White Ski Pants Should be Reserved for Linsday Vonn, Exclusively.

I have delighted in a multidide of experiences while I have been here, so many that I have not been able to keep up with writing.

I was made speechless by a bus driver who, when I went to thank him as I was stepping out, made a motion to stop me to tell me that "No, there is no pole dancing on the bus." And then he let out a wail of laughter. My first thought was wow, that is not at all what I was expecting, followed by did he really think that's what's on *my* mind? What makes this all the sweeter is that it was 6 in the morning as I was on my way to my shift, which also puts me in my uniform. Really, Mr. Canuck Bus Driver? Really?

Currently I am writing from a square in the village, where a band is warming up. The sun is out, all the beautiful people are out (and their botoxified lips), and they are piping in Ski Jumping live on the big screen. This place is still hopping from the Canada Gold in Men's Skeleton last night. This was the first gold won in Whistler. The place went NUTS. I didn't have to work yesterday, so I came on to the village for a bite to eat and to watch the skeleton finals. Skeleton is the one where the athlete is face down on a sled and going about 80 mph. I watched the woman from GBR win on tv. She set a course record in the first heat the day before--and then broke it on the third heat the next day. I decided to head up to the venue to catch the men live. And wow am I glad I did. Though the days have been clear and the nights very chilly, the "bowl" was hot with anticipation. The bowl is the spectator area at the last corner of the track. When Canadian Jon Montgomery came around and placed first with just the Latvian favorite remaining, the crowd knew he had secured Silver. When the Latvian came in and was seven one-hundredths short, the crowd and the athlete went Ballistic. I took it in where I was, and I even got a little emotional. I got swept up in the moment too I guess. I hustled up to the finish dock. All the medical volunteers raced up the track and flooded the area with everyone else. It was a zoo. Montgomery is from Manitoba eh and is a car salesman and auctioneer by trade. He came down to the village via Gondola, the police making a path for him to get to the Canadian tv outdoor studio. Someone at the base of the mountain handed him a pitcher of beer, which he later "auctioned" off on camera to show his skills. He mentioned that he wanted to compete in a sport where he "could give Canada a chance." He has a tattoo (which he got with his mom his senior year of high school) of the Canadian flag over his heart. His whole family was on camera with him. It was great to witness.

You know, there is something about winning a gold medal at the Olympics no matter the season, no matter the sport. What I learned yesterday is that it's a different matter entirely when you win a medal--especially a gold medal--at the Olympics and at home.