So, a thought was floated around tonight… for a 2010 Pub Crawl.  This would of course be non-0fficial, but the thought is there for places that have some combination of the numbers 2-0-1-0 in their address, or to places hosting national/provincial/or corporate houses, or whatever other way you can come up with to include a place.  Preferably we’d be able to sort something that would be a walking tour AND support Canadian athletes.  Is anyone interested in helping to set this up?  Or maybe in hosting a part of it?  Or just have some great ideas for it?  This is seriously non-official.  Just an event during an event but it sounds like fun to me!!  Comment, tweet (@2010vanfan) or email me (2010vanfan@gmail.ca) if you have thoughts.

Got an idea for a pub crawl, or similar! Email, tweet or comment!!

What else happened today?  Well, I walked past a Wonderbread display several times, and, as a nerdy Olympics-type person, I know that Wonderbread sponsors the Olympics and that they likely have a competition on.  So yes, they have contests, and “earn to win” sorts of prizes.  If you eat Wonderbread, or know people that do, collect their UPC codes and you can enter for pins or stuffed Mascots.  If you don’t eat Wonderbread, you can still enter for lots of other competitions (based on your province and other stuff).  Want to check it out?? Look here!

I have also noticed that a lot of people are finding this blog by searching for the new Canadian Olympic Hockey Jerseys which are seriously fabulous!  With emblems such as beaver, moose, orca and the hockey player.  Check out my previous post for more information.  I hope this helps you find what you’re looking for.

Most of my day was occupied with trying to set up the Olympic Superstore!!  It’s a really big task and it’s taking a lot of people.  But I am so happy every day I’m at the Bay Downtown!  It’s a wonderful place to work and live and I am certainly looking forward to October 1st!!  (I don’t have much more info yet, but the 1st will be an awesome day!!  See you there!!

Mukmuk in his natural habitat

Oh!  And I made it to Hudson House in Gastown!!  For you pin collectors out there, Hudson House is the place to be for retail pins!!  I bought two “Mukmuk on an ice machine” pins today (one for me and one to trade!!).  I also saw the “Environment Series” and they’re really cute!!  So I’ve now signed up for pin-updates!!  I can’t wait!!

Wow, it’s hard for me to believe that we’re only 150 days away from the Opening Ceremonies!  Less than five months to go!  How exciting.  I hope you are feeling some excitement!  Today was filled with a lot of little Olympic and Paralympic stories, but I’ll start with today’s title…

A CF-18 Hornet

The Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit put out a notification today that on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 15th and 16th, the Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Region (CANR) will be conducting Exercise Fabric Virgo in southern British Columbia this week!  They warn us to expect low-flying aircraft, possibly escorting civilian-looking aircraft.  This is all part of the exercise and should not cause you alarm (but maybe some excitement!  I like seeing, hearing and feeling these planes go by!!).  This is a training exercise to ensure that all the pilots and the rest of the personnel involved with these sorts of flights are familiar with the terrain and activities required of them.  So keep your eyes (and ears!) open.  It may be an exciting few days in southern BC!

A photo from the Paralympic Closing Ceremonies in Beijing 2008

Next up – the Paralympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies need volunteers!  The Ceremonies will be held on March 12th and 21st respectively and there is a call out for volunteers both as performers and as behind-the-scenes support helpers.  They are looking for: people 6 years of age and older for performers roles and 19 years of age and older for support roles, you do not need previous performing experience, but you do need to be aware that this is a large time commitment as training for some roles will begin as early as November.  Also, you will need your own transport and will need to be able to pass a RCMP background check.  This is a fabulous opportunity to be involved with the Paralympics no matter your skill or abilities!  If you’re interested in volunteering, or just in finding out more, check out the Paralympic Ceremony Volunteer Call here.

Quatchi in a sombrero

The Mascots were down in Mexico last week, and apparently had some time to learn some dancing, or at least put on a sombrero.  I’m afraid I love the Mascots, and this was too cute to skip.  Thanks to @2010Tweets for posting the photo.  I’m looking forward to seeing more of what the Mascots are up to.  I imagine they’re going to be pretty busy with the Torch Relay once it starts in Victoria on October 30th!  Wonder if they’ll go to Athens along with the team to light the torch and return it to Canada??

Last up, I volunteered for the Vancouver International Fringe Festival tonight and I got to go see a show!  I went to “I Heard a Sheep” at Studio 16 since that was where I was selling tickets.  It was about 4 (sort of 5) sheep being trained to get into a Vancouver 2010 Olympic event.  They tried the sheep at various sports including biathlon, hockey, and bobsleigh.  Generally the sheep are really bad at all of them.  The songs in the play were quite funny however I’m glad I got my ticket free as a volunteer as the show was only about 15 minutes and just sort of okay (maybe because they had Olympic aspirations I set my hopes to high??).  Tickets were $10 so I can see how some people may not have been thrilled.  However, that is sort of the joy of a Fringe Festival.  It’s about adventure and art all at once!  Some shows are great, some aren’t, but that’s okay because everyone participates.  If you’d like to go, check out the website above.  If you’d like some tips on hot shows check out @vancouverfringe on Twitter or maybe try a search online.  What have I heard so far?  “The Accident” is supposed to be really good.  So is “Red Bastard”.  However, if you’re really adventurous, just head down to Granville Island (where most of the shows are) and grab a ticket!  Go on, be brave!!

Did you run into anything to do with Vancouver 2010 today?  If so, post a comment! I’d love to hear what you are all up to!  Thank you, merci for reading.  Talk to you tomorrow.  Ciao!