And with the hint of an accent it all flooded back … Vancouver 2010

Funny how history repeats itself.  A year ago, I was somewhat blassay about the Olympics being in this fine city of ours. The Olympic Committee had not been especially warm or welcoming to locals, but a few of the Houses changed all that for me, especially La Maison de la Suiss and Saxony House.  Oh and how did I love the music at the Saskatchewan Pavilion and all the fantastic Arts at Atlantic Canada House! Well, I’ve been feeling a little the same way as the one year celebration got under way this weekend, that is until a heard a German accent yesterday and then I was taken right back, burning red face and all.

You see for me the Olympics weren’t really about the games or sport at all. They were about the people I met, both local and from around the world and in sharing in our traditions from music and celebration to food and beer.  Oh and there were some fine beers – thank you Saxony House, I get teary eyed just thinking about those tankards.  I’m happy to provide you with an address for a care package.

Saxon-Canadian Relations (aka Being a good Canadian Diplomat.)

So we all need goals, especially around games, and that I had, just like any of the athletes.  My goals were two fold.

  1. Enjoy as much food, drink and music from all around the world, as possible.
  2. Encourage International Relations by hosting a little competition of my own against my darling hummingbird604.  How you ask?  Well, our own Olympic Sport of seeing who got more Olympic dates.

Now, this really set a great purpose and tone to the Games as things got off to a roaring start in our Olympic Event.  The Opening Ceremonies alone I had three dates.  Needless to say, despite the odds, I was leaving Raul behind in a white wash.

Olympic Dates 2 & 3 (Yes, they happened at the same time, as did Date 1 - he's taking the pictures. I'm not a girl that wastes time.)

That was until this Saxon fellow got in the way, and turned me head over heels in a hunt for unrequited love.

Stealing a Kiss

Not wanting to lose though, I tossed my heart aside and still managed to get in a kiss or two:

Thats when Raul pulled off the mittens and started playing dirty, deeking me out and landing me a very real Olympic romance and case in International Relations in my lap.  Now, I’m not one to smooch and tell, but lets just say that that German accent yesterday was all I needed to take me right back to Vancouver 2010 and turn my face as red as a beet.

Faced with nostalgia, I think I’ll dig up a bit of our unused footage to share with you in the coming weeks.  Who knows it might even help to me cure of this past year’s weakness for foreign men.

Giving Colbert a Miss This AM

Huge fan of Stephen Colbert and very much enjoy watching a show live, but can’t really say the filming of yesterday’s Colbert Show in Vancouver was my speed.  Why?  Not because of the content.  It was difficult to actually see or hear the content properly and really thats what one goes to see Colbert for.

Crowding in for Colbert

So the reason why I won’t be there this morning:

  1. With such a large crowd it was difficult to see, hear or properly engage in what Colbert had to say.
  2. It was standing room only.  This does not aid in people being able to see or hear, and quite frankly is not respectful of your audience. Colbert is not a musician.
  3. It was standing room only on a very muddy, and getting progressively muddier, field.
  4. Making it standing room only at a popular satirical show, opens the door for more protesting and a surge of people in the mud pit.

The Beginnings of the Deep Mud

So no, not going again this morning.  And my recommendation to the Colbert Nation: bigger is not always better, respect your fans with proper seating (even if that means that only the first 100 people get a seat), and think about your fans safety as well as your own (a standing room only mud pit with 100s of people and visible protesters in the crowd is not safe). All this said, a noble and well meaning attempt I am sure, just remember, bigger is not always better.

‘One Day’ – Matisyahu Show is what the Winter Games are all about

Taking a shower under the rain is always fun, but it’s even more fun when you are watching a great artist perform. Matisyahu is a reggae/rock/hip hop artist who’s orthodox Jewish beliefs do not interfere with his praise for peace. He reminds more of Bob Marley because beneath a lot of the incomprehensible lyrics (which there were a lot of last night), lies a message about peace. Here is one of his videos and the final song of last night:

The crowd was filled way before 9:30 when the show was scheduled to begin (I was standing in the long line to get in at about 7:30 and waited about half an hour) at the LiveCity event in Yaletown.  By the time I was inside the Quebecois band Malajube began to play, and although they started off pretty slow, by the end they had the audiences attention and people were jumping up and out and pulled up into the crowds. By 9:30 I saw people of all ages around me: at my right I had a group of middle schoolers that must have been 14 tops (they still had braces and awkward looking haircuts… which is also the reason they don’t serve alcohol inside – be warned), and to my left I had an elderly woman with fake red colored hair, who eventually sang the lyrics of “Jerusalem” with all her heart. I don’t know how she followed him, as he sings differently in person and changes his tempo a lot. I didn’t like his performance that much, but by 10 pm I realized I wasn’t there to see Matisyahu, I was there because this was a once in a lifetime experience. I heard more than 10 languages that night, and by the end of the show, that was what is was all about. People from all over the globe came halfway across the world to see him sing about peace and unity, and although everyone cheered for either Canada or Poland or Belgium, everyone in the end was chanting with him the lyrics to the video above: stop with the violence/down with the hate/one day we’ll all be free/and proud to be/under the same sun. I think that’s what made the event worthwhile, that even if it was just for one hour, the event became a microcosm of what the Winter Games are about: World Unity.

Photo by Phillip Jeffrey

After “One Day” Matisyahu left and the fireworks and water show began, and I was blown away. If you haven’t seen them yet, please do, it’s worthwhile and technically impressive. The big screen shows clips from the events, and praises the extra-human achievement the athletes do everyday, but also emphasizes on people cheering on the streets. Seeing all those people genuinely happy can only make you love the Winter Games even more.  And even if we are not winning Gold Medals, we are still winning just by being in this great city. I recommend the show to everyone, as it is beautiful and simply heart-warming.

By the way, please follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/mariofas.

My Plans for Tonight

I know I’ve posted this video before, but I can’t help myself. I love it! This gal just totally represents all that is beautiful of Saskatchewan. And besides which, this is my blog so I can do whatever the Hell I please!  Known Andrea for a number of years and I’ve never heard her sing, so tonight is the night!!!!

Andrea takes the stage at Saskatchewan Pavilion tonight (February 15) and tomorrow night (Febraury 16) from 5:30 – 7 pm.

See you there!

One Hell of a Great Party at Saxony House

Apologies about my singing in this vid from last night, but I couldn’t help myself.  I was having such a great time!

Here’s the usual schedule at Saxony House:

  • 12 – 6 pm    Saxon Food & the Olympics on the Tele
  • 6 pm – 11 pm   Saxon Grub (kitchen closes at 10 pm), Live Folk & Rock Band & Saxon Films
  • 11 pm – 2 am Saxon DJ Club Dance Party