Ducks, Red Sox, Josh Ritter, Viruses, ReckenRoll and Snow

What a great all inclusive title for a summary of my weekend in Seattle.
I got to see the Ducks beat the Huskies on Saturday. We got there early to do a little tailgating and it was just in time to catch the Ducks getting off the buses and heading into the locker room. It's a mind blowing experience to be reminded not only how big these guys really are, but also how young they are. The game was entertaining to both sides through 3 quarters, but then the Ducks pulled away utilizing their spread running game and no huddle offense to take the Huskies out of the game. It may not hold a candle to an SEC rivalry or Michigan-Ohio State, but the Oregon Washington rivalry is alive and well with pretty much everyone who was out tail gating Saturday. This weekend will be interesting for the Pac-10 as #4 Arizona State (who haven't faced much of a challenge yet) host a pretty pissed off #21 Cal and #5 Oregon hosts #12 USC. Combine those games with Game 3 of the World Series and it's pretty easy to avoid snowy roads. Speaking of the World Series...
I had resigned myself to letting the Red Sox blow the series against the Indians but continued passively to pay attention to the games. Going down 3-1 is a pretty big feat to overcome, but they did it and I got to watch most of game 7. The World Series will again have meaning to me. As a Red Sox fan and a Cardinal fan, the last few years have been good.
Josh Ritter's show at the Showbox in Seattle was amazing. I mentioned watching game 7, it was in a bar across the street from the Showbox. While eating or waiting for food, I saw Josh Ritter walk by. Then a few seconds later he walked up into our section of the bar. He turned around but didn't get out of earshot before I could get his attention and call him over to our table. He seems like such a nice guy and meeting him, as brief as it was, makes his music seem all the more genuine than it already does. He even mentioned having played in Anchorage at a pretty specific venue and that Alaska (along with Japan) are on his wish list for future shows. The show was special. It was his birthday and his mom even came up on stage at one point with cupcakes and a candled cupcake. Josh passed the cupcakes out to the crowd. I'm sure there's a certain extent to which he tells every audience that it's been an amazing, unforgettable night, but I certainly believe his Seattle show will be remembered by all involved.
I woke up Friday morning feeling fine other than a little bit of a headache, which is pretty normal when I am up late and sleep late, but by the time ReckenRoll and I sat down to brunch and food was in front of me, I had lost my appetite and felt pretty bad. I fell asleep shortly after being dropped off and slept the rest of the day. I felt pretty normal on Saturday with the exception of no appetite, but got exhausted Saturday night fairly early. Sunday was a little of the same, but when it came time for Josh Ritter I was feeling much better.
ReckenRoll was a gracious host. Giving me space while I dealt with feeling crappy and she even came home from shopping with Ginger Snaps and smart water. She's got a good summary over at her site. She definitely got the Josh Ritter bug...especially after meeting him before the show. Although she might exagerate my Freaks & Geeks references, I had just finished watching the complete series and during the commentaries which were recorded more recently, there were lots of tie ins to Superbad, Knocked Up, 40 year old Virgin, and even Anchorman (all Judd Apatow influenced films with Seth Rogen involved).
I woke up this morning to the report of snow on the roads. It snowed about an inch. It's bright and sunny now, so some of it has melted, but what doesn't melt is likely to be around for the duration.
Despite not doing much of what was on the loose agenda for the weekend and being under the weather it was the weekend of the year.