Olympic Fever

Well, it's been awhile but I'm going to try to update the blog throughout the Olympics. We head out in a couple of days and I can't wait to see my brother! I've gone a little crazy on the Olympic gear and can't wait for our first event (Sunday).

Olympic Tickets Arrived

My Olympic tickets arrived this morning and they look so great. I have my gold medal women's hockey tickets in hand and can't wait. We have some amazing seats. Just waiting for J and J to receive their tickets and then we are really ready to go.

We still need to figure out which events we can actually get to (we have some conflicts) and decide if we can afford to hit up Whistler for at least one night (I hope so).

Plus, I'm so excited about getting to visit my brother and family for two whole weeks! Now, I know I'll be busy during those two weeks, but I'm sure we will find time for games!

Battle of the Blades live

Last week I went to a taping of battle of the blades with my cousin Michelle, her husband Andrew and my friend Julia. It was so cool to be back at Maple Leaf Gardens (surprised by how many seats are still there). The show was actually live for the east coast. I think the judges were watching different routines than we were. Domi hardly skated, it was so boring; Lemieux was rarely in time with his partner. But Stephane was awesome and Craig and Jamie are far and away the best couple. We actually stuck around after to get their autographs.

It was such a fun night, except for when I got hit in the face. Yes, I went to a figure skating competition and ended up with a fat lip. Someone was flinging their hands around and smacked me in the face. It took about 4 days for my lip to heal.

Tickets are really cheap and they have a rush line as well. Go if you get the chance. It was so much fun!!

Driving Range

Last night I hit the driving range for the first time this season. I'm playing tomorrow morning with some of the guys from work and figured I better get some practice in first so I don't make a complete fool of myself.

I'm definitely getting better. I didn't curse near as much as normal :)

I tried out most of my clubs and found that one of the clubs I don't normally use was my favourite last night. So, we'll see if that transfers to the golf course.

If I play more than normal this season I may consider upgrading more of my clubs. Over the past couple of years my dad has been giving me money for my birthday to buy a new club. I have my step-mother's old set and they have served me very well.

Olympic Hockey Tickets

So, Julia and I just found out which tickets we have for the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010 and I am ecstatic that we did get tickets to the women's gold medal hockey game. That was the one event that I really wanted and we got it! We have tickets to a number of other events as well, but that was the big one and we got the A seats.

Updates

The Olympics are finally over and I can get back to a somewhat normal pace of life. Those two weeks wiped me out! My PVR still hasn't recovered from the 12 hours of coverage a day (well 24 if you count that I was recording CBC and TSN most days).

What did I love about the Beijing Olympics:

1. Michael Phelps


2. Eric Lamaze


3. Sook-Yin Li's Ying and Yang segments


4. Simon Whitfield


5. Adam Vankoeverdan

The Wii

Last week I took my new Wii over to my friend Julia's. I hadn't even taken it out of the box yet. She knew what she was doing so I let her play the inaugural game, which of course was tennis. So, she played a match and then it was my turn. I kept missing everything. But, I finally got the swing of it and we had a lot of fun.

Friday night I finally hooked it up at home and played each of the games. Took out some aggression by boxing a couple of times.

On Sunday I headed over to my friend Karen's for a visit and to play wii with the boys. Nintendo annoyed me right off and I didn't want to play anymore. Brandon really wanted to play, but it had put me in a bad mood.

After about an hour I wasn't so annoyed and Mackenzie and I tried out the Wii Play. I may have to pick this game up. The pool was really good and I did have fun with the cow racing. I think the bubble one will be fun and help me to figure out how the controller works (or it could just be super frustrating). I wonder if you have to have a second player for that game.

I still can't find the Wii Fit anywhere! The more I hear about it the better it sounds. My dad is coming over tomorrow and I can't wait for us to try out the golf. I was amazed that the same mistakes I make out on the course I was making in the game. Maybe this will help me to improve my game (I can only hope).

Being Single Sucks

Normally I don't mind being single. I've been single pretty much my entire life (there was that year or so with Dennis, but for the most part single). I've come to accept this and don't mind going on vacations by myself (New Zealand was great - if you don't count the problem at the Sydney airport); I go to dinner and movies by myself. This is all fine. But, today I went for a rock climbing lesson. I did not realize that this is not a sport you can do by yourself. In hindsight, I should have realized, but I just decided to try it out. They didn't say anything to me when I signed up by myself (which I really think they should have). The first part was fine, I figured out all the knots, figured out how to hook everything up. But, then everyone else in the group got to climb. I didn't get to climb because I didn't have anyone to belay. I did get to belay, though. The instructor had me practice while he climbed. So, I have no idea if I actually like this sport that my brother speaks so highly of.

Hockey Weekend

This past weekend I was supposed to go to Wonderland with my friend Sharon and her daughter. Unfortunately, I did something to my back last week (I think it was during Aquafit, but who knows). It hurt to breathe so I figured roller coasters weren't the best idea. I'm glad that I decided against it because the weather was crazy on Saturday - water everywhere.

My cousin Andrew ended up having an extra ticket to a Marlie's hockey game and I figured my back could handle sitting watching a game and drinking some beer. The game was quite good and it was really nice to be sitting watching a live hockey game again. After the game a group of us went for dinner and then I hung out at Michelle and Andrew's chatting for most of the night.

Last night was our second hockey game of the season, but our first with a goalie. I think we played really well, but we lost 2-0. I think we have a good team, but we need to get used to each other's playing styles. I miss having a coach on the bench.

I'm a Goalie

Well, I was a goalie for part of our game last night. Our hockey season finally started up again and unfortunately our normal goalie (Theresa) didn't join the Mississauga league this year. The league is supposed to be responsible for finding us a goalie (they should considering we each paid $450 to play). But, they haven't found us one yet. Last night we had to play without a goalie. Which means we can have 6 skaters on the ice for the game. We only had 8 in total so who ever was in the net was kind of taking a break. I actually liked being in net. I made quite a few saves and Kim was an excellent addition to the defense. As much fun as I had, I really hope we have a goalie for next week's game.

I went to Wonderland with Julia and Jana on Saturday. Jana was hungover and I was suffering from flu-like symptoms myself (not self-induced). While there the Minebuster had some kind of problem. We were waiting in line for the Italian Job and noticed that the Minebuster was stopped on the way up. It was there for quite a while and we really don't know what was going on. The people were still in the cars, but at one point four people got out. Jana did not feel comfortable going on the ride :( I was still willing to chance it, but I deferred to the group. It was a beautiful day at the park and we got on a lot of rides. I'm heading back next with Sharon and her daughter Livia.

Tennis Update

I had my second tennis match last night. I lost 6-3, 6-1. I am okay with losing because the week before I lost 6-0, 6-1. So I am definitely improving and I'm having a great time.

I have my first night of trivia on Monday. I used to be a sub on a team, but I am a full-fledged member of a team this season. I'm hoping that I don't bring them down too much. This league is crazy. It's hard to explain what the rounds are like. Go check out the website and click on the link for some of the previous questions. One season there was a history round on the royal houses. They gave you the years and you had to state the name of the house / family. Really, that's what it's like. This isn't bar trivia. http://torquiz.freeshell.org/ I'm still bitter that I missed the night when they had a round of entertainment trivia on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I would have kicked ass on that one (yes, I am on the team for my pop trivia knowledge).

Wish me luck.

This weekend is the annual Terry Fox run. My friend Julia and I will be heading to High Park in Toronto to do our part. I missed last year and am happy to get back into it this year. Remember all he wanted was a dollar for every Canadian. I think we can all get behind that for what he did.

Tennis Anyone?

Last night I played my first game of tennis, ever. That's right: ever. I've been out on a tennis court before, but never played an actual game. There are a group of us at work (yes, there is something about my job that I like) that are playing tennis. Last night was my first match (I'm in the bottom tier, obviously). I learned quite quickly that I need to practice my serve (double faults all over the place). But, I had a great time. I lost 6-0, 6-1. But, I did get that one. We played for about an hour and I can't wait to get out again next week.

I Tipped Over, I Didn't Wipe Out

On Saturday, my friend Liz called and asked what I was doing on Sunday. I replied 'I don't know, what am I doing on Sunday?' because I know that I will always say yes to whatever Liz and Michelle have planned (they organized the Newfoundland and the Nunavut trips).


The plan was to head up to Blue Mountain and go downhill mountain biking. Now, I went once about two years ago with Michelle and Liz in Guelph. It was mountain biking no real down hill elements. I really enjoyed it. But, this was going to be different, this was actually going down a hill that I normally go down on a snowboard. I was a little nervous (okay, I was a lot nervous).


Michelle and Liz both have their own bikes, so I needed to rent. Well, as most of you know, nothing ever goes smoothly for me. Liz attempted to get a confirmation rental in my name, but the woman on the phone couldn't handle the reservation being under one name and on a credit card for a different name. So, I called. Everything sounded fine. We got to Blue Mountain and they couldn't find my reservation, when they did it said it was for the day before and that I was late picking up the bike. Ah well, luckily they still had bikes left (normally they don't on nice days - and it was beautiful up there - so I was pretty lucky they still had one I could use). Then came the armour. Liz and Michelle had a helmet and gloves I could use, but I needed a chest protector, elbow and leg guards. Chest protector wasn't a problem (well, later on in the day it turned out I put it on backwards and no one told me); leg guards there was a chance they were going to have to go to elbow pads due to my very short legs. But, they found some kids ones that fit and I was ready to go.

Then came the first trepidation of the day: the lift. As some of you may be aware, I have a fear of chair lifts. I have fallen off at least two chair lifts in my skiing career and I'm still afraid to get off of one on the snowboard (even though I am quite the pro at it now). Luckily, taking a bike up a lift is a lot nicer than taking a ski lift. It actually reminded me of the ski lifts in the Austrian Alps. You put your skis on the outside of the lift and stand up for the ride in the gondola. This was pretty similar. There is a separate lift that takes the bikes up and we all stood in a gondola for the ride up. One you are at the top, they hand you your bike and you are ready to go.

So, I hopped on the bike and realized that the cross bar was much higher than my mountain bike and it was really hard to stand on flat footed.

Liz directed us towards a trail called Happy Valley. Sounds so nice, doesn't it. And really it was. Nice, long, sweeping curves, not too steep. Unfortunately, these long, sweeping curves were murder on my knees. My legs felt like jello. But, I didn't fall. I did have to stop the bike at one point and then it was very hard to get back on (most of the time I am okay with being short, really, I am). Liz held the bike for me while I got my balance and we were off again. It was fun, but my knees were killing me.

We did that run again and I needed a break. We had some gatorade and a granola bar and then headed back up. This time we were going to try another trail 'Fresh Air'. Which is really an odd name since this trail was not in the open air, but was through the trees (you heard me, through the trees). On the way to that trail we tried out a pump track. I was not good at this. I kept losing steam going up the hills and then would have to jump off my bike. Liz, of course, was quite good at this and made it look very easy. Then off to 'fresh air'. Much steeper and way more turns (through the trees). It started off okay and then I started to freak out about the fact that I could hurt myself quite badly due to the fact that the bike and I were not quite getting along. So, I walked the bike for a bit. Then I tried again. Well, I didn't wipe out, I tipped over very, very gradually (and it was on a straight section). I just lied on the ground and laughed until there were a couple of guys zipping through the trail and I had to get out of the way. After that I did stay on the bike for the rest of the trail and it was awesome, it didn't hurt my knees at all (probably because I was too scared to think about my knees).

I went down one more trail after that (happy valley), but my knees just couldn't handle it. That was it for me for the rest of the day. Liz and Michelle went back and did one more run each (and they found a trail for me for next time). I can't wait to go again, it was scary, but totally exhilarating. I do have some pictures, but no way to upload them while I'm here in the falls.

Woo Hoo Hockey Is About To Start

Can I just tell you how excited I was to get an email last night? My summer hockey league starts up in three weeks. I can't wait. Oh how I miss it when I'm not playing.

I really need to start getting out to some tournaments or something in that time off.

Air Hockey

I am so excited, I just bought an air hockey table. It isn't a super snazzy one. It cost me $60 and I'm pretty sure it is straight out of the 70's. Someone at work had posted it on the associate for sale board. I went and took a look at it last night and bought it. I didn't think about how I would get it home. It's way too big to travel in the mini. But, luckily, Julia has an SUV (they do come in handy once in awhile) and she is willing to take a trip to the Falls with me to pick it up. We will have dinner, go check out the falls and pick up my air hockey table. Hopefully Christi's husband Mike will be able to help us carry it upstairs to my condo.

When I was little (probably six or so, yes, I know, I'm still little), my dad's friend, Dick, had an awesome games room. It had a ping pong table, pool table, shuffleboard, poker table and an air hockey table. It was one of my favourite places as a kid. Jason and I would spend hours playing the different games. Well, we were not allowed to go near the pool table (and we never cared about the poker table). For some reason I think there was one other game in the room (in between the shuffleboard and the pool table), but I can't remember. From that moment on I always wanted my own air hockey table.

I'm going to get rid of my futon and make the back bedroom a games room. It already has a dart board. I may also take down the wallpaper and paint. I want to put up some of my movie posters and Beatles paraphenalia. I'm really excited. Now that I have my awesome new floors I think it will be great. Maybe people will actually come and visit me. Of course, with air hockey I can play by myself. I just have to close up the one goal and I'm set to go. I'm sure the cats will sit up near the table and try to steal the puck.

Since the reno, I've decided to get rid of my rattan chair and my futon. I am also thinking about selling the dining room table. Now that I will have an air hockey table I could be like Joey and Chandler and just put a board on top if I ever have people over to eat at the table. I suspect it will get a lot more use than the table I currently have.

Boarding, Finally

Christi and I hit the slopes on Saturday for the first time this winter, finally. Christi and I have never gone skiing / snowboarding together before (she seemed to pregnant every winter, or some such thing :).

I was so out of shape, I only lasted a couple of hours. I forgot my knee brace and that was not a good thing. But, it was great to get out there. We went to Mount St. Louis and the conditions were amazing. It was an absolutely gorgeous day: sun, powder and not too cold.

I definitely want to get out there again soon. Anyone who wants to go, just let me know. I'm up for night boarding after work, or during the day on Saturdays.