Countdown to the Games: Enjoy the Opening Ceremonies in 18 hours

Countdown to Start of 2010 Vancouver Games: 18 hours; 28 minutes

To: Kelly

Posted to Twitter about 23 hours ago: Back from Vancouver to watch opening ceremonies dress rehersal for Olympics. You guys will enjoy it. Tired as hell.

I arrived back in Whistler from the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremonies dress rehersal at about midnight. Too tired to really do anything, I was awake long enough to write that on my Twitter to friends before falling asleep.

We were largely sworn not to tell anyone what or who we saw at the event, although I'm sure enough had shared the stories by now that most people in Vancouver at least know what's going to happen. But I'll be respectful of their wishes in this one, just because it is definitely a lot more exhilerating and worthwhile to watch it fresh and with your eyes, then to have seen it first in your mind based on fuzzy second-hand accounts.

I can tell you that it was beautiful, and that you will like it. It's nowhere near as spectacular as the Chinese performance in Beijing in 2008. This was a lot more understated, a lot more organic. It was, as we say it here north of the 49th parallel, Canadian in its nature and its simplistic style. It wasn't extravagent in design or message, though by all means it still wasn't cheap to produce. It didn't bombard you with ideas. In fact, it was almost polite about its meaning. And that is why I think you'll like it.

You lose out on nothing seeing it on television. In fact, it was a performance made for television. I can tell you that for a fact, based on what I saw live, and then on the jumbotron there. You will also benefit from the advantages of both the close-up and peripheral views. I knew some people that were on the first level, while I was on the fourth, and from up high, you really got to see the whole vision of the performance, while down low, you get a better sense of the spirit. But on television, you will get both.

They didn't show us everything, mind you. We missed out on one more musical performance, one that people speculate would be Celine Dion. We also did not see the torch - or a torch double - run past. Nor did we see where the Olympic Cauldron is hidden.

You, as will I and the rest of the world, will witness that tonight.

Enjoy the Opening Ceremonies, and the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Cheers!

Grace