Thursday, February 27, 2014

Cozy in blustery Rochester.

It's a freezing 1-degree outside my hotel room here in Fairport, NY, Philip Seymour Hoffman's hometown (according to NPR) and the town next to Rochester.  Nestled between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes, the biting cold is a staple here during winters, but the students at Nazareth College told me it's nothing anyone really gets used to.

I made the drive up from Reading earlier today; watched the sky turn from blue to gray, as snow began to fall, light and airy at first, then fiercely as I winded up local roads. The Interstate doesn't cut through the north-central part of Pennsylvania, so I found myself caught in the post-industrial romantic beauty of forgotten river towns and rural villages. The trek was a solid 5 hours, but it didn't seem too long to me - maybe the scenery forced me to be present in the drive. I let my mind get lost in it. I found comfort in the twang of country radio. On the homestretch, I found myself engulfed in tornadoes of powdery snow, dispersed by blustery winds that were born from stretches of open fields to the left, to the right. I slowed the car and turned on my headlights. I felt my nerves and kept the steering wheel straight, hoping pavement was still ahead. I was worried, but I felt it would work itself out.  Tonight, after the show, a similar predicament befell.  My GPS wasn't working on my phone. Frustrated, I called Rob to see if he could help. I knew it'd be hard to pinpoint my location, but he did his best.  I tried to piece my route together by looking at Google Maps, even if it wouldn't actually direct me.  After wandering, lost, through pitch black country roads, making a U-turn and dodging ridges of slippery ice, I found myself back at the hotel - a fancy Hotel/Spa that sits large and stately atop a hill, unlike its more modest surroundings.

I checked my e-mail and silently chastised myself - I'm checking e-mail and social networks too often. I'm tempted to give Facebook a rest for a month.  I'm craving some time to myself.  But something good came out of it. The student adviser at last night's show at Albright had passed on some music, including Dawn & Hawkes - an Austin couple that made their way to Tuesday's episode of The Voice. I love the idea of them.  I hope they make it through the show... http://www.dawnandhawkes.com/  One of their videos is below.  Goodnight for now.


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