Re. The Opening Ceremonies

Most of what I saw was pretty good. But there are some things about the opening ceremonies that I didn't like.

The torch lighting ceremony was a disappointment. It had nothing to do with who lit the torch. It was more about how it was done. First off, what is the point of having an indoor cauldron? BC Place is being used for two events: the opening and closing ceremonies. Why have an indoor cauldron when it won't be seen again for two weeks? It's a waste of space, money, and given the malfunction, an embarrassment.

On top of that, Wayne Gretzky had to stand on the back of a truck, in the pouring rain and get a lift to the outdoor cauldron, while all the drunk clubgoers ran next to the vehicle. The whole thing was poorly executed. VANOC could have handled that a lot better. Throw in some pomp and circumstance! Have a red carpet! Put up some guardrails! Instead, the most important part of the opening ceremonies was sloppy.

The Olympic flag was brought out by Bobby Orr, Barbara Ann Scott, Jacques Villeneuve, Betty Fox, Anne Murray, Donald Sutherland, Julie Payette and Romeo Dallaire. Orr, yes! Scott, yes! Villeneuve, yes! Fox, absolutely! Sutherland, Murray, Payette and Dallaire, no!

Don't get me wrong. Sutherland, Murray, Payette and Dallaire are people to be proud of. They're heroes. They're legends. But they shouldn't have been carrying the flag. That responsibility should go to Canadian athletes who have had enormous success on the world's stage. That's what usually happens during the opening ceremonies for any Olympic event - former athletes from the host country bring in the flag.

Where was Donavan Bailey, Daniel Igali, Silken Laumann, Mario Lemeiux, Elvis Stojko, etc? Did VANOC snub them or did these people have prior commitments.

One other thing.

CTV posted the video of Georgen luger Nodar Kumaritashvili crashing into the metal pole; a collision that would end the young man's life. I watched the video and felt terrible afterwards. Why would CTV post the last moments of this man's life on their website? That is a classless move.

- ER

Taking a Page from Mr.Wood's Book

Dear Winter,

Fuck you!

Regards,
The Hek

A Sense Of Irony

This afternoon, the Greater Toronto Area was hit by a massive snowstorm.

Meanwhile, in Dunedin, Florida, the Blue Jays played their first pre-season game; a 4-1 win over Boston.

So there I was.

Driving in the midst of a snowstorm, in bumper to bumper traffic, back window completely covered, while listening to a baseball game, taking place in Florida.

I am a winter hater.

The Hek

Go Away, Snow!

Are you happy now? You got your #@$&ing snow!

Fortunately, there have not been any serious accidents. The only downside is that any travelling will be longer then usual. Normally, it takes me 45 minutes to get to CHEV. Today, it took a good hour and a half. If there is one thing to remember about a huge snowfall, it's to make sure you have lots of patience.

Case in point - I was on the bus and standing across from me, was a teacher I had back in high school. Now this teacher (who shall remain nameless) was rumoured to keep a bottle of hard liquor in her desk and consume it during classes (Hey, that's only what I heard). It's been close to ten years since I was in this teacher's class and I think she's still on the sauce.

Anyway, her stop is coming up but she, nor any other passenger, didn't pull the string to request the stop. Since no one was standing at the stop, the bus driver just kept going. This former teacher of mine literally freaks out. She starts to yell at the bus driver, who calmly pulls over and lets her off. I felt really bad for the driver. It wasn't his fault, nobody requested the stop and no one was there to board the bus. He was just doing his job, being extra careful given the weather. You would think that this teacher had been on a bus before; but, I guess not.

So remember. With this type of weather, always have extra patience.

The Hek

-Stay warm inside! Listen to Episode 25 of The Audio Circus-