I'm Official! The Card Proves It

I got the brilliant idea a few months ago to have business cards made up with the information for my blogs for when I am in Vancouver. It wasn't for vanity reasons that I decided to do this. I don't have any notion of getting mistaken for media, and will certainly not present myself as such.  I wanted to get them for the simple reason that it proves that I write a few blogs.  The way I see it, there are going to be many wonderful people to talk to, many moments that will make for great photos. I am going to want to capture all of these for my blogs.  Of course I will want to let people know about my blogs and ask if they mind being included in them. And then I thought, what am I going to do, recite the URL for them? Write it down on a napkin that may get thrown away? No,  it would be much better and look more professional if I had something to present to them. So was born the idea of a business card promoting my blogs. There were actually a few times at the Torch Relay that I wish I had them, again because I was asking people who I didn't know if I could take their picture to include in a blog post.  I happen to be a massive procrastinator and really only got on this after Christmas, but whatever, I have them now. I also have a disgusting fascination with stationary so I may have just been looking for an excuse to have something printed with my name on it!
After researching a few options, I decided to go with Vistaprint. They have a facility in Windsor, ON which was great because I didn't have to worry about exchange rates or customs. The process was very easy, the rates very reasonable and I got my cards within two weeks.  A friend of mine also uses them so I considered that as good as any reference I could get.
Check out the image of my card below. The only thing I might have changed was the finish. Now I'm thinking that a glossy finish may have looked better. It's too late now and regardless, I am happy with how they turned out (also happy I seemed to have spelled everything correctly).  
And now I am issuing myself a challenge, to not come  back home with one single card! All 250 of these will find their way into the pockets or purses of fellow Olympic lovers, new friends from around the world and contacts.  Can a shy girl like me make it happen? If there is any where that it could, it is in Vancouver!

I'm still collecting photos for my Olympic Spirit Across Canada photo album.  If your out and see a unique display of Canadian and Olympic pride, take a photo and send it to me to be included in the album. Make sure you tell me where the photo was taken. If you want to read more about this, click here to review my earlier post. The album will be up soon and I'll add to it as I get pictures.

Thank you so much for reading everyone. You have no idea how much it means to me to know others are enjoying my blog. Stay tuned for much, much more! I also invite you to leave a comment. Let me know where you're from and what you are looking forward to during the Vancouver Olympics.

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

Visiting Medals of Olympics Past

Back in mid December before all the Olympic Torch Relay hoopla started, I dragged my poor mother to the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto. Why, you ask, would a fashion lover, Olympic crazed person like me ever want to attend the Hockey Hall of Fame? Well because they have the most fantastic exhibit ever. I don’t know how they did it but they managed to get together a collection of Olympic medals from every single Olympics. Yes that is right, every single one from 1896 up to Beijing 2008. For an Olympic lover like myself who has been planning her trip to Vancouver 2010 since October 2008, this seemed like a must do for me. It was also a great thing to see in anticipation of what Vancouver 2010 will be. You see I am really annoyed to be out of the loop as to what is going on in Vancouver right now as they get ready to put on the greatest Olympics ever. This trek to the Hockey Hall of Fame to see all the medals from Olympics past was one small thing I could do as pre trip homage to the Olympics.

Medals of our past Canadian Olympic Host cities.

It was neat to see them all together listed by year and host city. It was also interesting to see the variety in the style of medals. Early on the medals kind of looked the same. Once they became more artistic, you could see how the art styles of the host cities influence the design of the medals.

The Hockey Hall of Fame has this exhibit on display until January 15, 2010 if you are in the Toronto area and want to check it out. I spent most of my time looking at the medals but they have other exhibits and hockey paraphernalia that is fun to look at too. My Mom loved all the Detroit Red Wings uniforms they had.

I took pictures as best I could. Flash photos were strictly a no no. And just because its there, we posed for a picture with the Stanley Cup.  To see all the photos, visit my online album of the medals.

Hockey Hall of Fame
Precious Medals: The Complete Olympic Collection
Brookfield Place-30 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
http://www.hhof.com/

The Stanley Cup.

Most recent medals.

Earliest medals.

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.

Riding Along with the Torch Relay – Part 2

I have to admit that following the Torch with the convoy is pretty cool! I especially enjoyed waving to all the people who lined the streets to see it. It probably doesn’t surprise you to hear I could have stayed with it forever! The best part of the trip though was getting the behind the scenes look at what happens, at least with what Serge and Art deal with, in working to keep the vehicles in the convoy rolling along throughout Canada.

Wow, who is that cool girl in the GM Silverado? Imagine all the shopping bags I could fit into the back of this truck!

When Serge first greeted me, one of the things he showed me was the detailed schedule they receive every morning. I’m not exaggerating when I say detailed. It has every Torchbearer stop outlined by intersection or address, it states what time convoy mode or Torchbearer mode begins and ends, lunch breaks and pit stops are also scheduled. Majority of the time, the convoy is running exactly on time. Pretty amazing when you consider the convoy is made up of approximately 240 people and over 100 vehicles. In Ontario the convoy was travelling on average 200 km a day. In Northern Ontario and the Prairie provinces, it will be 300-400 km a day. One person is responsible for keeping the convoy on schedule. It is a huge job and I really don’t know how they manage to keep it on time every day.

Serge and the GM Silverado. I guess he looks cool too.

Serge also told me about some of the problems that have come up along the way and what they have needed to do to fix them. He said their average turnaround time to have something fixed is 5 hours! I guess that is ok if it is something minor, but for something major that seems almost impossible. But Serge and Art have become masters of the impossible. There aren’t many extra vehicles so they need to keep the ones they have moving. Serge told me one story about a vehicle needing a new door. He worked out a schedule and arranged to have a new door available in a city ahead of them. By the time they arrived everything had been done including the paint, all they had to do was take the old one off and put the new one on.

The morning was quiet for a bit and then the calls started coming. They ranged from needing to change a flat tire, radios not working and the before mentioned generator needing repairs. Serge was working on getting a generator expert to meet them at the evening dealership to help solve the problem. Serge referred to me as his “secretary” as I helped him navigate through the routes and towns. It’s a fun job, I could get used to it (read here GM-HINT, HINT).

The Silverado is kind of like a Command Centre. Serge manages the workload with 2 cell phones, a blackberry and a GPS. There are over 100 vehicles in the convoy that need maintenance, cleaning and repairs. Every night there is a designated dealership to perform any  required maintenance and repairs. Serge also has a small crew with him on the road. When someone calls in with an issue, Serge can dispatch which ever crew member is closest to help out.

I asked Serge if it ever gets tired of seeing the Relay and the convoy. His answer: never. His favourite part is seeing all the kids lined up along the route waving the signs they have made. He also said his regular job may seem boring by comparison when he gets back to it. Completely understandable, how can anything compare to an Olympic Torch Relay? He also told me he is making notes on places he wants to return to. I would like to see that list when it’s complete. Who better to recommend places to see in Canada but someone who has seen them all?

I also asked Serge about their blogging and posts on Twitter. Did Serge and Art need Twitter and blogging lessons before heading out on the Torch Relay? Serge laughed when I asked him this and admitted that yes, indeed he did require and get lessons about posting on Twitter and blogging. For people who have just been introduced to these methods, I think Art and Serge do a great job. It certainly lets us follow along with them and makes us feel like we are right there with them.

It truly was an amazing experience to be a part of it for the short time that I was. I am grateful to have had the opportunity. Serge was a great guide and gave me insight into what goes on behind the scenes. Thank you very much Serge for answering all my questions and having me ride along with you. A very special thank you to Michael Allison from The Wilcox Group for inviting me to do this and getting it set up. Hey GM, if you need an extra body on board to help out Art and Serge, well, they know where to find me!

Enjoy the rest of the ride Art and Serge!

To view photos from the day, please visit my online photo album.

Serge's Vancouver 2010 credentials.  I want one of these for my car!

The Hamburgular from McDonalds.

Riding Along with the Torch Relay – Part 1

Some pretty amazing things have happened to me since starting my Journey to Vancouver 2010 – Diary of a Fan blog. The best yet was an invitation to do a Torch Relay ride along with the GM guys from Twitter, GM_ArtAndSerge. I mentioned these guys before in my Mississauga Torch Relay blog post. I’ve been following their adventures with the Torch Relay on Twitter and through their blog, Art and Serge’s 2010 Road Trip: Adventures With The Flame.

Imagine my shock and surprise when I received an email asking if I would be interested in doing a ride along through one of the Torch Relay routes. Without hesitation my answer was yes. A few emails to figure out logistics followed and on December 26th I found myself making my way to London, ON, 2 hours west of Toronto, to meet Serge and the GM Silverado on the 27th at 8am. Serge arrived a bit late, having come from repairing a generator that is used on one of the media vehicles. It seems that problems can and do happen at any point during the day. I jumped in the truck and we took off down Dundas Street to catch up with the convoy. It was making its way out of London that day, the final destination being Kitchener, ON, about an hour west of Toronto on our glorious 401 highway.
We caught up with the convoy on the last part of the London route. Immediately I was amazed by the amount of people out on the street to greet the torch. When you’re driving through it and seeing the constant amount of people, it is pretty impressive. We kept up with the convoy through Thamesford. I swear there were more people here than in London. There were tons of people lined along the streets. Happy faces looked back at me smiling and waving to the convoy and Torchbearers going past.

People come out to see the Relay in Thamesford, ON

From there, we jumped ahead of the convoy and made our way to Woodstock, ON. We found a spot along the route and watched the convoy come off of the 401 and make its way North on Norwich Street. A band from the Salvation Army was set up in a parking lot and played O Canada when the convoy came into view.

When the convoy passed, we got into the flashy Silverado and followed it to the Community Centre where there was a scheduled break. They almost didn’t let us onto the road leading to the Community Centre until Serge flashed his Vancouver 2010 credentials. This has an Open Sesame effect, and let us access the Community Centre for a break as well.

Coming out from the washroom, I saw a Flame attendant holding the lantern that the Olympic Flame is carried in. After waiting for her to finish a conversation, I pounced on her and asked if I could take a picture. One gentleman asked to hold it. Now that I think of it that would have been a great photo, me holding the Olympic flame. Too late now!

After Woodstock it was onto the mid day Celebration in Stratford. Serge had some business to attend to. I wolfed down some pizza and went outside to see the Torch come through and onto the stage to light the cauldron. Shortly after that, it was time for Serge to drop me off. He had to get some things arranged for their evening maintenance and wouldn’t be following the convoy in the afternoon. I stayed in Stratford long enough to see the end of the route of the Torch. From there my Mom, brother and I went to Cambridge for one last look at the Torch. And then, it was time to go home. The next time we see the Olympic Flame will be in Vancouver.

Photos above of Stratford, ON. Right: Coca Cola truck in Woodstock, ON. It just makes me happy when I see it.

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.