I saw 12 of 14 matches at the pan-am games boxing venue in Oshawa. I was late getting there on the train, it took longer to get there than Ajax as it was east of Ajax. I may still have seen more than a woman in my row as she was getting up often, either to pee or to get food and drink. once I got there, I stayed in my seat as I didn't want to miss any more than I already had. There were no knockouts, it was less likely to happen as this is amateur boxing so it was 3-round fights. I saw a few knockdowns and standing 8 counts, and the fight doctor looked at one fighter, shining a light in his eyes and giving him something on his forehead. One crowd member on the other side of the arena yelled something in Spanish, 'Que pasa, amigo?' I don't know much from this language but knew he said 'what is happening, my friend?'
After the session I rode the train back to Toronto and liked meeting one of the venue employees, he gave me a souvenir keychain. I also got his photo, much like the previous night, though that was one of the baseball players. I found out the venue employee was my age, and besides that we knew what it was like to have a dad who worked in a factory as his dad worked at the General Motors plant in Oshawa. He showed me a video from an awards ceremony from the weight lifting competition, which was at the same venue but earlier. This was the first day of the boxing competition, one of the reasons why I chose it as it fit my schedule well. I took plenty of pictures of this venue, including all of the flags inside. Others were of the more permanent displays, like those who have played or coached for the main tenant of the facility, a minor league hockey team. I was interested in the upcoming events as well, like a curling competition and a Barenaked Ladies concert. I had seen this band perform when I lived in suburban Chicago, on a New Years Eve. Of course they are also known for doing the theme song for the TV show 'Big Bang Theory'.
This day started a little earlier in terms of events. I had a ticket for the basketball session which began at 10:30am. it was bought before I knew what teams were playing, and after finding out the US team wasn't playing I bought another ticket when they were playing once I got to town. I saw Argentina beat Venezuela. At halftime I got some souvenirs of the Games, a shirt and a program. I got more pictures of the archival photos on the walls there, including of Pierre Trudeau. I was told there was another section devoted to concerts, but I had to ask permission to look at those as it was in a secured area. I got to look at it for a few minutes but then had to move on. This venue had hosted the likes of Elvis Presley and the Beatles and Neil Young. There of course was the music. At the pharmacy it was Hey Jealousy by the Gin Blossoms and Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane. I got a country music CD there, a wide variety of performers. This included Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and many others. At the basketball game it was Tick Tock by Kesha, Can't Touch This by MC Hammer, Everybody Dance Now by C and C, and Lose Yourself by Eminem. Others I heard later included Since You Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson, Applause by Lady Gaga, Mmmm by Crash Test Dummies, Raise your glass by Pink, Swing your partner by Pitbull, and I knew you were trouble by Taylor Swift. After the game I eventually made it over to the railroad museum I had found the previous day, near the Blue Jays stadium. It was small inside but there was plenty outside, big trains all around. There was a kiddie train as well, rides were for a nominal fee but I didn't ride it. I liked finding an elongated coin machine there. I got change for it as it was one dollar and I had a two dollar coin. So I got one of these without having to tour the CN tower, which was more expensive. In one building I was a little surprised I wasn't alone when I made it in an room. There was a teenage girl with braces on her teeth. I said there were worse things than being surprised by the sight of a pretty girl. I said I had braces as a teenager, and asked how much longer se would have them. As I recall it wasn't much longer, I said hang in there. I also found a micro-brewery next to it, and hopefully I can tour it before the Blue Jays game.
After the session I rode the train back to Toronto and liked meeting one of the venue employees, he gave me a souvenir keychain. I also got his photo, much like the previous night, though that was one of the baseball players. I found out the venue employee was my age, and besides that we knew what it was like to have a dad who worked in a factory as his dad worked at the General Motors plant in Oshawa. He showed me a video from an awards ceremony from the weight lifting competition, which was at the same venue but earlier. This was the first day of the boxing competition, one of the reasons why I chose it as it fit my schedule well. I took plenty of pictures of this venue, including all of the flags inside. Others were of the more permanent displays, like those who have played or coached for the main tenant of the facility, a minor league hockey team. I was interested in the upcoming events as well, like a curling competition and a Barenaked Ladies concert. I had seen this band perform when I lived in suburban Chicago, on a New Years Eve. Of course they are also known for doing the theme song for the TV show 'Big Bang Theory'.
This day started a little earlier in terms of events. I had a ticket for the basketball session which began at 10:30am. it was bought before I knew what teams were playing, and after finding out the US team wasn't playing I bought another ticket when they were playing once I got to town. I saw Argentina beat Venezuela. At halftime I got some souvenirs of the Games, a shirt and a program. I got more pictures of the archival photos on the walls there, including of Pierre Trudeau. I was told there was another section devoted to concerts, but I had to ask permission to look at those as it was in a secured area. I got to look at it for a few minutes but then had to move on. This venue had hosted the likes of Elvis Presley and the Beatles and Neil Young. There of course was the music. At the pharmacy it was Hey Jealousy by the Gin Blossoms and Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane. I got a country music CD there, a wide variety of performers. This included Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and many others. At the basketball game it was Tick Tock by Kesha, Can't Touch This by MC Hammer, Everybody Dance Now by C and C, and Lose Yourself by Eminem. Others I heard later included Since You Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson, Applause by Lady Gaga, Mmmm by Crash Test Dummies, Raise your glass by Pink, Swing your partner by Pitbull, and I knew you were trouble by Taylor Swift. After the game I eventually made it over to the railroad museum I had found the previous day, near the Blue Jays stadium. It was small inside but there was plenty outside, big trains all around. There was a kiddie train as well, rides were for a nominal fee but I didn't ride it. I liked finding an elongated coin machine there. I got change for it as it was one dollar and I had a two dollar coin. So I got one of these without having to tour the CN tower, which was more expensive. In one building I was a little surprised I wasn't alone when I made it in an room. There was a teenage girl with braces on her teeth. I said there were worse things than being surprised by the sight of a pretty girl. I said I had braces as a teenager, and asked how much longer se would have them. As I recall it wasn't much longer, I said hang in there. I also found a micro-brewery next to it, and hopefully I can tour it before the Blue Jays game.
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