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Foreign. And welcome back to Intrusive Thoughts. I'm your host, Adam Rippon, reporting live from Milan, Cortina, Italy. And to be even more specific, Milan. I am nowhere near Cortina. I mean, in theory. And if we're really going to be thinking about it, I am closer to Cortina than I was a few days ago last week. So if we're kind of playing by those rules. Yeah, I'm really close to it. But if we're playing by the rules of, like, logistically, where am I from? It. I'm still about five hours driving away. That's right, you heard that loud and clear. Cortina is. And this is where a lot of the skiing events are going to be. Five hours away from here. Mm. Something you might not know, or maybe you do. I don't know. Who's to say? But I'm going to tell you anyway. Is that, like, a lot of times when you're at these, like, Olympic Games, especially, like, at a Winter Games, because you need the mountains, right? Like, you need the mountains, famously, to ski, right? They don't ski down buildings, they don't ski down hills, they ski down mountains. Okay? So you need the mountains. And a lot of times in the mountains, it's like, very cottage core, right? So if it's cottage core, there's going to be cottage chaise, and if there's cottages, there's probably not going to be, like, sorry to say, an ice rink. Because famously, again, at the Winter Olympics, there is a lot of skating, and you're going to need an ice rink. You're gonna need to be speed skating, you're gonna need to be short track speed skating. You're gonna need to host hockey games. And, you know, my favorite, you know, because it is my history, figure skating events. And so a lot of times you'll see that the rink in skating events are not nearby. The mountain events, I guess. Snow events. I don't know the technical term. Note to self, look it up. Right. I should figure that out. Now. I don't know how normal it is. I'm just telling you that that's been sort of the deal the last few Olympics that I've been at. That was the deal in Korea. It was about two hours away. It was called the Coastal Cluster, that that's where all of the skating events were. And the mountain events were literally in Pyeongchang. I hope that I'm correct. I do think that that's right. And then in Beijing, again, it was another thing where it was like, all of the skating events were somewhere and the mountain events were obviously, like I mentioned, you need them. You can't kind of do this without them. Mountains. And the case is the same here. Similar, right. That it is further away now when I'm really thinking about, like, Olympic venues. I was just in Lake Placid in November, and Lake Placid, everything is kind of right there. But I wonder if Lake Placid could even host an Olympics today. I am really curious because it's like such a small little, like, town. And the Olympics has from 1980 definitely turned into some massive monster event. Like, it's huge. It's enormous. So many people come here in Lake Placid. They hosted the 1932 Games and the 1980 Games. And you could see where some of the events in 1932 were held. They still have, like, the rink in, like, the original form that it's in, which is, like, amazing from 1932. And there's so few seats in that rink. It's, like, unbelievable to think that, okay, there was an Olympic Games here. Like, it. It. It is smaller than some practice or like, small arenas. I think maybe it could seat like a thousand people, which is, sorry, Lake Placid, 1932. Rank too small now. You'd need more size. So this episode is going to be all about, we're getting to Milan. How did we get here? What have we done so far? What are we doing here? Well, I'll tell you. We're doing work, okay? We're doing work here. And here in Milan, I am working the sports desk for NBC, which basically means, if you're like, what does that mean? I did ask the same question maybe a few days ago because it was just like, okay, Sports Desk. Love it. So other people on the Sports Desk team are like, Peter Alexander from NBC News and Mary Carrillo, NBC royalty. Okay, Mary Carillo is NBC royalty. I don't know if anybody is going to remember this. You might, but if not, I'm going to give you a little brief history. And the brief history is that at the 2006 Olympics, there was this, like, program called Olympic Ice. And Mary Carillo was the host of that show. And I remember thinking, like, oh, my God, this woman is the funniest woman in the world. And the 2006 Olympics in Torino, also in Italy, is where I did fall in love with Mary Carillo. Not really talk about this, but that was 20 years ago. I start sweating immediately. 20 years ago is really hard to believe that there was an Olympics that I was even around Right. And I was more than around. I was remembering things, which is how, you know that, you know, the frontal cortex wasn't developed, but it was developing and I was old enough to remember stuff, including Mary Carillo, who became my journalistic North Star. How about we say that Mary Carillo became my journalistic North Star in the year 2006. And so it is kind of a dream to be working with Mary. I cannot wait. We have not filmed anything yet. So at the time of this recording, it is in Italy. It's February 4th. So I actually think that this is going to be coming out tomorrow. So it's a day before the episode releases and the Olympics are going to start. Opening ceremony is the sixth, I believe. I'm going to have to check on that because I've getting. Some people have been saying it's this. It's Saturday and I can't. Okay, Wednesday, fourth. The Thursday, fifth. Saturday, Friday, sixth. Okay. Yes, sixth. It's Friday. Okay. So the Olympics start in two days. So so far, since I've been here, I got here on the first. This is my third full day. I don't count, like, the first day. The first day. It's your sort of like. And I like, huh, like, complete days. And I've been here for three days and I've been filming segments that will show up and I'm kind of trying to figure out where they're going to be. But so far I've heard maybe like the Today show or right before Olympic prime time. So that's when I think they are. When I have more information, believe me, you'll be the first to know. And just a moment of transparency, maybe not the first. Right. I might kind of tell someone else first. And you'll be whatever number of person to know by the time there's a new episode. Right. That will be the first time you hear it. Um, but I'll do my best to kind of keep everybody in the know, give you a little bit of that intel of where are you? I'm going to tell you. I'm not afraid to. So again, we're at the Olympics in Milan. I've mentioned it once, I've mentioned it twice. I've mentioned it a few times. And we'll probably keep mentioning it through the duration of this episode and probably the next few episodes to come. Stay tuned, everyone. Now, how did we get here? We got here via plane. We got here via bus. Okay, so my flight coming to Milan, let's kind of just start there. I was going to fly through Naomi Said Delta. I was. I was always flying Delta. I'm Delta loyal. I was going to fly through Atlanta, and the day that I was flying was like, the 31st of the month of January. And I got, like, three nervous sort of text messages in a row from Delta Automated. Right? It's not like, you know, I have a friend there being like, you might want to check this out. And it was like, hey, you know, like, automatic. You get it? And so I got these three worried messages in a row. And usually this is sort of my like, go to response to those as, yeah, I'll deal with it later. And it just kind of sorts itself out, right? Like, I don't really kind of overthink it, but I decided that I was going to take some initiative. And so because NBC is sending, like, a ton of people to the Olympic Games, there's actually like, an Olympic travel desk that you can call instead of, like, calling Delta, because it's like they get a group of tickets, whatever. I don't know. I'm just. I'm kind of. I'm kind of making things up, but I am kind of telling you the truth. So just like, kind of bear with me. So I called the desk and I said, hey, you know, my friends at Delta, because I consider their automated response a friend of mine, a family friend, because they are kind of giving me inside information. They're like, atlanta's gonna get hit hard by the storm. I'm going, what storm? I'm not. I am not understanding anything that's going on, but it just. It seems urgent. So I call, I tell them, is there a way that I can, like, maybe reroute my. My flight or something? And the woman who was on the phone with me, she was very nice, and she looked into other flights, and she goes, okay, I think I found something, but you will have to connect three times. Excuse me. Yeah, I'm not gonna. I'm not going to. Let's keep my original ticket. How about that? Let's just keep the original ticket. Let's keep it there. We don't need to look into this any further again. I'm going to go back to my original game plan of let's just let the universe sort this one out. It's not for us. It's not for the travel agents. It's not for me. It's not for bystanders. It's bystanders, by the way. Those are important guidelines to find the bystanders. Okay, whatever. Moving along. So I said, you know, I'm just gonna, like, Let, I'm just gonna let it to the wind and just see where it carries me. And it did carry me to a notification the next day that I was not going to be flying through Atlanta anymore. The travel gods had decided it was too risky and that I was now going to be flying through jfk. Now this is incredible because of a few certain things. So I was flying Delta 1. I'm not bragging, I'm telling, okay? I just like, it's, this is like a, an a we thing. If you're listening to this, it's like we flew Delta 1, okay? Not a brag, just, you know, I'm telling you. And it is a really, it is a we thing. We did it, Joe. Okay? And when you fly through Delta 1, there is a like, secret entrance to the airport at certain airports. And one of those airports is lax. They have a specifically only for like Delta 1. And it's not one of those like entrances where you can play stupid and be like, I didn't know which like I've done before, like in lines at the airport where it's like at one point in my life I was a respectable airline status. And I think maybe like last year or the year before, I had like not flown in a really long time. And when I would log onto my Delta profile, it would say that my status was member. Okay, Member. Do you know how you become the status of member on Delta? Do you know what you need to do that? I'll tell you, you need just an email address. Okay. It's the lowest of the low. It's the bottom of the barrel. There's no perks. You get on that flight, they hand you a mop and a broom and they say, get to work. Okay? It's that bad. Member, they look at your bags and they just go, no, uh, take out the credit card, you're paying double. It's rough. It is quite rough. And I was status of member. I don't even know like their like tiers. It's like, you know, silver, gold, platinum, diamond maybe. So member is kind of the bottom, which, you know what? I had to deal, I had to deal with that, had to work my way back, claw my way out of it. And I did. And it was, I, it was just incredible, serendipitous to be back, back in the good graces of Delta Airlines. And so a Delta one ticket basically is sort of like, it's sort of like first class. But if you're flying Delta 1, there's usually like a lay flat bed situation. Which is amazing. But they usually only use like the lay flatbed planes if you're going internationally or if you're going from LA to New York, they use those planes. So don't quote me on this, but this was the situation. If I was flying through Atlanta, I would be not flying Delta one. So I had like a business class ticket, a first class ticket. Okay, now I'm bragging about that. But the Delta one I'm not. Just so I want you to know like kind of know the, the difference in tone. So I'll say it again. I had a business class ticket, you know, I was a business trip, okay? So my business class ticket was just like a first class ticket going to Atlanta, but as soon as it changes to jfk. So like from Atlanta I was going to fly Delta 1 to Milan, okay? But as soon as it turned to jfk, I'm like just remembering the way that I said jfk. Like I'm so slick. So as soon as the ticket was a JFK ticket, I was now flying Delta 1. Bitch. That's right, Delta 1. And so this was really, this is really excellent news. There's a reason Atlanta had bad weather and it's so that I could take the secret entrance at lax. And I'm going to tell you, I think it's like what arrivals, what are they called? Not gate, terminals, arrivals. Terminal three. Okay, I don't want it to be a secret because if you have a Delta one ticket, I want you to know where it is. Because I didn't realize that you know, that existed. And it not only exists, it's alive. And so. Well, so we'll come back to that in a second because flying out on Delta 1 is, is an integral and important part of like the next part of the journey. Now the next thing you need to know is that my flight now was, I was always, I was always leaving in the morning and then I was supposed to have like an hour or two layover in Atlanta, but now I was going to be leaving at 6:30 in the morning and I was now going to have like a six or like seven hour layover at jfk. Whatever, okay, whatever does not bother me because there's a Delta Lounge at jfk. Delta One Lounge specifically is what we are talking about in this scenario. Okay? Scenario Translating what. I'm just saying, I'm getting the Italian lilt by being out here and it's great. All right, back to business. So business class. I mean, so now that my flight was at 6:30, you know, I kind of adjust, okay? My timeline of getting packed in my mind, because when it was a little bit later, I thought, you know, I had an idea of like when I was going to start packing things and like what I was going to do, blah, blah, blah, all of that, that stuff, yada, yada, yada. Okay, so 6:30 flight means no sleep. I'm not gonna sleep if I have to leave at 4 o' clock in the morning. Like, why would I do just like that's a ridiculous thing to do. Because I believe that if you have an international trip, you might as well just pull an all nighter so that you can be so exhausted by the time you get to your destination that your body isn't going, hey, this isn't the right time to sleep. I'm gonna give you jet lag. Like, I think if you get so exhausted, the body's like, please, please just put us to bed. And then you're in the better graces of the jet lag. Right? This is how you fight it. You fight fire with fire. You don't fight fire by going to bed. All right? I'm a firm believer in that. I'm also a believer in jet lag is like all in the mind. And the way that you trick the mind is by pushing the body to its actual limit. Okay? Then the mind gives up, it goes, whatever. Okay, you know what is, put me, please, parallel to the floor, I'm begging you. So I pack, pack, pack. I get all of my stuff together. Everything's all good. I have like a moment to myself on the couch. I say goodbye to my husband, I say goodbye to the dogs. I get myself a car. I go to the airport. Now I take my bags out like the front door of our house, I walk to the sidewalk and the driver of the car that came to the house helps me get the bags into the car. And I want you to know that because then we get to LAX and as soon as I get out in front of the Delta One door, I don't touch those bags. The last time I touched those bags was at, at my front door of my house because There's a Delta 1 person there going, good morning. Good morning. And they took my bags for me from the car. Are you hearing me? Is this, is this thing on from the car? They took them from the car. I did not touch them. The last time I touched my bags before I got my grubby little paws on them in Milan was at the front door of my house. If I was flying to Atlanta, that would not be Happening. All right. They'd be going, sir, the car has to leave. You cannot have a car parked. Yeah, I'm not driving it. But the driver, assuming he would let me get my bags out of the car. Right. Assuming. Assuming he gives me that time, the levity to kind of grab my things. But not with Delta One. And that's because of the bad weather in Atlanta. So when you get there, they have their own security and everything. And there's like two desks. Okay. I. I was holding up the number one for a second, but then at the last minute, I remembered there's two desks. So I get to the airport, it's like 4:15 or so. And it's just. I'm not touching these bags. It's. I'm marveling at what's happening, okay. At the service, at the Just attention to detail as they're checking my bags and they're putting the tags on them. A woman comes from seemingly out of nowhere, and she goes, ginger shot. And she hands me a ginger shot. Okay. Again, this would not be happening if I'd be going to Atlanta, Georgia, but now I'm on Delta 1. Things are different. Things are changing at a fast pace. At a fast pace. You have to kind of keep up with what's going on. It is so important. All right, so you're keeping up. We have the ginger shot. We're not touching the bags until we get to Milan, Malpenza, the airport. So we fly to. We. I mean, me and my bags, we fly to jfk. And now we're going to have a bit of a layover. We're going to have a kind of a pit stop. Six hours. Now, again, the Delta One Lounge is incredible. It's just so nice. Okay? But the only time I've ever been in the Delta One Lounge is actually, like, in the middle of a random day or really early in the morning. And both times it's been pretty. Not busy. All right. Now, I think because of a lot of, like, people getting rerouted and the travel that when I get to the Delta Lounge. Delta One Lounge. Gosh, I'm just so. Ugh. I keep forgetting when I get to the Delta One Lounge at jfk, it's pretty busy. And I think it's because a lot of people got rerouted from Atlanta. We all had the same experience. We all. Now I'm just like, so one of the people. I just want you to remember that, like, not too long ago, truly, maybe like a year ago, I was member. Okay. And they don't. They Treat the members differently than they treat Delta One passengers. Because the members, they're like, here we not. There's no loyalty here. We don't know what you're doing. We don't know if you got this ticket on Expedia, sweetie. Because if you did, you know, fickle fans go on the delta.com website like a real boy, and so they do treat you differently there. So in the Delta One Lounge, you can book, like, not a massage, but, like a massage chair, right? Like the same sort of massage chair that you'd see, like, kind of in the airport sometimes or like at a car wash. But it's nice. You can kind of book it. It's in whatever. And you can also book something that they call a facial. And I've been in the Delta 1 lounge before, and I have booked a facial. And now I know it sounds, like luxurious, and there's many parts of the lounge that are. But I will sort of give you the real boots on the ground intel on the facial experience in the Delta One Lounge. And I'll tell you, they kind of spritz your face with water. They kind of tap that in, and then for about 15 minutes, they just put on chapstick. So it's not anything to write a review about, but it is sort of nice to be like, I got a facial, like, just to kind of brag about it. But I just want you to know if people are, like, bragging about, like, I got a facial in the Delta One Lounge. Just like, I need you to know that they spritz your face with, like, some Mario Badescu rose water. And then they put on just, like, thick chapstick on your lips. And then, you know, it's like, all is said and done, and 15 minutes later, your face is kind of damp and your lips are slathered like, that's it, right? Like, there no extractions are happening, right? They're extracting you straight out of that little facial room. Because, you know, people see facial and they want to book it as soon as they get there. So that is the Delta 1 facial. You're not really missing out, okay? If you have, like, a small child, they could perform this facial, no problem. Go, honey. Just, like, spray this Mario Badescu rose water at me. Not even kind of on you. Just sort of like, around. And then ask them if they can dip their hand in a vat of Vaseline and just kind of put it on the lips and ask and say, don't stop until the clock runs out to your child. And if they can do that. Then that is the Delta 1 facial in a nutshell. No complaints, though. No, none of the sort. So I did not do anything. But like I said, there are luxurious parts to the lounge, which are like. They have like a food and a full bar and, like, all of this stuff. So I ate some dinner. I did some work on the laptop computer that I own. Yeah, I own a computer. What about it? So I did a little work in the Delta 1 lounge, and then before I knew it, it was time to get onto the plane to Italy. So we get here, to Italy, and buongiorno. I get off the plane and now I'm touching my bags for the first time since, like, I mentioned the front door. I then when you arrive at an Olympic Games, no matter where you're going or where you're from, uh, because I'm, like, working for a big broadcast network, I have a credential, an Olympic credential, which I got before I came, before I flew out, is what I was trying to. I don't know why I was having such a hard time of, like, in my mind, I'm saying, how do I say this? Where it's like. I'm not trying to hide anything. I just couldn't remember how to say it. So I was, you know, they applied for a credential for me, they got the credential, they sent it to me. I had it with me when I got onto the flight. So the Olympic credential is like the most important document that you need when you're at an Olympics and you're working one and you like, nothing can come between you and this Olympic credential. It is so vital that you do not lose. There is. It is. It is your pass into everything. And if you do not have it, you are F U C K E D O U T O F W O R K fucked out of work. I just kind of felt like continuing the spelling and just felt right. So you need this. And there's a few reasons why it's, like, important to have one. It's like your identification. You've already. Already been vetted and everything like that needed to be done for you to get a credential. It's already, um. And second, when you're an athlete or if you're a coach, you also get this credential before you leave. And in the instance of when I went to the Beijing Olympics in 2022, I was going as a coach. I was coaching my friend Mariah Bell. And as I was going as a coach, I did get my credential beforehand, but I did not need to get a Chinese visa, and I did not need to get a Chinese visa because normally Americans would need a visa to enter China, but I did not need one because my Olympic credential acted as a visa. Okay? So it's like. It's really that, like, powerful of a document, and there's that, like, that much clearance and everything that, like, goes into getting one. And you people can't just apply for them, okay? Like, you can't just say, well, I should apply for one. It's like, no, you can't. It has to be given to you by somebody who. They can apply for them. Right? This isn't like, oh, just sign up. You can't just be. It's not like Delta, right, Where all you need is an email. The Olympic credentials are doing more vetting than, like, delta.com, which isn't not, you know, it's saying a lot because they do more vetting than, like, well, do you have any email? Okay. And make sure you put a special character and a password. Like, it's just more detailed than that. So that's why you can't. Like, this is why you need the credentials. So basically what happens. And this happens at the airport. And I really, for the life of me can't remember what happens when you're an athlete. I think maybe it happens at the airport, too. I'm. I really. I just, like, cannot remember for the life of me, like, that. Of how that goes. But. So what had happened. What happens is. What had happened is. Why was I gonna say that? Whatever. So what happens is you get off of the plane and you get your bags. And then after you get your bags, then you go to a credentialing station that is set up at the airport. All right? So this is set up at the airport. You go in, and they scan your credential in to show that, like, you've arrived and you're now in the country. And so then they take. And it's all paperwork at this point. They take your credential and they finalize it. They scan it in. They la. Eliminate it. They give you all of, like, the other Olympic things that you need. I. I just made that. They don't give you any. They don't give you anything else, okay? They just. They just give you your credential back, basically. They scan it in. They check you into the country, into the whole, like, venue, and they give you, like, the lanyard to wear it around your neck. And then you're kind of good to go from that moment. And then from there we went to. To the hotel. And then I decided that I was going to unpack immediately upon entering the hotel room. And I find that this is just sort of a vital and essential step in traveling. All right? And I want you to listen to me very carefully. When you travel anywhere, there is absolutely no excuse you have to do this. It will set you up for an excellent and amazing trip. When people go have a wonderful trip, they're not in control. If you have a wonderful trip, you are. Okay? And if you want to take this trip by the balls, this is how you do it. You enter the room, you don't waste any time. You slap those suitcases onto the bed. I know this is controversial. I know. And a lot of people did not like. Because I posted a Instagram video of me unpacking my bag. A lot of people had problems with me putting the suitcase on top of the bed. I need it to be sort of at like, at least hip or knee level. I'm not bending down all the way. I'm just not doing that again. I need you to remember that before the moment of me throwing the suitcase onto the bed, I hadn't slept that night. Okay? I slept an hour here, an hour there on the plane. But we just need to remember I'm not dealing with a lot of sleep. I'm not bending down all the way down to the floor to get things out of the bag. It wasn't going to happen. I wasn't going to be getting up. Okay. I'd be ending up on the floor. We can't be doing that on day I consider the day you arrive day zero. We can't be doing that on day zero. All right? So it is what it is. We just have to deal with it. We're going to do like a. A dirty top sheet of the bed. Day one. We will deal with it on day. Day zero. We'll deal with it on day one. Excuse me. I'm not used to calling the day that you arrive day zero. This is a new rule in my head, which I like. I'm going to keep it. So we unzip all of the bags. We is just me at this point. And this is reminding me of. I have been wanting to tell you sort of my process, what I think is important, what is important, and what I do, which are basically all the same things. Because if I'm doing it, I think it's important, and it is important. Not for everything, okay? But for this, it Is so what do you do exactly? So I make sure, and I do my best to do this, that like, everything has, like a little home in the suitcase. Okay. I believe in a packing cube. I really believe in a packing cube. And it's just a way to keep everything organized on your trip there because it's going to make this unpacking so efficient. I can't even begin to tell you how efficient it's going to make, like, the unpacking. And because I'm going to be here for a month, I did bring a lot of things with me. I brought a lot of things with me. A lot of it was like I had a full suitcase filled with like, all of, like, the NBC gear that I needed to bring. I, I honestly. Let me see if I can like, count. I brought like four shirts of my own. So I just, I was pretty conservative, like, with what I brought. Let me just like, I'm like peeking over to see. I brought 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I brought five pairs of shoes. Is that like a lot? I don't think so. It doesn't look like a lot. I wore one of them on the plane and I wore. I brought a pair of boots, two pairs of white sneakers, and my own sneakers and slippers. That's six. Is there anything there? No. I mean, I just feel like I couldn't have done this any more conservatively. Can you just give me, like, the benefit of the doubt, Please? I'm begging. And the thing that really kind of tips the scale is that, like, I did. I always believe I'm going to do some, like, incredible bathroom experience whenever I'm traveling. I'm like, no, bring it. Bring the lotion. I've never opened for two years that's been in the bathroom. Like, this will be the time. Oh, bring the clay mask. I'm going to have time to do it. When in reality yesterday I fell asleep with my computer open, all the lights on. Do you think I washed my face last night? I didn't. And I'm ashamed to admit it because I think I've mentioned on the podcast before that I'm a night showerer. Right? And I'm also, in the morning I'm about doing a quick, like, post bed rinse. So I didn't wake up pleased with myself. But that is sort of when like the no sleep had been catching up with me because since I got here, I had filmed two segments so far. I filmed one each day on day one, day two, not day zero. Right. So. And they were both quite early in the morning. And for some reason, I was getting, like, a second wind. God. Why? You know, after not sleeping, this is. This is what happens, though, right? Like, it just happens. And so I had not slept, like, a lot. I was feeling fine, but I had not slept a lot. And I just, you know, I needed the sleep. My body said, no, it's. You're gonna go to a. You're gonna go to bed. Excuse me, sorry. You're gonna go to bed now, is what my body said. And so I didn't really have, like, any sort of choice in. When I did go to bed, obviously, I. All the lights were on. Like, that's haunting. That is absolutely haunting. And it's not because I was, like, you know, I was just on my computer trying to respond to emails, like. Like, wee willy winky. Just, like, holding my eyelids open. And before it just was too late in the morning. So that was that. Oh, God. I was telling a story that I cannot remember. I wrote. I wrote some, like, notes down because I wanted to make sure that I didn't forget anything. Because I want to stay on track. Right. This is, like, one of my New Year's resolution, my new country resolution. Because I am in a new country right now. Italy. That's where I am. Italy. Milano, Cortina. Okay. So I said that I wanted to talk about packing cubes. Check. I'll check that off of the list. Bringing a lot of stuff. Yeah. The bathroom experience. I always think that I'm gonna bring. I'm gonna use a lot of stuff, and I'm kind of looking through what I brought, even though it's, like, a ton of stuff. But there's, like, little things that you have to bring when you're gone for, like, a month. Right. Like, I packed two bars of soap. Like, why would you ever do that? Like, when you're going and going to, like, Chicago for the work trip of a weekend, like, you would not bring, like, let me get two bars of dial soap. Like, you're not going to do that. So. And, you know, I am sort of making it sound like, well, how big were those bars that they took up, like, 55 bags. But it's like, you need to bring nail clippers and a. Like, eyebrow tweezers. And if you're me, you need to bring eyebrow gel. And you also need to bring eyebrow dye, because I did dye my eyebrows day one. No, sorry. Day one. Day zero. Oh, God. Yeah. I dyed. My God, what was I doing? I unpacked. I dyed my eyebrows, and I did. Dyed my Eyelashes, which I think is dangerous. I don't know. I. It was eyelash dye. Before anybody goes, that's not allowed. Okay. Like, the box said eyelash dye, and it said, don't get it in your eye. And so I believed both things and that's exactly how it went. It didn't get in my eye and I got it on the lashes, which I will say makes kind of a difference for all my light haired listeners out there. Eyelash dye. I'm a big fan of it because it just like all those blonde lashes. Why should they be blonde when they can be black? Okay, think about it. Because, you know, obviously for camera stuff, I wear a little bit of, like, makeup, but I'm not going to be pulling out the mascara. That's not ever going to happen. I'm too ashamed. I'm too ashamed. I don't know if ashamed is the right word. Like, if somebody were to be like, I'll put it on you, I wouldn't say no. I think people who are like, I'm not wearing any makeup. I think those people are the weakest person that you could ever meet anywhere. They're the weakest people. I'm. I'm not wearing any makeup. Like, do you think that you're strong because of that? No, I think you're weak. I think you're so weak when you don't think that, like, a little makeup is fine. All it's. It's not like you're gonna. What do you think is gonna happen, brother? Like, what do you think is gonna happen if they put a little bit of, like, a color that's supposed to be the color of your skin on over, like, deep red patches? It's just going to soften the look. And those people could use a lot of softening. They've got a lot of rough edges. And I'm telling you, if they were to wear makeup, it's the least of their worries. Anyway, back to my story. So I dyed my eyebrows and my eyelashes. And what else did I. Oh, I have like, some microcurrent device which, like, I use every once every four years to probably just bring it to Olympic Games. So I had to bring that. Had to. But also it's like, not explaining why the bags were so big. The microcurrent device is the size of like, three quarters. Like, if they were laying on a table. Does that make sense? Or like the size of like a plum. That's a better form of measurement. I don't know why I immediately went to. Hmm. At 75 cents. Okay, whatever. And just, you know, some lotions, potions, shaving cream. And I. I'm also not a big believer in, like, the travel size. Like, I just. Give me the bottle. Give me the bottle. Shut up. Put it in the bag. So I don't like to bring travel size things of anything. I like just. I want the whole thing. Am I greedy? Maybe, but I'm savvy also. And so, yeah, the heaviest things were, like, the. The toiletries, the other thing that took up space, but I had the space. Right. Like, I had to bring my skates with me because I'm filming some segments on the ice with other members of the Sports Desk team. Today I filmed something with Peter Alexander, who, if you're not familiar, you probably are. Peter is like the. He works like the White House for NBC News. Um, you 100% will know who he is. Just like, if you don't know who Mary Carillo is, it's like, please, you gotta log off and you've gotta research and then come back. Um, and so I skated with Peter, which was, like, very fun. We had fun. We did not. So you're not allowed if basically is kind of what I've been told. And it makes sense to, like, like, be like, can we use that when you're not, like, to the Olympic ice? So we drove out to this rink called Ice Lab, which is, like, outside of Milan that I had never been to before. But it's, like, one of the nicest training facilities in Europe and one of the nicest ones I think I've ever been to. It's so gorgeous. It's an amazing facility. I know a lot of, like, skaters travel out and train here with some of, like, the coaches that work here and stuff. So it's like, it's a very popular place to be. And so that. That's where we filmed everything today. And so before I did that, I'm. We're gonna go back to. We're gonna take a step away from today, and we're gonna go to yesterday, because yesterday I filmed a segment, and after I filmed the segment, I thought, you know what? I would love to get to the figure skating venue and sort of, like, touch base with, like, my figure skating friends, which, you know, I have a lot of. As you might remember, I am a figure skater in the beginning. Now I'm a, like, professional clown. But it wasn't always this way. I used to be a professional performer, and now I am a performer now. But I am, like, just sort of like, honk, honk. The nose, which I prefer, I'll be honest. So I wanted to get into the figure skating rink, but I'm not here covering figure skating. I'm here doing, like, roaming reporting. So I. For me to get into the figure skating rink, I needed to kind of, like, get access and. And ask and just make sure that it was okay, that, you know, I could get to the venue, which I didn't have any problem, and everybody was great. But, like, just. I'm not here to cover figure skating, which might be. Sound crazy to you, but to me, it sounds like my job. So. Yeah. And I love my job. I love my work. If you love your work, you don't work a day in your life. And I'm not working a day in my life. I am working these 24 days of my life. But I. It is not. I like it, so it's not work, right. But I am wearing sort of like a credential that, like, I needed to get through work. Okay? So just. That's what that is. So I decided that I was going to get myself to the figure skating arena where all of the figure skating events are going to take place. And there's a practice arena that's there. There was practice yesterday. Not in the main arena, not by the time I could make it there. So I was still going to go to the practice arena because I just. I wanted to see, you know, some of my NBC figure skating friends. I wanted to see if I ran into any of my friends who are coaching there. And so that was. That was that on that I then needed to find a way to get there. And I have now learned, and you will find out all together at the very end of this story of, like, how I figured out that there's another way. But I heard that it was quite easy to use the subway. And I said, okay, great. And the subway's, like, right around the corner from, like, my hotel. And I'm not, like, doxing myself. Okay. It's just sort of like, there's subways everywhere. What are you gonna do, right? Okay. So I'm like, I'll just take the subway to the rink. How hard could it be? So I thought. So I look and there's like, an app that you can download about, like, the transportation here during the Olympics. I downloaded. I looked to see how hard it can be. It looks incredibly easy. Like even a monkey could do it. So I thought. So I get onto the subway and I look to see, and it's just. It's like a few stops to the next train that I need to get on and like transfer to. Okay, okay. I'm like, listen, I. I was like fresh from New York just a few months ago, where I was living that subway life. Like, I was fine. And so I said to myself, we can do this. This will be so easy. So I get on the train, I go the right amount. I look, how many stops is it going to be? It's going to be four or five stops. I don't. So I go the four or five stops. I get off the train and I go, this doesn't look right. I had gone four stops the wrong direction. What? Not a big deal. Not a big deal. Like a teehee. Haha. Like I messed up. It's okay. Nobody's perfect. So I find my way to like the opposite train. I'm like, okay, now instead of four stops, it's gonna be eight stops. Yeah, I know. And as I'm saying this, it's like, wow, this really was like long in such a misfortunate beginning. So I get onto the train. I do my. It was for now I'm doing my eight stops. So I do my eight stops to the transfer. And it seemingly seems like I just need to get on like a green line. Okay. So I get onto the. The green line, and I think it's a. I don't remember how many stops it needs to be. I think maybe it's like five stops on this. So I go. And we get to like the. The second to last stop. Okay, it's just one more stop. And then all of a sudden the green train just sort of goes a different direction. Okay. So there. There is like basically like the, the route ends. Like, there's a part where it just like swerves off to like an end. And it's called Chelsea Rosa. Chelsea Rosa. Okay. I don't know if that's exactly how you say it, but whatever. So I'm like, how did I get here? And. And that's the last stop. Like, and you can see it on like the little map like that. Like sometimes there's like a. And it's on the green line that you need to take to the Olympic venue. Okay. And I was looking all around and it was like all of these signs were like, this way to the Olympic ice skating venue. And I was like, oh, it's so handy. So I thought, okay. So I realize I'm getting onto to Chelsea Rosso, which is like the last stop. They make these announcements on the train every single time you're there. And they're like, please disembark the train. And so I do, and I'm like, okay, let's just. I don't know where I went wrong, but, like, let me get on the train that goes the opposite way. I'll get to that station. I'll get off, and, like, let me figure out what's going on. So I get off. I get. I go from Chelsea Rosa back to, like, the. The. The station that I needed to be at. Okay? I get there. I look around. I'm looking, okay. I'm like, okay, no, I did the right thing. Everything looks right. Okay? So I get on the train that I think I'm supposed to be on again. This. Again. It's just like. It's supposed to be the Green Line, okay? I get on the train, and I go, okay, we're just going to be going back down, get on the train. I'm right back at Chelsea Rosa, who I hate at this point, okay? So I'm going around and go, how did this happen? How am I here again? I don't want to be here. I want to be at the rink with my friends. I don't want to be in Chelsea Rosa, okay? So I go, okay, no, we're gonna do it again. We're gonna figure this out. So I get back onto the opposite train, because now I know where that is pretty clearly, because here I am on round two in Chelsea Rosa's back. So I go back to the original spot. I go, okay, Adam, open your goddamn eyes. Look around. Don't be an idiot. You said a monkey could do this. Well, dance, monkey, dance. Look around, read the signs. Look up, look ahead. Head up, eyes up. I look around. I was not wrong. All of these signs. Go, get on that train, buddy. And I'm going, okay. But I don't know if this is the answer. Like, I don't know if this is the answer, but, okay, maybe I just didn't do it right before. And at this point, I'm feeling crazy. I'm feeling absolutely insane and go, what? I was just on this train twice. So I'm like, am I really gonna get on it a third time? And I go, okay. Like, I guess I am. Like, I guess. So I get on the train. Where do I end up? That's correct, ladies and gentlemen. And anyone in between, Chelsea Rosa to the stage. And that's where I ended up, in Chelsea fucking Rosa. And I go, no. Like, fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. Fool me three times. I'm getting the Fuck out of here. And I'm going up to the dry land. I'm getting out from underneath the. The barracks of Milan, and I need to just. I need to get some fresh air. So I get up and I get out of this Chelsea Rosa Station and I just go. I need to just sort of like, acclimate myself. I get up, I could be anywhere. I could be in District 12 of the Hunger Games. I could be in Hackensack, New Jersey. I have no idea where the fuck I am right now, but I'm going. I can't look myself in the mirror tonight. If I go back to that station for a fourth time, okay? I just, like, cannot bear to look at myself in the. In the mirror and go, you did it four times. Like, I like. It's sort of a three strikes you're out. Do you know what I mean? Or it was just sort of like, no. Like, dude, you failed. And so I had to have a kind of a moment with myself, and I had to go, you know what? Let's just see how long it is to walk. And I looked, and it was going to be one hour and 30 minutes. And I go, you know what? You told yourself you were going to get here on foot. Because of course I was on the subway when I was going the 8. When after I had already done the 4 stops the wrong direction and I had to turn around and was on the eight stops the right direction, I went, no, this is nice that, like, you're. You're getting out in the city and like, blah, blah, blah, gooby, gooby, gobby, gah, like, whatever, fucking whatever. You know what I mean? And so I had already, like. I had already decided that, like, I was gonna get there via subway and walking from the subway and, like, whatever. And I was not gonna ruin the. The Milanese tradition of walking, taking public transportation. I was not gonna sully that. And I was not gonna, like, wave the white flag and call a car. I was not gonna get in a taxi. It was never a question. And I went as punishment for not being able to figure the subway out. Because I needed to be punished. All right? I, like, I needed someone to go. That was not right what happened in there. That was not right. And I was. I wish somebody had done it the second time I was going back to Chelsea Rosa. I wish they had done that the second time. Maybe even the third time I was trying. I got on the train of going, hey, get off here. Get out and walk. But nobody did. And so I had to do it to myself. And so I said, all right, zip up the coat and start walking to the arena. You're gonna have to take this. L. And so I did. I walked to the arena, and at this point, people are, like, texting me of being like, you said you'd be here about two hours ago. And I'm just sending, like, selfies of, like, he cheese where I'm walking through. I want you to know that, like, from Chelsea Rosa to the Olympic arena, you walk through, like, deserted streets. Like, there's nobody there. You can hear, like, the whistling of the branches. Every once in a while, there'd be, like, a car or. Or somebody running. But, like, the. The sidewalks that I walked on had not been touched by, like, human feet in, I think, years. Maybe the only thing, like, with feet that it's such are, like, stray dogs or wild animals. Like, those were the only things that had been there before. Because at one point, I felt like that I was certainly walking on personal property, right? Like, I absolutely, for a fact was like, this is somebody's, like, private property. I'm on somebody's private property. Like, this can't be right. But you know what? I had to persist. I had to keep going. At another point, the directions had me walk through a KFC parking lot. Okay? So this was, you know, this was a humiliation ritual, which I had to. It was like, at this point, I had to put myself through it. It was just, like, enough was enough. Sorry. You failed so hard at the subway. And when you should have just, like, called it, you didn't. And you did it two more times after that. So this was, like, a punishment I had to put myself through. And I'm glad that I did. I had to. It's like, I really did need to be, like I said, humiliated, which I was. I was completely humiliated. It was raining. It was cold. I had been to Chelsea Rosa three times. Three strikes, you're out, and you're on the street, and you're walking through private property, and you're also going to be walking through a KFC parking lot, which I was like, that can't be right. Like, that can't be right at all. And so I was like, I'm just going to keep walking on the road. And my phone was, like, re navigating and, like, back to the KFC parking lot. And I'm like, if it means that much to you, I'll do it. So I walked through the KFC parking lot, and eventually I did make it to the arena. And it was like, you know, come hell or High water. I was gonna get there. When I got there, everybody was like, where were you? And I obviously told the story to anyone who would listen, because I went, you know, the only way to get over it is to go through it. And I had just been through Chelsea Rosa three times, and so I needed everybody to know. And I also just wanted to see, like, what the reaction was of, like, you're truly an idiot, or if they'd be like, something similar happened to me, and they didn't want to share their story. And I was trying to just give people, like, a platform to share their story, which is brave and nice, and I wanted to be brave and nice. And actually, everybody I told it to who had taken the subway told me that they had done something similar where it did happen to them. And they explained to me that even though I was needing to take the green line, I was not paying attention to, like, the. The words on the. Like, the. You know, whatever. The final destination of, like, where the train was going, because it was just, like, green, like, and I should have. And they were like, that happened to me the first day. You need to wait for, like, when that green train comes, you need to make sure that, like, the ending destination is something different. That train sometimes comes, like, every 20 minutes or so. It's not, like. Or three minutes. You just have to check. And so I just. There was, like, a calm wave that went over me going, like, it's okay. You know what? I'm glad you did. You got punished because now you got rewarded for learning the information. And you may not have learned any lesson if you took a car. Right? Because there's no lesson to be learned in going, I'll just get an Uber. No, there's lessons to be learned when you have to walk 90 minutes in the rain. Okay? And I had to learn that lesson. I'm glad I did. Now I know the information now. When I was telling this story, and the man who's, like, in charge of, like, the whole figure skating department did hear about it. He was like, yeah, you're not taking the subway back. I'm gonna get you a car. Because now they. What you're doing is dangerous. I said, it's not. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm friendly now with the private property I went through. He went, yeah, your car is here. Sorry, not on my watch. Not in my venue, because he's in charge of the venue. And I said, yes, sir. Sorry, sir. See you later, sir. And so that's how that worked out. And so I Was not trusted to be taking the subway, Even though I think I'm gonna try it one more time, because I just need to do it right once. And now I feel like I can do it right once. Just, like, I need to just. I need a redo. I definitely need a redo. And I'm really hoping that I can make it over to, like, the figure skating as much as possible. We're gonna see, because the. The timing of, like, when I'm doing these segments varies so much of, like, when we get access to, like, all of these different locations and all of that stuff. There's, like, a lot of moving parts. So I'm hoping to get to as many figure skating events as possible because, you know, it's. I love figure skating. I'm figure skater. There's also. I don't know, I just trying to think of, like, what else. Oh, I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but, like, when I was, like, 17, another reason of why I'm so excited to be here is, like, when I was, like, 17, 18, one of my coaches was Italian, and I was doing a bunch of international, like, junior competitions, and many of them were in Europe. And it just made a lot of, like, more sense for me to stay in Europe. And I actually stayed with him and stayed with his family. Why? For, like, three or four months when I was younger in Milan. And that coach of mine is actually, if you follow skating at all, or if you're gonna be watching it, there's an Italian skater. His name is Matteo Rizzo. It was actually his dad was one of my coaches when I was younger, so I lived with them for a long time. And Mateo, who was really young, is now, like, this amazing skater, multiple time European medalist. He's like a full grown man. And I knew him when he was, like a baby, and it's like, it was. So I got to see his dad today, who I had not seen in a very long time, and it was so fun. This is another thing about the Olympics, where it is sort of like a big family reunion, and you see a lot of people you haven't seen for a really long time, and it's just. It's so nice and fun. So I saw his dad at the rink that I went to skate with Peter Alexander at and somebody else who I also ran into there. I ran into the. Some of the boys who are on Team USA to Andrew Torgashev and Max Naumov. They were there training. Because another thing, I know this episode is long, but like, there's some information I gotta tell you. So when you go to the Olympics, there is official practice that you can do, but it's pretty short, and you're gonna be there for a really long time, sometimes like a few weeks. And you might get there a few weeks before your event, and you can't be skating. You can't be training on these. And there might be one or two sessions a day where it's like, you only have, like, 30 or 40 minutes of ice time. And that's not enough to practice, like, be training. It's enough to, like, warm your feet up and just, like, test out the rink and stuff. Like, at normal competitions, that what. That's what we get. But if you're, like, two weeks out from an event, that is not enough. If you're only skating, like, an hour a day or like an hour and a half a day, that's just like. That is not enough time. You need to be on the ice way more than that. So what they do is that these skaters actually will. The US Figure Skating or the Olympic Committee, like, they will find training facilities where the athletes can go to. To get proper training and train, like, full time. And so the rink that we were going to, a lot of the skaters from Team USA were there. And one of them was, like, I mentioned these. I saw a bunch of them. I saw the boys. I saw some pair, some of the other pair boys. And I also ran into Isabela Vito, who is one of the women who's on Team usa, the women's team. And I'm bringing up Isabelle Levito, because now the women's team is, like. They're all, like, such. They're all very good friends, and they just, like, have a really good attitude about each of them. And I think they're really fun to root for. They're really fun to watch. They're all very good. Any one of them could be, like, a medalist here at the Olympics. If not, some of them have the opportunity to maybe get two medals, like, in a team event and individual event. So they're just like, overall, like, we have. It's a great team, and they're just, like, great people, all of them. We have a really good, like, whole overall figure skating team. But Isabeau, like, she's very. She's like, 18 years old. Okay. I'm giving you, like, a little background. She's very funny and just, like, kind of witty and just. She's got a good sense of humor. And I've gotten to know them a little bit like throughout the. I've known Amber for a while because, you know, she was competing and senior, like, when I was still competing, and with Alyssa, Alyssa, Lou. I've known Alyssa for a while because when I was coaching Mariah, Alyssa and Mariah were competing with one another. And so, like, I just, you know, saw Alyssa around and all of that stuff. And with Isabel, I've gotten to, like, know her a little bit better. Like, throughout the years of, like, covering and working the figure skating events, you know, for NBC and, like, all of that stuff, I've just gotten to know them a little bit better, and they're all, like, so funny, like I've mentioned. But Isabel, I've, like, jokingly said, like, oh, she's my daughter. Because sometimes I'll hear her say things that I'm just like, she is insane. And I do feel like if I had a daughter, like, biologically, insanity is hereditary. And so I go. She's saying things that, like, at 18, I would have said or done. And so I just, like, I. I look at this young child, and I go, that is, like, that is my daughter. I'm. And, you know, like, for instance, when she was at the US Championship, she's in a press conference, and she's talking about, like, one of her friends, Amber or Alyssa, and she said, oh, she keeps the hose on their toes. Okay? I just want you to remind you, this is a women's skater from the United States. She's 18 years old. She's in a press conference, and she sing, they keep the hose on their toes. It's very me coded. And I ran into her, who I think is, like, absolutely fantastic, and she's having the Olympics of a lifetime so far. And another reason why I know that she's just, like, so insane is that for the first time in her life, she's FaceTiming me, calling me, going, hey, I'm doing this. And you know what I mean? Honestly, love it. And again, that's very me coded to be 18 years old and to harass an adult, which I deserve it, and I want it. But, yeah, that is. I just need you to know that before the Olympics start. That's my daughter. That's my girl. She says something bizarre or crazy. It's. It's not her fault. It's hereditary. It happens. And. And I'm also bringing her up because there is so what? She facetimes me out of nowhere, okay? Out of nowhere. And she's like. And she tells me the story. I'm adopting a plant. Since you're the father, you have a grandchild, which is like a plant that she gets at the Olympic Village. Who am I to say? Who am I to ask for any explanation? I'm not, I'm not gonna do. I'm just gonna go. It's. Oh, okay. Just tell me, like, tell me if you need me to pick you up. Like, just. We'll figure this out together. And so she's like, I'm going to call you later because I want to do a christening for the plant. And since you're the grandfather, I need you there. So I was on FaceTime for a plant christening, which was the first time I've ever done that. And I got to tell you, it was beautiful. It was beautiful. It was fantastic. And that's, that's really all I can share at this moment because she made a tick tock about this and she goes, stay tuned for the christening. Which I can't wait to stay tuned for the christening because I was present for it as the grandfather of this house plant that she did get at the Olympic Village. And I think on that note, that should be the end of this episode. A long one. But there's a lot to share. There's a lot going on. I'm sure there's going to be a lot more to share in the next episode of Intrusive Thoughts. Now that we're here at the Olympics, I think that if you have any like, Olympics questions of like things that are going on here at the Olympics or any questions that you, you'd. You just want to. I can answer those for you. So if you have any Olympics related questions while we're here for the month. So there's going to be a few more episodes that are like exclusive Milan released. Intrusive Thoughts. Intrusive Thoughts. Intrusive Thoughts. That's like what this episode is. Live from Milan, you can call or text the podcast hotline. That number is 310-909-9717. It's international numbers have called this hotline before. They've texted the hotline before. So no matter where you are, no matter who you are, you can call or text the podcast hotline. And I encourage you to. Usually I will read a text message or like play a voicemail. I sorry, I had a lot to get off of my chest, including I needed to tell you that I had really fucked up the subway here. And if you're coming here and you're listening to this, this is like a. Heed my warning and do not be like me and end up in Chelsea, Rosa. Three times in a fucking row. And if you do, you gotta walk, okay? It's your penance. Um, and yes, again, any sort of, like, Olympic questions, queries, or text messages, they can be sent to the podcast hotline, which is, As I mentioned, 310-909-9717. That phone number, if you're in the car and you don't have a pen and paper handy, is in my Instagram bio or in the link in my Instagram and TikTok or whatever. I don't think we're doing TikTok anymore anyway, by the way. Amazing. Yeah, so that's where you can find that number. And this is all I have to say next. Arrivederci. I'm Adam Rippon, and these have been my Milanese Intrusive thoughts. Live from Milan. We'll see you next time. Bye, everybody.