Rain on your wedding day. If i remember correctly rain is supposed to be a good omen for a marriage going forward. But it’s hell on the guests visiting from other cities.

I’m writing this from the Club Quarters hotel in downtown Philadelphia. It’s pouring outside. Inches and inches of rain have fallen yesterday and continue to fall today. I also have a full-blown cold and “medicine stomach” from all the crap i’ve been swallowing to try and combat the cold symptoms.

The hotel room is tiny and very humid… or maybe it’s just because i feel like crap, running a fever and sweating makes it feel humid. No, it’s humid… it’s more than humid… it’s wet.

Last night’s rehearsal dinner was grand. It was upstairs at an Italian place much like Cossetta’s back in Saint Paul. It was a serve-yourself arrangement which i like much more than formal sit-downs. The crab cake appetizers were easily the second best crab cake i’ve ever had, period. The best were at Crisfield, Maryland at the hight of crab season, so it’s hard to beat that. But this was a very close runner up. The wine was all Australian in honor of the groom’s homeland.

I managed to buy a Calvin Klein jacket at a strange mall-ish clothing store that was going out of business a couple hours before dinner. I didn’t buy the pants, so i still don’t own a suit. I can keep a jacket on indoors for all of about 20 minutes, but by then sweat is literally dripping off my forehead. It’s really quite horrible. I was built for cold climates… coast of Ireland, maybe the Pacific Northwest.

Christy looked nice in her new red strappy party dress. Lyndon looked hip with his untucked print shirt under a vintage velvet jacket all the girls wanted to pet. Lyndon’s brother gave a very good storied toast and Lyndon’s parents did a hilarious double storied toast… she speaking “australian” he translating into English.

Christy’s father, Harry, was there resplendent in his blue blazer with brass buttons and the obligatory kangaroo bow tie. No kidding… it’s honestly kangaroo fur made into a bow tie.

I wish i felt better. This whole thing would be so much more fun.

12:20 now. Less than two hours to go until the tour bus arrives out front to whisk us all off to the wedding location.

Oh, i forgot to mention that this is my first trip to downtown Philly. I’ve been on the periphery on several occasions, but never to downtown proper. It is an incredibly dense little downtown. But i’m really happy to see nearly all the businesses are occupied and there is a large number of people who live downtown and seem to do pretty well at it. Given my reedy barking cough and the pelting rain i fear i’m not going to see very much of Philly whilst here, but this is a good introduction.