVWrjgfDxZJ_PkzCyfPvkBGTHJ85zI6S8pD051bDlrUvlDN9WhhL9NZxiATao/s320/Laura+(Aunt+Shirley%27s+friend).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432685908067551458" /></a>Apparently, our food is better than their food since they have none yet. On our way back we ran into Aunt Shirley's friend Laura. She is working directly under Michael Smith, host of "Chef at Home" which runs on the Food Network. When not working, she is staying on a cruise ship in Squamish and hates it because she has to travel on a bus to and from our venue. She gets up at 2:00am to start work at 5:00am. Suddenly, our hours don't seem so bad.<br /><br />One of our (Joe's and I) first repair tickets today was for an HDTV which was not working. Most of our HDTV troubles thus far were for user error where the customer changed the input from cable to antenna. I guess many people don't realize that most of our channels have not yet been turned up so they try to watch CBC on antenna(that's probably all you could get in the mountains, on a sunny day when the wind is blowing in from Rick Mercer). Just like all of our HDTV troubles, this was an easy fix but something funny happened as well. We were greeted by a woman whom introduced us to the "chef." I guess Joe has been watching the Food Network too long because he became interested in the kitchen where this "chef" was cooking. It was explained to him that he was not that type of "chef" and I had to open my mouth and say that the Olympics uses French expressions. I told Joe that this was the "chef du village." Apparently, that too is somehow insulting because I was corrected with "No, no! This is the 'chef du mission'!" I'm not sure if that will create an international incident because people with that title are generally some type of dignitary, but I think we might have ruffled a few feathers today. We did get their national team's Olympic pin out of the deal so it couldn't have been too bad!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-88495224539386733432010-01-23T07:02:00.000-08:002010-11-13T13:28:10.683-08:00The SweepAnother year has come and gone for my best buddy Jeff. I told one person (Remo) at breakfast on Wednesday that it was Jeff's birthday. Jeff typically comes down to breakfast at the last second to grab a coffee and a "dart" before jumping into the "Christmas Jeep" to get to work. This morning though, Remo jumped up with his whole table to wish Jeff a happy birthday. Jeff thanked me for embarrassing him but I know that he meant "thank you, gracefully."<br /><br />Maybe, by happenstance, Joe decided to make chili for us that Wednesday night. In true Italian "Iron Chef" fashion he thought that one large pot of chili would not be enough to feed the eight of us. So he also baked pork strip loins wrapped in prosciutto. He said it was the first time he tried that recipe and we were glad to be around to experiment on. I was sad that we didn't have enough time to get Jeff a birthday cake but honestly, we were all stuffed! There was room enough for wine and brandy though. We has such a good time that we went to Jeannie's room to wind down a bit. While there we found her "stash." At least that's what I called it. I guess Jeannie is tired of the same old breakfast from what is now called our "Coast" hotel that she bags oatmeal or granola in snack bags. I decided to entertain everybody by grabbing a bag of this stuff and pretending to do a few lines of it! I thought it was funny but Jeannie just thought I was drunk. Jeannie was right! Both Joe and I wished that we could have stayed "home" to do laundry the next day.<br /><br />With permission from Remo, we were treated to his old fight footage after dinner. He is a retired lightweight boxing champion and now working at Bell. It is hard to believe that this happy, mild mannered, gentle man would jump into a ring and beat the crap out of his opponents. It is against my own blog rules to publish his last name because I would really like to let you know that we are in the presence of a true celebrity but I will protect his privacy and his celebrity. I am just so proud to know this guy!<br /><br />Many of our wives have corrected us when we say we have gone "home" after work. I guess it's just habit to say you are going home after work. We are trying to train ourselves to say that we are back in our condo or hotel. Joe says that we should say "chalet" because after all, we do have a "love lounge." I think I like that!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipd4R2l6qaWjfgAL8ltgLNb0HCVvlJEbittu5QB6aO8W7J_Z55G94QEG2qpQQC8B0PSAKDUc4T-3TyruYQVxwaU0rRiuoyzLtuwxQc8C1X_y33J4qZmp7BkCLd8743kxANTijzlUG47Ng/s1600-h/ring+delivery.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipd4R2l6qaWjfgAL8ltgLNb0HCVvlJEbittu5QB6aO8W7J_Z55G94QEG2qpQQC8B0PSAKDUc4T-3TyruYQVxwaU0rRiuoyzLtuwxQc8C1X_y33J4qZmp7BkCLd8743kxANTijzlUG47Ng/s320/ring+delivery.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430951872614344178" /></a><br />As if on cue, our venue received it's Olympic rings. I tried to tell Jeff that in lieu of a cake, I arranged to have the rings placed for his birthday but he wouldn't believe me. Everything now seems to be in place. We have our rings and we have this white chimney looking thing just outside of our celebration square. The chimney looks like a giant torch and was placed there quietly enough a couple of weeks ago. There hasn't been much said about it to us but if there is not a flame on top of it during the Games then as Russell Peters would say, "come on, be a man! Do the right thing!" Personally, I would use his line (if there is no flame), "somebody gonna get ahurt, real bad!"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMmr1nJImarZwA4NaRRSs1aTB6sZ0ZbLQQjdKuP0WMMR0S2xk-1pcq6iHABRCJIvGynAcVtktdl11031yBQC8BtAuuOG2bFjPAKMFpV9o0n8Vb94mjoQl-jHCLWs03QZujq-eLN0Z4dg/s1600-h/ring+placement.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMmr1nJImarZwA4NaRRSs1aTB6sZ0ZbLQQjdKuP0WMMR0S2xk-1pcq6iHABRCJIvGynAcVtktdl11031yBQC8BtAuuOG2bFjPAKMFpV9o0n8Vb94mjoQl-jHCLWs03QZujq-eLN0Z4dg/s320/ring+placement.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430952286578100674" /></a>Our venue has been turned over to the RCMP for the weekend. Their officers (including their dogs) are combing over everything. We have a large room full of empty boxes of HDTVs, IP phones, WIFI nodes etc. The mounties said that they would go through all of them. Maurizio asked that as they go through them, could they count them as well since he lost count at about 195 HDTVs. On top of the RCMP scouring around, we have bus loads of VANOC, security, armed forces and cleaning staff buzzing back and forth. We have nicknamed the cleaning staff our "smurfs" since they have been uniformed in blue outfits and walk around in large packs of blue. I always comment to Jeff that my day is not made unless I see "Pat" among them. But that is another story you will have to hear in person only, please, as it does not translate properly into print!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv5eTbXuNaX-W1ojvAHZNWKY2fPUtYaaSpylwIImNxV8MneDby2SfQ9IzyRyWI-ti_VVrScWdIZ54bntcf284JbbKb8oQRdBagLUdXmxE1_8qUOQqVw5LLRxzbUmQcx_Rj_w7fK_5K44/s1600-h/Her+Fault--Alexa.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv5eTbXuNaX-W1ojvAHZNWKY2fPUtYaaSpylwIImNxV8MneDby2SfQ9IzyRyWI-ti_VVrScWdIZ54bntcf284JbbKb8oQRdBagLUdXmxE1_8qUOQqVw5LLRxzbUmQcx_Rj_w7fK_5K44/s320/Her+Fault--Alexa.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431611426584702290" /></a>We are done for the most part except for some odds and ends. Whenever we say we are done the phone rings and we hear Alexa agreeing to adding an IP phone here or moving an HDTV there. She has volunteered to saying it is all her fault that we are not yet totally complete. We found a wool glove on our venue and since nobody claimed it we have made a sign of it. (3 R's, these are the green games after all) The sign resides on the wall to the right of Alexa's computer and it has the index finger (be nice, the index finger is the one you point with, not the one you use for the Trudeau salute) pointing toward Alexa. It says in bold hot pink and lime green, "HER FAULT!" I guess we're not done until March 26th.<br /><br />On a side note, I spent most of Friday afternoon trying to get my accreditation pass. I joked that I would be able to get a few days off (to ski) once the security sweep is done and our "load-in" pass becomes invalid. Maurizio said that he would ensure I got into the venue by getting me "day passes" if he had to. After the initial accreditation ordeal, getting a daily day pass and then going through security would just be a nightmare! Hopefully, I won't have to go that route. The skiing would be nice though as we have worked continuously since January 2.Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-6333652342477182072010-01-14T21:43:00.000-08:002010-11-13T13:15:33.943-08:00The Games are done! What!<A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbPQQTBzyT9m9qBPKqKOgUIuqonxP3y_NWIyzvj-jC6bkvz03-BJ3eKrHnytswo1WtEQVM5Ti0xqXLHdnNDEvMjikvSugqKb2GdbBbLqeiqNAf2BP21VZSsjYNWAvftSUq4EtnUqb2X4/s1600-h/our+trailer+(right)+and+transportation.JPG"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427546736776649506 style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbPQQTBzyT9m9qBPKqKOgUIuqonxP3y_NWIyzvj-jC6bkvz03-BJ3eKrHnytswo1WtEQVM5Ti0xqXLHdnNDEvMjikvSugqKb2GdbBbLqeiqNAf2BP21VZSsjYNWAvftSUq4EtnUqb2X4/s320/our+trailer+(right)+and+transportation.JPG" border=0></A>We have been putting in long hours to try to complete our work before the Athletes arrive. With all this work, it has been difficult, many days, to get up out of bed. It was during our lowest point on Tuesday afternoon when Maurizio (our VTCM-venue telecom manager) announced that the Games were over! (What! I have been working so hard I didn't even see anybody compete!) I can't tell you how happy that made me feel! Never one to let anybody feel good for too long, Maurizio then dropped a stack of drawings (artwork, as my best buddy Jeff calls it) onto our table. (In defense of Jeff, our drawings are coloured with blue for IP phones and computer, green for Games computers, pink for analog phones, faxes etc. and yellow for HDTVs) Let the Paralympics begin! For those of you that watched "Cool Runnings," I clearly saw this scene played out. "Sanka, ye dead?" "Ya mon!" <br /><br /><OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-fa0a38b68f613366 height=266 width=320 contentId="fa0a38b68f613366"></OBJECT>I haven't had a chance to go skiing since the first attempt with the head cam on January 2/10. It's just as well though since we have had another 10 days straight of rain. The sun might have poked through for about two hours in all that time. Time to look up the "artwork" for an ark again! I borrowed a USB adapter for an SD card so that Christine can see there are easy runs on this mountain. One of these days I might be able to go to London Drugs to get that adapter. I know, back east we would go to Future Shop or Best Buy etc. In BC however, one does all their electronics shopping at London Drugs and all their drug shopping near the airport hotels in Richmond. :) <br /><br /><A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwH9_950hz1TRNHyfdCdrXXoTZ0R9lpp9wd2ZY7CJYMV9rG4d8c1h6rAPbBJWyp7gdFMlzCaa8yVJ4cRyIz8GXCVldRt_mZA6eWQa30DifDJHc3cuMadY2CPescH3C8Ng60yRO4VMIkU/s1600-h/more+condo+units.JPG"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427545338105662994 style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwH9_950hz1TRNHyfdCdrXXoTZ0R9lpp9wd2ZY7CJYMV9rG4d8c1h6rAPbBJWyp7gdFMlzCaa8yVJ4cRyIz8GXCVldRt_mZA6eWQa30DifDJHc3cuMadY2CPescH3C8Ng60yRO4VMIkU/s320/more+condo+units.JPG" border=0></A>We have had another two weeks of rain and although "they" have tried to grade our access roads into the venue, both remain full of potholes. There are a choice of two roads into our venue for now. We have nicknamed them the road to "Beirut" and the road to "Kandahar" because they both seem to be bombed out. You either drink your coffees before you get to the venue or you wear them. With all that rain, many of the potholes join together, so I think the salmon are considering a new spawning ground. Although we have four wheel drive in our "Christmas Jeep," we still seem to bottom out in some of these deeper holes. Our Kabota "Gators" never make it out to those roads, but if they did we might get wet from the waves that bounce off the "shores" of the potholes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDpXG2ZHzihctTP2BkALudkM97vVyB8o9v6_lhm8YIPdJkqkF_tsNciNCULE0To0tLpZnCL4GdFTZwsiQ7rKMDpcpwAHbF7yPDUsVmwWK4SsXEb3mbVv_yk-sWk8K3di4nqMgb8iveKc/s1600-h/training+exercises.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDpXG2ZHzihctTP2BkALudkM97vVyB8o9v6_lhm8YIPdJkqkF_tsNciNCULE0To0tLpZnCL4GdFTZwsiQ7rKMDpcpwAHbF7yPDUsVmwWK4SsXEb3mbVv_yk-sWk8K3di4nqMgb8iveKc/s320/training+exercises.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427889253767029202" /></a>In scouring our venue to route our cabling we were able to find some secret locations that only a few people would have had the chance to see. We were able to get some pictures from the top one of the apartment condo units. I also included a picture of a helicopter that was performing training maneuvers but I don't want anybody thinking that we were in trouble for climbing on the roof. I didn't see any red spots on Jeff and he said he didn't see any red spots on me! (Just a reference to laser targeting. Try to keep up people!) We were merely looking for a route for our cabling to go from one unit to another. I think the armed forces were in the same mood we were in after days and days of rain and cloud and they were merely buzzing our venue. <br /><br />The good news is that it's now Saturday evening and we have also completed the cabling for the Paralympics. Hopefully, from here on in, there will be fewer hours involved although we still have some Panasonic HDTVs and Nortel 1130 phones to install.Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-18451018574663788082010-01-09T20:58:00.001-08:002010-11-13T17:33:36.003-08:00The Iron ChefsAlot of things happened since Christmas break and I haven't had a chance to blog them because we seem to be working all the time. We have enlisted on average about 6 guys each Saturday and Sunday from the other venues to help us complete the work at our Athlete's village. I just felt ripped off though because every other crew is done and getting to enjoy Whistler while we are working late and on weekends busting our asses. I learned a long time ago at T. Harris that burn out is a real issue. I'm really starting to feel burned out as my best buddy Jeff kept pleading with me one night to stay and all I wanted to do was get back to the Love Lounge!!<br /><br />I now have a new room mate! Kudos, if you guessed it was my new best buddy Jeff. We were all deeply affected to see Laurent (my old "room homie") not return as one of our team members. I have to admit that things were lonely in my room in the few days that I didn't have a room mate. I even looked at Laurent's room and decided that I didn't want to move in after all. I was already settled in and liked the fact that I can throw things on top of the top bunk to get it out of the way. The main bedroom closet is too small anyway. I have to say though that the maids were cleaning over our holidays so when I first stepped into my room, I didn't get hit in the face with the smell of ass!! It smelled clean. Back on topic, Jeff was ready to take my old bedroom so that I could have the ensuite bathroom but I was moved in already. Maybe I had hit my head too many times on the bunk bed above but I decided I wasn't moving! It's funny though that Jeff knocked on my bedroom door that first night and asked "Buddy, are you using both your pillows?"<br /><br />"Why," I asked?<br /><br />"I just can't sleep! These pillows smell of ass!"<br /><br />"No problem my son. Use my spare bunk bed pillows. I've never even slept on them."<br /><br />Courtesy of my best buddy Jeff, we got all new pillows when he went down to complain the next day.<br /><br />We had one of our trainers (Alex) from Vancouver come to Whistler for Christmas week. Alex stayed with his family, in Jeff P's room while we were all home for Christmas. Alex heard us talking about the meals we were preparing for ourselves (and each other) and he commented that we were all turning into "Iron Chefs". Now most of you guys know that I don't cook. However, I have not only been stealing recipes from Laura, I have been calling her and setting up video calls so she can manage me while I attempt her recipes. Joe gave me the compliment of "raising the bar" with Laura's lasagna recipe last Tuesday (when our Canadian juniors won the silver medal in hockey, just losing out to the Americans in overtime). It was meant to be a "celebratory lasagna" but it tasted great all the same. That was a two day lasagna that was prepared the night before and cooked on the second night. Everybody at work on the second day was planning to send me home early so that we could eat at a reasonable hour. The lasagna was made in a giant roasting pan and must have weighed close to 30 lbs. That lasagna inspired my best buddy Jeff to rant to his wife that he too can now prepare a lasagna dinner! Micki (Jeff's better half) said that she has been trying to get Jeff to cook for years and all it took was a five minute video call to Laura to inspire him. Strangely, that conversation sounded familiar. On the other hand, I had to contend with my wife barking orders to "stir the sauce" or "take out the noodles" etc. I had to turn to her and say "Hey, I'm only one man!" It felt like I had my own show, "Cooking with Luciano." I know the ratings would not have been very good though because the director kept harping in on the talent. Or maybe it was the talent! All that was left over were four pieces. That was another two meals of lasagna for Jeff and I. Jeff still came to me later and asked why we had to invite so many people. He wanted to have his own private lasagna. Off to Nestors Market! Although I had overestimated the amount of noodles I needed for the first lasagna and I had some left over, it still used the total of three jars of sauce and three packages of cheese. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnOnkdebl-p9RCD6H1giPoWf4dgoPGZG8vmEkzMSZjUrEELfrMRxNeMcaFiG3SZw04HDdChsRC0QihcW82cfY9O66pnBU_mcV3dyGwoubhXiNOPwKhZqvLIWhpMNOMJpBvB23Cbhr6S4/s1600-h/little+inukshuk.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425359926535394018" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnOnkdebl-p9RCD6H1giPoWf4dgoPGZG8vmEkzMSZjUrEELfrMRxNeMcaFiG3SZw04HDdChsRC0QihcW82cfY9O66pnBU_mcV3dyGwoubhXiNOPwKhZqvLIWhpMNOMJpBvB23Cbhr6S4/s320/little+inukshuk.JPG" border="0" /></a>This little guy was added a few weeks ago and is outside of the Team Germany residences. I know it is a pile of rocks that have been piled up into an inukshuk but I was not the guy that did it. I just don't have the time to do it. There are only fourteen more days until we get kicked out of our venue and we get a security sweep done. So naturally, we will need to work like dogs to complete all the wiring. It has gotten to the point where by the time I get home, I am too tired to cook or do anything else. I was happy last Friday to get the night off, just to be able to wash my clothes. (Thank God I did my wash before going home for Christmas). So now it has gotten down to the "Friday night wash." I was seriously looking at recycling my socks and underwear (by wearing them inside out) to make it by. After all, these are supposed to be the "greenest games!" I just don't think they meant it "that" way. "Let there be clean socks and underwear for everyone" (as long as you use phosphate free soap). I'm not quite sure who the official supplier of phosphate free soap is to these Winter Games. You would have to watch TV to know that. Oddly enough, even though I have been installing loads of LCD and Plasma TVs, I have not been watching them. Okay, I'm rambling now, so let's just quit while I'm ahead.<br /><br />On a sadder note, I could not finish this blog entry without talking about the ordeal that Liz (working in Vancouver for Bell) is going through right now. Liz looks after arranging our flights home and making sure we all have a bed to sleep in (as well as much more I'm sure). Liz lost both her parents within three days of each other. My heart goes out to her. Although I know she won't be reading this, we at Whistler send our condolences.Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-82507475588774052182010-01-03T21:04:00.000-08:002010-01-10T22:18:15.766-08:00Cheakamus CrossingAfter a week at home, I found it hard to come back to Whistler. I came back knowing that it would be weeks before I could come home. Obviously, I would miss New Years day with Laura and that is something that I haven't done in about 29 years. There are other people here that haven't missed a New Years day with their spouses for 35 years! We all made the calls home at 9 pm local time (some of us making video calls over the internet) but it just wasn't the same. We tried to go out for New Years but either the bars were full or the cover charge was ridiculous! There was even a cover charge to get into the walking Village (because they had bands playing on the streets). After a few hours of walking around in the wet snow we just barely made it back to the "Love Lounge" (our Bell common room) for the stroke of midnight! I really felt left out of the partying at home in Ontario.<br /><br />So we're back at work at our Athlete's village. At this point we have about seventeen days to complete all our work! I'm not sure if my attitude is "half full" or "half empty" when I say we only have a little more that two weeks until the security check must be performed. I do feel a little more confident now talking about our venue since our work site has been posted on the web by real estate agents. I was going to add some photos of our venue from my own camera but you can peruse the pictures provided from this website; <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.cheakamuscrossing.ca">www.cheakamuscrossing.ca</a> You can get a scope of what we're up against when you see the aerial photo of our venue! In case you're interested, my copy of "Whistler the magazine" advertizes lots at $510,000.00 and three bedroom townhomes from $787,000.00. Let me just get my bill fold out!<br /><br />I meant to include video taken (by head camera) of a few of my favorite runs (Hugh's heaven from Seventh Heaven lift and Springboard from Solar Coaster lift). We are having difficulty trying to point the camera in the correct direction while I ski. My first run showed a lot of sky and my subsequent attempts showed snow moving quickly below me with a couple of cameos from my ski tips. I guess I'll just have to keep skiing until I get the camera pointed correctly!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-8937767591947459972009-12-23T09:58:00.000-08:002010-01-01T01:00:20.767-08:00Simon says...I'm just home in Ajax from my second leg in Whistler. Before I go any further, I have to tell you about our trip back. We (Jeff P and I) were originally scheduled to leave on the 9:30pm bus which would have brought us to Vancouver around midnight. Kind of a waste of time to spend in our Richmond hotel room since I had to leave early to get to a 7:00am flight. At that hour, I would miss the complimentary breakfast and also a whole night of sleep worrying about sleeping in and missing my flight! So, Jeff P and I changed our Pacific Coach bus trip to Vancouver so we could both at least enjoy a reunion with some of our Bell team staying at the Executive Suites hotel in Vancouver. The van driver arrived promptly at 5:30pm and took us down Blackcomb mountain picking up another group (they were leaving for Australia on a midnight flight) for a rendezvous with the main bus at the Fairmont. When we turned up the driveway of the Fairmont we were met by red and blue flashes of light. Since it was snowing, our immediate thought was that the snow plough was clearing the drive. Of course that story would not be blog-worthy. It turned out that our bus driver was being arrested on a bench warrant by the RCMP! So much for getting into Vancouver at a decent time! Now most of you know that I have just been going with the flow since arriving in Whistler but I was a little concerned about our travellers to Australia. They had to be at the airport no later than 9:00pm which in retrospect seems to be cutting it pretty close anyway since the Sea to Sky is known to be treacherous in a snow storm! So, Jeff P immediately got on the phone with Pacific Coach to see when the next bus could be expected. It seemed that the person on the other end already knew of the situation and explained to Jeff P what his company was doing about it. By this time, the father of the Australian contingent had called Pacific Coach but was on hold. So with father on hold, the rest of the family was eager to hear of any developments with Pacific Coach. They naturally asked Jeff P what was going on and I'm not sure if he planned this but we all had to chuckle when he announced, "Simon says they have a driver just south of Whistler..." Without missing a beat, the father from Australia was taken off hold and in a loud voice on the edge of uncontrolled laughter said, "Hello Simon, ..." <br /><br />I have been told by a few people that have been reading my blog that it sounds like we are having a good time. I am not going to dispute that! I reassure you that we are also doing alot of work. It's hard for me to post anything about work because firstly, it's work and naturally not blog-worthy. Secondly, I don't want to be the person that divulges too much about the security nor the new technology at our venue. It really is amazing and I will be disappointed if there is not a special Olympic report from Ron McClean or whomever.<br /><br />On top of "working to give the world a flawless games," the Bell team have also been busy at Whistler, fund raising. Through the efforts of Jean (we call her Jeannie) and Brian of Bell, we have raised funds to sponsor a Whistler family for Christmas. I have also talked about our trips to Squamish. In one of those trips, we were driving off the main highway and were frustrated to find the road closed with all three essential services present (fire, police and ambulance). An eight unit condo had literally burned to the ground and all so close to Christmas! We were shopping for Olympic stuff later that day and were happy to find that our store (where we were getting the "Paesano discount") was giving away $250.00 of essential stuff to the families in that fire. We met several of the families that day at the store and found them all to be in a state of shock. They had lost everything. One man was explaining that he didn't even have a wallet anymore. It was lost in the fire! Jeff P was so overcome that he pulled out all the money in his wallet and gave it to the fellow. Jeff P couldn't even stay there to hear his "thank you" for the lump he felt in his throat. That event became Jeff P and (paesano) Joe's goodwill mission! So they began collecting money for those victims and the rest of the Bell team responded again as we did for our sponsored family. That just makes me so proud to be associated with this Bell Olympic Team! I encourage all of you reading this to consider sharing what wealth you have to help ease the burden of those finding it harder to give their families an enjoyable holiday. On that note, I want to wish you all a Happy Christmas and I hope to see you in the New Year.Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-73863030491735586552009-12-18T18:38:00.000-08:002010-11-11T19:10:05.432-08:00Free Food Friday & the Paesano DiscountThere is no better feeling when one is on a per diem than to get a free meal! Now we normally have breakfast at our hotel every morning which I am told has been discounted from our per diem cards. Some people here don't like the breakfast here but I'm okay with my coffee and bagel. That's what I would have at home anyway! Your other choices are "fresh" canned fruit salad, bananas (or apples or oranges), cherry sauce (supposedly for the unsweetened yogurt) with your choice of raisins granola, etc to further embellish the yogurt. Then there is the typical cereals (ie. bran flakes, froot loops etc) and a giant vat of instant oatmeal. Powdered scrambled eggs round out the warm breakfast items although if you didn't mind waiting you could make your own fresh waffles. I just hope my per diem doesn't discount $15.00 for my bagel breakfast because I think I'm missing a daily eggs benedict! Now my roommate Laurent is really getting ripped off because his daily breakfast includes a plate of cherry sauce that he forks into his mouth. Anybody that sits with him for breakfast always looks at him with the "What the..." face.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMdTbqhxRUpredT8yuQ9Cl6Wz1PJ_ySsYCNTCka1pR-zEjiYeZRZ0FGMKS3O5828VfcVIdZuwqw6FdTxtxMAftCPu5fPZvREETnYH3kdq6Mmw9E-sXv03UikX-1U1y29PLBAq0Q3Y3yw/s1600-h/Chefs+fare.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMdTbqhxRUpredT8yuQ9Cl6Wz1PJ_ySsYCNTCka1pR-zEjiYeZRZ0FGMKS3O5828VfcVIdZuwqw6FdTxtxMAftCPu5fPZvREETnYH3kdq6Mmw9E-sXv03UikX-1U1y29PLBAq0Q3Y3yw/s320/Chefs+fare.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417484122421742690" /></a><br />So today we are told that the chefs would be attending our venue to put on a luncheon for VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee). One of the questions the speaker at this luncheon asked was if this was the first time that everybody had eaten at our massive dining tent. None of us on the Bell team put up our hands because we were already guinea pigs the first day the chefs tested their equipment at our dining facility. We now know first hand that the athletes will be eating very well.<br /><br />There was a little mishap this past week and unfortunately Laurent was in the middle of it. I can't say that it was the last straw but just another item in a laundry list of issues we were having. Because we were tired of waiting for Laurent to finish his texting and emailing to get back to work after lunch we decided to let him walk to the area that we were working. In retaliation Laurent decided that he would try to hold on to at least one vehicle key. Not quite sure if he was texting or what but he didn't realize how close he was and backed into a garage door of one of the units. There was minimal damage to the door but the force was enough to damage the drywall on the other side of the door. (All the garages were made up to look like bedrooms so most garage doors were covered on the inside with drywall). I'm not sure if he isn't sleeping in the condo because I know I have caught him dozing at work. He just seems out of it and he still has that damn cough. None of us could believe that he got stumped at the TR2 with a phone that was double corded to a switch. Our whole day is spent putting phones in. None of us have ever put a single phone into two data jacks! I think he should stop running outside in his underwear! At any rate, we all had enough of it and letters were written, meetings were had and at 11:30, Laurent was voluntold to stay home after Christmas. It wasn't easy for any of us to be involved in getting somebody "voted off the island" but we lost all confidence in him. We were babysitting him more than counting on him. Life's too short!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8F6jE2LA2i0ptVekwFm5wNgCOxvx1l7wVAwBtXl-tttBVBs6VJP6LfLsBVRvkxsn26m2ek61WiD-kU8CclVtl-dAXISXae3nhM6kx00qnEprjry4OP8GeQMWabaQrfsbY4P_qNZWHTxk/s1600-h/the+torch+and+I.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8F6jE2LA2i0ptVekwFm5wNgCOxvx1l7wVAwBtXl-tttBVBs6VJP6LfLsBVRvkxsn26m2ek61WiD-kU8CclVtl-dAXISXae3nhM6kx00qnEprjry4OP8GeQMWabaQrfsbY4P_qNZWHTxk/s320/the+torch+and+I.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417483555903733394" /></a>The nice thing about having VANOC around is that they bring cool Olympic Stuff with them. We all got a chance to touch the Torch and pose with it. I'm not sure which torch it is but we started a rumour that it was the final torch that lights the Olympic cauldron. As I ate lunch (turkey, ham, scallopped potatoes au gratin, carrots and caesar salad), I wondered where all these people came from. In our own little Whistler Athletes Village world, we are aware of about fifty people. I will say that our fifty Whistler people were duplicated by fifty Vanoc Vancouver people that wanted to come and visit this site. I know the rest of the people had to go through some kind of security so they must have been invited but I swear it was like bears to a picnic. These guys could smell the food from highway 99 and they jumped the fence! I didn't see any security staff at the tables, so I think this throng took them out. We'll know for sure when the "missing persons" reports come in! Nobody came out of the security check when we left the venue for the end of shift so they were missing at that time!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj739J7nk4FIjO3jCZPx_Iwll99-_FxSUIuRrYVsg3AtQ_jJfDDzOBVyENn5gCbc_D1AlgjIDCxfgBMX5Kz5HOe-55SoXxQ849VdJDezNAj6Pg5MSOSKfU0JdPRtkC4eNlZk8NnC8o6w2o/s1600-h/The+village+people+with+the+Torch.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj739J7nk4FIjO3jCZPx_Iwll99-_FxSUIuRrYVsg3AtQ_jJfDDzOBVyENn5gCbc_D1AlgjIDCxfgBMX5Kz5HOe-55SoXxQ849VdJDezNAj6Pg5MSOSKfU0JdPRtkC4eNlZk8NnC8o6w2o/s320/The+village+people+with+the+Torch.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417484637291829042" /></a><br />Our evening dinner of pizza (and byob beer) was supplied by our Bell management, I think. The aroma of twenty one boxes of pizza in our "Love Lounge" (as Bill puts it)was totally enticing. I might have been walking into somebody elses party but it was like I had blinders on. Pizza! Beer! Pizza, Beer! Must have! Now! I know I had a large lunch but what's the harm in one slice of pizza. Okay two! Three! It wasn't like I was at the trough! My good buddy Jeff admitted to four slices and I'm sure he went up for seconds at lunch! The beauty of free meals on a per diem card!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeUcjnFJ8Ue9cnqKlEUFJ92YhdK0zAjP9eMKAbThjU8mi5W8IpKBmueZ4BkcnEi5mn0PifgrjIG8hWUyKdDmSrjtvF3MEiBa-LIdPEYruh6dIMJQ4pKBXCuOlPdfaPA6vl8Sq1hduFR8/s1600-h/Christmas+Patriot.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeUcjnFJ8Ue9cnqKlEUFJ92YhdK0zAjP9eMKAbThjU8mi5W8IpKBmueZ4BkcnEi5mn0PifgrjIG8hWUyKdDmSrjtvF3MEiBa-LIdPEYruh6dIMJQ4pKBXCuOlPdfaPA6vl8Sq1hduFR8/s320/Christmas+Patriot.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417489616634340706" /></a>With all of these "parties," there was an inkling that Christmas was coming. This week wasn't any different from any other work week. We installed countless administration drops, phones and Panasonic TVs. We would go home, eat, have a few laughs in the Love Lounge, sleep and do it all over again the next day. But in all that mix we got ourselves a couple of boxes of Christmas lights which were meant to decorate our trailer. While we were down in Squamish (which we all call Squeamish now), we happened to see a vehicle which was decorated with very similar lights. We had to do it too! After all, we work with DC voltage all the time! It's nice to get smiles from people as they watch us go by (and not because of the weird occupants of the Christmas Patriot). As I write this now, we are the only trailer at Whistler Athletes Village to be decorated for Christmas!<br /><br />Everybody knows that Christmas brings presents and presents require shopping. I thought I had met the best bargain hunter/negotiater when Laura and I were on the beaches of Mexico with Dani from Jazzercise. She was the inventor of the "quarter turn manuever" which was her feint to have the shop keeper reconsider and lower their price or lose a customer. Compared to what Joe can do, I think Dani's negotiating was easy because the shop keepers and beach vendors in Mexico were used to bartering. Joe walked into a shop in Squeamish, assessed the situation and walked out with what he calls the "Paesano discount." Now before you start thinking that's a different name for a five finger discount, think again! It turns out that one of the ladies behind the counter is a sergeant at arms with "price not negotiable" practically diplayed across her forehead. Joe gathers intel to find that the other lady is actually from my province of Campobasso or in his words a "paesana." That was enough for her to not only get Joe the discount but to get all his friends the discount too! The last time I shopped there with Joe was this last Friday night. We went on a midnight madness type thing where the store advertized a 25% discount on all items. When everything was said and done, I calculated that I got a 66% discount! I'm not sure what the rest of the guys got but we brought a total of six shoppers! Jeff was just shopping name brands like American Eagle, Aeropostale etc. He didn't care what size it was, he just threw it over his shoulder! That really was a good Friday!!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-51785781197369241712009-12-15T17:43:00.000-08:002009-12-18T18:35:42.805-08:00Free Fallin'<A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNkIU19QHI2PfD0D4xV_PhBR4YJBDBqnNR1fJVWv4x69Xd60FPAEGlMExrEng96IeRFBimz_JQBEi8COtxY6CIQTyr44wp_sPfOTrXi9OFvLEBuLLxxiJdWdDyEoafoJqxSlkD9VQnfI/s1600-h/Welcome+to+Blackcomb+Glacier+sign.JPG"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415678741418102402 style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNkIU19QHI2PfD0D4xV_PhBR4YJBDBqnNR1fJVWv4x69Xd60FPAEGlMExrEng96IeRFBimz_JQBEi8COtxY6CIQTyr44wp_sPfOTrXi9OFvLEBuLLxxiJdWdDyEoafoJqxSlkD9VQnfI/s320/Welcome+to+Blackcomb+Glacier+sign.JPG" border=0></A> The weekend has come and gone and I have been a little lax about getting to my column. I needed the rest! A few weeks ago I went to the top of Blackcomb mountain to ski on the glacier. The snow was great and I had a good time so I tried to get back to that spot on the mountain. I went up the Glacier Express lift and silly me, who knew that there could be different places to ski on Blackcomb Glacier. When I got to the top of the chair lift I thought it looked pretty different and maybe I had skied on Whistler Glacier the last time. Once I had convinced myself that it was indeed Blackcomb Glacier I decided to try to go up the T-bar lift to see if that brought me to the same spot. At this time I noticed that somebody was fishboning their way from the slope up and onto the T-bar lift. He had probably just went up the T-bar and had just skied down. I'm thinking that was far more work than I wanted to do on my way down. Now the smart thing to have done right at that moment would be to turn around and ski down to a spot where there was a map but Laura wasn't with me so I just went up! Now I was in for a penny. <br /><br /><A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSFUDCaUf3SkdWrCkr0hqsGbzK7-UvHiSBAyVsHZSFAEJeFiIJKo6I1e7kgFj2h3Bzw0NS6vG19TeLWiCDrYhfw3aJPcGW2xCaiFrWp4qfzHyOtyTfn8CfBHfd0IeRdIGT9fsJWQnSno/s1600-h/Blackcomb+glacier+t-bar+lift.JPG"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415679059398083250 style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSFUDCaUf3SkdWrCkr0hqsGbzK7-UvHiSBAyVsHZSFAEJeFiIJKo6I1e7kgFj2h3Bzw0NS6vG19TeLWiCDrYhfw3aJPcGW2xCaiFrWp4qfzHyOtyTfn8CfBHfd0IeRdIGT9fsJWQnSno/s320/Blackcomb+glacier+t-bar+lift.JPG" border=0></A> It has been years since I was on a T-bar but this one was one messed up ride. I remember being able to fit T-bars under my knee and riding comfortably all the way up any slope. The slope was so steep and the rope for the T-bar was so short that it got stuck up under my butt and I swear it was ready to pick me up so I could go for a swing. Now if I was smart I would have just let the T-bar slip under my arm like the guy in front of me but I was still wondering what part of the glacier I was on. I was thinking at this point that I should bail on the whole T-bar thing and just do the "ski of shame" off the side of the lift but you had to be a ski patroller to duck out to the right or left. I was now in for a pound! Now I got up to the top and thought this was a good view but it wasn't where I had skied before. I noticed that some of the skiers were making their way higher (by climbing) and some skied down to where I thought you had to fishbone your way back to the T-bar or just continue further down to a map. It must have been the altitude because a few minutes earlier I didn't want to fishbone my way up to a T-bar lift but now it was okay to climb an extra fifty feet, in my ski boots like a lemming on his last leap of faith. So I loaded my skis onto my shoulder and used my poles to steady my climb up into God knows what. I knew there was a chance of avalanche in this location because I read the sign but hey, now I was already "all in!" When I got three quarters of the way up I understood some of the troubles mountain climbers have. I had to unload my skis from my shoulder and rather than descend in a "walk of shame," I used my skis and poles as crutches to help me up the rest of the way, panting! Right about now I started hearing John Pinnette saying, "I payed my fifty bucks, they should carry my ass up there!" Now I'm at the top of this cliff and believe it or not I have to walk up another slight slope to get to a point where daredevils jump off cliffs to make their extreme skiing videos. Again, John Pinnette is in my head saying, "At no point was my butt touching slide! That was a free fall!" Obviously, I made it down but I will be carrying maps of Whistler/Blackcomb from here on in! <br /><br /><A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEKf7HxBlA4XeygSrryAGZkHhxiiJMH4C3dTg-4EMmU3SmtZC8UGNjiSURaudxXYM-UZXaun5d9ZxpnacCg2BTXX357v376ZBEEdXwlrElMvVXAFiEYIhJc-KYfbadn0XOuJmepzSCQA/s1600-h/Joe+and+Jeff+P+at+Shannon+Falls.JPG"><IMG id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415679928595194018 style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEKf7HxBlA4XeygSrryAGZkHhxiiJMH4C3dTg-4EMmU3SmtZC8UGNjiSURaudxXYM-UZXaun5d9ZxpnacCg2BTXX357v376ZBEEdXwlrElMvVXAFiEYIhJc-KYfbadn0XOuJmepzSCQA/s320/Joe+and+Jeff+P+at+Shannon+Falls.JPG" border=0></A> Talking about free falls, Joe, Jeff P (not my new best buddy Jeff, but a good guy nonetheless) and I went down to Squamish on Sunday so we could stock up on some stuff. Along the way we went hiking up some trails to Brandywine Falls and Shannon Falls. The views were just incredible. We also made our way to Brackendale to see the bald eagles and the eagles did not disappoint. It was hard to see them at first but we spotted a pair of them. Our last stop on the way home was very near our Athletes Village venue. We went past the military post I may or may not have talked about and I could not guesstimate how many trailers were housing all the armed forces that patrol the backcountry in the Whistler area. It must be nothing short of a battalion. (I don't know what a battalion is but I like the way it rolls off my tongue when I say it) The trailers are not like the regular ones you see at a construction site. They have the same length as your longer construction trailers, but the width of them approaches the width of a school portable. I didn't feel the need to go in and enquire where they got these trailers because we had one more place to visit. <br /><br /><OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-8cefa67bc1376957 height=266 width=320 contentId="8cefa67bc1376957"></OBJECT><br />I am going to say this right now. There is no way I am going to bungee jump off any freakin' bridge. I don't care how many bombs I get fed from Michele or Jeff or anyone. It was all I could do to walk on the floor of this see through bridge. I was trying to walk on the strongest part of the metal because with each step you could feel the metal give way. I took a video of the walk on the bridge and after looking at it, it still does not give you an appreciation of the height nor how flimsy the metal is you are walking on! I figure that if they cheap out on getting their customers to the point where they actually jump off a bridge, what's going to stop them from cheaping out on bungees, bungee anchors, weigh scales, trained staff smart enough to know when you're cheating on giving your real weight? I didn't see any bodies down there but Whistler does have bears and coyotes right! Is there a better way to get rid of your evidence?Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7329925618924119439.post-31525283954504217062009-12-11T22:31:00.001-08:002009-12-15T17:43:28.070-08:00Dr Evil & his Underlords<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUa93SGqhR_KqOjs3zooeBRBV2Oq-NnSqY8YKWWJ0GpYsXIrr63GrzhIb4zVZUMGe_Qp4J-v2vzWJ8Jf7byjCUBB0Jkrm283MgrJDZqrRWlx1A9sHZlho2BsITqcmGpe7Dw3A-lnKomA/s1600-h/portolets+in+the+back+of+the+back+of+house.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUa93SGqhR_KqOjs3zooeBRBV2Oq-NnSqY8YKWWJ0GpYsXIrr63GrzhIb4zVZUMGe_Qp4J-v2vzWJ8Jf7byjCUBB0Jkrm283MgrJDZqrRWlx1A9sHZlho2BsITqcmGpe7Dw3A-lnKomA/s320/portolets+in+the+back+of+the+back+of+house.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414251181201519842" /></a><br />All of the Winter Games venues just went through a giant learning curve. We had a week (okay 3 days) of Dr. Evil and his many Underlords creating havoc at our venue. It was called "TR2" probably because they had a TR1 already! The underlords just went around turning things off, unplugging fibre and T1 lines and just making a giant nuisance of themselves. I suggested that we just consider them all as "Level 1" security risks! That way, I could tackle them and put them out of commission! I never did of course, but some of the other guys were talking about watching them enter the "Port-o-potty" and parking their vehicles in front of the door to lock them in so we could just catch up to all the work they were creating for us! We all seriously considered it when we were told that "something was wrong with your network! Now go out and find it!" Our network here contains about 3,000 drops where each drop is attached to a TV, phone, computer or phone going to a computer. We have thousands of meters of cat 5 cable, coaxial cable and glass fibre cable. Never mind all the rest of the hardware at the other side of the cable! I have to say, looking for that trouble was like looking for a needle, not in a haystack but the whole barn, dung heaps included! It was alot of fun though because we had to simulate "Games" time! It was funny to watch people come in and role play as delegates/athletes of different countries that were having problems with anything from computers, cellphones, radios, faxes or TVs. The funniest was when somebody came in as a Spanish reporter. Our help desk attendant, who is fluent in Spanish was asked to deal with this person. It turned out that our attendant only had to utter a few words in Spanish to have this evil underlord say "Oh, never mind! Speak english already!" There was always a meeting afterwards so that made for long days! The nice thing about all this is that we will be treated to a lunch by the Olympic Athletes cooking staff. I can't remember if I posted a picture of the "Dining Tent" but three or four hockey rinks would fit inside it side by side. Let's just say three hockey rinks because all you guys know how much I like to exagerate. The back of house includes freezers, meal prep and dish wash areas and seating for<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotumdGjvlXGIM-2gCUlij0jU4_kG3Hr1TXVxzlFbFcv2KDhWlTyaFIhQt5ulciYHD2yM5__Qde3drmOga_B4N6AFDLL3_l_H2TAXmVQBVYZlHZFwVu5tUXrg4PTOKp9ExNxxSTefUvHY/s1600-h/landscaping+backdrop+at+WVL.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotumdGjvlXGIM-2gCUlij0jU4_kG3Hr1TXVxzlFbFcv2KDhWlTyaFIhQt5ulciYHD2yM5__Qde3drmOga_B4N6AFDLL3_l_H2TAXmVQBVYZlHZFwVu5tUXrg4PTOKp9ExNxxSTefUvHY/s320/landscaping+backdrop+at+WVL.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414252024473597970" /></a><br /> all WVL (Whistler Athlete's Village) workers. This area would fit into the first hockey rink where most of the space is split between seating and freezers. The middle hockey rink includes a full sized McDonalds and the buffet cooking area. The last hockey rink is split between seating for athletes and small cooking kiosks where athletes can order specialty meals (similar to Marche). We were told to come hungry!<br /><br />Talking about food, I was invited to eat with Werner and Donna twice for dinner. This all came about because Werner was shadowing me during our TR2 workout. Werner advised us that Donna likes to cook! Let's just say that I gained all the weight I had lost after two meals at her condo. Maybe if I go back to bread and water for a while!Lucianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05624616326962336977noreply@blogger.com0