My First 2012 Olympic Ticket

"Keep Moving" was another phrase that was repeated by the guides.  But hey, I just needed to stay in one place for a bit to use my magic marker on one of the sheets of paper I quickly tore out of my sketch pad during my hasty departure from California just about 48 hours beforehand.

Chatted with one of the police while i was making my sign, trying to educate him : ) a bit.  I reminded him that this had always been part of the Olympics.  And wouldn't it be wasteful if someone had an extra ticket and couldn't find someone like me. Waste is never good, aye? 

I remember wishing that i brought my vest with many olympic patches since Mexico '68 which would have given me a more official look but it turned out that i didn't need it and now am thinking that it actually might have attracted too much attention because less than two minutes after I held my magic marker sign up, next to the very kind officer of peace, a dark haired women came up to me and asked, 

"What event do you want to see?" 

"I just need to get inside the Olympic Park" I said.

And bingo with a big smile she handed me a ticket for Olympic Park entry only.  

I quickly reached in my pocket for some historic olympic pins for an exchange/trade/thank you and she said,

 "No, I cannot accept anything". 

"But please" I said,  "let me give you some very collectable pins"...and as she rushed off to the Olympic Park entrance I asked her why not and then she turned and simply said...

"It is a sponsor ticket for you to enjoy from Panasonic". 

Opa!

(Quick flash back of time:  While living in Honolulu, Hawaii in the mid nineteen seventies I went to Panasonic's show room to attend their open house to check out new video recording and video editing systems.  There were others also checking out the new technologies.  Among them were KGMB's chief, Don Cadora and their sound specialist Jim Waters. Jim became a good friend and Don became my husband.)