The Olympic odyssey begins in earnest for me from this point.
On Tuesday 24th July, the Olympic Torch will come gambolling along a road near me, and the following week I have the chance to see at least five different events.
The reason I haven't thrown myself into the whole brouhaha any sooner is I was in the last throes of a journalism diploma.
The downside is: I can't pass any news item about the Olympics now without idly wondering what angle I can pick at ,to unravel a potential article.
In fact in the last few weeks when most of us were trying to seek inspiration for our features, a classmate interviewed me about my ticketing experiences.
When the registration opened in 2011, I was working on a project, in Liverpool and duly registered and put in for the ceremonies, and the sports I had an interest in.
I was sat with a contractor who was able to at least put in for what seemed like a squillion more events that I could, but needed a gentle reminder that should they get ALL of them, that would be quite a hefty price tag!
Of course the first ballot yielded nothing for me. I was disappointed but not really surprised.
A friend working for one of the partners told me that packages were available for one of the events I wanted and a reasonable-ish price but with the added cost of accommodation, so I bit the bullet and shouldered the cost.
Then came the second chance ballot - which was an online process, and that was a shambles.
The system just could not cope, and I remember literally tearing my hair out in frustration, as I had managed to get a couple of days of athletics, the system bombed, and I eventually ended up with just the first morning.
Then came the free for all, and I will be going to yet more events off the back of friends' successes.
So ok - ticketing to an IT bod like me was a bit bobbins. It could and should have been managed much better given the likely demand.
Then there are people's attitudes towards the games.
You have the sports fans and people who want to be involved getting gradually more giddy as the opening ceremony gets closer.
And then there are people like the postie at the sorting office, when I went to collect my athletics tickets. Let's just say he was not a fan!
Frustratingly there is nothing a sports fan can say to people who sourly comment that it is a waste of their tax pounds (I pay the same taxes, and will be footing my fair share as well so that does not wash with me).
When those same nay-sayers are sports fans I am just baffled. There is something about the Olympics that appeals because it is so many diverse events, all in one place (kind-of!) at one time.
Please, what is not great about that?
And now, we see issues over security and potential strike actions.
I am now a freelance writer, so I can very much understand the importance of good pension provision.
But I find myself worrying how one of my friends, flying in to the UK on the proposed strike day is going to get through.
One of the things that had jeopardised the early days of our bid was perhaps the negativity, at times, of our own media.
In fact when the G4S debacle initially broke, as some of the first teams were arriving to acclimatise, a reporter outside Heathrow actually went as far as to say that the only media bringing up the issues were UK based.
I had to chortle when someone on my course said that they had actually received an email inviting them to be a G4S guard for the Olympics.
I'll be honest: Strikes will annoy me. Delays in getting in to venues may drive me to a beer tent a little sooner that I intend.
But when in my lifetime will I ever get to spend a week, watching many different sports in the biggest sporting show on earth?
My odyssey begins in earnest next week, and I can't wait.