It's bad enough to go more than two weeks without posting, but to return with a post about the weather is going to lose me what few readers I have. But it is January, and the weather is affecting just about anything I try to do. I am heartily sick of wearing boots, but it's really not safe to walk around in anything else - the sidewalks and parking lots are encrusted with several inches of hardened ice. The temperature hasn't been above freezing in at least two weeks. The sun has been out, which has created some odd effects. If I park my car facing south, by the time I leave for lunch I can get radiant warmth from the steering wheel, but I still need to wear my gloves because the air is so cold. The past two days we have had snow flurries during bright sunshine. The nearest cloud seems to be miles away, so I don't know how far those snowflakes have been blown before they reach the ground. It's very dry - everyone has rough skin, cracked knuckles, and constant risk of static shocks from touching anything that conducts. We had a light snowfall the other night, and I arrived on campus the next morning to see the maintenance staff using leaf blowers instead of shovels to clear off the sidewalks -- the snow was so dry and powdery that it really was the best way to move it. My parents are spending a month in California, so I'm keeping an eye on their house as well. My dad even had the nerve to complain about it being cold there when he called me from my favorite deli in Santa Cruz the other day. That's rubbing it in.
Click here to continue....January 30, 2008
January 16, 2008
Trying something new
I love books. I spend a lot of time reading (probably too much). I've been part of a monthly book group for more than 12 years now, and there are only a few times when I didn't get the book read. I can't imagine being without access to books.
Reading is one of the things that can truly take me out of where I am and get the wheels spinning in my mind to quiet down. Reading for distraction, however, isn't always conducive to really thinking about and remembering what I've read. That's fine for paperback mysteries and the like, but there are many books I'd like to remember better. So I've started to keep track of them in the sidebar. I'll try to do some reviews at the end of every month, and I'd love to hear what you thought if you've read any of the same books.
In other things new and blog-related, I heard from two whole people as a result of my delurking plea (thank you MLL and MA!). Then last night I got three comments on other posts, all showing up in the comment box as strings of question marks and in my email as kanji characters. I'm not showing any hits from non-English speaking countries, so I guess I'll put that down to a spambot and be thankful it wasn't worse...
PS: social studies project is ALMOST done. If he didn't have math homework, he could probably turn it in tomorrow - and I'm still tempted to keep him up to finish it, just because I am so ready to have it over with.
January 12, 2008
Anybody out there?
I've been reminded that this is Delurking Week across the blogosphere. Well, evidently I've missed most of it, as tomorrow is the last official day. Don't let that stop you, though! Leave a comment, even if you're just saying "hi." And don't worry that you'll be branded a procrastinator, as no one can currently match Son in that category. His sixth grade social studies project on Native Americans of the Northwest coast was assigned Nov. 26, and he finally decided to pull out the guidelines and think about how to start on January 6. This effort has consumed the entire household since that time, and we're not done yet. Send good thoughts that we'll make it to Friday's due date without damage requiring years of therapy to repair...
Click here to continue....January 07, 2008
January
A new year means new perspective, right? A chance to make a fresh start, to keep new intentions in mind. Well, not so much for me this year. Things are looking pretty much the same from where I'm sitting, so I've been feeling like I have nothing much to say. In an effort to try to break out of this rut, I have identified some things I'm looking forward to:
- January 31. On that date, it will still be daylight at 5:01 PM. No more arriving home from work after dark.
- We are planning an extended trip to California this summer, and I CAN'T WAIT. Every time I think about it (which is often) I come up with another place or person or experience to add to the itinerary. I don't think we'll make it any farther south than Point Lobos, and I've already filled up more time than we'll have.
- Downhill skiing. After all those years of driving for hours to get to snow, now it's in my backyard and I don't make the time to go skiing. I finally tried it again last year, for the first time since before Son was born. I had fun, and I wasn't incapacitated the next day from muscle soreness, so I want to make a point of going at least a couple of times this year. Even if the cost makes me wince.
