Vancouver--The Fun Begins

This will be short and sweet, folks. Today's been a long day with lots of time at the oval. BUT I did get to go to Opening Ceremonies--which was really cool! I didn't know if I could go until about 2 hours before it started, so that was a fun surprise. I can't post any pictures from the ceremony (stupid IOC blogging rules) but I took a couple of pictures from the Main Press Center overlooking the water. Gorgeous!



Off to bed. I've got to be at the rink at 8:30. Racing starts tomorrow so look for the U.S. on the medals stand.

Vancouver--The Final Frontier

My day in Vancouver started with me being escorted out of the stadium by the RoyalCanadian Mounted Police. Here's a picture of me being mounted.

The rest of my day was spent setting up interviews with athletes and various sports reporters. Here, Nancy Swider Peltz talks to NBC's Andrea Kramer. I also helped set up an interview with Eric Heiden--outside in the rain.

Volunteers are EVERYWHERE. I talked to a volunteer recruiter who said they had almost 25,000 volunteers working the Games. That's about 1,000 for each country. I shouldn't have to do my own laundry or even wash my own hair. They're uber-polite and stand out in their bright blue coats.

I never considered myself to be a pin trader but I put my speedskating pin on my lanyard and since then people have started giving me pins. I've acquired quite the collection. I am an official Olympics nerd. It's becoming quite heavy and I've developed a slouch.

Vancouver--The Sequel

While walking to the Oval today, I noticed this store behind my hotel. I LOVE this sign and might need to steal it for my office.

By the way, here's my lovely, swanky Sheraton hotel in Vancouver. Don't let the opulance fool you. However, the bed I have is AMAZING!! It's so soft and just cradles me every night. I'm bringing it home with me. (Hey, some people take towels and soap--I take mattresses.)

Went to a team meeting tonight at a sushi place. This is Linda, Nicole and Guy. Guy's acting like he's on the phone--but it's a lie. And the second picture is Tucker Fredricks in the mixed zone at the Oval, talking to the press. He was being asked the stupidest questions, "What are your expectations for the Olympics?" "What is your hope for medals during the Games?" Duh.

Off to bed. My soft, comfy, cozy, warm, snuggly bed. G'night all.

Vancouver--The 2010 Spring Olympic Games

As you can see by the countdown clock. There are 3 days, 1 hour, 44 minutes and 5 seconds left until the 2010 Spring Olympic Games in Vancouver (or there were about three hours ago). The weather is BEAUTIFUL and the daffodils are blooming along the path I walk to the Oval.

This is the International Broadcast Center where billions of media people gather everyday to decide which athletes to attack. When I go downtown, I mostly work out of the Main Press Center (just across the water). This is the press conference room where the athletes
answer weird questions from the press.

I'm at the oval everyday waiting to fend off the media. I've been working with the Today Show to get some skaters on the show, so hopefully that will air soon. The Oval is gorgeous (and FREEZING) and it will be strange to see the venue full for speedskating events. Speedskating events are NEVER full--unless you live in Amsterdam.

Vancouver--Still?

Yes, I know, I missed a couple of days but I've been hittin' the sack pretty late so no blog updates--until today!! (And did you notice the patriotic color change to my blog?) Here's a photo of Carrie, Laura and Mike--part of the U.S. staff and funny, funny people.

In this picture we have, Fikre (who helped repair my ripped up heels today), Olympian Brian Hansen and Olympic gold medalist Derek Parra. We usually spend anywhere from 2-6 hours at the oval each day--and then I get to walk back to my hotel and get to work.

I walk past two interesting art pieces each morning on my way to the oval. The first is "Miss Mao setting to poise herself on the top of Lenin's head." Okay.

The second piece of "art" is the Vancouver logo (the inukshuk) made out of rail crates. What do you think?

The rest of my day today consists of dinner (hopefully), a press officer photo at the press center (yuck) and a meeting with NBC so they can tell us they own EVERYTHING coming out of the Games.

Yesterday I was able to watch the Superbowl at the Team USA house. They had good food and it was fun hanging with other USOC people. LOTS of walking. LOTS of phone calls from press people. A long track press conference. And a fun stroll in downtown Vancouver. That's it for today! Miss you all!

Vancouver--The Adventure Never Ends

My roommate Linda showed up today! After a long day of traveling she found out she has practice EARLY in the morning. We got rid of our smelly fridge (hooray!) and we're trying to find storage spaces in our little home away from home. Makes for some creative suitcase stacking. I feel like the Clampetts.

The short track skaters arrived today, slept walked through team processing and collapsed at dinner. They have an early wake-up call so I hope they get to bed soon. They got tons of stuff and look great. Here's Lana and Kimberly enjoying a sleepy dinner.

Didn't ride a SINGLE train today--but walked about 450 miles to Best Buy to purchase an internet cable. That was the highlight of my day. I need a cookie. Running down to the hotel shop. Good night!

Vancouver--The Trilogy

Woke up to sunshine and blue sky! Here's a view from my fifth-floor, smelly room. As you can see, it overlooks the lovely parking lot plaza.

I'm getting quite familiar with the train system here in the Great White North. This is one of the many trains I ride during the day getting to the Pacific Coliseum, the athlete village, the main press center--or pretty much anywhere else. My hotel is on the outskirts of Vancouver so EVERYTHING is a train ride away.

At one stop along the way, I had to switch to a bus (lovely). There was a beautiful high-end store across the street selling Versace. I thought about taking my per diem and spending it at the shop, but my per diem wouldn't even buy a pair of Versace socks. Oh, well. A girl can dream.