Day Two: VISA. The Official Sponsor of Ruining my 2010 Winter Olympic Experience
Seriously VISA. You screwed me over when I was trying to buy tickets to events and had a high limit MasterCard ready for purchases only to discover that the only card allowed for purchases was VISA but now, now you have gone too far.
I have heard that Canada is the most debit friendly country around. We use our debit cards for everything. As a result, I rarely carry cash b/c my debit card is good everywhere. So imagine my shock when I tried to purchase beer at the Russia/Slovakia hockey game only to be told I couldn't unless I used a VISA credit card or a VISA debit card. Um, no. Then, you have had all non-VISA ATMs removed from the Thunderbird Centre and only VISA-enabled ones installed. Sigh. I hate you VISA and have now sworn to cancel my card and live on my MasterCard alone. I am contrary that way. Just b/c Bell is a sponsor doesn't mean I suddenly can't get cell service on my Rogers iPhone ... don't mess with my ability to purchase beer, VISA. You will always loose b/c beer will always win. In this instance, the person I was with paid cash for our grog. CASH FTW!!
So Day Two was pretty fun. Day started over in North Van. Catching up with good friends (they got married in Mexico which was the #1 wedding I had ever been to until it was usurped by the wedding of the century, in Kenora of all places. Yes, I was shocked too that Kenora would slide in for the gold medal but so it remains to this day, almost three years later) and amusing their two year old by drawing chalk outlines of bodies on the back deck. I recommend teaching children about dead body chalk outlines. It's great fun. Marcie and I made a dash out to Deep Cove where we sat on a patio and drank Caesars and soaked up the sun. We also visited Honey's for their home made roly polys (aka doughnuts) which we were going to save for back at her place but ended up eating some in the car. Before we left the parking lot. We couldn't help it - they were still warm and smelled so good!
Anyway, saturday night involved heading out to UBC for the hockey game. It was a very atrocious game - the hockey on display was pretty bad although the Slovak goalie was pretty good (loss notwithstanding) and she also was a pretty good stickhandler b/c she kept leaving the crease and smacking the puck back to the other end. The fans were probably the funnest part. We were doing the wave and chanting and pretty much adopted the Slovak underdogs. Whenever they scored the crowd went crazy and cheered and chanted so when the game ended the Slovaks did a sticks up tribute to the fans which was nice. The we went to a party. At an arms dealers house. I kid you not. Well I sort of do. The home owner wasn't an arms dealer but his dad had been. Nuts! I was trying to figure out if the glass on the house was bullet proof for possible payback after the fact. The townhouse was gorgeous. I am a bit of a nut for doors. I love a good door. Their front door was glass with beautiful iron scrolls running through it. LOVE! They had fabulous funky furniture, good use of colour, a TV/sound system to make you weep, the best use of a kitchen island I have ever seen and a bulldog with a cone over his head. You've got to have a soft spot for a dogger with a cone on his head. He was so calm about it! Also, they had an incredible cheese spread for snacking on. I am biased towards those who adore fine cheese as much as I do but even before discovering the buffet of fromage, I had decided the female half of the couple was incredibly lovely. If I ever move to Vancouver, I am going to add her to my close personal friends. That should be easy to achieve since she is already friends with almost everyone I am friends with here. Hours and many beverages later, we left for home. Couldn't figure out why there were still so many people downtown trying to hail cabs until the next morning when it was discovered that Vancouver transit had shut down the train service with thousands stranded downtown. Well done! One more word on the arms dealer - he had a floor lamp in the living room where the base of the lamp was an AK-47. Tacky but confirmation that something was afoot!
So ended Day Two. And yes, VISA is still the Official Sponsor of Ruining my 2010 Olympic experience.