Running Numbers

A scholarly look at the digits that matter.

by Nick Norlen

You may have noticed that I compiled a tribute version of Running Numbers for my five-year anniversary with my girlfriend two years ago on Sept. 6. You also may have noticed that I neglected to do the same last year. Don't worry. We're still going steady.

$250 Minimum fine that will be levied against those who violate the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act — which prohibits smoking in most public places — after it's implemented statewide on Sept. 11. Sorry, L, that means no more cigars on the casino floor. I'll try to make it up to you.

200 Minimum number of exhibitors present at GreenFest Philly on Sept. 7 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Second and South. I feel lucky that I have an earth-friendly girl who will also insist upon skipping the "Living Without Meat" booth and the Eco-Poetry contest.

9 Number of days — starting on Sept. 9 — that my girlfriend and I will have to receive the Netflix DVDs of season three of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia — which we somehow missed completely — and watch them before season four starts Sept. 18. Ah, Netflix: the glue that holds this relationship together.

4 Number of hours — during the fourth annual Commerce Bank Carnivale of the Dogs on Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rittenhouse Square Park — that my girlfriend will be able to lose all control upon seeing small dogs, pick them up and say, as she did to an unsuspecting Chihuahua in that park recently, "You're so little it's like you're not even real!" It's probably my best memory involving Rittenhouse. And I proposed there.

2 Number of desserts — if the pre-proposal meal we shared at Barclay Prime in May is any indication — that my girlfriend and I will be ordering at 10 Arts, where

Hey ... can I get your digits? I want to hear about the numerals you need to see. Let a number-runner know at runningnumbers@gmail.com.