The Olympics... and beyond

As the clock ticks under two weeks until I head off to the airport to catch the airplane that leads to Russia, I have been incredibly humbled by the support that the local community has shown as I chase this crazy dream of covering the Olympics. When I was first offered the chance to do this, I said yes, not even thinking about the cost of the entire thing. I knew it was something I had to do, a once in a lifetime experience, something I would never forget. But people started coming up to me and offering their assistance. The Village Players threw a comedy roast this summer. Prospect Mountain student athletes hosted a spaghetti dinner. Community members organized a going away party. Local school organizations made donations. My company agreed to match any funds I raised. I struggle to ask for help, as anyone who has known me for any sort of time can tell. I believe I can do things on my own. And sure, I could've done this on my own, but I'd be staring at a mountain of credit ...

Well, sitting here in the office and realized that my flight from Boston to Paris leaves in exactly one month, Feb. 6. After all the paperwork and all the back and forth e-mails and money transfers and the countless hours of getting stuff ready to go, in one month it will be too late to do anything else. Of course, there is still plenty to do between now and then. First and foremost, how much stuff do I take with me? I know the media accommodations offer laundry service, so do I take enough clothes for a week or take enough for longer and try to stretch it? Obviously I know I need my laptop and iPad, along with respective chargers and adaptors for plugs. And I'll obviously bring my camera. But truth be told, I still don't know exactly how much more I need to think about these things. My guess is that about a week before the flight hits the runway I will be freaking out trying to figure out what I need that hasn't been packed or what I am going to forget. One way or the o...