Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Vancouver 2010
Old 02-05-2010, 09:41 PM   #1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Htown Harry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,525
Vancouver 2010

It's time for another Olympics.

I started a Beijing thread two years ago. So....following the same format:

One week until the opening ceremonies and I'm starting to get excited...

Favorite Winter Olympics ever - none stand out for me. I tend to remember specific events: USA's hockey victory in Lake Placid, Klammer's downhill run in Innsbruck, Dan Jansen, the first year for the snowboarding events.

Favorite event - alpine skiing, especially the men's downhill (Sat. Feb 13)

Least favorite event - women's gymnastics figure skating. The athleticism is impressive, but the hype and the endless TV coverage just wear me out. Then there is the fact that the judging scandal of a few years back didn't surprise me in the least. Diving Freestyle skiing is similar - the judged events just don't keep my interest like the timed events or the team sports.

Can't get excited about - curling

Offbeat event I will seek out - cross country skiing relays.

Secretly want to be - a gold medal-winning downhiller. Second choice - trainer for the Norwegian women's soccer alpine ski team.
Htown Harry is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 02-06-2010, 10:57 AM   #2
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 120
I live in the Seattle area. It's been unseasonably warm for the last month or so. Apparently the same is true of Vancouver. The local papers report that there is hardly any snow at Whistler, so I'm really curious to see how they handle the skiing events. The paper also reports that Whistler is on the auction block, the owner filed for Chapter 11.
Dudester is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-06-2010, 11:26 AM   #3
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
mickeyd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: South Texas~29N/98W Just West of Woman Hollering Creek
Posts: 6,668
I can't get too excited by the Olympics any more. Hope the USA does well, but I will probably not be spending much time catching the events.
__________________
Part-Owner of Texas

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx

In dire need of: faster horses, younger woman, older whiskey, more money.
mickeyd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2010, 08:13 AM   #4
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Ed_The_Gypsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: the City of Subdued Excitement
Posts: 5,588
The hype here in Calgary is huge. IMHO it is being oversold. The lack of snow and the disappearance of several of the sponsors in the wake of the recession suggests an even bigger financial disaster coming than previous Olympics. Vancouver is worrying about protesters objecting to the waste of money in these bad times.

The State of Washington widened Meridian from Bellingham to the Lynden crossing this past year, presumably in time for the Olympics. (The Canucks spent their money expanding the Peach Arch crossing.) We anticipate some benefits from our neighbor's big party.
__________________
I have outlived most of the people I don't like and I am working on the rest.
Ed_The_Gypsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2010, 09:45 AM   #5
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 120
We get the Vancouver CBC station on cable here in the Seattle area. In the past, CBC coverage of the Olympics has been much better than US coverage IMO. The CBC does a surprising good job of covering US athletes. Unfortunately, the CBC was outbid for coverage of the Vancouver Olympics, so I'll have to settle for substandard coverage.
Dudester is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2010, 10:10 AM   #6
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
kcowan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Pacific latitude 20/49
Posts: 7,677
Send a message via Skype™ to kcowan
Apparently there is no problem with snow in Whistler, just Cypress. Cypress is in town and the trucked in snow should cover the time that events are held there. The snow on those hills are being preserved because training while take place in Whistler.

We are in PV but we get Canadian TV via Shaw Direct so this is just what has been reported. Our place in Vancouver is 15 minutes from Cypress Mountain on its south slope.
__________________
For the fun of it...Keith
kcowan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2010, 11:14 AM   #7
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,401
If the Olympics had been held a year ago there would have been tons of snow. But this year Vancouver saw the warmest January in history. Go figure!
Meadbh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2010, 11:22 AM   #8
Recycles dryer sheets
Life_is_Good's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 236
Bring on the HOCKEY!
Life_is_Good is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2010, 12:39 PM   #9
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
mickeyd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: South Texas~29N/98W Just West of Woman Hollering Creek
Posts: 6,668
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meadbh View Post
If the Olympics had been held a year ago there would have been tons of snow. But this year Vancouver saw the warmest January in history. Go figure!
Seems to me that someone should have had the foresight to stage them in the Washington DC/Philadelphia area. I understand that they have an abundance of snow now.
__________________
Part-Owner of Texas

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx

In dire need of: faster horses, younger woman, older whiskey, more money.
mickeyd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2010, 12:59 PM   #10
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
haha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
I want a return of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya "Roller Derby" Harding. My all time favorite Olympics story.

Most of the blather during and around the games makes me nauseaous.

Ha
__________________
"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
haha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2010, 02:14 PM   #11
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,401
The Games' first true controversy - from Down Under....
AFP: Aussies defiant over 'Boxing Kangaroo'
Meadbh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2010, 03:18 PM   #12
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
harley's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: No fixed abode
Posts: 8,764
Yeah, it's not like the old days. I remember when Pelops beat King Oenomaus in the chariot races. Now that was excitement!
__________________
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Anonymous (not Will Rogers or Sam Clemens)
DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
harley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2010, 09:19 PM   #13
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Htown Harry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,525
After two+ days, my favorites so far:
  • kd lang at the opening ceremony
Video | Opening Ceremony: Hallelujah | NBC Olympics
  • The aerialist running through the wheatfields at the opening ceremony
  • Canadian men's mogul skier wins gold (more of a thrill for me than the American woman winning the event the night before)
  • The finish of the men's nordic combined - a four-way sprint to the finish line after a 10k cross-country ski.
Hoping for the weather to hold so they can start the alpine events tomorrow.

Can figure skating be canceled due to weather?
Htown Harry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2010, 09:28 PM   #14
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
bbbamI's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,293
I've been taping it and watching the events that interest me.

I swear I get winded just watching them. I'm getting old....
__________________
There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
bbbamI is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-18-2010, 07:53 AM   #15
Gone but not forgotten
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 11,447
I am not really a TV person but I love the Olympics . The US pair skaters were from my area and they basically trained on a shoestring so even though they did not medal is was amazing to watch them . Last night men's snowboarding was great . Shaun White deserved another gold . I just enjoy watching all the sports except curling . I just do not get that concept .
Moemg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-18-2010, 11:27 AM   #16
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
freebird5825's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Nowhere, 43N Latitude, NY
Posts: 9,037
Not a TV watcher at all, so I've been reading the headlines and a few of the stories online.
In younger years, I used to be glued to the figure skating events, but the hype and commercialism of it all anymore is also nauseating to me.

For those who missed this live, Shaun White's performance on snowboard was phenomenal...skip forward to 3:36 for the second run and watch this young man "fly".
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/ass...snhomepage&cid=
__________________
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
freebird5825 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-19-2010, 06:33 PM   #17
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
freebird5825's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Nowhere, 43N Latitude, NY
Posts: 9,037
UPDATE: Never mind. It's on now. Such style and grace.

Does anyone know how to find the EXACT time the pairs Ice Dancing event will be broadcast tonight on NBC?
I went to www.nbcolympics.com and all they show is the full time block, not individual events. I have the Olympics on with the sound muted to avoid the inane chatter and commercials.
__________________
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
freebird5825 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2010, 01:13 PM   #18
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
mickeyd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: South Texas~29N/98W Just West of Woman Hollering Creek
Posts: 6,668
Curling...Curling...why can't I get enough of this sport? Women with jewelry and men with cell phones on their belts. What a sport...
__________________
Part-Owner of Texas

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx

In dire need of: faster horses, younger woman, older whiskey, more money.
mickeyd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2010, 01:25 PM   #19
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
bbbamI's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,293
I LOVE the snowboard events! Especially when four people are competing with each other at the same time.
__________________
There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
bbbamI is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2010, 06:36 PM   #20
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Ed_The_Gypsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: the City of Subdued Excitement
Posts: 5,588
Quote:
Originally Posted by mickeyd View Post
Curling...Curling...why can't I get enough of this sport? Women with jewelry and men with cell phones on their belts. What a sport...
It is a quirky sport, for sure. However, anyone who has tried it will tell you there is a reason it is an Olympic sport--it is hard as hell!
__________________
I have outlived most of the people I don't like and I am working on the rest.
Ed_The_Gypsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Al, you been up to Vancouver lately? cute fuzzy bunny Other topics 3 08-03-2008 08:20 AM
How can an American live in Vancouver, BC dumpster56 Other topics 29 06-17-2008 12:28 AM
Hi from Vancouver! young_dreamer Hi, I am... 6 07-04-2007 10:13 AM
Vancouver 2010. Maximillion Other topics 0 02-24-2006 07:21 AM
Best Place to Live....Vancouver Calgary_Girl Other topics 19 10-06-2005 02:44 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:49 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.