Free Press

Last week I was reminded how really lucky we are to live in a society with "freedom of the press". One of our local dailies trumpeted, "One year to go," while the other had another point of view: "365 days to go."

They were referring to the 2010 Winter Olympics, which true to Canadian form are going to leave those of us who voted against them in the first place, paying for them years to come. Not a word about that in the orgy of Olympic boosterism last week.

Lego at Science World

There's a new exhibit of Lego at Science World. Marc spent an hour just studying the city. He was much more interested in the intricacies of the city, than in the really big items that, frankly, weren't that impressive except for their size. After we checked out the rest of Science World and saw the Roving Mars Omnimax movie, we came back and looked at the city for another 45 minutes.

Winter Cycling Vancouver Style

I went for an hour ride last Monday, out to Port Moody along Hastings and the Barnet Highway. It was -7 C when I left and -4 C when I got back. I used to commute all winter in Ottawa, but I was wearing big winter boots in really loose toe straps, not clip-on racing shoes, and I had a coat the covered down to my crotch. Going out dressed like a racer at those temperatures, I need to put on some wind protection for my crotch, and wear booties even if it's dry.

To top it off, I had a flat. There's so much crud on the road, and I took one of those big staples in at the edge of the tread. At least I was in the sun, so I didn't freeze while changing the tire. Had it happened a few hundred metres later, I would have been in the shadow of Burnaby Mountain. As it was, I was warmer standing in the sun than riding. Obviously that's the effect of the wind when I'm riding.

Whinging aside, it was really nice to go out and just ride.