There are lots of people in China.

Where’s my cable?

I’ve fallen behind in describing things here in Beijing. During working hours, it’s life as usual within the Olympic bubble. (After hours, find our way into Chinese neighborhoods for dinner and shopping, but more about that another time.) We await cable and power and production decisions while we try to get our robo cams in place and functional. Even though they have more money than anyone, BOB seems to throw People at a job rather than funds...

My venues are Whitewater and Rowing, and Triathlon, and our setting is in the scenic area north of this city of 400 Million. (Just made up that number, but it’s big!) Whitewater (or canoodling) is conducted on an artificial Slalom course that takes the athletes about 40 seconds to run. It’s fun to watch, particularly while it’s just us and the boaters. Billy and I have two remote Pan and Tilts to bolt to blue plastic “rocks” in the course.

The television truck, or OB Van in Euro speak, is from Sweden. The Production team are Slovenian and the engineers are Aussies and Canadians and the Cable Cam guys are Austrians with Gimmick beards. And that’s just in our little paddling venue! Thank God I speak Engrish! Every one else around here speaks several languages but for we Americans and Aussies and etc. American and Aussies are two people divided by a common language...

There are a few old Spaniards left high up in Olympic Broadcasting. There are we grey beards from Atlanta in ’96, and middle aged rough necks from Australia (delightful in small groups!) and young technicians from Greece. We all work for BOB.

There are lots of Chinese People:

Your canoodling team were called away to the Aquatics building last Saturday night to help our Engrish friends recover time lost when the local truss-hangers neglected to run power to their chain motors. Anyway, the skin of this building is bubbled, and is variously lit from within, and it’s a really great effect. Words and designs projected on the exterior of the building from within.

At the Olympics, getting there is half the fun. Unbeknownst to us, a hundred thousand people had turned out for a dress rehearsal for the fireworks at the adjacent National Stadium (The Bird’s Nest). It was a nice scene here as people demonstrated their pride in what China is becoming.

Maybe Atlanta will have two perimeter highways some day. Beijing has six of them. We abandoned our four cars on Ring Road 5 and sent the drivers on without us and walked for an hour thru’ the crowd as helicopters roared overhead and the Bird’s Nest emitted fireworks. BTW, the Chinese are good at fireworks. Worked all night, standing on dock sections floating on the pool while we hung cameras and camera track on the track that would be wound 20 meters above the water. It was fun.

Here's an odd thing: The day before the rehearsal, the air cleared. Blue sky clear as a bell. Next morning, socked in as per usual. Rumour is, they're seeding the clouds and trying to manipulate the smog for the opening ceremonies. Another rumor is a giant firework dropped from an aircraft. I listen. I hear things.

(didn't mean to pick on OZ. They're the best on the job and in the bar!)