I've been a bit blue lately. Part of it is the onward march of busy, stressful, post-merger details. A lot is the inevitable low after the most amazing high.

That high being Canada's performance at the Olympics we hosted here in Vancouver. Not only did we win gold in both women's and men's hockey, but that last gold medal in men's hockey put Canada over the top: Canada won more gold medals in 2010, here at home, than any country has in any winter Olympics ever.

Midway through the Olympics, with the U.S. and Germany far ahead of us in total, and countries like Norway, France, and Korea constantly nipping at our heels, media pundits pounced on Canada's Own the Podium program, calling it a failure (For those not in the know, Own the Podium is an athlete funding and training program geared towards making Canada the leader in total medals at the Vancouver Winter Olympics). Though we didn't win the most medals, we did place third in the total medals count, won our very first gold medal at home, and went on to win the most gold medals in the winter olympics ever. So, I'd say the program was a tremendous success, and that the pundits can shove it.

A bunch of people were at my house watching the gold medal men's hockey game on Sunday. When the overtime goal was scored, we shot up out of our seats to cheer, then ran outside to scream our joy and pride at the top of our lungs. And when we finally stopped for air, it seemed the atmosphere itself was ringing with the sound of other people cheering, several houses, nay, several blocks away, and further.

We all jumped on a crowded bus to go downtown and celebrate. The city was packed with people, cars, and noise. High fives with strangers were all around. Spontaneous performances of O Canada abounded. We loitered in front of the art gallery, where the picture to the right was taken. The whole country was on top of the world.

It was a truly amazing experience.

An odd hush has fallen over Vancouver. We have our personal space back, but it's quiet, too quiet. Like the cliquey bombshell at the local club, we loved being the center of the universe for a whole two weeks. There's really no better analogue for Vancouver: she's pretty, expensive, occasionally vapid, and desperate for everyone to notice her. But Vancouver has had its moment in the spotlight. People know who we are, where we are now, and that we know how to put on a show. That counts for something, right?

I'll try to get back to blogging on a regular schedule soon. There is just so much to say.