Back up to upstate NY... ta da!

Apologies for not blogging lately... kinda busy here at stress central.

I did manage to sneak away this weekend up to Rochester NY. These days, no road trip that I take is without a hitch. It's either weather (rain at the Shore), forgetfulness (I forgot my toothbrush again), or road problems.

Heading west on Route 17, the highway was closed because of a crash. Instead of staying there, potentially hitting traffic, and making my friends wait even more (and getting bombarded with text messages), I got off at the next exit and headed north. Normally, I have a map with me. This time, I trusted my cell phone and the maps I could get off of that. Problem is that it only works when there's reception. There is no cell reception of highway 21 in Steuben County or highway 16 in Yates County. Using my semi-keen sense of direction, I knew that as long as I was going north (away from the sun), I'd hit the NY State Thruway. Then the road curved east. No problem, as long as I head east, I'll run into route 14 somewhere around Watkins Glen. I was proven correct after passing Gate 2 at the Watkins Glen Speedway, where they run the NASCAR race every year.

I get into Watkins Glen, and nothing but motorcycles. Of course, it was 85 degrees and sunny, so everyone got out and rode. On the way up to Geneva, the heavens opened up, rain poured, and all the motorcyclists scurried for cover.

A word of caution, route 14 in downtown Geneva is under construction... mud, dirt, and rocks. But it's worth those bumps to see breathtaking views of Lake Seneca. I eventually got up to Rochester. It was homecoming weekend at RIT and all the hotels were booked in the immediate area. Luckily, I found one a week ago for $56!

I met up with my friends at the sublet apartments and took a quick tour... haha, more rain, and me without an umbrella or pancho.

We headed over to the field house for the concert that night... previous night was Rihanna. My friends said it was excellent. Tonight, Howie Mandel! The neat part about the show was that they had a sign-language interpreter and closed captioning on the big screen behind the performers.

The first 10 minutes of the show was a video of some old guy singing a song on (I think) the Lawrence Welk Show. The darn thing was looped over and over again. It was fun watching the audience reaction to all of it... lit up cell phones waving in the air, applause, and general laughter in watching the sign language interpreter get exhausted.

Opening act was John Mendoza, who has been on the Tonight Show and Comedy Central.... excellent 30-minute set. Then came Howie... His entire 65-minute set was quite unpredictable, and very funny!

My friends told me to expect that Howie would have fun with the interpreters and closed captioning. Boy, did he ever! From the way certain words were signed to spellings... he did it all. He has one of the quickest wits and minds of anyone, which is why he's been so successful all these years. Nothing was off limits, his wife and her shopping habits, his fondness for practical jokes, his claustrophobia and germophobia, a married couple in the front row, the psychiatrist in the front row, and the best one... a guy in the 2nd row talking to his daughter on a cell phone, getting caught by Howie, then Howie telling the daughter that the show was over and Dad was backstage looking for his pants.

He also showed some of the hidden camera stunts he's done for the Tonight Show, like the Supercuts bits and the loud cell phone talker. I had such a good time at the show, it was worth it. There were other memorable moments, but considering the show was for adults, I can't repeat everything. He did mention that Bobby's World is making a comeback.

I was supposed to have gone and seen the Seahawks/Steelers game yesterday... I'm glad I didn't. If anyone sees a missing defense in any airport between Seattle and Pittsburgh, it's probably my Seahawks' defense.

Physical therapy is going well... I was worried that my hip would bother me all weekend, and it didn't. Perhaps two more weeks, and I'll be good to go for the time being... of course, this happens as my back starts to bother me again.

Thank you to the fine folks at Pine Grove Homecoming for a great breakfast on Saturday morning. Also thanks to the Liberty Fire Company in Schuylkill Haven for hosting us on WPPA Sports Saturday on the previous Saturday.

Buckle up,
TS