Abnormality of Olympic Proportions

So, I don't know, but I hear there's something major going on in Vancouver these days...some kinda sporting event plastered all over my TV.

Vancouver has become an unrecognizable city! I mean, the buildings and streets are all in place, but they now look so different; red and white Canada flags are everywhere, usually busy streets are closed off with barricades and bollards, the trains and buses are PACKED, as are the streets around Robson and Granville...my city has become a zoo. It's a see of red everywhere, as everyone is out in olympic gear, draped in flags and pins, and random outbursts of 'Oh Canada' fill the air at any given time. The insanity!

It's fairly quiet in Burnaby, except for extra traffic at Metrotown, including olympic athletes and officials. The other day, 4 young and very nice-looking members of the Czech team caught my eye, and not just because of their hotness...it just caught me off guard to see these guys who are here pursuing a dream. Whatever their sports, I wish them well. I've always stated that I support the Athletes and the competition; my anti-olympic stance is based on the overbearing and downright malicious spirit of Corporatism and Monopolization of the games. I hardly think the runners at Marathon those hundreds of years ago were sponsored by Samsung, nor could they have foreseen what would become of their event.

To give you an idea of what I mean by the Corporatism, I'll provide an example that made me sick. The olympic torch relay turned out to be rolling past my building, coming up the hill at Willingdon and turning onto Kingsway. I stayed in my apartment because it was a cold day, but I went out onto my balcony and watched masses of people line both streets to watch the torch go by. When it finally arrived, I started to feel the competitive spirit finally...I was eager to see the start of the games, so I could see the athletes perform and maybe be fortunate to achieve their goals, be they posting a personal best or winning a medal. The real reason for the games was rolling passed my window...and right INTO the ROYAL BANK across the fucking street. That's right...in that second, my olympic spirit was smothered, as I watched the torch disappear into the official banking sponsor of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. A corporation hijacked even the torch relay, probably the purest symbol of this entire event.

It's making me seriously think of delaying my application to PhD programs in London, because I don't think I could live in another Olympic city come 2012!