FOMO 1, Verena 0

Really, it didn’t take me long to cave – especially with Jay’s enthusiastic support and determination to get my ass to the Olympics. He’s a good man. Pushing the guilt of not contributing monetarily to the communal pot, shirking dog responsibilities, and the fact I voted against the Olympics aside, I am having a blast!

The Olympics are not at all what I expected. I’d rather not describe my Picture A because it will show you just how cynical and anti-elitist I sometimes think, so let’s just say that Picture B paints a very different scene.

helmet tuque!

Smiling families with face-painted children strategizing their day, street performers, wandering mascots, a zip line across Robson street, the global olympics of drunkeness on Granville Street, and red. It’s everywhere. Mittens, coats, scarves, face tattoos, costumes. One of my favourites is LuLu Lemon’s  ‘helmet’ tuque!

But wait! There’s more….

Restaurants bursting into Oh Canada (I didn’t think we all knew the words?). Watching figure skater Rouchette perform with all her heart only days after losing her mom. The Live Stage with its free nightly concerts, topped off with fireworks and waterworks with images projected onto fans of sky high blasted water. As long as I have lived –  this city has never been so vibrant, so pulsating…  so cool.

girls like a man in leather pants!

With Masset feeling very far away, I now find myself drinking beer from plastic cups next to a man in lederhosen. I never thought that washing down a victory over Germany would taste so good! Before today I liked hockey, now I LOVE it! I joined some ladies in red to watch our fierce victory over Russia – solid, high octane playing right out of the gates.

While some folks have commented that only one sport matters, this has been about way more than just hockey. Curling fans have never witnessed such enthusiastic crowds, filling the new stadium with banners and cowbells! Everyone is having fun… at ALL the events!

The women’s hockey have taken gold, leaving the men to follow their lead. Tonight, we play Slovakia and the world will watch.

ladies in red!