Early this week, my plan was to review the end of the Oregon trip, my stop in Columbus and the jaunt to see Bruce in AC. That got thrown out of whack late Sunday night. As I walked out of Boardwalk Hall, reflecting on what a great few days it had been, my cell phone rang. It was my mother, calling to let me know that my father was having acute stomach pains and she was taking him to the hospital.

What’s gone on since is a lengthy and not-all-that-interesting story, and results in him finally being diagnosed late yesterday with an E-coli infection. They have no idea how he got it. He’s feeling much better, but is going to be in the hospital for a few more days. At least he’s not facing gall bladder surgery, which was one early diagnosis.

To quickly review the other events, we had a fantastic dinner in Portland at Jake’s, which is a regular stop whenever I’m in that fine town. After a lengthy day of travel, I arrived in Columbus Thursday night and spent Friday wandering around campus, doing some Christmas shopping (because all young children need "Beat Michigan" shirts). Friday night was one of those classic nights where you go out for dinner and a 'drink or two,' and the next thing you know it's 2 a.m. and you wouldn't know sober if it smacked you in the head. Good times.

This made getting up for the game, a noon start, a little difficult, but it's what had to be done. We proceeded directly to the tailgating portion of the day, where Kevin and I enjoyed the following exchange:

Kev: "Huh, this is the second time in a week that I've started drinking at 10 a.m."
Me: "You're welcome."

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day, and Kevin and I had a fantastic time at the game. It was his first OSU tilt in the 'Shoe, and we were treated to a 48-7 drubbing of Northwestern. From there, it was on to BW-3 with friends. Today I added “write to BW-3 to inquire about a central Jersey franchise” to my to-do list. They specialize in three things: wings, beer and large television sets for the purposes of enjoying sporting events.

After an early morning flight Sunday, I stopped home long enough to empty and re-pack my suitcase before heading south. After meeting the girls at my parents’ house, it was off to AC. Things got off to a good start when we hit a great bar outside AC, where the trifecta was slightly modified to burgers, Belgian beer and the NFL. Thanks to the wonderment of satellite TV, I was able to watch the Packers and Jets games. Packers good, Jets bad. You know it’s been a crazy week when the Packers get their second win of the year and I don’t mention it for four days.

As for the concert: outstanding. Bruce really shines in smaller venues, like Boardwalk Hall in AC and Convention Hall in Asbury Park. I've read that Bruce had a bad cold which supposedly affected the performance, but I certainly didn't notice. There were a few songs I've never heard live, including "Santa Ana" and "4th of July, Asbury Park(Sandy)." For me, the highlight was an amazing version of "Brilliant Disguise," which is one of my favorite Bruce tunes and seemingly made for this format. "Maria's Bed" was also beautifully done.

But one thing puzzled me - the number of people who left the concert early. Many did so. Why? It's not like a football game, where one team is getting blown out and you know there's no chance for the other team to come back (although, as a sidebar, the Professor would vehemently argue, and I would agree, that you NEVER leave a sporting event early). But there was still music to be played and Bruce banter to enjoy. Where were they going?