One More Gold Canada... Come On!

One more Gold and we break a record for most Gold won.

Canada reached rare heights Saturday, becoming only the third country to win 13 gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games.

A new mark for Winter Olympics will be set Sunday if Canada beats the United States for men's hockey gold.

The 13 gold medals is also a record for a host nation, breaking the previous mark of 10 set by the United States and Norway.

GO CANADA GO!!!

Tomorrow, for the MASSIVE USA vs. CANADA Men's Gold Hockey Game, I will be with friends at the Shark Club Vancouver for celebration and to watch the game on several televisions.

Great food, booze, friends, atmosphere... and across the street from Canada Hockey Place so you bet we will be out on the street partying when Canada beats USA for the Gold.

Cheers!

Colbert does Canada

Stephen Colbert, American talk show host, holds up an Olympic torch as the taping of his show begins on February 17, 2010 at a park in Vancouver, B.C during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.Photograph by: Ian Lindsay, Canwest News Service

Vancouver Sun Reports:

VANCOUVER — Hundreds of fans went wild Wednesday morning as late-night comedian Stephen Colbert brought his faux conservative talk show to Creekside Park, located next to Science World in Vancouver.

He shared the stage with a stuffed moose, First Nations' thunderbird totem, fake snow, assorted skis, hockey sticks, snowshoes and U.S. and Canadian flags.

There is also a giant poster of Colbert astride an eagle carrying an Olympic torch.

As hoot, cheers and hollers greeted the U.S. comic to the stage, Colbert implored the crowd: "One last thing — if I f---k up, forgive me."

After a countdown Colbert, well, messed up, stumbling over the introduction.

The satirist explained to onlookers that he was covering the games "without the help of marijuana."

After another countdown, the Colbert Report got under way, with the comedian pretending the show was taking place at the time in the evening when the program airs:

"It's 11:30 at night and the sun is still shining. And they wonder why there is no snow." Colbert is taping segments Wednesday and Thursday for his late-night show.

Guests on Wednesday included Michael Bublé (Colbert called him "Celine Dion without the white jumpsuit") and NBC's Bob Costas.

Just minutes before Colbert took the stage, a bald eagle soared across the enamel blue skies over False Creek.

I know a few people who re down there and the crowd was insane. I think it's hilarious that despite his "Canadian Bashing" so many go to see him.... it shows Canadians have an excellent sense of humour :)

Can't wait to see the episode air.

Olympic Bouquets of Green Flowers

CTV Reports:

The bouquets presented to medalists at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games have been seen on televisions and in pictures around the world.

But the bouquets are more than just pretty flowers. A lot of thought and design revisions went into making them, and they are helping to give people a second chance.

The bouquets feature plants and foliage were chosen to represent British Columbia and Canada and include various shades of green, from spider mums, hypericum berries and broad leaf greens to loops of monkey grass, leatherleaf fern and aspidistra leaves.

When I first saw them I was confused. I really expected red and white, perhaps dogwood which is our BC Flower and maybe even some symbolic red maple leaves... tee hee.

I am not a florist... I just know pretty.... and though green is my favourite colour, these bouquets just aren't that pretty.

CTV Continues:

The bouquets are green in more ways than one. They are wrapped in recycled, chlorine and acid-free paper, and the flowers are from environmentally-friendly farms in Ecuador.

"The problem that we have about [our] native plants and using some of our own plant material at this time of the year [is] we're in our winter months, where we don't have light levels to kind of sustain or be able to provide a supply of flowers," Ferragine said.

As well, many of the women making the bouquets are part of a program that trains people who have overcome drug problems and criminal pasts.

Well, at least they get a gold, silver or bronze medal too ;)

Can't be at the Games? Host your own Olympic Party

Not everyone can get to the games, but enjoying and celebrating the Olympics is easy to do from home.

First of all, the games are played (and replayed) all day on almost every channel. Invite some friends over and let the party begin...

Food:

Ask friends choose a country and make a dish that is authentic to that country. A variety of ethnic food will help everyone get into the spirit. Or choose a country you are rooting for and doo all the foods from that one country.

I root for Canada so I would make poutine, pancakes with Maple Syrup and maybe some smoked salmon ha ha ha. - - - OK - - - I am joking... mostly.

But there are many countries with such delicious food, it would be fun.

Beverages:

You have to have booze. Again, you could base your drinks on a particular country (I would say Canadian Whiskey for example) but why stop there?

Make Olympic Medal Martini's in Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Try drinks with your favourite countries flag colours.

Garnish with mini flag stir sticks or toothpicks (you can usually find at the dollar store)

Decorations:

Flags is the easy answer, big ones, small ones, a variety of ones... though you can use items from whatever sport you are watching to get into the spirit.

At a hockey party I had people over with their hockey masks and sticks with Canada Flags on them.... Very Fun!

Just don't use the olympic rings - Vanoc will get you ;)

Celebration:

As if the food and booze weren't enough... I have coloured sparklers and some fireworks in which I use to celebrate. When Canada got their first Gold (Love you Alex Bilodeau) we set off the red and gold while my daughter had red sparklers sizzling as she drew shapes in the sky wearing her Canada Jersey.

Of course hooting and hollering and screaming and cheering works well too ;)

So, no matter where you are - enjoy the Olympics and Celebrate!

Clara Hughes to carry Canada's flag at Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

The Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremonies should be amazing and there are a few people that are more excited with the news of Clara Hughes being chosen to carry the Canada flag.

RICHMOND, British Columbia -- Five-time Olympic medalist Clara Hughes will carry Canada's flag at the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics on Feb. 12.

The speedskater was introduced at a ceremony that also included the official announcement of Canada's full Olympic team for the Games.

Hughes is the only Canadian athlete to have won medals at both the Summer and Winter Games.

"This is without a doubt the greatest honor of my sporting life," Hughes said. "For 20 years I've had the privilege of representing Canada around the globe in the world of sports, first on my bike and then on my blades. The experiences have shaped me into who I am today.

"I've learned what it truly means to be Canadian and in turn I've been inspired to make a difference in the world, however small it's been," Hughes said.

Vancouver will be Hughes' fifth Olympics. She won two bronze medals at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games in cycling and competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

She qualified as a speedskater for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City and won bronze in the 5,000 meters there before competing in Torino in 2006.

[Source]

Canadian Composer Howard Shore Writes Music for Olympics and Twilight Eclipse.

Howard Shore, a Canadian Composer was recently announced as the composer for Twilight Saga Eclipse.

He has composed the scores for over 40 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards.

Besides this recent news exciting Twilight fans world-wide, he also wrote the theme music for Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.

Thanks to Theresa for tweeting about this:

Poutine

Poutine is a French Canadian Food that I absolutely LOVE!

It is French Fries, covered with cheese curds and topped with hot gravy which melts the cheese on the french fries... mmmm....

Many are hesitant to try it, and though it may not be visually appealing to those who have never tasted it, let me tell you, one taste and you are in heaven.

Fast Food Chains in Canada often offer them, and although places like Burger King or A&W may be okay after a night of drinking I highly recommend quality poutine your first time. If you can't go to Quebec try New York Fries (if you are opting for a fast food version) found in most mall food courts, or Fritz.

Fritz is a French Fry Specialty Shop on Granville and Davie in Vancouver. It makes the best french fries, a variety of types of poutines and offers several dipping sauces for your fries. Perfectly located for late-night eats after the bar or club, but tastey enough to eat sober also.

The only other great poutine I have had is at Festival Du Bois, a French Cultural Festival held in or Maillardville, BC every year, though I am sure in the heart of Quebec the poutines would be amazing also.

History of Poutine:

The dish originated in rural Quebec, Canada, in the late 1950s. Several Québécois communities claim to be the birthplace of poutine. One often-cited tale is that of Fernand Lachance, from Warwick, Quebec, which claims that poutine was invented in 1957, when a customer ordered fries while waiting for his cheese curds from the Kingsey cheese factory in Kingsey Falls (now in Warwick and owned by Saputo Incorporated). Lachance is said to have exclaimed ça va faire une maudite poutine ("it will make a damn mess"), hence the name. The sauce was allegedly added later, to keep the fries warm longer.

I am addicted to poutine and though it doesn't help me achieve a figure suitable for magazine covers, it is so delicious, I just don't care....