Winter wonderland

A major snowstorm hit Philadelphia. The snow began falling late Friday night, and it didn't stop until some time Saturday night. When it was all said and done, there were 28.5 inches of snow on the ground. That's the official snowfall for Philadelphia, according to the news. And based on that, it's the second biggest single snowfall in the recorded history of the city. But from what I can estimate at the double-deuce and Spruce, I think the snow total was less than two feet. Don't get me wrong though. Even now, on Monday morning, there is still a ton of snow on the streets. Even the sidewalks of major streets, like Walnut, are not completely clear. It's times like this that I really wish I had a digital camera that worked, and a notebook computer that had sufficient memory to allow me to upload photos. Those are two things (a camera and a computer) on my list of things to get. Anyway, with temperatures not really expected to exceed the freezing mark, it will be very difficult to remove the snow before the next major snowstorm, which is predicted for this coming Wednesday.

On Saturday night, I took the Baby out on to the front stoop to let her see the snow. She was her typical self: a bit timid, but curious. We stayed outside for not much more than five minutes to let her do just a little bit of exploring.

Well, having a weekend where I mostly stayed indoors allowed me to do some reading. Last week I finished "Revolutionary Suicide" by Huey P. Newton. And although I've been meaning to make it to Borders or Barnes and Noble to get a new book, I simply haven't done so. Luckily, I still had the book that Ileana gave me as a gift for my birthday, a collection of poems by Pablo Neruda, which I've been reading for the past week. I've got a little more than 40 pages left, so perhaps I can finish it tonight.

I think Sue's husband, George, looks like Jeremy Shockey, of the New Orleans Saints. Last night the Saints won Super Bowl 44 over the Indianapolis Colts. I'd been routing for the Colts, who looked good in the first quarter. But the Saints staved off the Colts' momentum by eating up tons of clock in the second quarter, thereby keeping Peyton Manning (and the Colts offense) from getting into a groove. And by doing that, it allowed Drew Brees and the Saints offense to shake off any rust and/or nerves to get into their own groove. Despite that, the game was close, it was anyone's game, until late in the fourth quarter, when Peyton Manning threw an interception that was run back for a Saints' touchdown. Besides the points margin, it was a shift of momentum, a game-changer. Oh well, I guess I'm happy for the NFC to have won a championship. And I guess for the city of New Orleans too, as non-sportcasters in the news are making such a big deal about. As if the Super Bowl victory will do anything to rebuild a city or prevent the potential effects of another major hurricane in New Orleans. But maybe I'm being a little cynical. The Saints franchise has never won a Super Bowl, and there are no other major sports in that city, so if anyone deserves to win the big game, why not them?

Well, things seem pretty quiet today, with the snow and all. So I may write again later today, when my mind begins wandering, and I have some random thoughts that merit mention.