Archives
May 23–26, 2003
There were days this past winter — blustery, frigid days encrusted in snow and ice — when I wondered if we’d ever see warm weather again. My only solace was the pleasant thought of returning to the beaches of South Jersey for a few well-deserved sunny afternoons on Memorial Day weekend.
Well, I still made it to our group’s shore house to kick off my second season in Avalon, but our inaugural trip to the beach itself remained elusive. Dark clouds, drizzle, and fog kept us indoors for most of the weekend, so we opted for a steady diet of TV and card games, as well as a good game of darts and the occasional drink or two at a great party a few blocks away.
One highlight in spite of the lousy weather: the local talk-radio station, 1210 AM, sponsored a promotion that waived the $2 toll on the eastbound Atlantic City Expressway between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday. Suddenly, I realized that I had begun listening to the station last year after hearing about the same promotion en route to the Jersey shore.
Needing a break from the heavy traffic, I stopped by the service plaza where afternoon host Michael Smerconish was broadcasting his show, and even got the chance to meet him during a commercial break — very friendly guy, too.
Anyway, here’s hoping for better weather in June. This incessant rain has gotta stop.
[ No. 51 ]
May 7, 2003
By losing 5–1 to Ottawa on Monday night, the Flyers abruptly ended their playoff run and added another chapter to the long tale of futility in Philadelphia sports.
As one might expect, the miserable defeat inspired an irreverent headline on the back cover of the Philadelphia Daily News on the morning following the Cinco de Mayo game:
I’ll keep my commentary to a minimum this time — that phrase says it all.
[ No. 50 ]
Photo credit: Philadelphia Daily News
May 5, 2003
Late last week, my friend from college, Larry, casually informed me that he was featured in the Wahoo Gazette, the online companion to Late Show with David Letterman!
His claim to fame appeared on May 1, 2003, which was his guess for the broadcasting date of the Late Show’s 2,000th episode. Naturally, he was mocked by the editor for guessing incorrectly. (Scroll to the bottom of the article to see Larry’s name in lights.)
After offering him my congratulations via e-mail, Larry responded that this wasn’t the first time that his name appeared in the Gazette — his debut arrived on July 12, 2002, when his clever answer to a trivia question was posted online.
I’m genuinely jealous — sure, I’ve had my own Web site for a while, but Larry was featured on Dave’s site. How can I compete with that?
[ No. 49 ]