Overheard at the Olympics

The streets were so thick with celebrating people, it verged on being a mob.

But it remained a big party.

On Howe and Granville two taxis got caught in the torrent of happy hockey fans and couldn't move. 

An officer leaned inside and told the taxi drivers, "Just sit tight." 

A spectacular fireworks marked the last night of two weeks of fireworks in Vancouver.    In the Canada Line at Roundhouse/Yaletown, two women sang "Oh, Canada."  A group of guys coming the opposite direction joined in.  Soon, the entire station was filled with people singing together.  Canada spirit was running high.

Earlier in the evening, Blue Rodeo performed.  What a night.

Although the New York Times had already declared it over, the Canada Women's Hockey Team, fresh from winning a Gold Medal, still underwent a drubbing by (male) journalists today at a press conference at the BC Media Centre.  In a blog entitled "Furor Over Canada Women’s Team Celebration Fizzles", Ian Austin described the incident over, but the hammering happened anyway with (male) reporters questioning four of the team's members about a party they held on the ice after their victory.

I've attended  numerous press conferences with newly minted medal winners over the last twelve days and the tone was never like this.   And it felt way off kiltre.  Like the boys were telling the girls they'd been bad.

So mainly the press conference consisted of the four women having to apologize in a new way for each questioner, and it really got old.

Over and over they said they had hoped for the celebration to remain private.  They were exhausted.  They hard worked hard for the medal. 

Fear of the Olympics being over (FOBO) afflicts four out of five  Vancouverites, a recent survey taken by Team Vancouver Observer shows.  

"Will our city remain so jovial and friendly?" tweets @kpwerker.

"I am already depressed about it," writes Janine T in a comment on Facebook in response to a VO poll about the spread of FOBO through the city.

"I have that unexpected feeling. I don't want it to end. I'm enjoying the "aliveness" of it all. Back to reality...party over?" @tjbuffonery tweets.

FOBO is also afflicting television-viewers throughout the world who are suffering from Anticipatory Vancouver Deprivation Disorder (AVDD.)

"We'll miss seeing how beautiful BC is and all we'll get instead will be Jay Leno and the new Jerry Seinfeld show about arguing married couples,"  writes New York resident Lynn S on Facebook.

"Still have our Vancouver Whitecaps FC soccer games in spring/summer to look forward to. Also, a few marathon, running, multi-sports races to keep us busy in the spring/summer," Earla R added.