Thursday, November 12, 2009

Mike Seidel

Is the Man...
Some of you might know that I'm a bit of a weather geek...I've got the degree in Atmospheric Science to prove it (a degree, by the way, that Kira thinks I would probably have a lot more fun putting to good use than the way I currently spend my days, staring at a screen, watching oil and gas prices and constantly stressing...she's totally right, but that's another topic for another post). You might not know it where you're sitting, but the Mid-Atlantic coast is getting absolutely hammered as I'm writing this...a storm which, when all is said and done, might do more damage than any hurricane has ever done from the Outer Banks to the Jersey Shore.
The Weather Channel, of course, is in the middle of all of it. I'll be the first to admit that the Weather Channel is not quite the same since NBC took it over and Al Rokerfied it (I'm of the opinion that the addition of Al Roker to anything meteorological automatically renders it illegitimate). But for every Al Roker there is a Dr. Steve Lyons or Jim Cantore. Or, in today's case, Mike Seidel. Yes, he's wearing goggles...and yes, he's getting pounded in Virginia Beach today...and yes, he's probably loving every minute of it...and YES, I am jealous.
So, if you know anyone down in the DelMarVa, give 'em a call today and see how they're doing. And maybe, just maybe, a few more days like today might make me consider a career change.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Where it all started

On January 18, 2005, Kira and I had our 2nd date. It's an easy date to remember because I still have the ticket stub from the show we saw that night. I had started listening to Ray LaMontagne a few months earlier and was excited to see him for the first time with Kira at the TLA. It was the first of many trips I would be making to Philly in the coming months (and years!). We've seen him several times since then but that night, for me, was the best. I had never heard a voice like that...it was haunting, powerful, vulnerable...that voice has been with us ever since.
Ever since, obviously, has encompassed a lot. The move to Philly, the move to Hoboken, the wedding, the move to Westfield, the arrival of Abigail Ray (and now you all know where Abbie gets her middle name!)...and tomorrow night we're heading back to Philly to see Ray again. This time he's performing at the Tower Theater. He's performing solo, just like the first time. Date night has taken on a whole new meaning now that Abbie is here and we're both looking forward to our first Saturday night out in quite a while

Sunday, November 01, 2009

New York, New York

This is NOT about the Yankees (I had to put that out there for my Philadelphia family and friends who read this and might otherwise decide this is one entry they can do without).
Today is The NYC Marathon. I was going to simply call it The Marathon because, well, it's New York. But there are other marathons, for sure. There is Boston, which everyone who runs a marathon harbors dreams of qualifying for some day. There is Philly, of course, 26.2 miles of Brotherly Love. And there are countless others that take place every month, in every state...fast courses, hilly courses...rock and roll marathons, trail marathons. Every marathon is a different race for everyone who ties 'em on in the morning, whether you hope to finish in 2:10 or 4:10...the demons and doubts are there for everyone at mile 20...the marathon is an equal opportunity sufferfest.
We have a few friends running today...JVA is using New York as the start of her 4 marathons in 4 weeks, she has already run Boston, run over 100 miles in 24 hours and done more things in sneakers than many of us could ever dream. Eric is running 26.2 for the first time today. He's dealt with all the setbacks in training...the knees, the feet, the stomach. It's going to hurt a bit and he knows it. I'm sure there are others we know toeing the line at 9 AM on Staten Island...everyone has a story today about the Marathon and the trip they took to get there. Everyone will cover the exact same path of 26.2 miles and yet they will all see each mile in their own way. They will all have similar questions at the start and they'll all find different answers along the way. Today I'm thinking of everyone running in New York..wishing you all fleet feet, steady stomachs and PR's