Patriot's Day
Apr. 20th, 2004 06:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidI work for one of the few companies that had work yesterday, at least based on my friends page.
On the plus side, the commute to work was very fast, since there was little traffic.
On the minus side, it was a warm beautiful day that I had to be inside for.
On the plus side, my building is air conditioned.
On the minus side, they didn't turn the AC on; it got rather warm in the afternoon, which makes it harder for me to get work done as quickly.
On the plus side, an orker brought in a tiny TV, so I saw the start of the elite women's race, for the first time earlier than the men. I don't know the exact reasoning behind the decision, whether it's so the fastest women don't have to weave through a crowd of second-tier (running-wise only, of course! :-) men, or so that it's easier for the media to follow the race, or so the women could finish at about the same time as the men (if so, why not stagger the wheelchair races as well?).
On the minus side, she left early to watch the race in Newton, so that was the extent of my marathon appreciation. A far cry indeed from when the family would picnic at Wellesley then cheer on all the athletes.
And then it was finally time to leave work. My usual route has a piece of the marathon route on it, but it was late enough that all should be fine. It has in past years, after all. I miscalculated. Perhaps it was the heat slowing the race, I don't know, but I got to sit waiting for a cop to decide he could send another batch of cars through, so I had plenty of time to see the walkers still on the route as they passed by. There was a woman in fatigues, carrying a flag, white with black writing, that I couldn't read as the wind flapped it around. There were parents pushing jog strollers, a double one, even. There were people still striding with energy, and tired-looking people as well. There were still people handing out water, but at unofficial stations.
Finally the cop let us go, and I got to drive on the post-Marathon litter of flattened cups and orange peels strewn the width of the street, and echo of the energy spent during the bulk of the race. What I don't remember from other years were the faded remains of huge colored chalked messages on the road, not clear enough to read, but obviously supportive, like the banners still flying. Now I passed more people, like the man walking in shorts and tails, the woman with a feather boa, and the spectator still clapping encouragingly as every single walked passed him. So many people, so much effort. It's impressive.
And then the marathon route turned, and I didn't, and I could drive at a more usual speed, focused on getting through the intermittent traffic slow-downs to dinner.
On the plus side, the commute to work was very fast, since there was little traffic.
On the minus side, it was a warm beautiful day that I had to be inside for.
On the plus side, my building is air conditioned.
On the minus side, they didn't turn the AC on; it got rather warm in the afternoon, which makes it harder for me to get work done as quickly.
On the plus side, an orker brought in a tiny TV, so I saw the start of the elite women's race, for the first time earlier than the men. I don't know the exact reasoning behind the decision, whether it's so the fastest women don't have to weave through a crowd of second-tier (running-wise only, of course! :-) men, or so that it's easier for the media to follow the race, or so the women could finish at about the same time as the men (if so, why not stagger the wheelchair races as well?).
On the minus side, she left early to watch the race in Newton, so that was the extent of my marathon appreciation. A far cry indeed from when the family would picnic at Wellesley then cheer on all the athletes.
And then it was finally time to leave work. My usual route has a piece of the marathon route on it, but it was late enough that all should be fine. It has in past years, after all. I miscalculated. Perhaps it was the heat slowing the race, I don't know, but I got to sit waiting for a cop to decide he could send another batch of cars through, so I had plenty of time to see the walkers still on the route as they passed by. There was a woman in fatigues, carrying a flag, white with black writing, that I couldn't read as the wind flapped it around. There were parents pushing jog strollers, a double one, even. There were people still striding with energy, and tired-looking people as well. There were still people handing out water, but at unofficial stations.
Finally the cop let us go, and I got to drive on the post-Marathon litter of flattened cups and orange peels strewn the width of the street, and echo of the energy spent during the bulk of the race. What I don't remember from other years were the faded remains of huge colored chalked messages on the road, not clear enough to read, but obviously supportive, like the banners still flying. Now I passed more people, like the man walking in shorts and tails, the woman with a feather boa, and the spectator still clapping encouragingly as every single walked passed him. So many people, so much effort. It's impressive.
And then the marathon route turned, and I didn't, and I could drive at a more usual speed, focused on getting through the intermittent traffic slow-downs to dinner.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-04-20 05:08 am (UTC)It's always interesting trying to cross that side of Beacon St. on Marathon Monday. When we used to live on that side of Beacon, one year I got accosted by National Guard members who were there for crowd control and safety. One said to me, "why do you want to cross the street?" I gestured across the way, to where MAB was standing outside our building. "I live there," I said. "And that (I waved; MAB waved back) is my husband." "OK," said the Guardsman, and let me go.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-20 07:47 am (UTC)I can't imagine how much worse it would be on a regular workday...
no subject
Date: 2004-04-20 06:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-20 06:25 am (UTC)Plus it's a convenient day for the marathon, with a lot of people off work, and early enough in the spring that there's a chance for good running weather (not that we had that yesterday, in the 80s and windy and humid).
no subject
Date: 2004-04-20 07:38 am (UTC)Yeah, we wanted to invite you along on our hike, but I remember you not getting this holiday off last year. Yet another reason you should change jobs!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-20 07:45 am (UTC)I appreciate the hiking thought :-). And really , I need no more incentive to switch.
Though for the first time, it looks like I'll be Scrabbling at lunch!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-20 07:51 am (UTC)maybe a walk sometime soon?
no subject
Date: 2004-04-20 07:57 am (UTC)And the weather even seems to be cooperating :-).
no subject
Date: 2004-04-20 11:32 am (UTC)