Hurricane Joaquin is on its way, and it may or may not make landfall in the United States this weekend. Either way, we seem to be due plenty of rain in the Philadelphia region through much of the weekend.
That means you can pretty much cancel any plans that involve extended amounts of time outdoors. Yet that doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself.
While you should take the impending weather very seriously – and check the local National Weather Service for warnings and updates – you can still entertain yourself during this first weekend of October.
Here are a few Philly-centric activities to pass the time indoors as the downpours keep you at home.
Re-watch classic Philly sports games
Philly sports teams have been a bummer this year. The Phillies are in rebuilding mode, the Eagles have gotten off to a slow start, and the Sixers and Flyers' respective seasons have yet to start. So, put yourself in a time capsule and relive better days. Finding full games will probably be tricky, but spend some time on YouTube and you can find extended highlight packages as well as the best moments from the past.
AMC's FearFest
The real FearFest, aka AMC's scary movie marathon leading into Halloween, doesn't start until Oct. 18. But the channel kicks off the month with a bunch of horror flicks to get you ready, including "The Shining" and Stephen King's "Pet Sematary," as well as entire seasons of its hit show "The Walking Dead" played in a row. Heck, why not start stocking up on your spooky decor for the holiday? Ok, that might be a little much.
Drinking Games
No one likes showing up to the bar drenched in rain. So if you want to knock a few back in the comfort of your own home, you can always gather your roommates/friends/family into some drinking contests. There are always the classics: Kings Cup, Beer Pong, Flip Cup (better known locally as Flipadelphia), etc. But there are endless variations of these games as well as other ideas if you've got the time to peruse the internet. Remember, though: just because you're not in public doesn't mean you shouldn't control yourself. After all, your neighbors are probably stuck indoors too and don't want to hear your drunken antics. Drink responsibly.
Re-learn that instrument you used to be good at
You know where it is. Whether it's a guitar, bass, keyboard, or drum set, the tool you used to play religiously in your college dorm now sits lonely in your closet, under your bed, or wherever you store things you can't get rid of, but never use anymore. Inclement weather is the perfect excuse to pick it back up again. You may not be looking to revive your dream of becoming a rock star, and you don't have to. For those wanting to just casually learn how to play some of their favorite songs, YouTube is a treasure trove of tutorials for a wide variety of popular tunes. New Piano Tutorials and Let's Play Guitar are great places to start.
Clean, do laundry, reorganize...
You know you've been putting it off.