Oh! Canada!

Ten reasons why I loved watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics:

10: The parade of athletes, excited, joyful, waving flags and recording the festivities on their small camcorders. I particularly love watching small countries like Albania who only have one athlete participating -- but he or she is as proud as a country with 50 athletes. (Go, U.S.A.)

9: A stadium looking like a night sky filled with stars and constellations shooting fire from the sky.

8: Orcas swimming in the floor

7: Tattooed fiddlers going to town

6: A young man dancing in the air to Both Sides Now

5: Skiers, snowboarders, and a mountain rising from the floor.

4: K.D. Lang singing Hallelujah

3: Operatic brilliance stirring my soul with the Olympic hymn, even though I have no idea what lyrics she actually sang.

2: Watching famous Canadian actors, singers, and athletes carry in the Olympic flag, beaming with pride.

1: Pageantry, spectacle and sportsmanship uniting nations one more time.

Bravo, Canada! Let the games begin!