The city has been turned on its head and shaken vigorously. It’s the first day of the Olympics and you can definitely sense the buzz in the air. The opening ceremonies are tonight and everywhere you look, people are dressed in red and white, with the odd sprinkling of other country colors. I feel very fortunate to be living in the host city right now and experiencing the excitement as it’s happening.

It’s a bit surreal to turn on the TV and have shows you watch on a regular basis (ie: The Today Show) be broadcasting right from your backyard (Matt Lauer I love you!).

Yesterday, I also got to see part of the Olympic Torch Relay as it passed by my house. I don’t know who was running it, but it was very exciting cheering with the rest of the crowd.

Today is also Ryan’s birthday, so we’re going to try and get a table somewhere downtown and watch the madness. A lot of the streets have been blocked off and my normal commute to work has gone from 8 minutes to between 45 – 60 minutes.

I also spent a couple hours yesterday Twitter and Facebook stalking some Olympic athletes. It’s cool to get a behind-the-scenes perspective on what’s happening in their minds and what they do to mentally and physically prepare for one of the biggest days of their lives. They’re also doing a coin exchange courtesy of the Royal Canadian Mint and giving out loonies (our version of $1) with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic logo on it.

Go Canada!