Oh thank god!!! That was the most gut-wrenching hockey game I have ever witnessed. Now granted, that might have been the fifth game I watched start to finish in my life, but still, I think it was unusual in its stress level. Anyway, YAY YAY YAY!!!! God love Sidney Crosby. I've decided I should get two cats (hypoallergenic of course) and call them Sidney and Crosby. Those are actually excellent cat names...

To show that I am benevolent in victory, I made maple fudge tonight between the end of the hockey and the beginning of the Closing Ceremonies to take in to work tomorrow. I think it's turned out okay. We'll see, I seem to have lost any baking ability I ever possessed living here. I also managed to break a bowl. Now knowing my roommate she won't even notice, but I feel especially bad since I got upset about the whole eating all my vegetables thing last weekend. Anyway, I'll get to Target and replace it sometime this week.

Last night's concert was terrific. I mean it was very low key and likely would have been more enjoyable in a pub with a pint instead of in a 1000 seat theatre, but still highly enjoyable. It was Natalie MacMaster with Donnell Leahy (of the Leahy family) who are married (who knew?) as well as two pianists - one of whom was one of the Leahy sisters (family of 11 kids who all played and step danced etc etc) Everyone took turns playing and fiddling and step dancing - ridiculously talented.

It took me outside the Beltway to get to the concert hall - which is a scary suburban place!! The Beltway is that ring road that loops the city and is iconic around here as a symbol of where the true city limit is. As my friend put it, "this is real America" - the ends of the metro lines (I saw two yesterday) have massive parking garages for all the commuters and the rest is really mall after mall after mall.

I'm happy to return to the slightly grungy and mainly liberal city.

Okay, the Closing Ceremony is beginning and can I just say how awesome we are to acknowledge the technical difficulties of the torch lighting of the Opening Ceremonies. I'm sorry, that was brilliant, funny and just very....Canadian. We have been criticized for the "Own the Podium" campaign (um, and we did...) which I saw as just a way to motivate people and generate donations, and yet, we are still the same country who can poke fun at ourselves when that's appropriate.

With that I leave you and know I'll be wearing my mittens proudly again tomorrow.