So the boss came round and let us all go out of the office for our lunches early today. We only get half an hour, so usually I like to pop over to Subway with my student card and get a cheap six inch meatball marinara. Problem by the time I queued and they made the sandwich, 28 minutes have gone, which can make a big mess down your lapels for your next class, but it is a good sandwich.
Thanks Chris Rock...
But today was a special moment in the Olympic city as I saw a bit of history being made on the Thames there in the distance. I realised it was the Olympic rings themselves being dragged down the river by a boat on a rope. A closer inspection revealed that the rings were slow moving and being borne by a fairly small tug on the ripples of the water. A crowd had gathered to the edge of the campus and there were uniformed guys on top of large horses standing, overlooking the spectacle. I quickly forgot all about my planned sandwich and walked slowly along the path to see things closer for myself.
A closer look next to the hordes of normal people, which included tourists and children and costumed royal-guard-type people on horseback made me want to capture the moment as it literally passed London and Londoners by. I felt as if history was being made and I had special from my special spot to see something practically nobody else would see. It was before me the emblem that would most likely be the most common during the television coverage of a world-wide spectacle for which London itself would be remembered.
As any media hound would think to do at this point, I grabbed the nearest, familiar face who just happened to be an ardent follower of this site and asked her to snap away with my phone camera as I sought my best, Olympic, "what the fuck?" face (see above).
It felt good to see my tax pounds at work, to finally drown out the echoes of those miserable people in the North of the country who keep complaining that they want more of a share of the event whilst Londoners pay for it out of their pockets.
Finally, the barge passed by and I felt as if I'd become yet another piece of history just by being there. On my return to my workstation, I noted an email from an astute and valued colleague, who'd managed to get quoted today in the New York Times' article about 2012, the Olympics and London. The article had stated that the Olympic rings were being transported down the River Thames in preparation for the big days ahead.
Difference was, I'd seen it.
