All right folks, it appears I will be going live for the duration of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Toytown - sorry, Whistler, by proxy. Just bought me a brand spanking new battery for the light up typewriter what uses no paper.
As the month opens, we see a phenomenal amount of Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) uniforms. They are a particularly vibrant shade of blue (this picture doesn't do it justice) and as such it's easy to spot the clueless folk who don't know where Dual Mountain is. However, there are a couple of them who have a sense of entitlement about them. Carrying a Vanoc security card does not automatically bequeath you the perks and bonuses associated with the long term residents of Whistler (I loathe to use the term 'local'). Just last night, a girl gave my doorman friend flak because he asked for her ID. I don't like to get emotional about that, but fuck that girl. Its a bar. I still carry my ID and I know enough people not to. The reason they insist is because of the police; if you cannot produce government ID and you are in a bar, the establishment can and will be punished by means of a fine and/or a mandatory temporary closure. Whatever.
On to our shining example of transportation on our one highway to the big city (which, incidentally, is an amazing security/deadline pitfall). Imagine it's your first day driving a bus in a city you don't know. You would expect to be provided with detailed maps, timetables, and locations of bus stops at least 6 weeks ahead of time. Here's where we run into a problem. Companies working on a month to month basis will send their drivers up at the beginning of the month (yesterday) so accounting can transfer their pay details etc to the appropriate department. Three examples of the ensuing results of this:
Case 1: the breakfast chef in my restaurant had to take a cab to work yesterday morning because the bus didn't show up. For an hour, when the "every 7 minutes" rule was in effect. Apparently they just plumb forgot about Tapley's Farm residents.
Case 2: A friend ended up in Creekside because the driver turned the wrong way coming back on to the highway (AFTER he had previously made a U-turn on said highway).
Case 3: My personal favourite. Another friend had to direct the driver on his route into town, not only where to go, but where the stops were. He nearly drove right by a stop with 15 people waiting at it.
Now, I have to stress, I DO NOT BLAME THE DRIVERS! A transfer to a new area is always nerve-wracking, and throw 30 hecklers behind you into the mix and theres bound to be some hiccups. And don't get me wrong, I love the Olympics, and the excitement here is off the chart. I just worry that the head honchos at VANOC, in spite of making Whistler and Vancouver look good, they're losing sight of how these two fine cities will appear.
Actually, that last photo isn't quite an accurate representation...
There's no snow in Vancouver.
See you soon kids!
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