Oops - I forgot to add

Sorry, here is the article I promised as written in the Pravda News.  The bit referring to my part in the internatonal incident is the 2nd paragraph.  As stated previously, it wasn't my fault.  I hear from Vanoc that my likeness appeared on Soviet television when the incident happened.  I guess my chance to volunteer for the Russian games is now just a pipe dream.  Russia seems a little bitter to me



BREAKING NEWS

Vancouver 2010 Games Have Bitter Ending for Russia


We all knew it weeks before the game started, with accusations about doping being levelled at Russian athletes, and we all saw it on day one of the games, with the death of a Georgian athlete on a corner which miraculously was elevated the following day. Vancouver is not fit to hold the Winter Olympics.


We already have the case of a Russian skier being hounded to produce a urine sample after qualifying for a race, and if she had given the sample, she would not have had the possibility of entering the following round. Natalya Korosteleva was asked to provide a urine sample during a half-hour pause between the quarter-finals and semi-finals of a skiing event. “This seems against all the rules,” she stated, as she refused to have the sample taken, alleging that if she did, she would not have had time to continue in the next phase. Why her?

We all know Canada has problems with the future lines drawn on Arctic maps and we all know Canada lives in the shadow of its larger neighbour to the south. The abject cruelty shown by Canadian soldiers in international conflicts is scantily referred to, as indeed is the utter incapacity of this county to host a major international event, due to its inferiority complex, born of a trauma being the skinny and weakling bro to a beefy United States and a colonial outpost to the United Kingdom, whose Queen smiles happily from Canadian postage stamps.

Maybe it is this which makes the Canadians so…retentive, or cowardly. So it is not exactly a huge surprise to have international skating experts from the four corners of the Earth criticising the decision to award the Men’s figure skating Gold medal to the US athlete Evan Lysacekv over the reigning Olympic Champion Evgeny Plushenko, whose superior performance was inexplicably ignored.

As Plushenko explains, “I did a great short program but did not get the marks I deserved. When I asked why, they told me I was skating early and they had to retain top marks for the last group…Then in the free program, I was the last to skate, did everything clean and still didn’t get the marks”.

Everybody who knows anything about Olympic skating, Winter Olympic sports and international politics will infer from the pitiful and dangerous conditions provided by the Canadian authorities, which already caused one death, that Vancouver is mutton dressed as lamb. Take off the outer veneer and the stench is horrific.

It is a surprise that any Russian athlete would wish to remain in that sort of environment for a second longer

A Little Sad

So it is all over and done with.  Walking into the office today I felt a little pang of sadness as I watched them taking down the art work on Granville street and dismantling the signs.

I think it is akin to first locating the man and then spending 2 years planning the perfect wedding only to discover within minutes of it all being over, you married an idiot.  A bit of a let down to say the least.

I think I have Olympic hangover.  I was looking out my window and noticed the city sure cleared out in a hurry.  Only London Drugs seems to be just as busy.  That may be because they have all the souviners on sale half price and people were going nutso. 

I feel a little sorry for the Para-Olympians.  There is not much left.  Too bad they didn't have them compete just before the rest.  There would have been more spectators and certainly many more venues to attract the crowds.

Well, since it is all done now and since we are all friends and family, I can admit my extra part in the games to help ensure the success of our team.  A lot of men grew beards to assist, some didn't change thier socks for 2 weeks.  I decided I didn't like the idea of wearing the same socks so I decided to go the hair route.  For 17 days I didn't shave my legs.  It was all worth it when we won gold on Sunday.  This morning as I hopped into the shower, I realized that my part was well and truly over and so I grabbed my razor and bent to weed whack my legs.  After changing the blades twice I finally finished the job with minimal use of band-aids.  You can all thank me for the wins when I see you.

My final photo is of the Athlete's village which is now almost empty and the flags removed.  Again, I am sad it is over but glad it went off so well.  Vancouver did a great job and showed our best face to the world.  I have had fun posting these little tidbits of my adventure and hope you have as well.  This is my final posting but perhaps I will share some more of my adventures in the coming months.

Take care and thanks for reading