The Olympics... and beyond

I have to admit, I was caught off guard a bit when I got an e-mail from the Beijing Olympics accommodation system telling me that they would be letting us know about our accommodations for the 2022 Winter Olympics this week. I guess I was too busy thinking about the Tokyo Games this summer and what I have to do to prepare for them, that Beijing wasn't on my mind. However, I checked the accommodation management system today and sure enough, they had given me accommodations for February and once I finished filling out the paperwork, they were going to send me an invoice and the first payment for the Winter Games accommodations is due by the end of this week. So, I guess I will be making a trip to the bank as soon as the invoice comes in. Like in Tokyo this summer, the Beijing Winter Games are using existing hotels to house the media next winter and I was given the Beijing Changbaishan International Hotel in the Chaoyang District of Beijing. It is about four kilometers from the main m...

Last week we reached another milestone in the countdown to the Tokyo Summer Olympics, as the calendar marked 100 days until the opening ceremonies. So, 100 days seems like a fairly long time, but in reality, it's not that far off. I am scheduled to fly out of Logan Airport in Boston in the middle of July for my two weeks-plus in Japan. The remainder of the money for my lodging is due in early June. In that regard, I've been splitting my part-time job checks between my Olympic account and my regular savings account and should have the Tokyo trip covered pretty easily and the Beijing trip also has funds already allocated. As I've made my way around the state throughout the winter sports season and now into the spring sports season, a question I get from people who know about my planned trips is "are you still going to the Olympics?"  I always tell people, that as far as I know, as it stands right now, the answer is yes. But, I am well aware that these things can cha...

When I got laid off last April and the gym closed, I started walking a lot. In the morning I'd go into Wolfeboro and walk for about 45 minutes before getting my breakfast and then in the afternoon, I'd head to the Cotton Valley Rail Trail, starting at Fernald Crossing in Wolfeboro or Clark Road in Brookfield. Those afternoon walks usually averaged somewhere between four and eight miles, depending on how much time I had, the weather and how I was feeling. As I got back to the job, I still kept walking in the mornings when I don't have to work at the Yum Yum Shop and if there was still time, I'd try to get in a walk in the afternoon, but with games, it's not always possible. However, right now we are at a break in between seasons, so I have been walking every day. And it was on one of these walks on Friday afternoon when a text message came across my phone from my Yum Yum Shop co-worker, Joe, with a video of firefighters going in the back door of the Village Players T...