I've been quite busy here during the Olympics, occasionally working full days at both my jobs, driving and hotelling.
Yesterday was a day where I did both jobs. I had a trip down from Whistler to the airport at 6:20am, and then picked people up at 10:30 and brought them up. I had to work at the hotel at 3, and had to run through the village from where I parked the work truck to the hotel, so I could be on time. It's too much! I'm going to avoid doing that in the future I think.
Once I got to the hotel, I was a bit tired and as a result, was a bit snippy. One thing I have to deal with a lot at the hotel is people complaining about their room location, and it's one of the things I loathe most.
I checked some people in, and here is the exchange we had. It was a really busy time, and there was much hubbub in the area.
Guest: So, what is our room number?
Me: It's XXX, on the 2nd floor.
Guest: Which way does it face?
Me: Pardon, sorry?
Guest: Which - Way - Does - The - Room - Face.
Me: My first language is English.
Guest: *flabergasted*
Oops.
My co-workers loved it, and for me the guilt has passed.
I guess I can't be going above and beyond, providing great guest experiences, and *insert random hospitality/service industry cliche here* all the time!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Fun Day: Feb 14!
It was a really enjoyable Valentines Day for Carmella and I. Here's what we did.
I worked until 3, and Carmella left a bit early to catch a free concert in the Village. It was Matisyahu, a practicing Jewish reggae/rap artist. Carmella's had his music for quite some time. He raps and sings about Jewish things, world peace, and Jerusalem.
The fans were into it, and the atmosphere was great. There were toddlers and girlfriends on shoulders, and Israeli flags in the crowd. It was a good time.
Carmella and I then went to Swiss House, a restaurant that has been taken over by the Swiss for the Olympics. You can get food inside in the restaurant part, or take-out outside and sit on their patio, next to their TV broadcast pod. Carmella bought us Raclette, which is melted cheese over bread and potatoes, with some pickles beside. It was really tasty!
We were happy that Swiss House is open to the public. Most of the other houses in Whistler, like Austria House, Canada House, and France House, are only open to the athletes and dignitaries of that country. Those houses seem elitist, and I'm not a fan. Swiss House is open to all though, which is great.
Carmella and I then went into the Roots store, as I bought her a great hoodie for Valentines Day. The mogul final was on, and the store filled up with people coming in off the street to watch it. It was a very unique atmosphere, and I'm happy to have seen it where I did. Great fun!
There was another concert on in the village at the time, so the big screens were showing them. As a result, Carmella and I were some of the first people in Whisler Village to know that Canada had won a gold in the Moguls.
I was quite impressed with Alexandre Bilodeau's handling of his win. He thanked the crowd, and was very humble in victory. I think we as Canadians like our athletes to be humble and proud at the same time, and Bilodeau was a great example of a class act.
Here's the hoodie! Valentines Day was a great excuse to buy this for Carmella. It's great because it's a classy hoodie that won't expire when the Olympics leave town. I think Carmella looks like quite the Finn in it!
I worked until 3, and Carmella left a bit early to catch a free concert in the Village. It was Matisyahu, a practicing Jewish reggae/rap artist. Carmella's had his music for quite some time. He raps and sings about Jewish things, world peace, and Jerusalem.
The fans were into it, and the atmosphere was great. There were toddlers and girlfriends on shoulders, and Israeli flags in the crowd. It was a good time.
Carmella and I then went to Swiss House, a restaurant that has been taken over by the Swiss for the Olympics. You can get food inside in the restaurant part, or take-out outside and sit on their patio, next to their TV broadcast pod. Carmella bought us Raclette, which is melted cheese over bread and potatoes, with some pickles beside. It was really tasty!
We were happy that Swiss House is open to the public. Most of the other houses in Whistler, like Austria House, Canada House, and France House, are only open to the athletes and dignitaries of that country. Those houses seem elitist, and I'm not a fan. Swiss House is open to all though, which is great.
Carmella and I then went into the Roots store, as I bought her a great hoodie for Valentines Day. The mogul final was on, and the store filled up with people coming in off the street to watch it. It was a very unique atmosphere, and I'm happy to have seen it where I did. Great fun!
There was another concert on in the village at the time, so the big screens were showing them. As a result, Carmella and I were some of the first people in Whisler Village to know that Canada had won a gold in the Moguls.
I was quite impressed with Alexandre Bilodeau's handling of his win. He thanked the crowd, and was very humble in victory. I think we as Canadians like our athletes to be humble and proud at the same time, and Bilodeau was a great example of a class act.
Here's the hoodie! Valentines Day was a great excuse to buy this for Carmella. It's great because it's a classy hoodie that won't expire when the Olympics leave town. I think Carmella looks like quite the Finn in it!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Olympic Event!
Here's an email I sent to Er, talking about the biathlon event I went to yesterday.
I'm really enjoying the Olympics, and all the action! I thought it was going to be all hectic, but it's good times.
Here's the email, so I can give you all an idea of what's going on. It's easier to copy and paste, and go see a concert!
Here's the unpolished email:
I liked the moguls coverage, although I didn't hear that comment bc Carmella and I were in a pub that didn't have the announcers turned on. It was a good atmosphere though, with everyone cheering loudly when the canadians were up.
The event was good today, but a bit underwhelming. We got the tickets for free, so it was a last minute thing. It was the women's 7K free biathlon, and there were 80 skiers starting in a staggered fashion, so some were finished before the last ten or so started. There was no drama and no way to know who was winning, other than the scoreboard, which wasn't really helpful anyway. We didn't see any replays on tv later either, so tht was disappointing.
The top 40 women qualify for the pursuit, which I have tickets for. That will be a more fun event, because the girl that got first will leas out of the gate, and then the others follow depending on their time. It'll be easy to follow because the first to cross the line wins.
It was good to go to the event today though, and scope our spots for the next event, and figure out the way the whole thing runs. We had to wait for at least an hour in the rain on the way out, which was unfortunate. They really need to work on their transport strategy for fans exiting the venue.
The vibe in the village was really fun, and it's a different crowd than is normally in town. It's more fun, and a real mixed bag of people.
The event itself didn't really have any sort of olympic feel though, just another race and a lot more flags in the crowd. Lots of foreigners in town too, so that was fun. But if it wasn't for the big set of olympic rings in the back of the shooting range, I wouldn't have known it was any different, so that was interesting.
Time for bed, I have an early day tomorrow. I took some pics (it was foggy and rainy so they're nott he greatest) so ikll hopefully get them up tomorrow.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Biathlon!
Carmella's friend whom she nannies for (and who was a torch bearer too, on top of the Grouse Mountain tram even!) has given her two biathlon tickets! With an unexpected day off and unexpected Olympic tickets, it's going to be a fun day!
I'm wearing my Denmark soccer jersey under my China zip up, and have my Danish Dynamite shirt with me to wave around.
If you're watching the event, look for Carmella's yellow coat, and my burgundy one.
Go Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, and Canada!
Friday, February 12, 2010
A good driving day turns ugly.
I had a good, long day of driving today. I had been worried about it, but it all turned out well.
I found myself back in Whistler earlier than planned, and decided to stop on the way back to the garage and watch the last bit of the opening ceremonies at Carmella's.
I didn't know the truck was needed again tonight, so took my time eating pizza and talking Olympics.
When I was just about back, I got calls from my boss, my manager, and a coworker, all very upset with me for not bringing the truck back in time and not telling anyone.
My co-worker was mad because the truck wasn't there waiting for him, my manager was mad because it was one more thing he had to deal with, and my boss was very upset because he had a very important client arriving earlier than expected, etc etc.
So I had to eat generous slice after generous slice of that pie that nobody likes, knowing I had made a big mistake.
I will need to be on my game for the rest of the Olys so everyone forgets about it. On a good note, both my clients were loving me today, and one wants to request me for their trip down. If the office finds out I was doing such a great job, maybe they will be faster to forgive me for today's blunder.
I found myself back in Whistler earlier than planned, and decided to stop on the way back to the garage and watch the last bit of the opening ceremonies at Carmella's.
I didn't know the truck was needed again tonight, so took my time eating pizza and talking Olympics.
When I was just about back, I got calls from my boss, my manager, and a coworker, all very upset with me for not bringing the truck back in time and not telling anyone.
My co-worker was mad because the truck wasn't there waiting for him, my manager was mad because it was one more thing he had to deal with, and my boss was very upset because he had a very important client arriving earlier than expected, etc etc.
So I had to eat generous slice after generous slice of that pie that nobody likes, knowing I had made a big mistake.
I will need to be on my game for the rest of the Olys so everyone forgets about it. On a good note, both my clients were loving me today, and one wants to request me for their trip down. If the office finds out I was doing such a great job, maybe they will be faster to forgive me for today's blunder.
Does Vancouver finally have Olympic spirit?
On the day of the Opening Ceremonies, some think that Vancouver finally has Olympic spirit.
To darken the mood unfortunately, an athlete has died training for the luge. He was from Georgia, a product of the USSR's break-up. The story had John Furlong CEO of VANOC, in tears as he announced the happening to the press. Flags are flying at half mast around the city as a result.
It will be interesting to see how the Opening Ceremonies change Vancouver. I was in Guangzhou, China during the opening of the Beijing games in 2008, and was very surprised how empty the streets were. The usually snarled traffic was non-existent, and Guangzhou's main thoroughfares felt like Highway 7&8, just outside Stratford.
I'm driving some clients around tonight, and am just outside downtown Vancouver at Granville & 11th, and traffic doesn't seem bad at all. I'm only eleven blocks and one bridge away from the hub of the Olympic world, and nothing seems too out of the ordinary. There seem to be fewer cars on Granville, a main artery into and out of the downtown core. Possible we'll see some of the same traffic patterns as I saw in China.
The CBC is telling me about delays downtown, due to protesters and the pure volume of people. It's interesting how my main concern these days is traffic while I'm driving, and parking while I'm working at the hotel.
My clients are having dinner, and I forgot my book. I'm driving them from here to downtown for some partying, then they're heading up to Whistler.
I'm still here, waiting. I'm a bit bored and forgot my book.
Stay tuned for more Olympic stories.
To darken the mood unfortunately, an athlete has died training for the luge. He was from Georgia, a product of the USSR's break-up. The story had John Furlong CEO of VANOC, in tears as he announced the happening to the press. Flags are flying at half mast around the city as a result.
It will be interesting to see how the Opening Ceremonies change Vancouver. I was in Guangzhou, China during the opening of the Beijing games in 2008, and was very surprised how empty the streets were. The usually snarled traffic was non-existent, and Guangzhou's main thoroughfares felt like Highway 7&8, just outside Stratford.
I'm driving some clients around tonight, and am just outside downtown Vancouver at Granville & 11th, and traffic doesn't seem bad at all. I'm only eleven blocks and one bridge away from the hub of the Olympic world, and nothing seems too out of the ordinary. There seem to be fewer cars on Granville, a main artery into and out of the downtown core. Possible we'll see some of the same traffic patterns as I saw in China.
The CBC is telling me about delays downtown, due to protesters and the pure volume of people. It's interesting how my main concern these days is traffic while I'm driving, and parking while I'm working at the hotel.
My clients are having dinner, and I forgot my book. I'm driving them from here to downtown for some partying, then they're heading up to Whistler.
I'm still here, waiting. I'm a bit bored and forgot my book.
Stay tuned for more Olympic stories.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Driving again!
I'm sitting in "The Weeds", the taxi and limo holding area at YVR. This lot got the gardening moniker because it used to be really far from the airport action. Over the years it's been absorbed and is right in the thick of YVR.
It's here in The Weeds that I check in with airport dispatch, telling them my name, company, and vehicle number. In about an hour, I'll be picking up my first drive of the February 2010 season.
I've decided to drive again while the Five Ring Circus is in town, so I can shore up my bank account and shake up my Games experience. I'm still working at the hotel full-time, but felt that a change in scenery will be positive.
I'm driving up and down to Whistler twice today, so it'll be a full day. Traffic has been OK though, so that's a relief. I may run into the Torch Relay tonight, which is famous for gumming up the transportation works wherever it goes. The relay will culminate in rainy downtown Vancouver tomorrow night.
Getting back into the driving scene has been easy, as I already had my uniform, business cards, and driving skill from last year.
I'm happy with my decision to drive again, for a number of reasons. One reason is that it will provide me with an inside view of the Games (if I use the O word, the IOC might slap me down! They've imposed rules on bloggers, and I don't want to let the whole team at jvd.evenflow down by getting kicked off the interwebs!), which will be different and less layered if I was only driving the desk in Whistler, answering panicked calls about parking passes and venue directions.
I hope to post a lot in the next couple weeks, giving The Faithful a unique look at what it's like to live and work in a town where The O Show is being filmed.
Set your bookmarks here, and check back often!
It's here in The Weeds that I check in with airport dispatch, telling them my name, company, and vehicle number. In about an hour, I'll be picking up my first drive of the February 2010 season.
I've decided to drive again while the Five Ring Circus is in town, so I can shore up my bank account and shake up my Games experience. I'm still working at the hotel full-time, but felt that a change in scenery will be positive.
I'm driving up and down to Whistler twice today, so it'll be a full day. Traffic has been OK though, so that's a relief. I may run into the Torch Relay tonight, which is famous for gumming up the transportation works wherever it goes. The relay will culminate in rainy downtown Vancouver tomorrow night.
Getting back into the driving scene has been easy, as I already had my uniform, business cards, and driving skill from last year.
I'm happy with my decision to drive again, for a number of reasons. One reason is that it will provide me with an inside view of the Games (if I use the O word, the IOC might slap me down! They've imposed rules on bloggers, and I don't want to let the whole team at jvd.evenflow down by getting kicked off the interwebs!), which will be different and less layered if I was only driving the desk in Whistler, answering panicked calls about parking passes and venue directions.
I hope to post a lot in the next couple weeks, giving The Faithful a unique look at what it's like to live and work in a town where The O Show is being filmed.
Set your bookmarks here, and check back often!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Two Links
Here are two links to pass on to the faithful.
Carol's in Australia for school, and has once again taken pun in hand and blown the dust off her long-dormant blog. You can find it at www.cvd.evenflow.ca and relive our China experience in the Archive section.
Here's a link to a small piece I wrote and submitted to Craigslist in the Tickets section, in the hope of getting some Olympic traffic. It was fun.
http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/tix/1581976776.html
Good night!
Two Links
Here are two links to pass on to the faithful.
Carol's in Australia for school, and has once again taken pun in hand and blown the dust off her long-dormant blog. You can find it at www.cvd.evenflow.ca and relive our China experience in the Archive section.
Here's a link to a small piece I wrote and submitted to Craigslist in the Tickets section, in the hope of getting some Olympic traffic. It was fun.
http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/tix/1581976776.html
Good night!
Olympic Transit: Day 1
Today is the day that the Olympic Public Transit system was rolled out in Whistler, and what a failure!
The system, which will be in place for February, adds many buses, routes, and stops to the existing public transit network, in the hope of efficiently moving Olympic guests around our fair mountain town.
It would be doing the word 'mild' a disservice if used to describe the kinks in the system today. The whole system was one huge cluster of chaos, a knot of failure and confusion.
BC Transit brought in many extra drivers for the Olympics, and unleashed them on their new routes today. All these new-to-town drivers had were timetables and little, hard to read maps that looked like they were printed on a low-on-ink dot matrix printer from 1992.
They couldn't figure out where to go, where to stop, or where they were supposed to be. They relied on Whistler's seasoned bus-riding locals to guide them through town, telling them where to go, stop, and wait.
Routes were forgotten, people were stranded, and everyone was frustrated, especially the new crop of drivers who were being fed to the wolves as a result of inadequate training.
I guess the whole system is being tested from now until the 11th, and the hope is that by the time the world comes, everyone will have figured out what is going on. They have only a small amount of time to make the whole system run like the engine on my 98 Cavalier!
We'll see if we can pull this off. By the way today went, it doesn't look like it!
The system, which will be in place for February, adds many buses, routes, and stops to the existing public transit network, in the hope of efficiently moving Olympic guests around our fair mountain town.
It would be doing the word 'mild' a disservice if used to describe the kinks in the system today. The whole system was one huge cluster of chaos, a knot of failure and confusion.
BC Transit brought in many extra drivers for the Olympics, and unleashed them on their new routes today. All these new-to-town drivers had were timetables and little, hard to read maps that looked like they were printed on a low-on-ink dot matrix printer from 1992.
They couldn't figure out where to go, where to stop, or where they were supposed to be. They relied on Whistler's seasoned bus-riding locals to guide them through town, telling them where to go, stop, and wait.
Routes were forgotten, people were stranded, and everyone was frustrated, especially the new crop of drivers who were being fed to the wolves as a result of inadequate training.
I guess the whole system is being tested from now until the 11th, and the hope is that by the time the world comes, everyone will have figured out what is going on. They have only a small amount of time to make the whole system run like the engine on my 98 Cavalier!
We'll see if we can pull this off. By the way today went, it doesn't look like it!
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