So much talent

Aaaah, so nice to have a couple of days off work - away from manic deadlines and such. Of course all my good intentions of things I intended to achieve these past couple of days seems to have slipped a little by the wayside......where DOES the time go??? That said, I've managed to upload quite a few photos to my new spot on Flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/katrinaspix/ and have even had some positive feedback already - I'm very flattered :-) In fact, I can already feel the twinge of wanting to keep going on Flickr to load more pics and check for any more comments - is this how fresh blood Crack-book addicts start out, I wonder? Thankfully I haven't yet ventured into the world of Facebook and, despite those around me who've succumbed, chanting "one of us...one of us....", I've so far maintained my dissidence in that regard. There's something inherently creepy about it to me. Besides, I read Orwell's 1984 several times, with its sinister Big Brother espionage. (Not to be confused with a bunch of losers sat around bitching and sleeping together in front of 24/7 CCTV cameras at some remote studio/house.) I digress.....

Okay, Olympic stuff. It's almost over (yaaayyyy) and I suspect the city's going to slump into a period of 'mourning' after this, firstly because Vancouver has been so busy and just buzzing with excited crowds and passionate shows of patriotism, moreso than I've ever seen here - it's been quite contagious and secondly, because the bills for it are gonna start surfacing and that's when the brown stinky stuff will really start hitting the fan. Maybe we should soak up the next 24hrs of feigned ignorance and hope that Canada at least scores the gold for men's hockey (as did the women already!) to let us go out on a euphoric high.

I've actually watched quite a bit of the coverage (not least because it's dominating TV here) and was lucky enough to see some of it first hand last Tuesday night, when my sis' (via her husband's boss) scored 2 free tickets to the women's figure skating short program. It was great to go together, especially since we both spent several years figure-skating many moons ago (and giving it up at about 15 is the one thing I've ever really regretted). I understand it so much more now than I did back then - if only someone had explained to me just why I needed to do figures, why my program needed a step sequence and how to utilize my near double-jointed limbs to enhance my spins and jumps.

When Canadian, Joannie Rochette took to the ice and skated so beautifully, I literally felt choked up. Watching her was awe-inspring and quite moving - her artistry, courage, determination and incredible talent were a privilege to behold. What amazing strength to still perform - and to skate soooo well, winning a bronze medal - after the tragic and sudden loss of her mother just a couple of days earlier. Now that's an Olympian!

Yes the 2010 Winter Olympics is almost over for Vancouver but, for better or worse, this city will be forever changed.