Of Brrrrrrrrrrr and Future Knitting and Get on the Bike Already

It wasn't snowmageddon or snowpocalypse where I live, but is it cold! Here's a first-world problem for you: my remote car starter can be fussy about starting, and the colder it is, the more so. Kind of the opposite of how it should be! And I tell you, the difference between getting into a frozen solid car, and even one that has only been running long enough for me to get my coat and boots on and walk outside, is epic.

Typically, snow amounts in this area are higher the more north and inland you go, but every once in a while a storm comes along that belts the south shore and the Cape more than Boston and north. This was one of those: I'd say I got about three inches where I am (hard to be precise because powder + wind = blowing everywhere), while the editor who works from home and lives south of Boston got over a foot.

Mind you, I did stay home this morning. I wanted to wait until the snow stopped, and the roads had been plowed, before I tried to go in. But it was no problem getting in, other than being horribly cold. Urgh. And being the only one in the office meant that I could talk to myself, or cough, or whatever, without bothering anyone. It's strange, but peaceful. I managed to put in a three-quarters day, not bad for the weather.

Now, having just registered* for a knitting class in May (Two Socks in One: The War and Peace Method taught by Kate Atherley, fun!), I am going to go get on the damned bike, because I have to get back on the bike! Please ask me about it! Hold me accountable! Even if it's for five minutes, I ride tonight! I will!
*I had to make myself ignore the typos, but honestly: Raverly? War and Peach? Proofread, people!

Winter Storm Watch--No, Strike That, Blizzard Watch

Looks like I won't be going to work on Friday, given that the current predictions are for 12-24 inches of snow from the storm coming our way. And by the way, they name all the storms now, apparently, and the names crack me up. This one is called ... dum-dum-dum ... Nemo. Nemo! Could they have picked a less threatening name? Why not just called it Snuggles or Fluffy? Does Nemo sound like he could cause havoc?

Anyway, color me perfectly happy to get the day off. I mean, shucks, if they gave me a laptop, I could work from home, but since they haven't, I have no choice! Such a shame. On a Friday, too.

So I'll go in tomorrow, work on this damned report that I am so sick of almost done with, and hopefully take a first look at the next one before the end of the day. Then, boom, out of there, to the chiropractor, and home to huddle up.

Speaking of the chiropractor, last night I had my first real adjustment, and it certainly is an interesting experience. I think it's because I'm used to specialists: the dentist stays with the teeth, the hairdresser with the hair, the eye doctor with the eyes, and so on. Naturally enough, given that chiropractic believes in what Douglas Adams called "the fundamental interconnectedness of all things," this doctor is all over the place. Not in any sort of creepy way, but it's just different. Bangs and pops, tools that feel like a no-puncture staple gun or sound like a floor sander ... it's just very different. I'm hopeful (still), and I'll be going a couple of times a week, so I think I get full credit for really trying it.

Unrelatedly, I will leave you with this quote:

"Respecting the difference between words is not about being pedantic or pompous or even perfectionist. It just means we can express ourselves more clearly."

~ John Humphrys, Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language 80 (2004).

Where I Am (Wednesday)

Well, last night I had mixed results. The Bruins disappointed me by making a comeback (wait for it) and then blowing it at the end, which irritates me more than losing all the way through*. Oh well. If they lose to the lowly Islanders tomorrow, then it will be time to panic; we're not there yet, despite the three-game losing streak.

*Not that I enjoy that particularly much either. So hard to please! I know I said I was expecting them to lose, but they tricked me by going ahead first...

I did figure out my latest snag with the Frost Diamonds shawl. I made a mistake that complicated my already annoying have-to-move-the-markers row*, but once I straightened that out, I think I'm back on track (we'll see how long that lasts). I only had to put it down and walk away once. And, miraculously, I'm still happy with how it's turning out, which is partly due to the pattern and partly to the lovely, lovely yarn. Lovely, cheery, soft and squishy BFL, I heart you.

*That still irritates me, obviously. The point of markers is that they stay where they are, to tell you where you are. I can't even count to 12 reliably over and over in a changing pattern, let alone to 71, or to 293. Yuck.

It was quite cold yesterday (20s and very windy), but the only reason that's news is because it was in the 50s Monday (positively balmy), and more like 40 today. It's even supposed to be maybe in the 50s Thursday and Friday. For that reason, I tried not to complain too much yesterday. Though when I came out of the store last night and the wind hit me in the face, I found that the term "flensing" came to mind. Man, that was painful. But short term, which makes a big difference.

The Globe had an article this morning about how the "slow thaw" meant we were less likely to have major flooding problems, and said that it's good to have some melt and then a re-freeze. I am not arguing with the science of this, but the people who said that don't have to walk on my walkway and driveway these days. Sheets of ice should come with skates.

Really, February's weather has not been the frozen hell that marked January, but there is still so much snow around, and it is all filthy and grainy and full of garbage, and just generally gross. It's somewhat less obstructive than it was a few weeks ago, but only looks good by comparison. Like, the intersection near my house where I couldn't see if any cross traffic was coming? I can now almost see before I'm all the way into the intersection. Isn't that nice? Yeah.

As is often the case, last weekend felt very short, so it was with pleasure that I looked at the calendar today and saw that I have a three-day weekend coming up. The company where I am currently, tenuously employed gives Presidents Day as a holiday, and bravo to them, I say.

In fact, I have plans for the weekend, and thus am extra glad for its extra day. Ever since I moved to my current home, I have had vague ideas for my little office room, but have done nothing much toward it, so the room is a catch-all of boxes and odds and ends. I have a table with my computer, a file cabinet, my yarn stash (not so much organized as contained), all sort of jumbled in there. Basically, it's a mess. I am such a pack rat.

I have wished to have a small seating area in there, and since the room is my only true option for a separate guest room, I thought it would be good if the seating folded out in some way: sleeper sofa, futon, something. (I do own two airbeds, a single and a double, so I do have options, but, you know, something more?) But not knowing quite what I wanted, being an inveterate procrastinator, and never having spare money* to throw at the problem, nothing has been done.

*Any spare change around here tends to go to yarn, books, and other bargains...

Now, however, I have a friend whose recent couch replacement leaves her with a small futon up for grabs, which is excellent! Except! I have to make room for it! Yeah. So I can definitely use an extra day to dig out space.

Ideally, I would remove everything from the room that isn't nailed down, and sort through it before returning it to the space in an orderly, sensible fashion. Doesn't that sound ideal? However, there's enough crap in there to fill every bit of floor space in the rest of the place, which is not workable, let alone cat-wise. I shall have to try sorting on the spot.

Some of the things I find will doubtless be thrown away, deservedly. I foresee some donation runs to the Salvation Army and the library as well, for things I can stand to see go to other homes. I'm not getting rid of everything, but honestly, if it's in a box from the move over four years ago? Find it a place or let it go.

I did take some "before" photographs, but I think I'll put off posting them until I have some nice "after" shots to take the taste out of my mouth.

Warning: Crankosaurus

I am cranky.

The shawl knitting pattern is still giving me problems.

The Bruins are losing, not undeservedly.

My headache is currently in abeyance, but the crunchy feeling at the back of my neck makes me fear it will return, as it has on and off for two days now.

And, well, you know.



So I'm off to tink, to watch the Bruins keep losing (probably), and most likely to go to bed early. What else is a girl to do? I mean, other than mainlining Ben & Jerry's, and I'm trying not to overeat.

Must Stop Talking Snow

Current report: So far, the weather today has not been as bad as predicted, but it's still raining, and should all that freeze, walking will be even more treacherous than it already is.

I took a picture the other morning of the rising sun glinting on icicles:


Were that my view, I would be sorely tempted to open the window and bat at them. Perhaps I am part cat.

As for this, can you guess what it is?


Go on, guess. Look again.


That lump in the middle? Underneath the snow is a picnic table.

Lord, even I'm getting tired of my talking about the weather. It's just such a large part of life right now. And after all, discussing how I have to empty the dishwasher, or clear off the kitchen table, is hardly more enthralling. Tomorrow is hardly better, with laundry, and perhaps grocery shopping! Today's high may have been doing my taxes and learning that I'm getting more back than I did last year, which is satisfying, but hardly exciting--and, I'm disappointed to report, my first thought was not, "How much yarn/chocolate/books will I buy?" but instead, the extraordinarily prosaic, "Well, there's the mortgage for March."

All right, I can do better than that. How about talking books? I've certainly been reading a lot, trying to escape from everyday life. Have you heard the buzz around Among Others, by Jo Walton? I read a bunch of raves about it, and finally read it myself this week. I found myself flagging a bunch of quotes that really grabbed me.

I have books, new books, and I can bear anything as long as there are books.

Interlibrary loans are a wonder of the world and a glory of civilization.

Class is entirely intangible, and the way it affects things isn't subject to scientific analysis, and it's not supposed to be real but it's pervasive and powerful. See; just like magic.

I don't know if she does this because it's magical or if she does it because she's mad. It's very hard to tell the difference.

...and anyway she's fictional. I can tell the difference, really I can.

Bibliotropic ... Like sunflowers are heliotropic, they naturally turn towards the sun. We naturally turn towards the bookshop.

If you love books enough, books will love you back.

Beyond that, I don't want to say too much, but it was wonderful. If the tone of the quotes speaks to you, then hurry and read it!

What else? Well, I quite liked a new YA/middle readers book called The Candymakers, by Wendy Mass. It's reminiscent of The Mysterious Benedict Society, as well as of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, except that it's entirely its own book. Four twelve-year-olds and a candy-making contest, new friends and hidden pasts, secrets and lies...

If you're a Dorothy Sayers fan, by chance, I highly recommend the new Wimsey, written by Jill Paton Walsh, The Attenbury Emeralds. The story was good, and I enjoyed seeing how Peter and Harriet were doing post-WW II.

What have you read lately? Anything worth talking about?

Yet More Weather Blather

At 11:15 this morning, I went to weather.com and saw that the radar map was entirely blue, meaning snow everywhere. The thing is, that's not just my local area. It goes up into Maine, west beyond Hartford CT, covers Providence and the Cape ... every bit getting snow. One storm had it snowing in Boston and Albany, Portland and Providence, all at once.

This is a big storm, is what I'm saying. I'm very glad I stayed home today.

I figure I cleared 4-6 inches of powder off the steps and car today, and the snow seems to be done for now. I don't know when the next storm comes in exactly, though supposedly it will be after I'm in bed; I just checked and it's about getting to Erie, PA. It's another big storm, going all the way back to Topeka. And this one is going to be wet, heavy, mixed with freezing rain ... yeah. Not so excited for that.

That's all I have now. I need to put my dinner leftovers away and watch the rest of the Bruins game, and given how I'm yawning, I'll be lucky to make it to the end. Go Bruins!

Oh, Snow. Here We Snow Again.

Going back to work this morning felt somehow perfectly normal and oddly unusual at the same time. Just a week and a half without working (or needing an alarm clock) is enough to throw my balance off a little on the return. The commute was on the irritating end of normal, with the snow mounds everywhere making it hard to see, especially at intersections, and lately there's an added 5-10 minutes every day because they didn't plow the end of one road wide enough for two lanes, so the "I'm just turning right" crowd has to wait behind all the left-turners. Traffic that used to be a couple of cars at most now backs up a block or more every morning. As you can imagine, kind of annoying.

Then, when I heard the weather forecast on the radio, I felt like crying. Can you believe, another snowstorm*? Another foot of snow? According to one source this afternoon, "North and west of Boston, 14 to 20 inches of snow from Tuesday and Wednesday is possible."

*Technically, this is apparently two snowstorms, not one, but I say if it's snowing Tuesday and it's snowing Wednesday, it's going to feel like one big storm.

When did this become normal? I'm quite certain that in past years, we got storms with smaller amounts of snow, at least some of the time. Two-four inches, or 3-5. Not 8-12 or 12-16, over and over. And there was some melting between storms, once in a while. (What a thing to be nostalgic for.)

Someone commented on one of the weather stories, "Ok, I know that it is winter and that we will get snow but the second coming of the Ice Age is not what I expected." Amen, brother.



If my memory serves me at all well, and I think in this case it does, this is the fifth storm in the last three weeks that has dumped significant snow on us. This season's snow totals are already about half again the average amount, and on a record-breaking pace. Good lord, mother nature, what did we do??


I guess, to try to look at the bright side, I won't be working for the next day or two, which will be pleasant for me and delightful to Carlos. I don't exactly have a desk full of work to make me feel guilty about it, even.

And I happen to have a nice big bottle of ibuprofen, the Shoveler's Friend, already on hand.

I can't think of any other bright sides, though. Can you? For me, that is. I know that skiers and other winter-sport enthusiasts* must be happy (once they get out of their driveways), and plow drivers are exhausted but have to be happy to be paying the bills, and if you own a hardware store, you're probably cheerful. But me? Not so much.

*Check out photo number 11 in that link: the skier and the jackrabbit!

And honestly, look at this picture from the local news station:


And tell me where we're going to put another foot or more of snow.

Because here's what I'm thinking: I'll stay home until it melts. Or they start foreclosure. Whichever comes first.

Off to Pack

Right, you know the drill: I'm leaving tomorrow for a few days (weather willing*), and I may or may not post while I'm away. I'll doubtless have plenty to say, and photos to show, when I get back. Let's hope the travel stories aren't too lurid.

*Boston has already canceled school for tomorrow, and put in a parking ban starting tonight, four hours before the predicted start of snow. Eep.

Of Socks, Knitting, and Travel Weather Worries

Monday night's stitch and bitch was disappointing socially, as no one else showed up, which happens in our group once in a while. However, it was good for knitting: while I waited to be sure no one else was coming, I finished the first sock of the current pair, the one I started Christmas Eve (three weeks and three days, pretty fast for me!).


Isn't it beautiful?


Not the greatest photos, I know, but daylight is in short supply around here this time of year. (I'll try to do better later, maybe in Florida!) The yarn is my beloved Socks That Rock--I love the Lightweight just as much as I did the Mediumweight--in colorway Sunkisssed (sic) Sands, knit in the Skyp pattern that I am addicted to (this is my fourth pair in a row).

I also started the next sock Monday night. Isn't it funny where one stitch leads?

Sock one in background, start of sock two in foreground

Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. No wonder knitters understand the idea of small steps accomplishing big things.

I took out the skein of yarn I want to use next, the Malabrigo my aunt gave me for my birthday. I wanted to wind it the other day, but talked myself out of doing so because it seemed premature.


But. The word they're using to describe Friday's expected snowstorm is "significant". Gulp. It sounds like I'll be spending more time at the airport than I would prefer. Perhaps winding the yarn for the next pair of socks isn't so much getting ahead of myself. I don't really think I'll knit a whole sock and start the next pair in a day, but. (Even if I had the time, would my hands hold up? Doubtful.) Having it at hand might be comforting.

I'm worried that the best-case scenario will involve another midnight-at-McDonald's meal (my flight was delayed last time, though no snow was involved). As long as I get there, as long as I get there...

And if I do make it out of town (crossed fingers, knock wood, etcetera), there is a little good news for me: missing "the coldest air of the season" according to a mid-day report:

Next up – an Arctic blast this weekend bringing the coldest air of the season. There certainly will not be any snow melt going on after our Friday storm.

Highs over the weekend could struggle to get out of the single digits in some suburbs, teens around Boston.

Overnight lows will range from a few degrees below zero to a few degrees above!

Whew!

And then there's this one:

The problem is we could either receive 2-4" or 12".

Yup. That's a problem, all right.

*********
I do have one update for you from last week's snowstorm: the missing newspaper from Wednesday surfaced over the weekend. I believe it must have been thrown near the trash cans at the foot of the stairs that morning, and was unearthed by the digging-them-out project someone was doing this weekend (I thought I mentioned it here, but now I can't find it, soooo..).

So the when will the last snow melt contest will not have a when will the paper surface element to it (not that it's a contest, really). Although yesterday's rain melted some of what we have, there's still a ton of white stuff around.

We really don't need more. If anyone's listening.

Someone else has a complaint as well.

Why did you make me get off your lap? I was comfy. I was sleeping!

What does that mean, foot cramp? {sigh} You don't really love me.

The Could-Be-Worse-but-Still-No-Fun Storm, plus hockey=happy (today, anyway)

Today's weather is bad enough (more on that shortly), but what's making me massively uneasy is that more snow is forecast for Friday. No, no no no! On Friday I am leaving on a jet plane, headed to the only one of the 50 states currently without snow, and I really hope the weather does not muck that up. Oh, please.

Sigh. I predict roughly 72 hours of nerves locally.

Well, back to today. Stormy. Messy. This morning, it was powdery snow, about an inch that I almost could blow off my car. When I was about halfway to work, and it had already taken as much time as it usually takes for me to get all the way to work, I started pondering whether I would have stayed home if I'd known the roads would be that bad. Possibly. But in the end, as I was already out, I persevered, and got to work not too much late, and no damage done.

As for this afternoon, it stayed snow until I read a news story telling me that the snow would change to rain only in Boston and south, but would stay snow for north and west of the city. At that point, where I was (which is very much north and west of the city) it promptly changed to rain. Since that meant potentially ice on top of snow, I left work early (at my boss's encouragement). I was prepared for a truly horrible commute.

How many times have I said it: the key to happiness is low expectations. It was slippery getting to my car, and I had to clear about three inches of wet snow off before I could go, but the drive home was, well, fine. I took it slowly, and there were a few areas of standing water, but the traffic wasn't too heavy and the highways not slippery at all. It took less than an hour; I've had longer drives home when weather wasn't a fact0r.

Of course, the rain will mean flooding, and probably ice on top of snow and slush, so I'm not exactly cheering about this storm, just giving credit where it's due. The winter weather really is no fun, though ("If you are me, which I am," as Laurie said today).

Yesterday's Bruins game, on the other hand, was nothing but fun. When you win 7-0*, you aren't doing too much wrong! Chara got his first career hat trick and looked touchingly delighted, Bergeron got another goal and assist (he's on a roll lately), Thomas made some stellar saves ... good times.

*With other recent wins at 6-0 and 7-5, they seem to have less trouble scoring these days than they sometimes have.

It was the first game of a home-and-home with the Hurricanes, so they're down in Carolina tonight, and I hope the Canes don't get their second wind. Build on the win, Bruins, build on the win. I love to watch you ... not sucking.

Yes, I'll say it again: the key to happiness is low expectations. Agree? Disagree? Discuss.

After making this list, I see why I'm tired

Progress today:

• I emptied the dishwasher (which I ran yesterday), and have hand-washed the rest of the pile (including the big pot, which I got out to use for the applesauce and found to be insufficiently cleaned after its last use, ick).
• Made applesauce. The smell of it, bubbling on the stove, made me happy. Having it in the fridge, and heading to the freezer for later consumption, makes me very happy. Though for sure, it was too many apples this year. Not a bad problem to have, is how I'm thinking of it. Another bout of applesauce is in my future. And some apple crisp. Mmm.
• Made spaghetti pie for dinner. Between this and the applesauce and the backlog, a fair lot of dish-washing has been going on. My back hurts.
• Cleaned out the fridge. This does not include cleaning the fridge, but is an essential precursor.
  
• Four loads of laundry done and put away (except for the dainties, air-drying).
• Rearranged the office perch cat area a little.
  

After a lot of this:

I thought they might appreciate more space.

Right now, of course, they're curled up together on the old space, leaving the elbow room empty save for one extended paw. But give it time.

• Paid some bills.
• Photographed the new sock, in "daylight" that mostly changed the color of the yarn.

Not really the right color.

Much closer.

Is it just me, or is that heel the neatest thing ever?

Just me, eh? All right. I can live with that.

• Took the big pot that had held the basil plant down cellar for the winter. I won't tell you how long it languished on the counter, but it's nice to have the space back. I'm going to miss the basil, but that's winter for you. Speaking of which...
  
• Ordered a therapy light.
  

Yeah. I'm tired of feeling tired all the time, and the doom-cloud of oncoming winter, and decided to try it. Works for some people, hopefully it will work for me. It's getting dark by 4PM, and I hate that! It makes me feel like the evening's over, and I'm out of time, before it even starts. Ugh. I'm with Hamlet's uncle, during the play-within-a-play:

Give me some light!

I will, of course, report back.

Thinking in Fragments, or, It will have to be bullets tonight

• Why do I feel less praised when it is given in the form of "Your great!"?
• Why do I doubt I will find a proofreading position on a website that claims "Company's post exclusive jobs..."?
• When I got home tonight, one of the other condo owners had just pulled up too, and he pointed out that there was a water heater among the garbage cans. Since neither of us is aware that one of the building's heaters was being replaced, and we would most likely have heard, that means that probably someone just left it there for our building to deal with. Can you image?
• My boss told me today that her boss, one of the new guys, doesn't think that my main job task belongs in his area, and should be part of another group. Which would have me reporting to someone I like even less than my current boss, if you can imagine. It may not happen, but ugh. I kept shuddering all day, thinking about it.
• I did apply for a proofreading job last week, it's not close but I could handle the commute for a good job, but so far I've only heard back in an auto-response, "don't call us" way.
• And I can't find another proofreading job online tonight to apply for, except the one that requires experience proofreading technical manuals. I can talk my way around certain "candidates should have..." features, but absolutes like required, when I don't? Yeah, not so much.
• I'm taking the night off knitting, due to a possible repetitive-stress ache. Last night, I noticed that the back of my right hand is sore, and feels almost bruised. Since there is no bruise, and I don't recall whacking it into something very, very hard, I'm going to give the hands a night off. Hopefully, the fulfillment of my Olympic dream will not hinge on this decision.
  
• Miri really wants to curl up with Carlos. He's just looking at her.
• In honor of Dick Francis's recent death, I thought I would re-read my favorite few of his books (top 3? top 5?) and review them here. It might even happen! I have to pick my favorites first.
• We had snow yesterday. Even after clearing it off my car and stomping it off my boots, I had to admit, it was pretty this morning:

So-So Snow, Cats, and a Random Rant

So far, and I'm happy to say this, the OMG! snow! storm Boston was preparing for today has been a bust. Yes, it's snowed some, and it's very windy, but when I left work at five I only had a tenacious dusting to clear off the car, and going home, the roads were ... damp, is all. It's not done yet, and I know south of the city they got more, but in my own world, no problems yet. Thankfully.

I've had dinner, and some kitty-cuddles thanks to Carlos and his non-hatred of human contact, which is pretty much the diametric opposite of Miri (who, if I touch her or move toward her in a way she dislikes, will either remove herself, or stare at me in a "what kind of deviant are you" way, or both).

This is a relaxed cat.

Not every cat can sleep en pointe du nez.

Wistful cat: Just because I flee from you, you pat another cat?

Now, since work continues to suck, I am going to search around a bit. Tune in tomorrow for knitting news!

**********
Random Rant of the Day: I love Google, and think that there is practically* nothing to complain about in GMail and Google Reader and Picasa. But! I can't get the spam filter in my GMail to accept that the monthly bonus-deals newsletter from my credit card company is not spam. Not spam! No! Bad spam filter!

*Practically. Sometimes I still want to be able to sort the messages in my in-box by sender, though, Google, and no matter how many times you tell me that your way is better, I will not change my mind. Nor am I the only one who thinks so, have you noticed? Since when is it a good business model to assure customers that they don't really want what they say they want?

And actually, the spam filter does an awesome job most of the time. Only rarely do I get spam in my in-box, and only very rarely does "real" mail get tucked in with the spam. The only regular exception is this silly newsletter, and Google just doesn't seem to believe me when I say that I recognize the sender, this is real, do not protect me from my mail plz. Since I don't really seem to use the offers it sends, I may unsubscribe from it just to end this petty irritation. Grr.

A nice Sunday, in garden and hockey

Well, my goodness, the Bruins won today. What a surprise. It was already a good day, but there's icing on the cake for you.

It was a good day because I went on a little trek, out to Wellesley College to visit their greenhouses, and my word I enjoyed it. Warm and damp and the plants and flowers, ooh, lovely. I walked around smiling. Just what I needed in the middle of winter. I highly recommend it.

When the weather has given you a lot of this:


You need a place that gives you this:


And this:


And this:


Also these:


And these:


I loved these:


But most of all, this:


Being warm because you're sweating under five layers, while your face feels like frostbite, is just not the same as being warm.

A lot more photos are on Flickr. If I did it right, you can see the set by clicking here.

The 2009 Book Summary, plus some random

Time once again to talk about reading. Yay, books! It's perhaps a little late in the new year to be summarizing last year's reading, but I quote the Yarn Harlot: "Breaking a self imposed ... rule is still not a federal offense, so I'm letting go."

The total number of books I read in 2009 was 126, amazingly close to 2008's total of 122. I'll be interested to see what happens this year: have I found my natural range? Or is it just a big coincidence?

Of the books I read, 65 were new to me and 61 were re-reads, very balanced, and I got 62 of them out of the library, which makes me feel very civic-minded for some reason. And glad that even on a bad day, I make it a point to be nice to, and patient with, librarians. I love the library.


Interestingly, just as in 2008, the month I read the least in was December (though I managed 6 versus 3 the previous year), and the month in which I read the most was September (14 in '09, and 17 in '08). Now there's a surprising trend/coincidence.

Some books that I greatly enjoyed reading in 2009 (in no particular order):

• The Making of a Marchioness (Mrs. Hodgson Burnett)
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith)
• The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square (Rosina Lippi)
• Emily of Deep Valley (Maud Hart Lovelace)
• If I Stay (Gayle Forman)
• The Thirteenth Child (Patricia Wrede)
  

What about you? Have you read any of these? Loved something else? Any book talk?

**********
If you're not a hockey fan, you may have missed all the hoopla about the upcoming Capitals/Penguins game, which will be Sunday afternoon if the Pens don't get snowed out of DC. What bugged me was reading a quote from an NHL bigwig about the "hearty fans and hearty players" of the game of hockey.

Hardy, dude*! Surely you meant hardy, not hearty! I mean, yes, vigorous and all, but in context, "capable of withstanding adverse conditions" has to be it, right?

*Could be the bigwig, could be the journalist writing down a spoken statement, but seriously.

As for the Bruins, on Thursday night I turned the TV on and listened to the game while I did other things. The Bruins scored first, yay! They scored again, yay! Some time in the second period, I wrapped up what I was doing and went in to watch.

As I was sitting down, and I mean the very instant, Montreal scored. Then 39 seconds later--39! seconds!--they scored again. Tie game, boom. I could not believe it.

The Bruins lost in the shootout. I'm supposed to be at least a little glad they got one point. Yuh. Woo. Hoo.

They played again this afternoon, against Vancouver, and you know what happened? You won't believe it.

The Bruins scored the first two goals.
Vancouver scored the next two.
And the Bruins lost in the shootout.
Deja vu much?

The best part of today's game was while I was listening to it in the car. The radio color guy mentioned that a Vancouver player was "trying to start something. He's getting in Chara's face ... or at least in his chest." Ha! (Chara's six foot nine, so other players often look very short next to him.)

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In the winter, do you ever feel so dry that you start to think the air is draining your life force?

How about pondering the mystery of oily skin that is somehow dry enough to itch?

Just me?

This story includes a light-up giraffe yard ornament

In one sense, today was not a lovely day, as there was a sad lack of sunshine, and the little there was this morning is all we got. However, the temperature got close to 60, which was simply charming. I opened a window, for more than a moment, and let me tell you the temptation to put that sentence in bold, or large type, or all caps, is hard to resist. The smell of fresh air, after this endless (and not over yet) winter, was indescribable. Quite fantastic, and to have it only five days after we got close to a foot of snow, snow that is now virtually all melted by the way, is to say Hello, March, you are better than January. Not that that's hard.

I went on a walk this afternoon, to celebrate the weather and the Bruins' matinee win, and as soon as I saw this object, I was glad I had my camera with me.


It's sort of hard to tell, but the light-up giraffe is wearing a Santa hat. Is this a Christmas story I missed? Can anyone enlighten me? (Feel free to make something up, if you can sound plausible; I'm stumped.)

Of course, this may not be my week, because when I saw the sticker on the back of this car, I felt I was missing its point, too.


Not the Red Sox sticker, this one:


Perhaps it's a Jeep thing, and I just wouldn't understand?

Harold was ready for his closeup the other day.


He and Miri are definitely playing these days. And does she love to play with toys as well! I cleared out under the couch today, and had to get the yardstick to reach everything under there. So that's where everything went! I thought the living room was looking less messy underfoot than usual.

In (ahem) completely unrelated news, I am now calling "dust bunnies" "fur bunnies", since the ones I see lately are much more fur than dust. Have I said already that I had no idea what a difference a long-haired cat would make? Wow. The fur, it goes by in tumbleweeds. Simply stunning.

This was not my most successful photography, but the ice on the window the other morning was really lovely.


You know, for a miserable harbinger of cold weather and all.

This White Stuff Needs to STOP

My memory tells me that February is usually worse than January, that something about its shorter duration makes it paradoxically harder to get through. This year, though, January was a bear, and February less so. A lot of the accumulation from January melted, leaving roadsides less thoroughly obscured, and only those nasty gray hillsides along every parking lot as a reminder of the near-constant snow we endured for some time.

Then comes March.


Yesterday morning, this roof top was clear.


It snowed lightly yesterday, not building up too much, merely teasing for what was to come overnight. This morning, I looked out the window, deduced that if I went to work, it would not be at the usual time, and went back to bed for an hour or so. I got up again, had some breakfast, and looked again: still snowing (horizontally due to the wind), streets only lightly plowed, steps and path need shoveling, drive not plowed at all yet, and substantial amount on car. Yes, call to boss, leave message on voice mail, and back to bed.

The sleep was highly beneficial. Last night I had a miserable headache, worse than I've had in some time. Though it was gone this morning, it left me feeling rather frail. Extra bed-time, with cat, helped a great deal. And clearly I needed it, since the next time I woke up, it was almost eleven! The picture outside was improved: the snow had stopped, the drive had been plowed, someone (else) had shoveled the steps and path. Even the streets were more discernible. I decided that I could handle it, and got myself ready.

Shoveling the car out was rather tiresome, of course. In fact, I cheated: I shoveled the car off, but didn't do the around that I should have. I was rather out of gas, metaphorically speaking, and since I could get the car out, I did.

The drive to work wasn't too bad, but I arrived to a virtually empty parking lot, and a locked door. Hmmm. I shall have to enquire if there is a number to call and check on such things, next time. I wasn't thrilled at the wasted trip of course, but I would have had to clear the car off anyway*, and I was rather pleased to have the rest of the day off! So I turned around and came back home. Before pulling into my spot, I did shovel out around it, thus removing that undone-work guilt.

*I would guess there were about 8 inches of snow on it, even with the wind blowing some off.

Since then, I've had lunch, and made the pot of chili that I was going to make yesterday before my head exploded. Tonight, since I don't really feel like going out again*, I think I will pass on Stitch and Bitch, and perhaps I'll even do my laundry! The excitement around here, I don't know how I handle it.

*The snow is only flurries at this point, but it is still coming, and the roads are not ideal, and parking will be messy, and ... I'm in, okay? In for the night.

Some more excitement (I use the term sarcastically) from yesterday: I discovered that I bought bilingual celery. All those years of French lessons, and I never knew that celery was counted by the foot!


Not that stalk makes any more sense ... but it's what I'm used to, is all.


And what's this from Saturday? Could it be? Cats choosing to be near each other?

If you tell anyone, I shall use my laser eyes to punish you.

Yes, that means the blog too! Are you listening?

Harold's not the only one relaxing. Miri is starting to think that maybe, just perhaps, every move I make is not intended to kill her.


Either that, or she trusts the camera now.


If not its operator.