Bittersweet Day

I write this post on my last day of work.  The end is always bittersweet -- very happy to get home, but sad to leave the NBC family.  Here's final sampling of stuff I covered in my final days....

IN THE MIX:

     In addition to the feature stories we put together here, the producers at Sportsdesk are responsible for mixed zone reporting.  The mixed zone is an extremely crowded and often scary strip of real estate on the fringe of every field of competition where a 4-man crew (producer, reporter, camera and audio) stands to get interviews with athletes after they compete.  A fellow producer nicknamed it the "red carpet" because just like at the Oscars and Emmys, our sports "celebrities" stop and answer questions from every member of the press camped out in the zone.  Because NBC is a rights holder of the Olympics, it pays a very, very, very high premium to get the second spot in the zone.  (The first spot always belongs to the host country's main broadcaster, in this case, the BBC).  Countries that don't pay for spots are relegated to the very end of the line where they fight for position to get the best access.  It's utter hell down there.  I field produced a couple of mixed zones this Olympics, the most enjoyable one at BMX.   Here I am below in our tiny little square of a space wearing ear plugs.  BMX is one loud venue.

USA rider Connor Fields after his semifinal runs.  He won all of his qualification runs leading up to the final, only to finish second to last in the gold medal ride.

 

Four people in a 6-foot by 6-foot space.  82 degrees fahrenheit.  A long afternoon. 

 

GREENWICH PARK

     My last piece for the Olympic Zone was about the Prime Meridian.  Frankly, I didn't really know what the meridian was before I did the story.  But now I know that it's the imaginary line in Greenwich London that keeps time for the entire world.  Here I am with Dr. Nancy Snyderman, our correspondent for the story, just outside the Royal Observatory where the Prime Meridian is located.  The Observatory is on a hill overlooking all of London -- and the equestrian venue for these games.  It was a beautiful spot. 

Eastern Hemisphere on the right (my left), Western Hemisphere on the left (my right).

  

LAST THOUGHTS ON LONDON

There are a number of things in this city that totally crack me up, including the random signage. The "Look Right!" and "Look Left!" warnings painted on the sidewalks make me laugh, even if they are extremely helpful for stupid Americans (myself included) who have no idea where to look when crossing the street.  

Here's another one that made me chuckle.  

Not just danger.  Danger of death.

Overall, I really liked this city.  I like the pace, the international feel, and the fact that every single person here has a sense of humor (plenty of Americans can take a lesson from the Brits in that department).  The downsides are the fact that the service here absolutely stinks -- please don't make this girl wait for her Pimms -- and as mentioned before, so does the food.  The one exception is the uber buttery and flakey croissant I had every single morning. 

 

Pastry, I will miss you.