Old Man Winter

I've known for awhile that winter would rear its cold, snowy head eventually, but we've been so spoiled the past couple of years that I hoped it would hold off for a bit. Well, it's here and it looks like it's staying. So I shouldn't have been surprised by the bone-chilling cold air today. But I was. Time to break out the long, poofy bubble coat, which I bought for these cold New York winters.

By the way, for those of you who might think cold weather is something new for me, I grew up in Southern New York. The air was just as cold there. Could it be that in my old age I am becoming less tolerant to the cold weather? I blast the heat in my car until it gets so hot that when I move my arm my watch, which has been in the direct path of the heat vent, burns my skin. But I don't learn. Every day I do the same thing. I am THAT desperate to get warm. Right now I am curled up on my couch in my warm flannel pajamas with a super warm and buttery soft blanket wrapped around me. Between my body and the blanket, leaning against my stomach, is a microwavable heat bag. Most people stick it in the mic for about a minute and a half, I heat it for three minutes. And then reheat it again. My shower water is scalding hot. I even brush my teeth with hot water. I revel in sitting in the sun, feeling its warm rays on my body.

I think the snow is really pretty, especially when it clings to the trees and sparkles in the sun. I like tubing and want to try snow shoeing. I've gone cross-country skiing but I wasn't very good. Maybe I'll try that again this year. In the past I've enjoyed skiing. I even have a pair of skis engraved with my name - I know, LOOOOSER! But mostly I enjoy curling up on the couch with a heat bag, under a blanket with a cup of hot tea cradled in my hands watching a cheesy movie or reading a fast-paced book. Ah, the possibilities. For now, I'll welcome winter, cozy up to my heat bag, and remind myself to wear my poofy coat.

Let it rain, let it rain, let it RAIN

Notice how people are always so entertained by the weather? It's such a common conversation piece. There is something so exciting about storms, whether it be pouring rain, snow, wind,or thunderstorm. Right now it's about 50 degrees and raining, with strong gusts of wind making eerie noises through the house. It shouldn't be fascinating, but to me it is. If it was cold enough to snow, we would be in trouble! There are major flood warnings out through Thursday morning, and the local news channel is predicting massive power outages as a result of 50 mph winds. I don't think I want to know what a gust that strong feels like! Again, if this was snow I'd be wearing my pajamas inside out and backwards, flushing ice cubes down the toilet, putting cotton balls underneath my pillow, and running laps around the dining room table hoping desperately for a snow day. Wait, I think I just heard thunder. Or it could be the train (which also captivates me!). I think maybe the weather is so exciting to me because it's a force that cannot be controlled. Mother Nature is unstoppable (although I did hear recently about scientists that have devised a way to alter weather patterns and precipitation - very bad idea!), and her storms can be quite fierce and unpredictable. I mean, how often are weather predictions correct? More than half the time it seems that the meteorologists are taking their best guesses on the weather for any given day. Even storm predictions fall short. A prediction for a foot of snow really only drops 3 inches. A 5-inch snow prediction has left us with two feet. Is there no way to accurately predict the weather? If there isn't, that's fine, but let's not pretend there is by creating and using fancy technology like the Doppler system.

As a kid I was absolutely terrified of thunderstorms. At the first sound of thunder my entire body would stiffen and I'd break out in a cold sweat! If I was at home I would immediately retreat to the basement with my favorite teddy bear and a flashlight...all by myself, counting the seconds until it would all be over. Crazy, huh? My family thought I was absolutely nuts. My brother loved thunderstorms so much (either that or he just loved torturing me) that he would stand outside in a thunder and lightning storm, staring up at the sky. I attribute my fear to the day I was in the child seat on the back of my dad's bike and we were several miles from home. It started to thunder and I remember being really scared. It started lightning and pouring and I started screaming and crying. My dad says I totally freaked out. I think that is definitely the day my fear was born. My fear of thunderstorms has, for the most part, diminished - thank goodness! Now house centipedes have replaced that fear! (Ewwww!)

10 DAYS and flush

Whew! Thanksgiving was a whirlwind this year! We spent Thanksgiving with my family, then traveled back upstate for a second feast. Sunday we were invited by my in-laws to another turkey dinner. I loved every minute of it! THREE Thanksgiving dinners and I didn't have to cook a single one. I'd say I made out well.

Well, the birthday to end this blog will occur in 10 days (Dec. 9th). I don't really know what I'm expecting to happen, or if I should expect anything at all. Will something magical happen the moment I turn 30? Will I be wiser and more sophisticated? My bet says no. Just another year, another number. One hope is that I'll be able to celebrate somehow, sometime, and somewhere with my Love and good friends! The other is that I get a Blog of Note.

Now onto the real blogging part. I have to bring this up. What is it that prevents people from flushing a public toilet after they've gone to the bathroom? I hope that on my birthday I'll have an entire day of no unpleasant surprises when I walk into any stall. It's so gross, really. I mean, is it that difficult to push the handle? A gentle kick would also do the job. I don't mind so much when there is only pee in the bowl, but there's absolutely NO NEED for anything more substantial to linger behind. Oh, and.... if you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie and wipe the seatie! PLEASE!!!!!

'Tis the season

'Tis the season for peace, joy, love, and crazed shopping!

Well, the day after Thanksgiving traditionally marks the beginning of the holiday season here in America. Store decorations are up, sales are abundant, people are skittering every which way looking for the perfect gifts for their precious ones, and Christmas music plays on the radio. Hanukkah begins the first week of December, with Christmas soon to follow.

Usually the holiday season raises my spirits and adds an extra spring to my step. Not this year, though. I am not feeling Christmas-y. It's unfortunate, really, because I look forward to this season all year long. I guess I'm in a rut. Maybe things will turn around?

With that said, I'm hardly getting any shopping done because I'm not in the right mood. Anyone who normally gets a gift from me at Christmas, including my family, may feel gypped this year. I'm hoping my advance apology will grant me pardon!

Enjoy the season...

Thanksgiving = Give Thanks

I love this time of year. Thanksgiving is here, and Christmas and New Year's are just around the corner. Holiday lights are up, the temperature is getting colder (well, that isn't much fun!), and snow starts to flurry. People are abuzz with shopping lists and pre-holiday tasks. Parking lots are packed and people seem a little cheerier. It's a magical time of year!

But of course, nothing would be magical if I didn't have family and friends to celebrate with. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of giving thanks for who and what we have in our lives.

I plan to take some time over the next few days and focus on the people and things that I am thankful for in my life. I recently heard someone say that we should be happy with what we have instead of focusing on what we don't have. That resonated deeply with me because it's so easy to get caught up with what we don't have and what we want. Television commercials, magazine ads, billboards, and movies all remind us of what we don't have but could have.

When we sit down to make our holiday "wish" lists, maybe we could also make a "thanks" list. What are we thankful for? Who could we give thanks to? It always feels better to give than to receive (although receiving feels wonderful, too). If you try this and find you have difficulty listing things you are thankful for, watch the documentary titled "God Grew Tired of Us". It's the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan who trekked over 1,000 miles to reach safety at a refugee camp in Kenya while their country was torn apart by civil war. Many have been placed in the United States, where things like electricity, indoor plumbing, refrigerated food, and beds were a new experience for them. These are things I take for granted every single day. This documentary was a reminder of how much I do take for granted, so this year I'd like to spend time being thankful for what I have instead of thinking about the things I don't have.

Have a safe, happy, and thankful Thanksgiving everyone!

Zombie Apocalypse

My husband sometimes refers to a "zombie apocalypse". I didn't get it at first so I had to look it up. According to wikipedia, it's "a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization."

Now, I doubted that he really believed this would happen because of its supernatural implications, and was thoroughly relieved when I realized he was really referring to the state of people's minds as being zombie-ish. He feels that people today are walking around in a state of complete self-centeredness, in an altered reality, failing to see what's really going on around them. And in that case, the zombie apocalypse IS really upon us, as you can witness for yourself by clicking here.

Can you believe this? I am astonished. And frightened. Really frightened.

Final Countdown

Well, I realized today that The Big Day, my 30th birthday, is less than one month away. On December 9th I will turn The Big 3-0. I can hardly believe I have been blogging for nearly ten months! In light of the upcoming event, I took some time today to ponder the idea of a birthday. In my mind, birthdays are celebratory. Why not celebrate the day one was born? I believe life is a gift, and a birthday is a perfect opportunity to be thankful for that life and celebrate it with the people who really make up that life: friends and family. Then I started to think about how we only celebrate that one day. I mentioned to someone that I would like to celebrate my birthday for an entire week. She suggested the entire month. At first I laughed at the ridiculousness of it, but then I stopped. Why NOT celebrate for the entire month? So, I made a decision. This year, the year that I turn "Dirty Thirty", I am going to celebrate my birthday for the entire month of December. What does that mean? It means I am going to do something to celebrate "me" each day for the entire month. It might be something small like taking the time to paint my nails, meditating, or giving myself an extra hour of sleep. Or it might be something bigger like having dinner with friends or going to a movie or show. I don't get to do all the things I enjoy because life gets in the way. That is no longer going to suffice as an excuse, at least for the month of December. I am thankful for my life, and I know that 30 has great things in store for me. I'm going to celebrate being 29 until December 9th, and then I'll celebrate being 30 until the 31st (an beyond, of course). Life is a blessing and I am very happy to be here. I plan to celebrate that blessing!

Countdown: 22 days!