Admitedly, I haven't been particularly excited about the upcoming Olympic Games (9 days and counting). I thought money being spent could be used elsewhere and I haven't been looking forward to getting around town during the games but I must admit that over the last few days, I've had a change of heart. I still think the money could have been used elsewhere but I can't help but get a bit excited at the thought that millions of people will be turning their eyes to the city I call home for a world wide spectacle. And how can one not get excited when everywhere you look there's something Olympic related?

One of the coolest things about the games is the Cultural Olympiad that comes with it. There are "houses" being set up throughout town and cities (Richmond, Surrey etc) have set up huge areas for hosting special events including a truckload of free concerts. Seriously, it's an amazing thing to be a music fan in the middle of the games because there's so much entertainment to be had, I'm not sure where to even start. I've been trying to sort though various even listings but frankly, it's turned into a bit of a nightmare. Thankfully, there are extensive program guides available at the Vancouver Art Gallery - I'm going by tonight after work to pick one up.

If you're in town and looking for something cool to do, I found You Gotta Be Here, a great page which has links to all of the various houses and pavilions each of which has their own website with schedule, events, cost etc.

Stay tuned, I have a feeling I'll be hitting some awesome events over the next few weeks!