Vancouver Olympics inspires me to sit down for a while

It's funny how the Olympics can inspire nations of normally healthy people to give up exercising and spend a whole week sitting around watching athletes play hockey. I know that I spent the whole week doing very little actual physical activity while I was inspired by the best of the best athletes in the world. How ironic.

I also got to know a little more about our good Canadian friends up north. In the past, they have blended in with American culture, except for their occasional habit of saying "eh?" and always mentioning whether a person being talked about is Canadian or not (did you know the Barenaked Ladies are Canadian?). At the Vancouver Olympics, however, Canadians were out in force to reassert their national identity and prove that they could be just as loud and obnoxiously dressed as any American could be.
I spent several days this week up in Vancouver soaking in the warm glow of the Olympic spirit.
I watched the Canada/Czech semifinals hockey game in a bar down in Yaletown, just outside the hockey rink itself. When Canada won, the streets around the stadium filled with fans who high-fived strangers and spontaneously broke out into song and cheers. It was like being at a Halloween party where everyone around you decided to dress as a Canadian. I also wandered around town with some friend from North Vancouver for the weekend. They were critical of the spending for the Olympics for the last seven years, but while it is here, they are going to enjoy it as much as possible. Prepare for a national Canadian hangover on Monday, however.