T-Minus how many days?

I head to Vancouver in two days. Well, one and a half days to be nerdy and precise. Although, when have I ever worried about being precise? Ok, we'll just go with two days. It is now Saturday afternoon and I'm leaving Monday. Or - is that technically mean I'm leaving in one day?

Math sucks. forget it.

I've been kind of (very) busy for the past month so I haven't had a chance to mentally prepare myself for Vancouver yet. But this morning, I was thinking about the ways that this Olympics is probably going to be different than the Beijing Olympics ... in no particular order. Except the one I put them in.

1. There will likely be less Chinese people.

2. Instead of unwinding with a TsingTao, it'll be a Labatt Blue. Or Molson. Whichever bottle has the funny little sayings on it. (oh Canada, one of the many, many ways you're just too adorable for words)

3. Instead of working on a sport that features glitter, scandal and slippery surfaces, I'll be working on a sport that .... oh wait....

4. My mom will be there! (staying with her sister Julie in a hotel downtown for a week. Also joining the fun, cousin Lynda and mom's friend Laura - oh lordy... that is a group of VERY loud laughers. Hope they don't offend any demure Brits or cranky Russians)

5. I WILL get a Team Russia jacket this time. No more of this "nyet nyet" crap when I flash my visa and say "I want to buy you!" (referring to their overcoat, of course. Best not to joke about buying russians, since, well, people do that)

6. It'll be way colder. Which is good since they do that whole skiing thing.

7. Less communism.

8. (which, unfortunately, will lead to a less spectacular opening ceremony. There's just no way anyone will be able to compete with China and what they did for years. I'm hoping for some humor, ingenuity and elements of surprise)

9. I'll be trying to get runs in while I'm there. I was a lazy sack of potatoes in China and that
suited me just fine. But now I have a marathon looming in May and I'll need to keep training if I want to make it across the finish line. I'm guessing that most of my Vancouver exploring will be done via running shoes and that's just fine with me. It's a beautiful way to see the world. Or Vancouver. .. or at least the ten square miles around our hotel.

10. ???? Who knows?!?! And I love that I have no idea. I had zero idea around what to expect in Beijing and it was fantastic because every day was something new and random. Now I know the drill and what to expect (loooooong hours) but I'm keeping my expectations at bay. I'm just going to enjoy the ride, enjoy the skating and enjoy the Olympic spirit. .... and buying all the Olympic crap.

Game(s) On!