The! Olympic! Circus!

Afternoon All. So first off:- work news... so its been really quiet last week. I got 3 days off in a row for the first time since October (The four days off in December don't count because I had to work 8 days in a row after). Plus I only got 3 hours last Monday... and this today. But it should start to really pick up soon. Rumour has it I'm working every day of the 14 days of the Olympics. Which I'm fine with because of the new tip system. The Russian Olympic team decided to make our restaurant the place they eat over the Olympics, and are paying $3000 a day for the privilege, and all the staff get the benefit of this through the massive pay increase for the next 3 weeks. I now get $10 an hour, plus $6.50 an hour tips (Tax Free!). I think its pretty amazing that they've decided give these extra tips to us, most companies would just keep all the cash to themselves. Gotta love Joeys. This made going home early today extra hard because of all the mullar I missing out on... but I've now got 2 days off, then working Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So there is little chance of me being cut on these days, as there busy Olympics or not.

Stuff I've been up to:- Last Saturday I went for a meal at Templetons with JP and Jen, his new girlfriend. This is the first time I've met her, and she seems really nice. Its nice having some one who can join you in pointing out all of JP's flaws. On Wednesday me and Chloe went Ice skating at a temporary rink that has been constructed in the heart of Downtown Van. It only cost $3 to rent skates, and entry is free. No one fell over, and fun was had by all, near the end some disco lighting was switched on making the experience extra trippy. Also the ice cleaner/hoover machine has a paint sceme to make it look like a killer whale. It looked like it had been pimped by Timothy Westwood and his Cronies. On Friday night, me and Rosie went for a couple of drinks at the Cambie. Rosie tried to make her mind up about if she should get her hair cut short that evening, and we both agreed that the Cambie is the best bar in Vancouver, it has a cracking jukebox, and couldn't understand why we havn't been there in so long. Afterward we met up with JP and went to get some food, we tried the Furniture Warehouse, but the $5 menu has gone up to $8 for the Olympics, so we decided to go to the Roxy were the prices havn't changed, and you get a much better burger for $10. We had a couple more drinks before heading home. It was a good night.

So, the Olympics have officially arrived in town, and its pretty exciting. Every were you go there are people with bright blue tracksuit pants and jackets and bobble hats, and massive lanyards with there Olympic credentials on. Plus you see random members of random Olympic team... well it mainly seems to be the Russian and US teams I see. But Joe (oh yea... Joe got another work Visa sorted in 2 months, and has returned to Vancouver) said when he was flying back to Vancover the only member of the team from Ghana was on the plane, and everyone was getting photos with him, and he was the happiest man in the world. Also there are hundereds of spot lights lighting up the Vancouver skyline from various stadiums, celebration sites, and art displays, it looks like Vancouver is in the middle of a technicolor air raid. Apparently you can create your own display for one set using a website, and it will tell you what time your display will be used so you can see it. Once I've found a way to create a giant light penis, I will submit my own display. There is also the continuing news saga that is: will they be able to find enough snow for the snowboarding events which are on grouse mountain... which is pretty much snow free at the moment, there currently 'harvesting' snow and taking it there in lorries. Also Arnold Swartzzenggneruare is running through Stanley park with the Olympic flame... at 7AM, so I'll give that a miss. Finally there are also a lot of free gigs and shows going on as well, bands include Alexisonfire, Deadmou5, and Mother Mother, all of which I will probably miss because I'll be working, if I can save enough cash now I can watch as many bands as I want as I travel round the states for 2 months this summer... and go up to Jasper with my parents (who are visiting late March)... and by a small digital camera I can take everywere unlike the beast.

Video of the week:-



I'm really into this band at the moment, the entire album Mama Im Swollen is cracking, and I'm currently digging out there entire back catalog. That is all cats and kittens.