The Cauldron

So there's been controversy over the Olympic Cauldron in Coal Harbour.

I FINALLY went and checked it out with Laurie Logan the other night. It's an amazing thing to see, no doubt about that. But the fence? Seriously? When Laurie and I tried to take a picture of ourselves in front of it...yeah...it didn't really work. I can understand that Olympic officials and police want to avoid vandalism and all that jazz, but that fence is kind of a slap in the face to ALL of us (in my humble opinion).

"The Olympic cauldron is a powerful symbol and the desire to get as close to it as possible has been remarkable — more than we expected," VANOC CEO John Furlong said in a statement back in February. Yeah...no SH*T!!!

So if you didn't know, VANOC officials got tired of hearing us all complain and they developed a new layout (a while back, during the Olympics actually. The surprising thing is that a lot of us here in Vancouver STILL didn't know about it!). The new layout provides access to an elevated viewing platform just to the west of the cauldron that allows unobstructed views of the flame, located at the International Media Centre in downtown Vancouver.

The viewing deck, which fits up to 150 cauldron lovers at a time and it'll be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and is accessible by stairs or elevator.

Apparently the cauldron is supposed to be a permanent installation. Even though we can't get close to it during the Games, it's supposed to stay where it is forever and ever.

The flames have been re-lit for the Paralympics and honestly? You've gotta go see it. According to "officials" the cauldron will be extinguished at the end of the Games and MIGHT be re-lit for other special occasions. Here's hoping.

Either way, grab yourselves some hot chocolate and some friends/loved ones and go check it out at night.

Besos,

CC.

Reliving The Glory!!! And dealing with a few issues...

GOLD!!! GOLD!!! GOLD!!!

What a way to end our Olympic experience! Whether you love hockey or hate it (I'm personally not a fan of the game) it was hard not to catch 'hockey fever'... even if it was only temporary. The games were fast and intense. The fans, literally on an emotional roller coaster...but it was all worth it!!! See video.

What bothers me right now, is the way some of the members of the US media are belittling our victory. I have a friend who actually heard a famous TV announcer in the US say "We wanted it, but Canada needed it". HUH? Are you serious? Truth be told, that pissed me off.

I have to say that I'm also super proud of our closing ceremonies. They were witty and very tongue in cheek. The funny thing is that a lot of the international media just didn't get it! They've been calling us 'goofy' or 'weird'. What they don't understand is that that ceremony was FOR Canadians. We get it, we loved it and I think that's really all that matters. (Except for the Simple plan and Hedly performances. Really? Hmmm...). I also have to give a quick shout out to Marie-Mai, the French performance near the end of the ceremonies. Not only is she super talented, she's also my future sister-in-law. Yeah...kinda showing off there... sorry :P. AND HEY!!! You know those giant plastic balls that people were rolling around in during the closing ceremonies? Yeah, I was stuck in one of those!!! (That's what happens when you're a smart ass). Check out the video here.


Ok. So I hear all this talk about 'post-Olympic depression'. I understand. The city had this intense electricity running through it and now it feels as though we've been unplugged. But what everyone seems to forget is that the Paralympics is less than 2 weeks away! Now these are athletes who get the shaft. BIG TIME!!! I don't really understand why that is. Not only are they amazing athletes, but they've also had to overcome a physical obstacle to get to where they are. These are the best in the world and I think they should be just as respected as the Olympic athletes... but people just don't seem to care. I'm trying to change that. So here's the deal:

~The Paralympics takes place from March 12th till the 21st.

~ About 1350 Paralympic athletes from all corners of the earth will be coming to Vancouver & Whistler

~ Free performances in Whistler Plaza (for the first 5000 people) include appearances by:

Kathleen Edwards (March 13), the Weakerthans (March 14), Antoine Gratton (March 15), the Trews (March 16), Justin Hines (March 17), and Serena Ryder (March 18). (Can you say ROAD TRIP?!?!?! I'm calling dibs on Kathleen Edwards and Serena Ryder!!!)

~ The Paralympics flag goes up March 12th and the cauldron will be re-lit.

~ Ton's of free stuff to do and some houses will remain open. I'll keep you posted on those.

So, stay tuned!


Besos,

CC.