Of wind, rain, and power outages in the Northeast

OK, continuing the catching-up process, we take a look at Philadelphia and New Jersey in late September/early October ...

I went to Philly early (Wednesday before a Saturday game) to see RBG and wound up spending most of the time fighting the elements. Nasty wind and rain, all at a colder temperature than I had felt in Houston since February.

I would literally walk down the street to meet RBG after her classes and hold the umbrella directly in front of me, rather than over my head, because it was more important to block the on-rushing wind than the not-as-violent rain. Also, any time I tried to hold the umbrella over my head, the wind would rush in and push it inside out, making me look like an idiot as I tried my best to spin around and invert the umbrella while the wind was on my side. Somehow even the walk back - going the opposite direction, mind you - seemed to mess with the umbrella.

On another night, with RBG at an official dinner, I decided to get pizza from a takeout place we really like. BBQ chicken pizza. Mmm. There was a light rain falling as I left, but for whatever reason, I decided not to call ahead or take an umbrella. I don't mind a little rain every now and then, and as I already documented, the umbrella was more of a pain than a help. Plus sometimes I just like to make things harder for myself.

So I got maybe two blocks into a trip of roughly eight blocks, and the heavens opened up. Serious rain. It was still windy, however, so I was able to find several blocks where I could walk very close to the buildings and be completely dry because they would block the rain. That could not protect me forever.

I made it to the pizza place, wrung out my shirt, and placed my order. There seemed to be a few let-ups in the rain while they were cooking the pizza, but by the time the food was ready, it was back to pouring. Probably even more than on the outbound journey. I solicited a garbage bag to cover the pizza box and set off.

Most buildings provided no cover on the return trip, and I got absolutely drenched. I was really glad RBG wasn't home to see me when I arrived; I think I squished through the doorway. Fortunately, I had time to run all my clothes through the dryer before she got back. And there's nothing like pizza and warm, dry clothes to overcome a little hypothermia.

On Friday night, I left RBG's to meet up with the team at the hotel. There had been some confusion over who was coming on the trip, and I wound up rooming with my boss for the first time ever. Oh well.

The next day was our first ever trip to the Philly stadium, which is outside of town on the Delaware River in a not-great neighborhood, I had heard. I got there early, set up to broadcast, and got an informal tour of the stadium from a Philly PR counterpart. I really enjoyed it and, overall, thought it was a great stadium. The view of the bridge and river is pretty stunning. There are some kinks - fans have access to locker room entry and exit points, and the press box windows have to be open for one to see the game - but it's pretty cool.

I left tickets for my dad and brother and broadcast the game. The most exciting part might have been pregame, when our starting goalkeeper (concussed from the previous game) jogged off the field, leaving our unproven 22-year-old as his only available replacement. However, despite the scare, the starter returned during warmups and played the whole match. We tied 1-1, not a bad result all things considered. Afterward, I got together with my father and brother for a few photos - the Philly guy kindly included the 'Union' stenciled out on the far-side seats.

My brother and father picked me up at the hotel, and then we picked up RBG (after some impromptu turns due to vague Philly instructions), and headed back to Jersey. On the way, our thrilling conversation about vegan food was interrupted by a call from my mom, informing us that the power was out at our house. Awesome! Sure enough, it was out when we got home. Our house and maybe two others in the whole town. Luckily there were enough flashlights to navigate around the house, so after going out for a late dinner, we managed to get to bed.

Sunday was my mother's 60th birthday party, an extravaganza of family (wished we could have had more time) and friends (good to see) and Mom's friends (classic small-talk that has a tendency to drag). We had to leave a bit early to make my flight and RBG's train, but I was glad we made it. Family is hard to beat.

So that's Philly ... only one more trip to cover and we'll be all caught up in time for the holidays.