This post is my portfolio of content and running notes from my trip between March 1st to March 5th, 2023 as I write this with today’s high just one degree of 90.
The way the story goes, I was planning to go the first weekend of March, not realizing it was earlier than expected because February cheats you out by a couple days, that actually does mess up a month.
My birthday and March Ahead would’ve been that weekend I was thinking of. I actually checked the scheduling and saw nothing on the calendar, I thought perhaps I could pull a fast-one in the hopes everything could fall into place. Initially it was going to be a 4 day weekend but my mother was able to do a 4 nighter (Wednesday to Saturday.) My mother was supposed to go in the office on Wednesday all day, but she did a 1/2 day and then brought me to Portsmouth that evening.
As we went our way east, there was actually more snow than it was back at base.
I hugged my mother and sincerely said “thank you” because pulling a vacay like this within 24 hours (or less!) was much appreciated. My mother didn’t have to do much of the work other than booking and paying. I did everything else.
I went and started to spend my allowance on a meal at the 110 Grill (which is a must-recommend for a New England Foodie.) There was some snow in the skies after my dinner at the bar (of which I got carded )
By that evening in my room I had to map out my day to go to nearby Newington, because I didn’t bring my Lightning Cable for 3 of my iOS devices. Go figure, but thankfully I don’t have many drawers of extra Apple cables, but I got plenty of USB 2 cables all over the place. Best Buy opened at 10:00 and my iPhone SE was at 40% and my iPhone 6s (I use as an iPod touch was very low, where my Uber app is installed on.) Ironically I reset my credentials for the first time in a few years just an hour before.
Thursday, March 2nd
Before I did that, I took a walk down to A Cup of Joe and had my camera roll some video.
I also learned on the Facebook groups that the nearby Barnes & Noble is a known place to meet new people. Well that day didn’t feel like it. Regardless, I stayed around the area for most of that day because I had actually planned to Newington anyways (because of the suggestion of B&N), so I was there till about 4:00, going to the Fox Run Mall and then the local Texas Roadhouse.
I get back to downtown not too long before dark and called it a night.
Friday, March 3rd
On Friday is where I recored some of my B-roll and spent the day on and off in downtown Portsmouth. Because my hotel room was right in the middle of the city, I could go in and out much like what I did back in November.
There was several triggers leading me to become really depressed. The bartender was kinda of a Millennial-stiff and the chatter in the bar was starting to talk about the snow storm. On my app back at base earlier in the week, it predicted snow showers. This was the other reason why I pushed it a week earlier. Now I would’ve enjoyed the nor’easter in Portsmouth as I never been anywhere on the New England Coast (except for the snow showers during the Patriots Super Bowl victory in early 2017.) This was going to be cool.
..but social media was already a bit snippy on the “hype” … but throughout the end of the week I was freaking out in another way. I was no longer going to be 35 and the fear of the last 15 years was a waste. Then I was walking on the streets in Portsmouth angry at myself and yet no one flinched.
In the raw media, I said something to the effect of “voice note” despite carrying the Vixia. A former Boston newsie was ghosting me, and I also wasn’t seen in other local media platforms, so I just went and broke down as I struggle to find meaningful work and trying to do freelance or be a stringer and still not be “seen” in a large market. WMUR-TV forget it, they would be too busy authenticating my work even for a stringer. I don’t trust them
Saturday March 4th
Saturday came, and I went out in the elements in the freezing cold (it’s actually colder on the coast than say back out west inland, what feels like 35° inland is more like 20° in the coast.) Anyways I got soaked by the wintery mix and had to actually take a hair dryer to dry my sneakers!
Other than that I did spend most of Saturday night in my room (since many places were closed because of the storm) and did multiple recordings for future publication.
Both days captured was used for my New Hampshire News Close clip, seen here
Sunday, March 5th
Before heading back to base, I took a morning walk in the downtown, and took the drawbridge into Kittery, then went back west. I spent about over an hour and walked over a mile
I then had to pack up and call it a week and head back to base at 11:00 (the checkout time) – I actually was late by 2 minutes.
I didn’t go into Portsmouth feeling blue, it progressively became that, but when I did leave and went back to base, I felt a lot better. This pandemic has done a number to me.