This weekend ...

After a week in which I experienced my first-ever taste of live Olympic events -- even something I've never seen before in the luge -- I will be away from the computer again after this post until Monday morning.

Giusi, who works during the week, absolutely lives for the weekends. It has been fun to be able to focus on what I need to do during the week knowing that each weekend, I'll get the chance to see and do something that someone from Italy wants a foreigner like me to experience. I always come away appreciating what I've learned and try to get back to the blog to relay that experience to my World of Wonder readers.

As I write this on Saturday morning, plans are not exactly set in stone for today's schedule, but we'll certainly eat good food and drink, I'll meet new, interesting and fun people and there will be plenty to write about it when I return to the computer.

Giusi did mention a trip to the mountains on Sunday so that's something I will enjoy too. The weather has been really nice in the city of Torino (aside from the heavy fog) but I know the mountains have been getting colder by the day and even some light snow flurries.

Oh yeah, before I forget I wanted to let everyone know that I have now secured my ticket for Tuesday's men's 1,500 meters speedskating event. This is the one ticket I really wanted because American Derek Parra is sure to be racing. He is the defending gold medal winner. He has strong competition, namely his teammates like Chad Hedrick who skates in the 1,000 meters event today.

I guess I also luck out in that the U.S. women's hockey team lost. I thought for sure the U.S. and Canada would meet in the final, but that's why they play the games. I have a ticket for the women's hockey bronze medal game and I thought for sure I'd be seeing the best two teams that couldn't beat the U.S. or Canada. Now, at least, I am guaranteed to see the U.S. and that has me feeling better about that ticket purchase.

OK, I will go now. I hope everyone reading my blog enjoyed my story on Dale Cameron. If you didn't read it, you should because he's certainly one person who made hockey appealing to me as a young boy and even moreso now.

Ciao!