Celebrating A One Year Anniversary

I don't know what the traditional present is for a first anniversary but this year it was Gold. On February 28, 2011 a bunch of us from Twitter gathered at Real Sports Bar and Grill in Downtown Toronto to mark the one year anniversary of the now historic Canada vs USA Hockey Gold Medal game and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.
We had been talking for some time on Twitter about what to do for the anniversary. @Todd_W finally took the initiative and booked a reservation for us. Most of the people who attended had met on Twitter, some of us were in Vancouver for the Olympics, some were not and just came out to join the celebration.
Its funny to think, out of all the people there, most of them I hadn't even known at this time last year. Now on this day we came together to celebrate an event that we all had shared in different ways.

One half of our group at Real Sports.

The bar was showing the Men's Gold Medal game on their gigantic screen when we got there. I had planned on watching it but then got to talking about my Olympic adventures with all who were there. Shortly after arriving, an anchor man with CP24 came over to our group, decked out all in our Canada gear, and asked us to come join him for a live segment they were shooting from Real Sports. Finally my chance to be on TV! We all said where we were for the game. I was at BC Place watching the game on the screens while we waited for the Closing Ceremony to begin. Most of the group had watched the game with family or friends, some at home, some at a restaurant or bar. I have to say it was pretty fun to be on TV talking about the Olympics again. After the interview I called my parents to get them to watch it and tape it. I have yet to see the footage but I am sure our group came across as die hard Canadian loving fans!

One of the few people from my Olympic days I had not yet met was @MolsonTonia. Her and another Molson person were in contact with me quite a bit last year. Tonia even had Molson lanyards shipped to me to include in my loot bag. Tonia happened to be at Real Sports as well that night and we finally got a chance to talk. She also brought some hockey jerseys for prizes.

The jersey was a prize for Olympic trivia.

A special celebration was also going on at Real Sports in addition to ours. Molson and CTV were also hosting a anniversary party. Some members of the Women's Hockey team were present. For fundraising, bags with various Olympic paraphernalia had been assembled and available if you made a donation, which of course most of us did. A hat, scarf, tee, pin set and DVD set of the hockey games made it the best donation I've ever given! Now I can watch both Hockey Gold medal games in full whenever I want!
Some of the Olympic attendees brought their photo albums and I had fun looking at their photos and listening to their stories. I still don't know too many people who were at the Olympics so it was nice to hear someone else's stories for a change.
It was such a fun night, hanging out with Olympic people always is. Lots of talking, lots of laughs and lots of memories. That is what the Olympics is to me now with tons of new friends to share it with.

Other members of the group. Fun time for all.

 

Here is the video from our interview on CP24.

If you are on twitter, our hash tag for this event is #Van2010reunion. Special thanks to @The_JMoney for letting me use some of his photos. If footage of the interviews gets posted, I'll be sure to include the links here.

One Week To Go!

I can't believe Vancouver 2010 Olympics start next week! I'm amazed.  At work today I told a co-worker that this time next week I will be in Vancouver.  As soon as I said it, my eyes welled up with tears, at work! I don't know when I became such an emotional mess but I've been like this since June when I got my tickets for the Closing Ceremony. 
The next week is going to be extremely busy. There is still so much to do. I've been so preoccupied with what blog post I'm going to do next, I haven't really focused on the actual getting ready to go to Vancouver part. This weekend I plan to start packing. This is something I should have started last week but I didn't get around to it. I suck at packing, it takes me forever to decide what I should bring. I always pack way too much and don't use half of what I take.  Packing light just isn't something I am capable of. I always try but then I think "what if I need this", "what if I need that". I'm going to try my hardest to only take what is necessary.
I'm also super paranoid about forgetting to take any of my Olympic related stuff. Between all of my pins, the Canada pins, Toronto pins, Canada stickers, red mittens, Canada apparel, hats, scarves and various accessories plus tickets and maps and on and on, there is a ton of stuff! Another reason to get on this packing thing as soon as possible.  I've started many lists but even that felt like a huge task. I am doing it though. It is the only way to ensure I don't miss anything.
In addition to the Canada and Toronto pins I secured, I found out today that I will be able to pick up some Ontario pins from my MPP's office. So I will have pins to represent my country, my province and my city. I'm pretty proud of that.
Then there is the fun stuff. Making plans to meet up with all of my friends in Vancouver. Whether they are friends I have known for years or new friends I have made on the way to Vancouver, there is sure to be a lot of fun times.  I'm relying on them to let me know the best places to go. I worry that I have not spent enough time learning about all the other events in Vancouver during the Olympics, so I will need some help if figuring out where the best places are to be when I'm not at an Olympic event.  And I must make time for shopping! A few weeks ago I asked people on Twitter to recommend some great shopping areas in Vancouver and people actually responded. I have them all written down and I will make sure I fit that in between events and other things.
So I will be working like crazy this weekend to get ready to go to Vancouver and also working like crazy at work to get everything I need done before I go. The second trip is only two weeks away and I'll be gone for two weeks, poor them!

The Kindness of Strangers

Vancouver, you have some pretty amazing people in your city but you probably already knew that. I have been the recipient of your kindness, generosity and Olympic spirit the last few weeks and am very touched and grateful.

If you have been following my posts for awhile, you will remember a few months ago I wrote about coming up with this crazy idea to fly into Vancouver for the weekend of the Opening Ceremony, maybe even getting a ticket for the Opening Ceremony. Our original trip is planned for the second week of the Olympics. This Opening weekend trip would be in addition to that. The deal I made with myself was I would do it but only if someone let me stay at their place. I shouldn’t even be spending money to fly out there again, much less pay for a place to stay. If I could stay with someone I knew in Vancouver then I would spend the money on airfare to get there for opening weekend.

As time went by, it looked less and less likely that I was going to be able to go. No one had offered to let me stay with them and I didn’t feel I knew some well enough to ask them outright. In updated blog posts I made casual mention of this fact and was resigning myself that maybe this wasn’t meant to be. My Olympic karma had run out. Then an amazing and unexpected thing happened, the offers started rolling in. Vancouver people started emailing me, sending messages on Facebook and Twitter offering me their couches, second bedrooms and sofa beds. A fellow blogger from Inside Vancouver even offered up her mother’s place to me! Some of these people I knew through my blog and was corresponding with on a regular basis. Others were frequent readers of my blog but I had never heard from them before their offers of accommodation. In total, I had 6 people offering to let me stay with them or with people that they knew. At first it was pretty disconcerting to be getting invites from complete strangers but after awhile I wasn’t even surprised. I realized that these are Vancouver people, proud of their city, honoured to be hosting people from all over the world and wanting to share the experience with Olympic fans like me. These people are spreading Olympic spirit and Vancouver spirit all across their city and country.

Thank you for letting me be a part of it.

And in case you were wondering, I have found a place to stay with an acquaintance in Yaletown. I will be in Vancouver when the Olympics begin and couldn’t be happier. There is no other place I would rather be that weekend. See you in Vancouver on February 12, 2010.

Olympic Flame Lives On, Long After Leaving Ontario

When I started planning this trip back in Fall 2008, I knew in my heart that the people I was going to meet through this experience were going to be the highlight.  With a few weeks to go before our amazing Vancouver 2010 Olympics begin, I have had the pleasure of meeting wonderful people from all over the world. When people leave comments on my blog, they are available for all of you to see.  What you don't see are all the emails, Facebook messages and text messages I get from friends directly. I encourage them to go back to my blog and post as comments because the things they say are really beautiful and inspiring to me. Usually they don't and I keep all of their messages to read them again.  When you get so much encouragement and feedback from those around you, it makes it easier to keep up with doing all of this blogging!
All of that is a very long intro to an email I got this week from Cindy Legare. Cindy was a Torch Bearer in Oshawa, ON on December 16th. She came across my blog while searching for some material to use in a presentation. I loved her email so much I asked if she would mind if I used it as a blog post. She didn't mind in the least and I am publishing the email in full that she sent to me on January 28th. 
I am publishing it because it is a great reminder of how this Olympic experience will live on long after the Flame is extinguished in Vancouver, long after the Torch Relay has been completed and long after the athletes have won their medals and travel back to their home countries.  It is an example of how the children of today, our next generation of Olympic athletes are going to be inspired by these events and by the actions of people like Cindy.  I think it is such a special honour to be a role model to children. Cindy is lucky to have that honour and it sounds like she is making the most of it, and loving it!

Hi Christina,

Good on ya!!!!! I love what you are doing - I wish I could be doing this with you - I so wish I could be in Vancouver for it (I was there in Sept 09 though and got to see all the messy construction they were doing and see the 'before' places)!!!! I love the Olympics (my dream was to be a soccer player in the Olympics - but they were too late making that an olympic sport so I missed my chance) so the next best thing.....I was a torchbearer. I was honoured to do this in Oshawa on Dec16 and since then I've been treated like a 'celebrity' visiting many schools, classes, senior centres, women's groups, Brownies, a library reading group, the list goes on. Why keep my torch locked up in a box where as I can share it with many other people so that can feel apart of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic history!

I'm volunteering my time to go talk to these people about the olympics history and info about the 2010, my experience as a torch bearer and then I let everyone hold the torch individually and I have my camera and get a picture of them and give it to them.I'm filled up right until March doing talks...all volunteer so I'm not profitting from this (I have my own business so I kinda put that on hold - we make sunprotective and other unique clothing/accessories - which we'll be getting busy with soon). Its so funny seeing peoples reaction to me and the torch and especially when I ask them if they'd like to hold it - wow, their facial expression is priceless!!!! I've even had two classrooms of students line up and ask me for my autograph - how funny is that....I've never signed messages and my name this much at one time in my life.

Anyway, I came across your blog because I'm putting together a power-point slide show for a couple schools where I talk to about 700 students each and I was searching for photos...and up popped you!!!! I will now keep reading your diary blogs and this way you are filling me in on what I'm unfortunately missing. If you need me to do anything for your blog then I'd be happy to help out and fill in any empty spaces (if that is possible) on your diary...

Keep blogging - Go Christina Go!!!!

After that email she sent another one to me describing what was going to happen during one of her talks at a school. I thought this was so cool and I have included the excerpt below. Wish things like this had happened at my school!

I'm doing a talk this Monday at a school in Oshawa and it sounds pretty cool how we are doing it. I'm leading a group of children in the gym (me holding the torch and in uniform - they were chosen from a random name draw in each class) and we'll be doing a figure 8 around everyone who is seated then go to the stage. The coke, Open Happiness song, will be playing while we are parading around. Then by the stage, kids will each say a word of two about what the Olympics means to them. Then I will have a power-point slide show showing how the flame got lit in Greece to where it arrives in Vancouver and I'll talk about the torch design, logo, other olympic facts, who other than myself carried the torch (they'll go crazy when I say 'Sidney Crosby'), my experience, my uniform design and how my mitts differ from their 'red knitted mitts'. Then after the talk, I will be going to each class room to let all 600 students hold my torch and then get their picture taken with it.....its an all day event!

When I started my blog, it was meant to be a diary of my adventures leading up to and at the Vancouver Olympics. I have since come to realize that it is not only my story.  The people that I am coming into contact with all have stories too.  They may not be making the trip out to Vancouver, but the Olympics is having an impact on their lives that is worth telling. I am thrilled to be able to share their stories with you. I am going to try to make it out to one of Cindy's talks when I am back from Vancouver.
If you were a Torch Bearer I would love to hear if you are having experiences similar to Cindy's. Please leave a comment and share with all of us what has been happening to you since you carried the Olympic Torch.

Cindy gives a presentation to high school students in Whitby, ON.

The woman holding the Torch in this photo was sending a copy of this to her brother in Afganistan.  Cindy with a women's sorority group in Port Hope, ON.

Reaction from Friends and Family

A few weeks ago I asked some friends, co-workers and family if they would write a short paragraph on their reaction to all of my Vancouver 2010 Olympic hoopla. I was curious to see if my experiences and adventures were having any effect on their outlook of the Olympics and if it was getting them more excited about these Vancouver games.  I told them they could write anything they wanted, I would publish as is and only edit for spelling and grammar. It is probably no surprise to you that I got teary eyed reading every single one of these.  There are a few people who I am still waiting to get a paragraph from but I thought I would publish the ones that I have as of today and then add the others as I get them.
I would like to thank them very much for taking the time to do this. Some were hesitant about trying to write something and I appreciate the time and effort they took to do this.  I think they did a fantastic job!

Jennifer Pinheiro
Co - worker

As a new mom I take the time when I can to get things done. I often keep up on Christina's Vancouver 2010 blog and Twitter updates on my Blackberry late at night and I look forward to see her getting to experience something that she has always dreamed of doing.
I have missed the daily chats with Christina at work, getting to see and hear first hand all the updates leading up to the big event. Thankfully we get to email often to still be in the loop. Everyday there seems to be something new going on and she is becoming quite the celebrity. I can say I knew her when.
Christina has a passion for the Olympics and I have to say it has inspired me to watch and be much more informed, since sports has never been a huge interest for me. Her passion is contagious, I love it! I am getting excited!!!....to watch and for Christina :)
I think this is a life changing event and I tell her all the time, can't wait to be proved right lol. I can't wait to read the next blog but more so to hear all about her trip. She will be an inspiration to my new daughter that you always have to follow your heart and do what you want and be happy!
I can't wait to hear all about it Christina and will be watching the Olympics and hope to spot you!
Represent Canada, you do it so well!

Amy Samad
Co - Worker

Olympic fever is in the air and Christina is chiefly responsible for infecting the locals! Working daily with Christina has given me a front row view of all the happenings around the Vancouver 2010 Games. Following her blog posts, scrolling through event pictures, and getting the direct behind-the-scenes inside scoop has been a thrilling experience. I'm 4,000 km's away from the Olympics, but following along as Christina is interviewed by The Washington Post, blogging for Inside Vancouver, and riding with the GM envoy allows me to feel directly involved as my country proudly shows off it's natural beauty, outstanding hospitality, and best of all our world class athletes. Christina's enthusiasm is entirely contagious - I hope other Canadians get the chance to have the games be made as personally relevant to them as I have - I'm bursting with Canadian Olympic pride! Thanks Christina for continuing to share your adventure with us here.
GO TEAM CANADA GO!!

My Mom on some of her Olympic Preparations:

In 4 weeks we leave for Vancouver 2010. After months of reading info and studying maps I hope I am ready. Trying to stay dry in steady rain will be a challenge.
Almost finished packing but will have to take some stuff out. Too heavy! Hope I haven’t forgotten anything but I probably have. Looking forward to our trip. Hope Canada wins a lot of medals. Hope USA wins some too.
Go get those medals Canada!
(Mom is American and will be cheering for both Canada and USA)

Jen Finnigan
Friend

Christina has been talking about the Olympics since they announced the Vancouver games, to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone to be so enthusiastic about the Olympics. It seemed only natural that she would extend her “Not A Shopaholic” blog into the 2010 games. Well, little did we know how far her enthusiasm would take her! From blogging, to being quoted in the newspaper (The Washington Post) to getting to ride a long in part of the Torch Relay in Southern Ontario; it seems every time I talk to or get an email from her she’s got a new “in”. I’m constantly amazed at how far she’s gone with it I can hardly keep up! I’m sure Christina feels like she’s living in a dream most days, I hope her “Road to the Olympics” is the ride of a lifetime – who knows where else it will lead?
Awesome job Christina!!

My Vision for the Olympic Games

One of the most exciting things about telling people about my trip is seeing their reaction after I’ve told someone for the first time where I am going. Their entire face lights up and they always say some kind of version of “That is so amazing. You are going to have such a good time”. It’s hard to put into words how happy they look and all the nice things that have been said to me. I’m excited that so many are excited for me that I am going on this trip. It will be unlike any experience that I’ve ever had and I intend to enjoy every second of it. I feel like I’m experiencing this trip for all those who won’t be there. Hopefully through my blogs and pictures, they’ll get a feel for what Olympic fever is like in Vancouver.

In addition to attending all the events and cheering on our great Canadian athletes, I can’t wait to talk to people from all over the world who will also be attending this Olympics. Canada has always had a great international reputation and I’m looking forward to hearing visitors thoughts on Canada and Vancouver. Can you imagine what the energy will be like in the city for the duration of the Games? I can’t wait to see what that feels like. I’m expecting everyone to be in a great, friendly mood. Open to meeting others from different countries and cultures. I envision walking down the street and seeing perfect strangers’ high fiving each other, and Canadians yelling “Canada Rocks”. I’m sure the Olympics will bring out a huge amount of pride in people. I will get to see that firsthand.

Canada Day celebrations on Robson Street. I think these people know how to party!

Everyone will be in such a great mood, I can see spontaneous breakouts of song and dance happening all over the city. Can you imagine, shopping on Robson Street and all of a sudden people start singing and dancing in the street? It would be like our own episode of Glee! Hey Vancouver, is there some kind of theme song for the city? If so, someone please tell me what it is so I can start putting some moves together. If there is singing and dancing going on somewhere I want to be a part of it. Maybe we could even get Michael Buble to grace us with his presence and smooth jazzy voice!

By complete coincidence, I was invited back to my old dance studio this past week for a class. My dance teacher invited me to see “if I’ve still got it”. Little does she know, I never lost it and I’ll be practicing my moves for Vancouver 2010!

It is sure to be a fun and exciting time. Canada is host to people from all over the world. Let’s be sure to show them a good time, whether it’s singing and dancing on Robson Street or blowing them away with how many medals we are winning! I am sure I will scream myself hoarse. That’s just the nature of the Games! What is your vision for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics? Leave a comment to share it with everyone.

Excuse me while I go practice my double pirouettes!  See you on Robson Street for singing and dancing!

Vancouver, we will soon be together.




A very special thank you to Tomarra Walker from Robson Street Business Association for providing me with the photos in this post. Photo credits are as follows: Photos 1, 2 and 4 - deliciousphotography.com, Photo 3 - Tomarra Walker.

Props to my Fellow Bloggers

One of the things I’m looking forward to the most about the Olympics are the people I will meet and the friendships that will be created from this experience. I didn’t think leading up to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics that I would have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people but I have, mostly because like me they are bloggers and writing about their experiences around Vancouver 2010.

I admire all of them. If anyone knows how time consuming a task this is, it is me. There are several nights I’ve been up to midnight working on a blog post. We are not paid media; we are not doing this because it is our job. We do this because we are passionate and excited about these Olympic Games being held in our home country. We do it out of pure love for an event that is sure to be memorable and life changing. We are people who write from the heart and are truly appreciative of others taking the time to read our thoughts.

Here is a list of some of my favourite blogs and why I like them so much:

2010VanFan-A great blog written from the perspective of Andrea, a Vancouver resident, Olympic volunteer and fellow blogger. Andrea is on a quest to write a post for each of the 210 days leading up the Olympics and so far hasn’t missed a day. She gives the lowdown on all the latest preparations happening in Vancouver. As an avid Olympic fan, I would love to be there to see all of this, but since I can’t I rely on Andrea’s updates. It is great fun to follow her adventures from pin trading, Vancouver walkabouts and impromptu interviews with various locals involved in some way with the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. I have to admit, she has me addicted to reading every day! She is also supposed to do a guest blog post on here for me.

2010 Olympic Volunteer’s Blog-Written by Joyce who is from Scotland, she is going to be a volunteer in Whistler during the Olympics. Yes she is coming all the way from Scotland to help out during Vancouver 2010. I don’t know how she arranged that but good for her! She already has her red mittens so she will fit right in. Her blog currently covers items of interest in Scotland and provides helpful information on Vancouver 2010. I look forward to hearing about her days as a volunteer once she arrives in Canada. I am not going to Whistler for any events so I’ll be relying on Joyce to provide me with the scoop on what is going on up there.

We are all Mukmuks-I have to admit I may be kind of biased to this one since Mukmuk is my favourite mascot even though he may not be as visible as the rest. This blog is written by Tasha, who in addition to being a blogger is also going to be a Torch bearer! So envious of her for that. Have fun running with the Torch Tasha. We’ll all be thinking of you. In addition to be a Torch bearer, Tasha is also going to be volunteering at Vancouver 2010. Her story about her volunteer backpack woes are pretty funny. I look forward to seeing more from her.

Other Blogs of Note:

Tinkerblue

Art & Serge’s 2010 Road Trip

liddlethought

The Excellent Olympic Adventure

Future Guest Posts

I wanted to quickly introduce you to two people I have asked to do Guest Posts on my blog.  I thought you might be getting a bit tired of me so I've invited others to give some different perspective on the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
First there is Erin, who I came across on Twitter.  Erin is from Calgary and will be a Torch bearer on January 18th! How lucky is she? I love her Twitter updates on her thoughts and preparations as her day to carry the Olympic Torch gets closer.  Her latest Tweets have been about media and the interview requests she has been getting.
I have asked Erin to write a post to give us some insight into what it is like, what it means to them and what it feels like to run with the Torch.  As I said, Erin runs on January 18th and I hope to have her post up by the following week.  I am so happy for her!  What an amazing experience it is going to be.  I'm so happy that she has agreed to share it with my blog and my readers.  Really looking forward to hearing from you Erin.  Have fun running with the Torch.  You can follow Erin on Twitter @enms.

My second selection for a Guest Post is the infamous Andrea from 2010VanFan.  I think of her as my Vancouver counter part.  Andrea is the author of the 2010VanFan blog where she writes daily about her adventures leading up the Vancouver Olympics in her hometown.  I personally love getting a first person viewpoint of everything that is going on in that city right now as they head into their final preparations.  I would love to be there myself but since I can't, Andrea's blog is the perfect way to stay informed. She has lots of exciting things to share with us. I don't want to say to much so I think I'll stop here! Hopefully Andrea will have her Guest Post done for me by mid January.  You can follow Andrea on Twitter @2010VanFan.

A very special thank you to each of these women for accepting my invitation.  We are all busy in our daily lives as well as our preparations for the Vancouver Olympics so I appreciate them taking the time to do this.  I love that I'll be able to share some different perspectives from people taking part in the Olympics in different ways. Stay tuned for more.

Welcome to 2010

To all of my readers, loyal and new, I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year. I can't believe we are finally here at 2010, the year of our Vancouver Olympics.  For me this journey started in October 2008 with Phase 1 of tickets.  2010 seemed so far away, a year and a half at that point.  It felt like it would take forever to come.  Now we are just over a month away from the Opening Ceremony on February 12th (I'm still trying to get a ticket for this but coming to terms with the fact it may not happen).  It's kind of unbelievable to me.  I've had so much fun during this time leading up to the Olympics, I'm not sure I want it to end, even though I am very anxious to go to Vancouver and experience the Olympics in my home country.

I have been very fortunate for the experiences I have had.  Who knew when I started this blog it would lead to such incredible things like being considered for a CTV Olympic promo spot, be interviewed for a Washington Post article, invited by Inside Vancouver to blog for them about my journey, asked to contribute to a Visual Art project, and be invited to ride along with the GM guys in the Torch Relay.  It has been an unbelievable time for me.  Never in a million years would I ever have expected any of this to happen.

Along the way the support of family, friends and co-workers has been amazing.  They are also one of the reasons why this has been so much fun for me.  They are genuinely interested in my blogs and thrilled when all of these exciting opportunities are given to me.  It makes me so sad that they won't be in Vancouver with me to see all of this come to fruition.  I know they will be keeping up on our daily adventures though my blogs and photos.

Adding to the experience are the people that I have met so far.  Fellow bloggers like Andrea from 2010VanFan; Olympic fans that are as excited about Vancouver 2010 as I am, and various people from Twitter.  It is like we are our own special group, looking forward to this in a way that some others don't understand.  I started this blog because I had so much excitement and enthusiasm about Vancouver 2010, I needed a place to put it.  I also thought it would be a good way to meet others like me, if there were any out there.  I have met more people than I ever thought I would and I love to see that others are as big Olympic fans as I am.

I could go on but I was trying to keep this one short.  May 2010 bring wonderful things to all of you.  It is going to be a great year for Canada. :)

Wishing you a Happy New Year and all the best for 2010. Go Canada!

Remember the Olympic Spirit challenge Canada.  I'm looking for images of displays of Olympic Spirit from all across Canada.  For more information check out the previous posts I've done: the one that started it all and the display I found in Brampton, ON.

Brampton, ON Has Olympic Spirit

I'm not about to give all of you an assignment and then sit back and wait for all the photos to roll in.  I've also got my eyes out there to help spot displays of Olympic Spirit across Canada.  This is a photo I took on the weekend in Brampton, ON at Chinguacousy Park.  It was at the top of the mountain they use for skiing and tubing.  I spotted it when we were on our way home from my Torch Relay ride along (blog post coming soon).  I figured out what this was as we passed it so I turned the car around and went back to take a photo.  I ended up hiking half way up the mountain to get the best photo I could.  Thank goodness this side of the mountain didn't have a lot of snow.
So Canada, in case you were wondering what kind of stuff I'm looking for, this is perfect.  If you spot anything, take a photo and send it to me.  My email address is notashopaholic at gmail.com or you can send me a link to the image if it is already online.  I'll compile them in a future blog post and create an online photo album for them. 
If you want to see the photo that started all of this, see my previous post on the subject.  I heard a rumor that someone in Keswick, ON has built a replica of the Olympic Torch and I am trying to track it down for a photo.  If you know anything about this or know someone in Keswick please let me know.
Happy New Year.

Brampton, ON showing their Olympic Spirit at Chinguacousy Park

Did I mention that I grew up in Brampton?  So proud of my hometown.

Olympic Torch Relay St. Catherines, ON – December 20, 2009

St. Catherines was Torch Relay #4 for me. It wasn’t on my original list of planned appearances. A series of events that unfolded the week previous led me to St. Catherines and their Torch Relay. The short version is my co-worker Mariesa grew up in St. Catherines and goes back frequently to visit family and friends. She got a call out of the blue one day from her cousin, an up and coming TV and radio personality. Mariesa’s cousin had got a call to cover the Torch Relay Celebration on December 20th. Mariesa immediately started talking about me and my adventures with Vancouver 2010. By the time they hung up, it had been arranged that I would go to St. Catherines for the Torch Relay and be interviewed by Mariesa’s cousin for the piece she was doing for local TV.
I met Mariesa the morning of the 20th and we made our way to Market Square, the location of the Torch Celebration. We saw Mariesa’s cousin right away and did the interview. I was kind of nervous because I have not ever been interviewed for TV before. I was able to answer all the questions although I have no memory of what I said. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a copy of the clip so I can see what it is I said.

Hanging out in Market Square before the arrival of the Olympic Torch

We hung around Market Square for awhile and checked out the festivities. St. Catherines had a huge ice sculpture of the three Vancouver 2010 mascots, Quatchi, Sumi and Miga. You could walk behind the sculpture and put your head in the space that was carved out. Of course we took a few pictures. I have no idea how they did that sculpture but it was very cool and very impressive. Around noon we ventured out to the relay route to find our spot. We placed ourselves at the corner of Lake and Welland. A Coca Cola truck stopped and a guy yelled at me to come over. I was the chosen one to hand out the Coca Cola flags to the crowd around me. They went pretty quickly.

 Ice Sculpture in Market Square.

Mariesa was completely on board with running along with the torch so we made sure to place ourselves away from the crowds so we could take off running without hurting anyone. We followed if for awhile and then cut across a street to get back to the celebration. When we got to the top of the street the convoy was coming by again! We ran again and managed to keep up with it. It helped when the Torchbearer slowed down and walked. When it came time for the exchange, they held the Torchbearers in this one spot for awhile which allowed everyone to get a good look at it and take some great photos. Finally they were given the go ahead and the last Torchbearer; a St. Catherines resident carried the Torch into the Celebration and lit the cauldron.

Left: Mariesa cheers on the arrival of the Coca Cola truck.  Right:  Waiting for the Torchbearer exchange.

In all of the Torch Relays I have been to, I can never get over the amount of people that turn out to witness the relay and the Torch Celebrations. St. Catherines is not a big city, population is just over 130,000, yet there were tons of people filling Market Square and for awhile we couldn’t even get close to the stage. I love seeing the community spirit, Olympic spirit and the Canadian spirit from people all along the relay. I can only imagine what the people see who are on this journey every day. I think they are the luckiest people right now. I am proud to be Canadian and more proud when I see people showing their pride at events like the Torch Relay and Celebrations.
To view the days photos, please click here.

Crowds at the Torch Celebration. The lit cauldron is on the left.

Torchbearer who lit the cauldron.  He is a Roots Right to Play Ambassador. Notice our matching mittens.

Guest Blog Post by James Hamilton

When I was at the Mississauga Torch Relay on Saturday, I was able to say hi to my Twitter GM friend Art of @GM_ArtandSerge.  Art and Serge are members of the GM team who are travelling with the Torch Relay Convoy and taking care of all the vehicles.  On occasion they have the opportunity to give guests ride alongs.  On Saturday when I ran into Art, James Hamilton was in the passenger seat looking somewhat stunned that someone was screaming from the sidewalk, "Are you the GM guys from Twitter?" 
James and his brother managed to track me down and I asked if they would like to write a guest post for my blog about their time with Art and the Torch Relay Convoy.
Below is James' account of the day along with the photo he took of me standing on the sidewalk in Mississauga.

Hi, my name is James Hamilton and I am a blogger – my blog is called Toronto Grand Prix Tourist. I met Christina on a crowded street corner in Mississauga, Ontario as I was passing by in a GM pickup truck – part of the Olympic Flame Relay convoy with the Fleet Manager Art Lewis.
My travel on that day was a result of an earlier email asking if I wanted to see the considerable amount of vehicles sponsored by General Motors which are required to support the Flame Relay, along with the Art, during a media event in Toronto. My answer was yes, although I did not get to see that vast amount of vehicles, now about numbering about 110, and was instead given the superior chance to go on an Olympic Flame Relay drive along. It took about a week of negotiations with the team to get an acceptable time to join the convoy as their primary responsibility is to ensure the vehicles receive service and are on the road and his schedules are pretty hectic.

James in the passenger seat and Art of GM in the driver's seat.

The date chosen was Saturday, December 19, 2009 and we finally got together in front of the Bell Campus in Mississauga just across the Toronto boundary. He pulled up in his shiny, fuel efficient, black GM Silverado (for sale after the Olympics) and we got together and went through his plans for our ride along. I say we because I had my fellow photographer, blogger and brother Joe Hamilton along for the event.

The Bell Campus location wasn’t a random location – it was chosen because Bell, a major Olympic Sponsor, had a special Flame Relay event on and the convoy was part of this event. We were told to go out and explore the Bell event and get ready to leave at a moment’s notice when the convoy heads out onto the official relay route. When we received word we jumped into that shiny, fuel efficient, black GM Silverado (probably be a good deal when it does go on sale) and got into line behind a few hundred police escort vehicles.
We headed into Toronto for the start of the Centennial Park leg of the day’s relay. During the Flame Relay we passed intersections blocked off by police on bikes and in cruisers, following emergency vehicles, control vehicles and buses which picked up and dropped off the relay runners. The crowds along the side of the roads were impressive and some of the people even ran ahead with the flame. Each runner was mobbed by eager fans hoping for photos. The wife of one runner I know had said that after he finished his run and taken photos with all his ‘fans’ that it was hard to get him into the car because his head was so big.

As the convoy continued we arrived in the heart of Mississauga, which must be that big ugly mall called Square One, and we were coming up to the entrance into the mall property and I had my window rolled down to take pictures as the convoy went around the corner. As we slowed down a gorgeous lady asked if we were the GM guys. I replied that yes, that Art himself was driving the shiny, fuel efficient, black GM Silverado (it will probably have quite a few miles on it by that time). She said that she was following the convoy on the internet and that she was the “not a shopaholic.” I was intrigued because she looked like the lady from Star Trek, Next Generation – you know, Marina Sirtis who played Councillor Deanna Troi. I thought it was cool that movie stars were out to support the Olympic Flame.

Photograph taken by James at the corner on Kariya Gate and Burnhamthorpe Road. That's my Mom behind me.

Shortly afterwards we departed from the flame convoy and Art drove us back to our car at the Bell Campus. Based upon Christina’s comment we were able to track her down on the infinite internets and I was dashed to find she was not Marina. She does, however, have a great blog and lots of enthusiasm. Good luck at the Vancouver Olympics Christina, James.

I am happy to tell you that I have been contacted and asked if I would like to have my own ride along with the GM team and the Olympic Torch Relay Convoy.  I will join Serge (Art is taking a well deserved break) in London, ON on December 27th.  If I can't be a Torchbearer, this is the next best thing.  It will be quite a day. Thank you very much for your post James.  It is great to get perspective from some other people. Christina.

Olympic Torch Relay Mississauga, ON - December 19, 2009

After an early morning in Georgetown, we rushed home for some breakfast and then headed to Mississauga for their portion of the Olympic Torch Relay. Mississauga is a suburb of Toronto and located 30-40minutes west of the city. The Torch was scheduled to arrive between 11am-noon.

The Olympic Torch is coming!

Again my Mom and I walked a bit of the route to find the best place to be. In Georgetown we learned that the Torchbearer exchange is marked with an orange sticker. We walked around looking for one of these and found one on Burnhamthorpe Road, just west of Hurontario Street. There weren’t too many people here yet but as it got closer to 11:30 more people began to appear.

Orange marks the spot.  If you want to see a Torchbearer exchange, look for these markers along the route.

For those of you who don’t know Mississauga, this intersection is extremely busy. I had no idea how they were going to close this down for the relay. Somehow they managed to do it and it wasn’t long before we could see the convoy arriving again! Burnhamthorpe is a long street so we could actually see it coming from a distance. I tell you, the site of it appearing in the distance and watching as it gets closer is really something. We watched the Torchbearer exchange happen. When this Torchbearer was dropped off, he was crying as friends and family hugged him and took photos. As he ran, he was all smiles, enjoying this proud moment and even joking with his family, some of whom were running beside him.

As the Torchbearer began to jog up the street, my Mom said she wanted to run along with it and that is what we did. So close to it, we ran all the way up to the next exchange. I even got a chance to see my GM friend, Art, from Twitter and his ride along buddy for the day James Hamilton. See the blog post James did on his day with Art and the Torch Relay Convoy.
As the convoy made its way around the shopping mall, we walked up to the Torch Celebration. Many people were there waiting for the Torch to make its entrance to the stage. We found a place in between the people and watched it approach again. It was carried by Cheryl Pounder, a Mississauga resident and a Women’s Hockey Gold Medallist. She carried the flame up to the stage and lit the cauldron. The Mayor of Mississauga, Hazel McCallion, who is something of a legend in the city, made a wonderful speech about Canada being the greatest country to live in and the inspiration the Torch and the Olympics is to the younger generation. The crowd even chanted “Hazel, Hazel” at one point. The gentleman beside me asked, “Is there any other city who loves their Mayor as much as we do?” The answer is no, there isn’t.

Torchbearer heading West on Burnhamthorpe Road.  Notice the cars and people on the other side of the street.

We left the celebration a bit early because we wanted to see the Torch make its exit. It was carried back towards Hurontario on Burnhamthorpe by the Mississauga Braves Hockey team. Each member got to carry the torch 50 yards before handing it off to another team member. If you think one Torchbearer is impressive, let me tell you that 15-20 of them all in those white uniforms is really a great site. Again we went running alongside the Torch. As we were running, I noticed people in cars on the other side of the street, were getting out of their cars to clap and cheer as the Torch was carried by. Others were out of their cars taking pictures and several honked their horns. It was amazing to see. Even as I watched the Torch be carried south on Hurontairo, towards Port Credit, horns were going like crazy. It was unreal. The amount of respect people were showing for the Torch, for the Olympics and for their country is unforgettable. For me it will be one of the most memorable moments of the Torch Relay. I can’t think of too many things that would get this kind of reaction from people. I watched it for as long as I could. I would have loved to continue to follow it but I knew I had to turn back and find my Mom.

Great turn out in Mississauga for the Torch Celebration. Hazel is on stage, standing by the cauldron.

What a day to remember. This was the third Torch Relay I attended. Each one has its special moments and memories for me. I am on a quest to see as many as I can.
To see all the photos from the Mississauga Torch Relay, click here to view the photos online.

                                                                                                                                                                         

Art, my GM Twitter friend, @GM_ArtandSerge, and James in the passenger seat.

Olympic Torch Relay Georgetown, ON - December 19, 2009

My Mom had always wanted us to go to the Olympic Torch Relay when it passed through Georgetown, ON, a community about an hour north and a bit west of Toronto. I hesitated agreeing to go but then finally decided to do it after a portion of the Toronto relay was diverted. Now, having been to Georgetown I’m happy that my Mom pushed so hard for us to go. It was an amazing place to see the torch for the first time and I was touched to see the amount of community spirit Georgetown has for Canada and for these Olympic Winter Games.

Georgetown was an early stop on the route on Saturday, December 19th. I met my parents in Brampton at 6am and we left for Georgetown right away. Driving through the city to get to the Torch route, quite a few store signs announced the arrival of the Torch and invited everyone to attend. Bleachers had even been put up in front of the local arena for relay spectators. As we drove by there, some people were tying a Canadian flag to the top of the bleachers.

My Mom and I settled ourselves on the route at Guelph Street and Queen Street. As we were waiting we got to talking to some of the people around us. Ken Sproule, owner of Ken’s Auto Service and his wife were out earlier than we were and struck up a conversation with us right away. Telling them we were going to Vancouver to see the Olympics, they were very excited for us. My Dad was further up the route and positioned to take video of the relay.

Coca Cola always livens things up, no matter what time it is.

We also met the family of one of the days Torchbearers, Justin Schlupp. Some of Justin’s family had travelled from Kitchener to watch him run his leg of the relay. They parked themselves in front of his post and anxiously waited for him to arrive. There were as happy and as proud as can be to have a family member participating in the Torch relay. My new friend Ken offered to get us pen and paper from his store so I could take down the info of Justin’s family member. Then Ken asked if I would send him copies of my pictures which of course I agreed to.

Justin Schlupp's family waits at his exchange point.

Adding to the community spirit was a lovely woman from the church across the street from where we were. She came around with hot chocolate twice for those of us who had chosen to stand out in the cold to watch this great event happen. I couldn’t help but think this would never happen in Toronto. Everyone was very cheery for an early, cold Saturday morning.

You know the Torch is close when you see this.

The first signs of the convoy arrived around 7:30am with the Coca Cola and RBC trucks getting everyone more worked up. It was a great site to see after being disappointed at the Toronto relay. Soon after, we could see the Torchbearer coming over the hill and running towards us. Carrying the torch proudly and running at a good speed, she stopped as she got to Justin. They posed for pictures and I believe a photo was taken of Justin and his family before Justin was off and running, his family yelling support and running after him. Once Justin turned the corner at Mill Street, my Mom and I took off running. Spotting my Dad running up Guelph Street we followed him and got to the top of the street in time to see the convoy and Torchbearer again. This was the end of the route and from here the Torchbearers were shuttled back to wherever they had started. It was a great morning made all the better by the community spirit of the people from Georgetown. I’m so happy that I was a part of it. Thank you very much Georgetown. What a great event you hosted for the Olympics’ and for us.
For additional photos from the Georgetown, ON relay, click here.

The Torch handoff to Justin.

One of many signs announcing the arrival of the Torch.

Olympic Torch Relay Toronto, ON - December 17, 2009

It is very late and I am very tired so I think I'm going to write little and put in lots of pictures.  The Torch Relay route did get diverted right as it got to us at Yonge and Wellesley but you cannot dampen Olympic Spirit.  As we walked south on Yonge Street and got to Yonge-Dundas Square, I couldn't believe the amount of people out there!  So many Torontoians waiting out in the cold to cheer on the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.  It was great!
We continued on to Nathan Phillips Square where the Torch Celebration was taking place.  We arrived just in time to see Women's Hocky superstar, Vicki Sunahara, carry the Torch down Queen St. into the Celebration.  We got to see the rest of the festivities as well as the fireworks that ended the night.  Overall, it was great.  I still want to see the Olympic Flame run through the street.  Hopefully I'll get to see that on Saturday in Mississauga.  I'm also try to plan at least one more outing to see the Torch before it leaves the Greater Toronto Area.
For additional photos click here.

This nice young man let me take a photo with him and his Torch.  A Torchbearer from earlier in the day.

The convoy at Yonge and Wellesley St. in Toronto.

Celebrating the Torch and Vancouver 2010 at Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON. December 17, 2009

Toronto Torch Celebration ends with fireworks at Nathan Phillips Square.

Waiting for the Olympic Torch to arrive in Toronto! It was a long, cold wait.

On The Eve of the Toronto Olympic Torch Relay

It has been an exciting day as I follow the progress of the Olympic Torch Relay as it gets closer and closer to Toronto.  It will be here tomorrow evening and I will be out to greet it.  I'm really looking forward to this.  I have no idea what to expect, how many people like me will be bundled up to brave the cold, what will it be like when we see it, what will happen at the Olympic Torch Celebration.  Soon I will know.
My Mom is tucked away all snugly in my bed.  She is staying the night so we can head out together tomorrow afternoon.  My plan is to leave my condo at around noon and take TTC (public transit) into Downtown Toronto.  We will be down there very early but I want to walk a bit of the route to see where it is I want to be when the Torch passes by, at the moment I'm thinking of Yonge and Wellesley.  From there, we will make our way to Nathan Phillips Square where the Torch Celebration will take place. 
I'm very excited to be going.  I feel like I have missed being a part of some great moments in Toronto.  When our Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993, I was not out there with people dancing in the street.  There was no way I was going to let the Olympic Torch Relay pass me by!  I've taken the day off of work and will be out there taking photos, cheering on the flame and celebrating this great event that Canada is hosting.  I guess this will also be my first encounter with the Olympics.  Its sure to be a great evening.
Now, I don't have Blackberry or iphone or any other fancy device so I won't be able to transmit any updates live from the Celebration.  I'm kind of bummed about that but there isn't much I can do about it.  I will try to do a blog post as soon as I get home, regardless of the time!  I don't think this is something that can wait a day!  On Saturday I will be at the Torch Relay in Mississauga and will post on that as well.
Have a great day tomorrow everyone.  I hope to see a lot of you out on Yonge Street with me.  A special thank you to my co-workers for making today very special. I wish they could all come with me tomorrow.

Is Olympic Fever Spreading?

The other week I was in my friendly neighbourhood grocery store.  As I approached the dairy section to get sour cream for the fajitas I was going to make that night, I looked up and saw this massive GO CANADA GO sign!  I literally stopped dead in my tracks and laughed out loud.  I loved it!  This is the kind of stuff I want to see all over Toronto as well as Vancouver when I get there.  I didn't have my camera on me so I had to go back to the store and discreetly take a photo of it. I know retailers frown upon people taking pictures in their stores but this had to be done.

I'm so excited to see signs of the Olympics around town.  Its probably only going to increase as we get closer and closer to the Olympic Games in Vancouver.  I am going to keep an eye out for anything Olympic/Canadian related.  If you see a sign of Olympic spirit in your city I would love to see it.  Send me a photo with a brief description, your name and city where you took the photo and I'll put together a collage of all them for a later post.

The Olympic Torch Relay will be here next week and I saw a sign advertising this as well.  I wandered out into the freezing cold earlier this evening because I had to get a picture of it for my blog.  I managed to take a few pictures before my battery went dead.  If this one doesn't show up well in the blog I'll be going back out there.  The only thing that sucks about that is a) it is frigging cold outside b) it is one of those digital marquees so I have to wait for 10 different things to come up before it gets back to the 2010 Olympics.  If my camera battery hadn't died when it did, I might have lost a finger.  I could barely feel them when I got back in my car.  Ah, whatever it takes for an effective blog post right?

Go Canada Go!  Looking forward to seeing your images from around Canada showing your city's Olympic Canadian spirit.  Email is notashopaholic at gmail.com.

Help Vancouver Visual Artist with Video of Torch Relay

Last week I posted a tweet on Twitter that the Olympic Torch will soon be coming to Toronto.  I got a reply back from Vancouver Visual Artist Rina Liddle.  She is working on a project titled "We Are Watching".  Rina asked if I would be a contributor to her project.  All I have to do is take some video footage when I go see the Torch Relay and email it to her.  She is going to stream together all the video she receives and show it unedited on a wall outside the Jeffery Boone Gallery during the Olympics.
I think its a pretty cool thing to do.  I love the idea of being part of an art project.  Myself, I am artistically impaired.  I can barely draw stick people.  I love that this is another way to contribute to an event related to the Olympics.
I am going to try to submit video footage from the relay and torch celebrations in Toronto and Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto.  The Olympic Torch Relay passes through Toronto and surrounding area's next week.
If the torch has already passed through your town and you shot some video send it along to Rina. She is looking for footage of the relay from all across Canada.
If the torch has not yet arrived in your city, check the schedule and head out with your digital camera in video mode, or use whatever video device you have.  You will be helping out an artist and contributing to history.  For more information visit Rina's blog.  I hope to see every city represented when I visit this exhibit in Vancouver.  You can also follow her progress on Twitter @weRwatching2010.  Please check her blog for the email address to send video footage.  I don't want to include it here or else she might get overwhelmed with spam mail. 
Please help if you can.  It is a great project and we need to support artists and their visions, like this one from Rina Liddle.
If you will be attending to either torch celebrations in Toronto or Mississauga, let me know so we can meet up for a photo for my blogs!
Merry Olympics!