It's hard to believe that these marvelous Games are close to ending.  I should have spent the last several days braving the lineups at the Olympic Houses and the zipline, wandering up and down Robson and Granville Streets and generally drinking in the atmosphere.  But I didn't.  Because of Molly.

Molly is our soon-to-be-17-year-old cat.  She's a petite tuxedo, black with white chest, tummy and paws.  She's always been small, but age has her shrinking down to just over five pounds.  She's the love of my life.  She's my baby. And last Saturday we almost lost her.

Without warning, a nasty infection and high fever rendered my sweet girl from lively and inquisitive into an almost lifeless state in mere hours.  If not for the Emergency Animal Hospital, I'm pretty certain Molly would have left us.  She's on heavy doses of antibiotics and subQ fluids, but she's with us, thank God.

So this week I've curtailed some of my Olympic activities in favour of sitting at home in front of the TV holding my Molly close.  And it's been just heavenly.

Here's to you, Mollykins, and to all the pets we love and have loved.  I'll treasure you forever.

Cathy Browne is a PR and social media professional in Vancouver BC.  She is @CathyBrowne on Twitter and blogs at Cathy's Clean Slate.

By CS Ling and Greg Meeres

Here is Tip #2:  The Top 3 Mistakes Athletes Make from Dr. JoAnn, world renown sports psychologist and performance coach.  Dr. JoAnn is a sought-after guest expert by ABC, NBC, BBC-TV, and keynote speaker.

Get your pen and paper ready to record Dr. JoAnn's insights from her experience of working with top athletes and her own successful athletic career.  These insights not only apply to sports, but also to life, business, and relationships.

Thanks Dr. JoAnn!

On a personal note:
I have and still sometimes get stuck after realizing I made a mistake.  In the past, the shame and guilt would paralyze me.  I've since learned the art of laughing at myself.  I've learned to modify my thinking and behavior so I (hopefully) do not make the same mistake again.  Fact is I still make mistakes. We all do.  It is what it is.  I just choose to pick myself up and keep moving on.

It sounds simple, doesn't it?
Truth is, it takes consistent application of  tools like what we heard from Dr. JoAnn here and in Tip #1:  The 3Ps of Your Performing Edge.

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you.
You may have a fresh start any moment you choose,
for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down,
but the staying down.
~ Mary Pickard

Credits:  Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter (bestselling author of Your Performing Edge); www.wisdomquotes.com

Written by:  CS Ling
Video by:  Greg Meeres

CS Ling is a humanitarian at heart. She is an alumnus of the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award and 2008 USANA Children Champion Award.  CS is an occupational therapist and entrepreneur. Currently she offers her creative services to Boldfish Video Production as New Media Relations. Follow her on Twitter (@CS_Ling).

Greg Meeres owns Boldfish Video Production. He travels extensively coordinating, shooting and producing projects across planet earth. He can be reached at www.boldfish.ca

By Jessica Evans

I, like many of you, was a bit timid at the traffic woes forecast to be featured at the Olympic games.

I get around the city by bicycle as much as possible, but am glad to have a car - so convenient.  I ended up driving more the first weekend of the Olympics than I did the two weeks leading up to the games.  No delays, no traffic worth mentioning.

I'm always happy for sunshine - the vitamin D combined with the opportunity to cycle without spray from puddles makes for One Happy Jessica.  The only detour on my cycle commute is the blocked access to Burrard northbound from the Burrard Bridge.  Due to this detour, I discovered the joy that is riding on Hornby.  There's a dedicated bike lane and it's only one block out of my way.  I don't have to share my lane with buses, and the lights cascade happily towards Georgia.

I've set some serious speed records on my cycle commute during the Olympics, not that I'd like to admit that I pay attention to these sorts of things.  No one was harmed, traffic laws were observed, and I didn't need that second coffee.

It isn't just cycling though.  I balanced my carbon footprint by commuting to the office by Car today. (Shhh) Again, a record getting home - no traffic worth mentioning and lovely cascading lights up Thurlow this time.  When on transit, I've gotten a seat on the bus, which is a rarity in my non Olympic life.

Am I just lucky?  More importantly, did I just jinx my traffic karma?

Jessica Evans loves life in Vancouver - especially the parts that involve volunteering, riding bikes, or any combination thereof.  Follow her on Twitter as @jessicers.

by CS Ling

It's amazing how young these Olympians are (compared to me, of course).  Alexandre Bilodeau is 22 years old and already he has made his mark in history as the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal on Canadian soil.

Since winning the gold medal in men's moguls, Bilodeau's life has changed dramatically.  Now an international sports celebrity, he is enjoying the moment while having to adjust quickly to the loss of privacy and anonymity. When we conversed on Tuesday, I found Bilodeau to be genuine, humble, and honest.  He is authentic.  I enjoyed our visit together and have gained greater respect for this sincere young man whose world has become a whirlwind overnight.

Bilodeau is off to Japan shortly for another series of competition.  I wish him well and continued success.

Written by:  CS Ling
Photo by: Linda Thompson

CS Ling is a humanitarian at heart. She is an alumnus of the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award and 2008 USANA Children Champion Award.  CS is an occupational therapist and entrepreneur. Currently she offers her creative services to Boldfish Video Production as New Media Relations. Follow her on Twitter (@CS_Ling).

By CS Ling and Greg Meeres

One of my most memorable days during the Olympics is the one I spent with Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter exploring downtown Vancouver and taking in the festivities.  Many thanks to all the people who let us videotape them being silly and especially to the Silicone Sisters (Polly and Esther Silicone) for making our day even more remarkable!

Dr. JoAnn is a world renown top sports psychologist and high performance coach. During this Winter Olympics, she has Olympians competing in the Luge, Aerial Ski, Speed Skating, and Cross Country Skiing.  She herself is a world-class athlete who integrates the mind-body system into optimizing her own performing edge. She has won the San Francisco Marathon and placed 2nd in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon.

In this first of three Dr. JoAnn's Tip of the Day for MetroBlenz News Squad readers, Dr. JoAnn talks about the 3P's of Your Performing Edge for optimal results in sports, business, relationships, and life.  NBC, ABC, BBC-TV have sought her out as special guest on talk shows so it is with great pleasure that I share her insight and wisdom here.

Thanks Dr. JoAnn!  The 3P's and other performing edge techniques are also found in Dr. JoAnn's bestselling book, Your Performing Edge.

Stay tuned for the next Dr. JoAnn's Tip of the Day for MBNS readers!

Credits:  Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter (www.DrJoAnn.com)
Written by:  CS Ling
Video by:  Greg Meeres

CS Ling is a humanitarian at heart. She is an alumnus of the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award and 2008 USANA Children Champion Award.  CS is an occupational therapist and entrepreneur. Currently she offers her creative services to Boldfish Video Production as New Media Relations. Follow her on Twitter (@CS_Ling).

Greg Meeres owns Boldfish Video Production. He travels extensively coordinating, shooting and producing projects across planet earth. He can be reached at www.boldfish.ca

By CS Ling and Greg Meeres

I am one who loves people, culture, and travel, however, I know very little about the first inhabitants of this land.  Do I address them as First Nations people or do I say, Aboriginal people?  I'm never sure which is the correct term to use when talking about things related to the First Nations/Aboriginals.   I have a strong desire to learn and experience the First Nations/Aboriginals culture.  Thus,  I was thoroughly delighted when I met Adrian Lewis at the Aboriginal Pavilion.

Lewis is from the Tsimshian Nation located in the northern region of B.C.   He was kind to give me an impromptu lesson on his culture when I asked him to tell me about his... ummm...yes... I used the word,"outfit".  Thanks to Lewis,  I now know the "outfit" is called "regalia".  I am glad it is "regalia" because this word describes perfectly the magnificent attire he wore.  Very royal.

Watch this video to hear about Lewis' mask, regalia, and drumbox.  All absolutely beautiful in symbolism and art.

When I spoke with Lewis, I noticed his inner strength and confidence.  He told me that he returned to his roots in the year 2000.  I agreed with him that there is something very powerful when we know and accept our roots, and the essence of who we are.  Our roots ground us and give us the foundation from which we grow.

Adrian Lewis from the Tsimshian Nation

Though I only just met Lewis and had a short conversation with him, I am left with the impression that this man is a great teacher.  Whenever I look at this photo, I see confidence, pride, and honor.

Lewis is married to Melody Lewis. He is currently in his first year studying Aboriginal Tourism at the Native Education College.

Written by:  CS Ling
Photo by:  CS Ling
Video by: Greg Meeres (using a Nikon D90 DSLR)

CS Ling is a humanitarian at heart. She is an alumnus of the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award and 2008 USANA Children Champion Award.  CS is an occupational therapist and entrepreneur. Currently she offers her creative services to Boldfish Video Production as New Media Relations. Follow her on Twitter (@CS_Ling).

Greg Meeres owns Boldfish Video Production. He travels extensively coordinating, shooting and producing projects across planet earth. He can be reached at www.boldfish.ca

By CS Ling

I've had enough of crowds  especially after being sandwiched on all sides by people of all sizes AND who are invariably much taller than me.   My goal on Saturday was to get out of Robson and Granville as quickly as possible. Yet, I could only move as the crowd moved... one small step at a time.  Yes, I am one of thousands of people who created the wall-to-wall mass of human beings in Downtown Vancouver over the weekend.  Exciting but not terribly enjoyable for the 5'3" petite me.

After twenty minutes of  being pressed up against people, I finally crossed over Granville Street and made my way down to the Aboriginal Pavilion.   There, I found the highlight of my day.  There, I found The Sacred Space.

All tension and stress left my body as I watched Chief Mike Retasket of the Shuswap Nation perform a mesmerizing dance to the sound of song and drum;  his headdress and regalia breathtakingly intricate.

The essence of his being was evident in every single move, every single action.  Chief Mike Retasket danced to the rhythm of life.  I was in awe.

When the dance was over, Chief Retasket greeted spectators one by one, shook their hands, and welcomed them to Canada.  There was such joy in his face.  The countenance was such that he made us all feel like we just entered into his home -  a warm welcome home to The Sacred Space.

Written by: CS Ling
Photos by:  CS Ling

CS Ling is a humanitarian at heart. She is an alumnus of the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award and 2008 USANA Children Champion Award.  CS is an occupational therapist and entrepreneur. Currently she offers her creative services to Boldfish Video Production as New Media Relations. Follow her on Twitter (@CS_Ling).

For an Olympic hosting city, it was rather quiet in Downtown Vancouver Monday night. The 7pm booze restriction curbed the incessant public drinking which occurred the previous week and the streets were more like an average Friday night. It wasn't bad, but nowhere near the raucous throngs of crowds we were used to.

It seems a couple of factors played into the huge drop-off. One definitely had to do with the loss of Brodeur and the boys the night before. The prior night and all of Monday offered a sombre mood in Downtown. Also, many people I spoke to just needed a break from the partying. Consecutive days of partying last week just took too much of a toll on people's bodies.

With all this being said, look for the crowds to only get bigger with the big bash nearing its end... until next week, when we face crickets chirping on Granville.

You can’t plan unexpected moments. And when they occur, they can elevate your life in wondrous ways.
My friend Alison and I reserved Sunday as “play day.” We started the day off early, not wanting to miss a beat. On a whim, we popped onto the Olympic Line streetcar at Granville Island, free during the Olympics, then hopped onto an Aquabus to Yaletown from Monks to further the adventure. We walked the seawall and saw hundreds of Inukshuk lining the entire strip between Edgewater Casino and Creekside Park. They symbolize markers that mean “we were here,” and signify a place in time which is fitting to the Olympic experience of people here for a short time from around the globe. We then walked to Live City Downtown. We arrived at the security gate after a 45 minute lineup, only to stand in another lineup for a half hour to get into the Canada Pavilion. But we were in good spirits and didn’t mind the wait. We then had an unexpected surprise after all that... we had no idea we’d actually get to see the Stanley Cup!

The Stanley Cup

This led us to yet another lineup - for a photo op to hold it - as I pictured myself holding it high above me even though it was almost as big as I was! with two mounties standing beside it. But alas! at exactly 3 pm the wall revolved 180 degrees and we watched it disappear right before our eyes! We missed the photo shot of a lifetime by three minutes. We were told it would be back tomorrow from noon to 3 pm, but three long lineups at that venue was enough.

An outing with a friend allows you to see things you wouldn’t otherwise stop for. We popped into the Vancouver Central Library for a latte at Blenz and lingered in the atrium.

The Wind Tunnel

There were a few interactive art exhibits there. The one that fascinated me was Room to Make Your Peace: 2010 Olympic Truce Project Vancouver 2010, inspired by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada who challenged all Canadians to respond to the question: In your life or community how do you make your peace? The piece is located on the ground level below the library entrance. After a small lineup, we were given a piece of paper and were instructed to write out what it takes to “make our peace.” The paper is then folded origami-shaped airplane with an LED light placed on the tip, then placed into a plexiglass wind tunnel that whisks the

Entrance to VPL Central Branch

plane high up to the top of the library and out the tunnel, spiralling down onto a net above the library entrance. The pieces blink off and on and become part of the art piece. This was truly an unexpected surprise of the day. It was fun + interactive, with an inspirational message aimed to elevate the human spirit. Indeed it did!

Our second unexpected surprise happened on our way home. After a long day, we hopped onto an Aquabus to Granville Island, then headed back. To our surprise, in an outdoor space near The Net Loft, we caught

Circus West at Granville Island

a circus act of fire jugglers, acrobats, trapeze artists and a unicyclist. We had witnessed the troupe, Circus West in action, a local circus company that teaches aspiring young artists “To Dream Big. Push Limits. Defy Gravity.

Ten Foot Dress at Granville Island

The final unexpected surprise was finding a lit up 10 foot wedding dress house “Buckminster Fuller-style”behind “Kids Only” market. You truly have to see it to believe it. It was another truly unexpected surprise and  added a “magical” finish to an already fabulously fulfilling day.

........................................................................................................................................

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Outside-the-Box Graphics | Print + Web Media

778.839.3755
"Use my creative spark to ignite your business vision."
www.outsidetheboxgraphics.net

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This post is a part of a photography project we at Nordica Photography are doing throughout the Games. It's called Faces of the Games, and essentially we are taking pictures of various people everyday that have a connection to the Olympics. Everyday we pick a different theme, so there's quite an eclectic collection of faces starting to build! You can read more about the project here.

By Cybele Negris

As part of my continuing look at how the Olympics are affecting the business community, I chatted last week with George Hunter, CEO of Small Business BC.

Walking into the Small Business BC office on Cordova Street (inside “The Station” where the Skytrain, Seabus and West Coast Express meet at Waterfront Station), I noticed a dramatic difference. Typically sixty or seventy people are reading resource materials, meeting with advisors or registering business names and using the other services Small Business BC offers. Today, only a handful of people were around. SBBC anticipated the drop in walk in traffic given its location and planned accordingly.

As anticipated, things are quiet at the Small Business BC Office during the Olympics

During the Olympics, the office is still open and maintaining basic levels of service but they are taking the opportunity to do outreach during the slower times. While the regular seminar program is on hold until March, they front-end loaded their seminar series prior to the Olympics and even included seminars in collaboration with the 2010 Commerce Centre on how businesses can best participate in the Olympics and get engaged. The Small Busines BC Education Centre is taking the opportunity to run focus groups from different regions to better understand clients and their needs and to ensure programs are client centric. SBBC has also taken the opportunity when key groups and stakeholders are in town for the Olympics to reconnect. For example, they met with the Nisga’a (who are here to participate in the aboriginal reception) to discuss specific programs including video conferencing to support their economic development initiatives.

I asked George Hunter for his sense of how the Small Business community has faired in the last year, how they are doing during the Olympics and where he thinks the state of things will be post Olympics. “Small Businesses have been very resilient.” He recognizes some sectors have been affected more than others by the recession but says those he has talked to are very optimistic. “Many of the businesses are taking a pause and using the end of the Olympics as the spring board for the business year. There’s lots of optimism and excitement for the economic recovery. The confidence level out there is high.”

Hunter describes the impact for local businesses as, “those that are well-located near Olympic venues will do exceptionally well. All the businesses in the Waterfront Station are reporting that business is booming and all of them have brought on more staff. Steamworks Restaurant next door is doing record business of all time! Those that are putting an Olympic focus are doing well and definitely those that are carrying official merchandise or using the spirit of Olympics to promote and market are seeing a benefit.”

In terms of negative impact of the Olympics to local business, he hasn’t personally heard of many. According to Hunter, many businesses planned in advance and mostly, the sentiment is that “the party has come to town; most businesses recognize any inconvenience is temporary and we’ve invited the world so we will make it a good experience for everyone in true Canadian fashion!”

George Hunter, CEO of Small Business BC reports some businesses are booming and even those that are inconvenienced understand it is temporary. "We've invited the world so we will make it a good experience for everyone in true Canadian fashion!"

Small Business BC – Plans for Post-Olympics

After the Olympics, Small Business BC has a number of initiatives planned. There is a dramatic The Successful You Business Awards ceremony taking place in June where they have expanded their annual Business Plan Awards to include the Company of the Year and Small Business Champion Awards. They expect to double or triple participants. “It will be a very exciting event where small business entrepreneurs can come and celebrate the success of peers,” says George Hunter, CEO of Small Business BC.  The deadline is end of March. A sign of the level of interest in the awards, all formal sponsorship spots have already filled! Small Business BC is still accepting sponsorships for the Entrepreneurial Showcase event, however, which will take place in the Fall.

Another exciting development is the Accelerator Program which Hunter describes as “just in time business information geared towards established businesses looking to make dramatic changes in their growth.” The fee for service program will provide highly specific and very relevant information for businesses by partnering with subject matter experts and will deliver the information within a 24 hour turnaround.

Also coming soon, look for the Small Business BC website to include a new “Marketplace function” where people and business can meet online and share interests and post opportunities.

More information on Small Business BC

Small Business BC Website

Small Business BC Digital Business Card - smallbusinessbc.tel

Get your own .TEL and a portion of the proceeds go to support Small Business BC

Seminars offered by Small Business Education Centre

The Successful You Business Awards – Deadline March 31, 2010; Awards Ceremony June, 2010

Related Posts:

Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics- Part I of Series – Eclipse Awards by Cybele Negris

Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics – Part II of Series – Forum for Women Entrepreneurs by Cybele Negris

Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics – Part III of Series – Residential Construction Industry by Cybele Negris

Despite the lack of financial-windfall, Granville Island vendors get in the Olympic Spirit by Kassandra Linklater 

Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames

By CS Ling

Attention Men!
If you have ever complained about "throwing away money" on flowers (especially since you paid an astronomical amount on Valentine's Day a week ago), you will want to make the most of this AMAZING deal !

Attention Women!
If you have ever stopped to admire flower bouquets but walked away after 10 minutes because you could not bring yourself to spending "that much" on fresh cut flowers, I have news for you !

On Sunday, at the northeast corner of Burrard Street and Hastings Street, I discovered that I can buy THREE bunches of fresh, beautiful, healthy tulips for only $ 5 !!!    THREE BUNCHES !! That's a MEGA DEAL !

Can you hear my excitement ?  Can you guess what I will be doing this upcoming week?  And you can be sure that I will be spending more than $5 !

Let's do the math ...  for $15 at a store, I get 15 stems of tulips.  At Niceto Yalan's tulip stand, for the same $15,  I get FORTY-FIVE stems of beautiful, colorful tulips!   Imagine the number of vases I can fill!  Imagine the number of people I can buy flowers for!  (A confession:  When I did the math, I calculated it three times because I could not believe I get FORTY-FIVE stems for only $15!!)

A flower's appeal is in its contradictions - so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect. ~ Adabella Radici

Written by:  CS Ling
Photos by:  CS Ling
Quote  from www.quotegarden.com/flowers

CS Ling is a humanitarian at heart. She is an alumnus of the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award and 2008 USANA Children Champion Award.  CS is an occupational therapist and entrepreneur. Currently she offers her creative services to Boldfish Video Production as New Media Relations. Follow her on Twitter (@CS_Ling).

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

Sunday's Canada-USA Olympic hockey game was epic in its build-up, embodying the mostly-civilized rivalry universal to countries bordering each other.  Whistler was abuzz with the energy.  Watching the game from one of the social epicentres of Whistler resort - the Garibaldi Lift Company (GLC) located at the base of the ski runs - seemed like just the ticket for this one.

That afternoon, I skied around the mountain with photo gear, bagging images to give reader of this blog a 'feel' for Whistler during the Games. (And to clear the effects of the previous night's champagne party.)  I had to tear myself away from the dreamy, uncrowded beauty (see photos) but the Canada-USA game beckoned.  So did the friends who secured a precious table at GLC by 3PM - a lineup had already formed for the 4:30PM faceoff (way to take one for the team, guys).  GLC doubles as MuchMusic TV's base for the Games, with predictable fun and noise - complete with hot tub for the hearty and the well-lubricated.  Much Music TV cameras caught alot of the action, including our bouncy group.

GLC was a wild mix of Canadian and Americans cheering - including a delightful Bostonian engineer, Matt, who had only arrived the night before at Whistler on his first visit.  Through persistence, he found a bed in Pemberton, not knowing he'd also stumbled upon a generous and raucous crew of youngish locals + Vancouver pals who merged him into their happy posse.  Stoked from a day of sunny backcountry skiing, and convinced the USA was going to whack Canada, Matt was stunned by the warm, unconditional welcome he felt from both his hosts and Whistler in general.  Highly recommend mixing up the cheering sections ... great dynamic !

A lovely story: Pemberton's Robert Megeney carefully unpacked a hand-hooked rug (see photo) sent to him by his aunt Phyllis Megeney of Amherst, Nova Scotia.  Phyllis loved the idea of sending a little bit of the East Coast to the West - she wanted Robert and fiance Valerie Butters to have something unique to help celebrate the Olympics.  Judging by how carefully Robert handled and carried this wonderfully-handworked rug, it will surely hold pride of place in their home.....

We all know that the USA trumped Canada in that game.  No matter.. there's still time for us to win gold.  But no question - the GLC was a premium spot to watch the game !

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye. EM: judy@judybishop.ca

- by Rich Patterson (@pattersonbrands)

In a pre-Games post a few weeks ago I wrote about dealing with crowds. I couldn’t have imagined the reality of the first nine days of the games and record crowds hitting downtown for the fun, good weather and Olympic events. Will this be known as the Olympics of the 5-hour lineup, the overbearing security and the crushing sidewalk crowds?

Downtown Vancouver Crowds Feb 19/10

I get a kick out of how security guards and staff respond to these unprecedented crowds. While some stay good-natured, the majority harden under the pressure and choose to treat average citizens like terrorists.

I needed to pickup Olympic tickets at the Westin Grand on Friday and pulled into their circular driveway. Once into the driveway the “Lot Full” sandwich board was obvious so I began reversing out. Too late, two armed guards chased my Volvo Wagon down and were demanding to know where I was going. Well, I need to reverse out of your driveway you dopes. And, yes, that’s a real toddler in the carseat not a dummy packed with C-4 explosives.

A friend of mine was called in for emergency duty restocking Olympic swag at the Hudsons Bay Olympic Superstore. He told me (as we all know) it’s a total gong-show there with long lineups to get into the locked-down Olympic area. He said that parents with children who have to go to the bathroom are told to leave the Olympic area (since there are no washrooms in that part of the store) and lineup again to get back in. Real nice.

I had a similar experience at a major retailer on Robson on Saturday. My 3-year old daughter was crying she had to go to the bathroom so badly. The store refused. Luckily we were less than a block from the Sutton Place Hotel. The Sutton bellman graciously pointed us to the lobby level bathrooms without the subjecting us to terrorist profiling.

I realize Police, security and store staff are just trying to do their jobs. But I call for a big dose of reason.  The daytime crowds are here, and 99.5% of us are just average families trying to have some fun. Don’t treat 100% of us like terrorists in our own town.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company and is part owner of a social media consultancy based in Vancouver. Contact Rich at rich[at]pattersonbrands.com or follow twitter @pattersonbrands

By Jessica Evans

I’m scrambling to finish up work for the day.   I've scored a ticket to the Molson Canadian Hockey House from Molson; they sponsor Timeraiser and donated a few passes for the volunteers.  A text comes in from Jen, the Timeraiser Manager who just arrived at the Hockey House with some of the other volunteers:

“It’s a sea of red here”

Oh no.  I look down.  Purple with grey.  How could I have messed this up?  How can I cheer on Team Canada wearing purple?

My transportation has Canadian colours...

The irony is, Red has played a large part in my life, and many of my friends would identify me with the colour.  I have red glasses, red jackets, red shoes and three red bikes.  One would think that I could put together something a little more Canadian.

I post a self conscious tweet with a picture of my Red and White bike/helmet combo now desperately trying to compensate.

Going to the Molson Canadian Hockey House is a big treat – something I wouldn’t indulge in on my own and I’m grateful for the comp ticket.  It’s actually my first time out in the Olympic mania since the start of the Games; I can see the cauldron from the office, but other than that I'm only out to grab a quick java.  Most of my clients are American, so it's busy-ness as usual.  I seem to have missed the dress code memo.

I navigate my way east, making my way to the Hockey House.  The energy is magnificent;  everyone's smiling and R.E.M's "Shiny Happy People" queues up in my mental playlist.  I bask in the roar of fans while riding by Canada Hockey Place and the VPD officer I approach for directions is very friendly.  He prefaces his instructions with “Well, since you’re on a bike…” , and then directs me through a few pedestrian shortcuts so I can get around the road closures.

Can someone split a piece of that jersey off for me, please?

My comp pass gains me access to the Hockey House and I feel like a little grey grinch treading water in an ocean of red and white.  Someone bumps into me.  It's probably because I'm wearing grey, I think.  This wouldn't happen if I was wearing red.  Or maybe I really should just watch where I'm going.  I seek out one of the employees to get a maple leaf painted on my forehead or something to show I'm Canadian.  I could have brought a prop polar bear, or worn a toque.... what was I thinking?

All in all, the game and the experience was fantastic.  It's "Alberta Night" at the hot dinner buffet so I balance my Molson Canadian with bacon wrapped chicken, a large chunk of beef, and bean salad.  The place is packed, and we're sitting down at the very front watching the game projected above us.  When Team Canada gets a goal,  a gaggle of photographers jump in front to capture shots of the frenzied crowd.   It’s Canada v. Switzerland, which goes through overtime to a shoot out.  I’m biting my nails… sure I’ve been busy at work but an Olympic level hockey shootout?  Now that’s pressure.

Red & White Confetti, FTW

I was expecting the atmosphere of a tied game to be tense, but everyone’s amped up with support.  Chants of CAN-A-DA surge through the crowd.  I’m a bit nervous though.  I turn to Jen – “we have to win this” – she nods.

Crosby gets our winning goal and the crowd … well…. “goes wild” would be a gross understatement.  There’s a popping noise on either side of the stage and we’re showered in confetti.   I thoughtfully cover my drink to protect against digesting one of the papery projectiles and the place turns into a dance party.

I'm part of something Big.  No matter what colour I'm wearing, you can tell who I'm cheering for.

Jessica Evans loves life in Vancouver - especially the parts that involve volunteering, riding bikes, or any combination thereof.  Follow her on Twitter as @jessicers.