Flashback to 2002, Day 2

Last night things were a little quieter. We decided that the Dave Matthews crowd might have been part of the craziness on Saturday. Sunday's concert, unannounced until Friday, was some group named "Lifehouse", who none of my boys had ever heard of before (which isn't a good sign, considering Mike has every CD ever produced). The crowd actually disappeared after the medals ceremony, except for the ones frozen in place. And the athletes were afraid that they would only be warmup for the band. We could sure use a warm-up. It is pretty cold, but the humidity is a killer. Even in my heated tent the cold seeps in. I have it real tough - sometimes I actually have to wear my parka.

LOST AND FOUND ITEM OF THE NIGHT: The "honey wagon" crew sucking out the porta potties left a head warmer hanging from our Welcome sign that they uncovered. No sign of the camera, however. (I truly hope that this is the last mention of the porta potties!)

FAVORITE LOST OR FOUND PATRON: The seriously intoxicated guy (he was so out of control that I first thought he had Cerebral Palsy) who kept waving his arms and telling me that his father donated millions to the Olympics, so his lost keys were top priority, but, when asked to describe them, only would say that they were for a red Ford. I couldn't get him to connect with the fact that the color wasn't identified on the KEY!
We are also the official location of lost persons. I have had nightmares about people "losing" their kids so they can play for a couple of hours and me having to baby sit with a crummy coloring book and 4 crayons, but we have lucked out so far and not had any little ones. Last night we did have a large, dopey, 14 year old who had headed for the porta potties (oops), left his ticket with his sister, and couldn't remember which section he had been in. I said, jokingly, to the others, "Well, wouldn't you want to ditch HIM?" Half an hour later, he finally was able to get through to her on her cell phone - she was all the way to the Gateway. I hope he found her. We also had a missing husband and two irate daughters and a hysterical wife. We had to ask, to determine how much we needed to intervene, if he was capable of taking care of himself. I had the feeling that he wouldn't be, after they got through with him.
I'm thinking that we aren't going to actually see a lot of celebrities - they have escorts and toadies who take care of all they need. So far the closest I've come is 2 feet away from John Williams on the street (he was wearing the same sweater as he was in the Opening Ceremonies, I swear!) and the girl speed skater who is second in line on the cover of the Transportation guide. I could tell it was her after her friend pointed it out and I squinted just right. Cute girl, but I don't think this counts for much.
I have made friends with a guy from the Trib who was glad to find someone who could actually locate the Media standing area. It never hurts to keep on their good side.
I figured out that walking to and from Pioneer Park was a big drag, so I walked from Trax through the Main Street Plaza and around the Temple grounds - a way nicer start to the evening. The greeters at the gates are all in red jackets with a nice "Welcome to the world" logo - it's different to see them in something other than black suits, etc.

Last night there were 4 of us in the booth, so I had three to cover for. My old college friend, Con Kimura, and his wife came to the OMP, so we got a chance to visit when it was quiet. After they watched for a while, he said, "It's nice to see you organizing and in charge, again, just like old times." It was reassuring to know that it isn't just me. Honestly, the other woman there is only in it for the food and bathroom breaks, as near as I can tell. This is really sad, because the food resembles lukewarm MREs and the bathrooms are the (unfortunately) aforementioned porta potties (sorry, I really will try to do better.)
I'm off for a day, so enjoy the Pairs finals!


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