February 28, 2010

February 28, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

The Coke tent at the Vancouver LiveCity - Yaletown venue.

February 27, 2010

February 27, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Granville Street during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Victory

Victory
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Lots of new Olympic photos online... including from the women's gold medal hockey game. Most amazing moment ever. Click on the photo to be transported to my Flickr site.

February 26, 2010

February 26, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

An American fan is disappointed after the Canadian women's hockey team blanked the US squad 2-0 at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Canada captured the gold.

February 25, 2010

February 25, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Paul did this 7 times on Vancouver's Granville Street during the Canada-Russia hockey game.

from the "beer there, done that" dept.

Brilliant musical parody of "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. Look familiar?

February 24, 2010

February 24, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Reflecting. Kits Beach. Vancouver,

from the "rested" dept.

After two big days of Olympic shenanigans, I needed a buffer day. And, thankfully, the summer-like weather also needed a break. So on Tuesday I stayed put in Deep Cove while the rain poured down. Perfect.

I was watcing the Canada-Germany hockey game when, in the middle of it, I thought: I need to go to an event. So, on a whim, I purchased tickets for the womens gold medal final hockey game on Thursday. It should be a blast.

I plan to cover the cost of the tickets by selling my pair of mens gold medal final hockey tickets. They've been posted for a while and I hope that they will sell soon -- although the value has plummeted since Team Canada's loss to the US. And on Wednesday we face Russia. Shit.

It's been a hoot being here for the games. The energy and positive vibes are unbelievable -- I've never experienced anything like it. The fun I'm having makes me all wistful about Vancouver. And I'm not the only one. Former VTV colleague Chris Nelson has a brilliant blog post about the charms of Lady Vancouver. Read it HERE. I am in complete agreement with Chris.

So far the highlights of this visit have been: walking Vancouver like it's New York, Ukrainian House, Keri Adams, loving Ghana, avoiding line-ups, Hughesie's inside scoops, the Arms Reach Bistro and sushi. Wait! I haven't had sushi yet!

More to come...

Vancouver Olympics - a set on Flickr

More photos!

Vancouver Olympics - a set on Flickr

February 23, 2010

February 23, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Reflecting a nation.

from the "gold medal" dept

Lots of my Olympic photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/borderfilms/sets/72157623362267807/

February 22, 2010

February 22, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Buskers in a transit shelter entertain passers-by at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

from the "back home" dept.

After a week of watching Olympic hijinx on the tube, I am now in Vancouver to participate in the craziness.

I arrived Saturday afternoon to unbelievably warm weather (it was -10c and snowing when I left Edmonton). I took the new Canada Line rapid transit route from the airport to downtown. It was jammed with thousands of people sporting the maple leaf.

I made a mistake leaving the terminus station and ended up on Granville Street, which was literally a sea of red. I then headed down towards the SeaBus station, lugging a rather large bag behind me. The SeaBus station was packed. The SeaBus to the North Shore was packed. Lonsdale Quay was packed. And then, finally outside, fewer people.

My buddy Randy picked me up and we headed directly for the liquor store to stock up (Baltika, Red Breast, Strongbow) and then onwards to Deep Cove. After dropping off my stuff, we walked two blocks to the Arms Reach Bistro for a fine evening of Russel Cream Ales and delicious food (I had the curried butter chicken). Delish! And only $80 between the two of us.

It was an early night...

Today the adventure really begins. We're heading downtown to take part in the merriment. Canada plays the US in hockey -- and we'll have to find a bar for that.

Let the games begin!

Cheers!

February 21, 2010

February 21, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Olympics bound.

February 20, 2010

February 20, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Vancouver arrival.

February 19, 2010

February 19, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Walking the Granville Bridge in Vancouver.

February 18, 2010

February 18, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Granville Island chimney, Vancouver, BC.

February 17, 2010

February 17, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Ale on The Drive.

February 16, 2010

February 16, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day.

from the "vancouver olympic flashmob" dept.

A flashmob of Olympic proportions:

"Here is imagine1day's official take on the amazing flash dance (mob) that took place on Robson Street, Vancouver, BC Canada on February 13, 2010 at 4pm. Thousands of people participated and thousands more watched!"

imagine1day's Official Dancing in the Streets flashmob | Vancouver Canada from Jered Love on Vimeo.

February 15, 2010

February 15, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Foggy downtown Vancouver, British Columbia.

from the "who am I?"dept.

Stealing a page from Derek Sivers' blog, I though I'd borrow part of his "about me" page and apply it to me.

What I've done:

* 1985: Went to Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology.

* 1987: Began career in broadcasting. Technical stuff first.

* 1988: Worked as a multi-tech and Audio God on Canada's East Coast.

* 1993: Cycled across Spain and Portugal. Hit 180 pounds (down from 351.5).

* 1994: Career shift: Television marketing and promotion.

* 1997: Quit job to go to Sarajevo.

* 1997: Moved to Canada's West Coast.

* 2001: Became independent. Career shift: Journalism & travel writing.

* 2003: Started my blog: Roadspill.org

* 2007: Worked as a journalism trainer in Ghana, West Africa.

* 2008: Moved to Guatemala to write and take pictures. Visited 51st country (Moldova).

* 2009: Moved to Edmonton, Alberta. Wrote first novel.

* 2010: Off to the Olympics!

Also find me on: Twitter, Facebook, the InterWebs, LinkedIn, Flickr.

Me in 10 seconds:

* I'm independent.

* I love writing.

* I love photography.

* I love traveling.

* I make major decisions quickly & agonize over small ones.

* I live my life by planning not to have any regrets when I'm old.

* I love living abroad.

* I don't need stuff.

* I like not knowing the future and challenging myself. (same as D.S.)

Where I've lived:

* Pre-historic times: Halifax, NS

* Ancient times: Winnipeg, MB

* 1985: Thunder Bay, ON

* 1987: Portage la Prairie, MB

* 1988: Halifax, NS

* 1994: Winnipeg, MB

* 1997: Vancouver, BC

* 2007: Takoradi, Ghana

* 2008: Vancouver, BC

* 2009: San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala

* 2010: Edmonton, AB

Cheers!

February 14, 2010

February 14, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Behind the Red Door. Vancouver.

from the "viral love" dept.

A great take on Valentines Day in the modern age:



Cheers!

February 13, 2010

February 13, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Taking a break.

February 12, 2010

February 12, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

After waiting for years, it's finally Vancouver's (and Canada's) time to shine. Good Morning 2010 Winter Olympic Games! Welcome, world! Let the party begin!

February 11, 2010

February 11, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Framed in Vancouver's Chinatown.

from the "peeling back the curtain" dept.

If you know anything about Vancouver, you just had to know that the stories of the city's dark side would start appearing in the global media. I don't mean the idiot "hate everything" protesters. I mean the drugs, the poverty and the violence. It's true. Vancouver is amazing on the surface, but struggles with some very serious social problems.

This morning I watched a report on BBC World about Vancouver's dark side.

As Vancouver prepares to host the Winter Olympics, the city continues to struggle with a vicious drugs war. Dozens have been killed in escalating turf battles that have spread far beyond the city limits. But it is a war that has its roots even further away, in Mexico.

The rest of the story is HERE. What do you think?

February 10, 2010

February 10, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Deep thoughts near high end shops in Vancouver.

from the "sesame street" dept.

Even at my creaky old age, I love Sesame Street. It's more than just a kids show -- and after all these years remains fresh and relevant. And then there are the guest stars. If you haven't been on Sesame Street, you're not a big star (see Ricky Gervais, below).

Watch the following clips and see if you don't feel decades younger. I believe this may just be the fountain of youth.

Here's Ricky Gervais helping Elmo fall asleep in Celebrity Lullaby:



And Paul Rudd saving Planet Earth:



And Richard Pryor teaching the alphabet:



And Tina Fey as a BOOKaneer (or is that Sarah Palin?):



And Ben Stiller meeting his neighbours:



And many more HERE.

February 9, 2010

February 9, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: The Grandmaster. Belize City, Belize.

from the "Vancouver 2010 Olympics Openings" dept.

Russian broadcaster RTR is carrying the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games games back in the motherland. Unlike the BBC, which went with cool graphics for their Olympic promotional bits, these promos feature very different versions of Queen's We Are The Champions. Enjoy:







Cheers!

February 8, 2010

February 8, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Mustachioed bride dons the sign for an Edmonton bridal shop.

from the "CJOH Ottawa goes up in flames" dept.

A massive fire destroyed CTV Ottawa's (aka CJOH) newsroom this morning. The station's video archive was also destroyed.

From CTV Ottawa's website:

Firefighters are on the scene of an overnight fire that ripped through CTV Ottawa's newsroom and caused more than $2.5 million in damage.

Flames began on the second floor of the Merivale Road building sometime before 4:30 Sunday morning.

It took 70 firefighters and 18 fire trucks more than two hours to bring the blaze under control.

The rest of the story and video are HERE.

February 7, 2010

February 7, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Mary's Shoppe. Takoradi, Ghana, West Africa

from the "snowmageddon" dept.

This weather dude gets pretty worked up over the big D.C. storm.

Weatherman Freaking Out Over DC Snowpocalypse
by TheDlisted

Cheers!

from the "love plug-ins" dept.

Check this out:

Below is an image I snapped while living in Takoradi, Ghana. The top picture is normal. Then I used a Topaz plug-in effect in Photoshop to create the newer, better version.



Comments?

February 6, 2010

February 6, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Silent cranes, North Vancouver, BC, Canada.

February 5, 2010

February 5, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Storefront, Vancouver, BC, Canada

from the "good eats" dept.

The New York Times' food critic loves Vancouver's diverse food offerings. I mean really, really loves them. From Vij's to mall food and almost everything in between.

"Vancouver is a terrific place to eat."
- Sam Sifton, NYT Food Critic

Read all about it HERE.

February 4, 2010

February 4, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

From the archives: A doorbell in Winnipeg.

from the "make it so" dept.

Sir Patrick Stewart riffs on his love of the iPhone, the temptation of video games and his abhorrence of life in 140 characters. A great video from a great actor.

February 3, 2010

February 3, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: Paul Nabor, Punta Gorda Belize.

February 2, 2010 - RETRO

February 2, 2010 - RETRO
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Memories of San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala's street fair in 2009.

February 1, 2010

February 1, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day.