It's all about the money. The game doesnt matter anymore.
At their level, ping pong is Table Tennis.
Also, their "free" online feed, requires you to have an account with a paid TV service. You know, the kind where you'd already have all the channels they're showing the Olympics on.
Touche.
Would any of you like a different "thing" or side of the Olympics? From a friend who is assisting at his 10th games:
Thursday, July 19
Headed for Olympics! Pls excuse clumsy writing and mis-spelling, since I’m typing really fast.
Chicago O’Hare packed. I did find McDonald’s for two chicken wraps. Last McDonalds for a while.
Luckily I found a coveted seat near a rare electrical outlet. Southwest Airlines does electricity better than anybody else. A red-headed Brit asked me to watch his luggage while he mails post cars to his children. Then he asked me to translate the announcements from the gate agent, because he couldn’t understand what she was saying.
The guy’s brother was a 400 hurdler and had a chance to run in the Atlanta Olympics, but was injured parachute-jumping. He got somewhat well, then fell climbing in the Alps and crawled 20 miles to safety. He later joined the British army. His knee has now been re-built and he did two years in the army. His wife was an athlete and they have two kids who have good genes. And on and on and on. I think he’s still there at the gate in Chicago, talking.
Our United plane left at 6:20 p.m. Oklahoma time and arrived at Heathrow at 8:30 a.m. That’s 2:30 a.m. Oklahoma time.
On the plane, I listened to the classical station and watched the map. The music was a Sports Center for music: it played about 32 bars of warhorses like the Hallelujah Chorus, 1812 Overture, Ride of the Valkyries (sp), 18th Variation on a Theme of Paganini, etc. I listened four or five times around.
Dinner – General Tsao’s chicken, rice, roll, brownie.
Friday, July 20
Took the Tube from Heathrow to our hotel, the Montague. 45-minute ride.
Wow, what a privilege to be at Olympics No. 10. This will be an incredible games. Something strange and something else wonderful will happen. Stand by.
Please excuse the typos and bad writing. Will hurry with these little missives to let the family know what’s happening. And so spelling and grammar will be ignored for convenience. Don’t turn me in to any wandering English teachers. Nor to any wondering ones. As they say, let it be.
Breakfast: Cantaloupe, roll.
The accreditation station at Heathrow was right after the immigration check. There was no line when I was there.
Getting from Heathrow to the Montague was easy: took the Picadilly line on the Tube to the Russell Square station. Picadilly is the only Tube line that goes to Heathrow, and it goes right into the terminal.
It took about 45 minutes to get from Heathrow to Russell Square.
There’s a neighborhood map on a post outside the station, and the Montague was on the map, thank goodness. I made a wrong turn the first time, but there seemed to be a map on every block and so I got back on track quickly.
The hotel is very nice, and so is the staff. A woman from guest services gave me a quick tour of the hotel and escorted me to the room. The staff members think I’m a journalist, so maybe I’m getting special treatment. The neighborhood is just awesome. Russell Square itself is just perfect.
Good news: there’s complimentary breakfast in the hotel every day!
One thing: the guest rooms are extremely small. I asked the staff to remove a small table and chair to create a little more space. But it’s still really, really small. There’s no dresser; I stored my luggage under the bed.
There’s an American electrical outlet by the desk; of course, it’s not “our” voltage, but computer cords convert that, of course. The wireless is free and fast.
The media transportation hub is a short walk from the Montague. I rode the media shuttle to the MPC today. Had intended to take the Tube, but the transportation volunteers said the media shuttle would be much faster, because the tube stop (Stratford) is a 40-minute walk from the MPC. Mark at the office said the tube would be faster. There’s also the javelin line, which we took back to the hotel tonight.
The media shuttle from Russell Square was a red double-decker London-type bus. Brand new. Very cool.
The media shuttle route from Russell Square to the MPC goes on a narrow street past great-looking outdoor cafes, then along the Thames for a while, right by the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. There’s an Olympic lane, but it’s not open yet. The sign says “Games Lane Now Open to All Traffic.” The traffic is terrific, as advertised.
Weather: It’s cool and cloudy and rained at least four times today. The last time was when I was walking from the tube station to the Montague. Several people were walking around; I didn’t see anyone with an umbrella. Instead they raced to get under trees and waited there until the light rain stopped. Mighty fine umbrella, but a tad leaky for a Kansas thunderstorm.
The volunteers all say the weather will warm up very soon.
Lunch: spicy beans, Waldorf salad in small press center cafeteria (as opposed to large cafeteria
Dinner: two cookies
Volunteer du jour: Barbara, earnest, gray and 55-ish, working at the accreditation center. Extremely proud to have been chosen as a volunteer. “We’ve been waiting for you for a year,” she said when I walked up. There were 10 volunteers and one customer.
What a privilege to be here!
Thursday, July 19
Headed for Olympics! Pls excuse clumsy writing and mis-spelling, since I’m typing really fast.
Chicago O’Hare packed. I did find McDonald’s for two chicken wraps. Last McDonalds for a while.
Luckily I found a coveted seat near a rare electrical outlet. Southwest Airlines does electricity better than anybody else. A red-headed Brit asked me to watch his luggage while he mails post cars to his children. Then he asked me to translate the announcements from the gate agent, because he couldn’t understand what she was saying.
The guy’s brother was a 400 hurdler and had a chance to run in the Atlanta Olympics, but was injured parachute-jumping. He got somewhat well, then fell climbing in the Alps and crawled 20 miles to safety. He later joined the British army. His knee has now been re-built and he did two years in the army. His wife was an athlete and they have two kids who have good genes. And on and on and on. I think he’s still there at the gate in Chicago, talking.
Our United plane left at 6:20 p.m. Oklahoma time and arrived at Heathrow at 8:30 a.m. That’s 2:30 a.m. Oklahoma time.
On the plane, I listened to the classical station and watched the map. The music was a Sports Center for music: it played about 32 bars of warhorses like the Hallelujah Chorus, 1812 Overture, Ride of the Valkyries (sp), 18th Variation on a Theme of Paganini, etc. I listened four or five times around.
Dinner – General Tsao’s chicken, rice, roll, brownie.
Friday, July 20
Took the Tube from Heathrow to our hotel, the Montague. 45-minute ride.
Wow, what a privilege to be at Olympics No. 10. This will be an incredible games. Something strange and something else wonderful will happen. Stand by.
Please excuse the typos and bad writing. Will hurry with these little missives to let the family know what’s happening. And so spelling and grammar will be ignored for convenience. Don’t turn me in to any wandering English teachers. Nor to any wondering ones. As they say, let it be.
Breakfast: Cantaloupe, roll.
The accreditation station at Heathrow was right after the immigration check. There was no line when I was there.
Getting from Heathrow to the Montague was easy: took the Picadilly line on the Tube to the Russell Square station. Picadilly is the only Tube line that goes to Heathrow, and it goes right into the terminal.
It took about 45 minutes to get from Heathrow to Russell Square.
There’s a neighborhood map on a post outside the station, and the Montague was on the map, thank goodness. I made a wrong turn the first time, but there seemed to be a map on every block and so I got back on track quickly.
The hotel is very nice, and so is the staff. A woman from guest services gave me a quick tour of the hotel and escorted me to the room. The staff members think I’m a journalist, so maybe I’m getting special treatment. The neighborhood is just awesome. Russell Square itself is just perfect.
Good news: there’s complimentary breakfast in the hotel every day!
One thing: the guest rooms are extremely small. I asked the staff to remove a small table and chair to create a little more space. But it’s still really, really small. There’s no dresser; I stored my luggage under the bed.
There’s an American electrical outlet by the desk; of course, it’s not “our” voltage, but computer cords convert that, of course. The wireless is free and fast.
The media transportation hub is a short walk from the Montague. I rode the media shuttle to the MPC today. Had intended to take the Tube, but the transportation volunteers said the media shuttle would be much faster, because the tube stop (Stratford) is a 40-minute walk from the MPC. Mark at the office said the tube would be faster. There’s also the javelin line, which we took back to the hotel tonight.
The media shuttle from Russell Square was a red double-decker London-type bus. Brand new. Very cool.
The media shuttle route from Russell Square to the MPC goes on a narrow street past great-looking outdoor cafes, then along the Thames for a while, right by the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. There’s an Olympic lane, but it’s not open yet. The sign says “Games Lane Now Open to All Traffic.” The traffic is terrific, as advertised.
Weather: It’s cool and cloudy and rained at least four times today. The last time was when I was walking from the tube station to the Montague. Several people were walking around; I didn’t see anyone with an umbrella. Instead they raced to get under trees and waited there until the light rain stopped. Mighty fine umbrella, but a tad leaky for a Kansas thunderstorm.
The volunteers all say the weather will warm up very soon.
Lunch: spicy beans, Waldorf salad in small press center cafeteria (as opposed to large cafeteria
Dinner: two cookies
Volunteer du jour: Barbara, earnest, gray and 55-ish, working at the accreditation center. Extremely proud to have been chosen as a volunteer. “We’ve been waiting for you for a year,” she said when I walked up. There were 10 volunteers and one customer.
What a privilege to be here!
I have one for each day if you wish and there is a story behind the meals, but that is another story. If you wish I will post each day's emails or send them to all via regular email who wish to read them. I realize it may seem boring, but a different perspective.
Saturday, July 21
(Please excuse the typos. Will hurry. Theres much Olympics to explore.)
Good morning, friends!
Went to bed at 10 p.m., left a wake-up call for 7. The call came, I said thank you and rolled over. The phone rang again in what seemed like 37 seconds. I did the same thing. It rang again. Same. Again. Again. Again. Then there was a knock on the door: just checking on your wake-up, sir.
Turns out that hanging up the phone is like hitting the snooze button. To stop the re-ringing, Kayleigh at the front desk told me, just hit any key on the phone. Duh.
Breakfast: Granola, yogurt, toast. Joined Gary and Richard from the IOC, who are also staying at the Montague.
For those who dont know, I fell while running on the Fourth of July and broke my stupid wrist. So Im in a stupid splint and have only three stupid fingers on my stupid left hand for stupid typing. Luckily, so far none of my Olympics friends remember that I had as stupid broken leg and spend the wonderful Torino games on crutches. This is much better.
Commute: Intended to ride the tube to the Main Press Center, but took the media shuttle instead because its outdoors. I had the top deck of the bus all to myself. Sweet! Traffic much lighter on Saturday. A half-dozen Korean reporters were on the upper level of the bus with me. When we came around the corner and saw the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, they gave an enthusiastic oooooh! like a crowd at a fireworks show. It really is quite a sight.
Volunteer du jour: Todd Chase, Air Force person stationed nearby, who was working in the USOC processing. Drives with another airman an hour each way to volunteer; is having a great time. Was born in Blackwell, lived there until age 10 when bad storms hit Oklahoma and his family moved to Montana.
Todays confirmation that George Bernard Shaw was right when he wrote that we and the British are two peoples separated by a common language.U When they say pants here, they mean underwear. So dont say, darn, I spilled beans on my pants. Say trousers instead.
The theme on the Olympic signage is inspire a generation. Its like with glowing hearts from Vancouver.
Email from home: Just for my information, what is the MPC? Media ? Center, I am guessing.
Response: Darn, sorry to have fallen into jargon. Its Main Press Center. Basically a convention center where reporters work. Next door is the IBCInternational Broadcast Center.
I love the recorded message on the Tube: Mind the gap. That means, be careful because theres space between the car and the platform, and you might fall through.
Nice quiet day in the office. This afternoon, I walked a mile or so and went through USOC processing at the Susan Bonnell School nearby. Rode the Olympic Park media shuttle to the Stratford entrance, then strolled through the crowded Westfield Mall (Europes Largest) and then on the street for three of four blocks to the school.
Lunch: salty potato chips, apple, cookie, dried apricots. The Montague Hotel has free apples! Is this heaven????
News Item from the MPC management: The price of bottled beer has been reduced to 2.75 pounds and the cost of a small bottle of wine is now 4.75.
Weather: Wow, bright and sunny! Im SO happy for the locals.
I wore shorts today, then got worried because I didnt want to be the only man in shorts. Finally I did; the guy was also wearing earrings. So what?
London Fact that surely must be true because somebody told me:
Attended a press conference with Jacque Rogge news tonight. The guy is good! I cant even THINK in such complete sentences.. The first 20 questions were in English, which is not his first language, of course. And then a reporter asked one in French, and he gave his answer in French. Such intelligence!!!
Dinner: Two bananas. Red wine from paper cup.
Fun Fact from LOCOG: During the 1948 Olympics, the telephone booths at the velodrome had no lights, so at night the journalists used matches and torches to phone in their reports.
Email from friend at home: You lucky (censored, since my grandchildren and Rocky Bigbie are reading this). I trust you awake every morning and count your blessings. Im still mad you didnt take me with you. Please promise me youll try to be there to see Lolo Jones run. Travel tip: one can steal from a free breakfast at the hotel more food than one can possibly eat. Bananas and apples do quite well sequestered in ones backpack.
Spent the rest of the day greeting old friends, setting up the materials for ticketing, helping Peggy finish setting up the office and watching the British Open.
These people are SO friendly
What a privilege to be here! Every day is an adventure. Inspire a generation. And mind the gap.
(Please excuse the typos. Will hurry. Theres much Olympics to explore.)
Good morning, friends!
Went to bed at 10 p.m., left a wake-up call for 7. The call came, I said thank you and rolled over. The phone rang again in what seemed like 37 seconds. I did the same thing. It rang again. Same. Again. Again. Again. Then there was a knock on the door: just checking on your wake-up, sir.
Turns out that hanging up the phone is like hitting the snooze button. To stop the re-ringing, Kayleigh at the front desk told me, just hit any key on the phone. Duh.
Breakfast: Granola, yogurt, toast. Joined Gary and Richard from the IOC, who are also staying at the Montague.
For those who dont know, I fell while running on the Fourth of July and broke my stupid wrist. So Im in a stupid splint and have only three stupid fingers on my stupid left hand for stupid typing. Luckily, so far none of my Olympics friends remember that I had as stupid broken leg and spend the wonderful Torino games on crutches. This is much better.
Commute: Intended to ride the tube to the Main Press Center, but took the media shuttle instead because its outdoors. I had the top deck of the bus all to myself. Sweet! Traffic much lighter on Saturday. A half-dozen Korean reporters were on the upper level of the bus with me. When we came around the corner and saw the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, they gave an enthusiastic oooooh! like a crowd at a fireworks show. It really is quite a sight.
Volunteer du jour: Todd Chase, Air Force person stationed nearby, who was working in the USOC processing. Drives with another airman an hour each way to volunteer; is having a great time. Was born in Blackwell, lived there until age 10 when bad storms hit Oklahoma and his family moved to Montana.
Todays confirmation that George Bernard Shaw was right when he wrote that we and the British are two peoples separated by a common language.U When they say pants here, they mean underwear. So dont say, darn, I spilled beans on my pants. Say trousers instead.
The theme on the Olympic signage is inspire a generation. Its like with glowing hearts from Vancouver.
Email from home: Just for my information, what is the MPC? Media ? Center, I am guessing.
Response: Darn, sorry to have fallen into jargon. Its Main Press Center. Basically a convention center where reporters work. Next door is the IBCInternational Broadcast Center.
I love the recorded message on the Tube: Mind the gap. That means, be careful because theres space between the car and the platform, and you might fall through.
Nice quiet day in the office. This afternoon, I walked a mile or so and went through USOC processing at the Susan Bonnell School nearby. Rode the Olympic Park media shuttle to the Stratford entrance, then strolled through the crowded Westfield Mall (Europes Largest) and then on the street for three of four blocks to the school.
Lunch: salty potato chips, apple, cookie, dried apricots. The Montague Hotel has free apples! Is this heaven????
News Item from the MPC management: The price of bottled beer has been reduced to 2.75 pounds and the cost of a small bottle of wine is now 4.75.
Weather: Wow, bright and sunny! Im SO happy for the locals.
I wore shorts today, then got worried because I didnt want to be the only man in shorts. Finally I did; the guy was also wearing earrings. So what?
London Fact that surely must be true because somebody told me:
Attended a press conference with Jacque Rogge news tonight. The guy is good! I cant even THINK in such complete sentences.. The first 20 questions were in English, which is not his first language, of course. And then a reporter asked one in French, and he gave his answer in French. Such intelligence!!!
Dinner: Two bananas. Red wine from paper cup.
Fun Fact from LOCOG: During the 1948 Olympics, the telephone booths at the velodrome had no lights, so at night the journalists used matches and torches to phone in their reports.
Email from friend at home: You lucky (censored, since my grandchildren and Rocky Bigbie are reading this). I trust you awake every morning and count your blessings. Im still mad you didnt take me with you. Please promise me youll try to be there to see Lolo Jones run. Travel tip: one can steal from a free breakfast at the hotel more food than one can possibly eat. Bananas and apples do quite well sequestered in ones backpack.
Spent the rest of the day greeting old friends, setting up the materials for ticketing, helping Peggy finish setting up the office and watching the British Open.
These people are SO friendly
What a privilege to be here! Every day is an adventure. Inspire a generation. And mind the gap.
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