viernes, 24 de enero de 2014
lunes, 20 de enero de 2014
Blue grass, green skies, and good friends make me feel alive
Long weekends, good friends, and dancing are always life giving.
lunes, 13 de enero de 2014
30 day challenge revisited
Back from last year's kick of motivation, I've been on a self-proclaimed 30 day challenge this past month to wear a scarf (with an emphasis on incorporating decorative scarves that I was too intimidated to wear before) and reading 30 pages daily. Today is my final day before going back to the 30 day drawing board.
Have dabbled in the following books/topics this past month
Have dabbled in the following books/topics this past month
- Book of Salt
- Ethics
- How to Read a Book
- Mythology
- Things Fall Apart
- Daddy Long Legs
- Charlotte's Web
- Memoirs of a Geisha
- History of Routt County, Colorado
- Low Income, Social Growth, and Good Health: History of Twelve Countries
I've finished some, read a few pages of other, but overall am glad to have taken some action on putting my concept of self as reader into practice. And I'm much more comfortable wearing my vast collection of decorative scarves from vintage stores, boutiques, and lovely nooks and markets around the world than a month ago.
Off to finish the last 30 pages and imagine what the next 30 days might hold!
Off to finish the last 30 pages and imagine what the next 30 days might hold!
sábado, 11 de enero de 2014
Charlotte's Web and morning skis
"'Where do you think I'd better go?' [asked Wilbur]
'Anywhere you like, anywhere you like,' said the goose. 'Go down through the orchard, root up the sod! Go down through the garden, dig up the radishes! Root up everything! Eat grass! Look for corn! Look for oats! Run all over! Skip and dance, jump and prance! Go down through the orchard and stroll in the woods! The world is a wonderful place when you're young." p 16-17
I bought a pair of cross country skis this week after feeling in a funk about the winter. After living for two years in a place where people choose to move specifically because it snows so well and so much, the overarching Hoosier distaste for the cold was starting to bring me down.
After a day of the most beautiful Midwestern snow I had ever seen and a full 5 hours of craigslisting and calling around town for used skis while cooped up home alone, I woke up last Saturday, went over to REI, and bought myself some brand new Rossingol cross country skis.
Since we had record snow accumulation this past week and several winter storm warnings, I've already used them 4 times. It's finally back up in the 30s, which compared to -20 at the beginning of this past week feels balmy. Starting my day for the past two days on a 3 mile ski loop through the woods at Eagle Creek, one of the largest city parks in the country, has been like heaven.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
'Anywhere you like, anywhere you like,' said the goose. 'Go down through the orchard, root up the sod! Go down through the garden, dig up the radishes! Root up everything! Eat grass! Look for corn! Look for oats! Run all over! Skip and dance, jump and prance! Go down through the orchard and stroll in the woods! The world is a wonderful place when you're young." p 16-17
I bought a pair of cross country skis this week after feeling in a funk about the winter. After living for two years in a place where people choose to move specifically because it snows so well and so much, the overarching Hoosier distaste for the cold was starting to bring me down.
After a day of the most beautiful Midwestern snow I had ever seen and a full 5 hours of craigslisting and calling around town for used skis while cooped up home alone, I woke up last Saturday, went over to REI, and bought myself some brand new Rossingol cross country skis.
Since we had record snow accumulation this past week and several winter storm warnings, I've already used them 4 times. It's finally back up in the 30s, which compared to -20 at the beginning of this past week feels balmy. Starting my day for the past two days on a 3 mile ski loop through the woods at Eagle Creek, one of the largest city parks in the country, has been like heaven.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
lunes, 6 de enero de 2014
SNOWPOCALYPSE 2014
Between subzero temperatures, massive (by Indiana standards) amounts of snow accumulation, and closings to roads, businesses, and schools across the streets, it does seem, as my roommate called it, a snowpocalyse.
Time frame and highlights so far:
3 days ago
First 6 inches of snow fell and were quickly cleared. After a day of Colorado nostalgia/cabin fever, I went out first thing the next day and bought my first pair of cross country skis. Skied around Broad Ripple Park for an hour or two.
2 days ago
Did a snow dance for 10 to 15 minutes while jumping around the apartment hoping to help the forecast of "rapid snow accumulation" along its way. Skis, just as hoped, successfully changed my perspective on the season and weather for the better.
Yesterday
The office was open for our 1 pm shift after an official ruling at 10:45 am, but we were allowed the option of taking personal time if we felt unsafe. I decided to try it out, figuring that after driving around on snow for the past 2 years at the ranch I should be better off than most Indiana drivers.
I was one of the only cars out on the road but made it just fine (at a snail's pace and still passing a few trucks.
One of my coworkers who didn't come in texted me updates all day when the mayor said all businesses should shut down, that all schools were closed, that people shouldn't even step foot outside, etc. etc. etc.
I asked my boss for an extra half hour at lunch because I brought my new skis (and snow gear) with me just in case. Spent a full hour tromping back and forth and around the building in the snow thinking how glad I was to be outside and to have skis.
My boss tried to order us pizza. No surprise, delivery wasn't an option. Even if the restaurants had been open....
The parking lot was so snowy that I could ski comfortably across it even though the plows had passed by twice
Came back in and found out that the office was closing early. I think we get paid for the extra 5.5 hours that we were let off. And since they didn't want us all to slide off the side of the road and get stranded, work paid for 3 of us to stay at a hotel 1.5 miles down the road.
Thankfully I brought a Snowpocalypse prep bag with pajamas and had a toothbrush, twizzlers, playing cards, and some reading material in my camping box in my trunk.
Made some popcorn, took a hot shower, and went to sleep
Today
Woke up in the hotel. Had a continental breakfast (waffles and a yogurt "parfait"), plenty of coffee, and stocked up enough bagels, cream cheese, and muffins to last for my lunch and dinner at work. Naturally, no other businesses were open in the area still including anywhere to pick up food.
Work was closed until noon. Then 1 pm. Then, after waiting around at the hotel for work to start (since, as mentioned, I was only 1.5 miles away), they ended up closing the office for the full day.
Took about 10 minutes to get my car door open because of all the ice. Nearly cost me my left pinky because of the -20 degree windchill even with gloves on, but it seems to be regaining feeling now.
Felt hungry from the effort and tried to eat the bagel I'd taken for lunch before driving away. While I was defrosting my car, it had frozen solid. Frozen cream cheese is weird. Not bad. But weird.
Got home, made some mulled wine for lunch with my roommate, watched way too much TV (now hooked on Once upon a time), started learning how to crochet a flower (before today I was exclusively a knitter), wrote some letters, read about part time jobs and stocks and taxes and SQL and uploaded all my photos from the past 6 months to Facebook.
All in a snow day's work.
Should be below zero all day tomorrow as well. More snow Thursday with better temps so my skis will be getting more attention in no time!
Stay warm, keep those faucets dripping, and sweet dreams from the 317,
K
Time frame and highlights so far:
3 days ago
First 6 inches of snow fell and were quickly cleared. After a day of Colorado nostalgia/cabin fever, I went out first thing the next day and bought my first pair of cross country skis. Skied around Broad Ripple Park for an hour or two.
2 days ago
Did a snow dance for 10 to 15 minutes while jumping around the apartment hoping to help the forecast of "rapid snow accumulation" along its way. Skis, just as hoped, successfully changed my perspective on the season and weather for the better.
Yesterday
The office was open for our 1 pm shift after an official ruling at 10:45 am, but we were allowed the option of taking personal time if we felt unsafe. I decided to try it out, figuring that after driving around on snow for the past 2 years at the ranch I should be better off than most Indiana drivers.
I was one of the only cars out on the road but made it just fine (at a snail's pace and still passing a few trucks.
One of my coworkers who didn't come in texted me updates all day when the mayor said all businesses should shut down, that all schools were closed, that people shouldn't even step foot outside, etc. etc. etc.
I asked my boss for an extra half hour at lunch because I brought my new skis (and snow gear) with me just in case. Spent a full hour tromping back and forth and around the building in the snow thinking how glad I was to be outside and to have skis.
My boss tried to order us pizza. No surprise, delivery wasn't an option. Even if the restaurants had been open....
The parking lot was so snowy that I could ski comfortably across it even though the plows had passed by twice
Came back in and found out that the office was closing early. I think we get paid for the extra 5.5 hours that we were let off. And since they didn't want us all to slide off the side of the road and get stranded, work paid for 3 of us to stay at a hotel 1.5 miles down the road.
Thankfully I brought a Snowpocalypse prep bag with pajamas and had a toothbrush, twizzlers, playing cards, and some reading material in my camping box in my trunk.
Made some popcorn, took a hot shower, and went to sleep
Today
Woke up in the hotel. Had a continental breakfast (waffles and a yogurt "parfait"), plenty of coffee, and stocked up enough bagels, cream cheese, and muffins to last for my lunch and dinner at work. Naturally, no other businesses were open in the area still including anywhere to pick up food.
Work was closed until noon. Then 1 pm. Then, after waiting around at the hotel for work to start (since, as mentioned, I was only 1.5 miles away), they ended up closing the office for the full day.
Took about 10 minutes to get my car door open because of all the ice. Nearly cost me my left pinky because of the -20 degree windchill even with gloves on, but it seems to be regaining feeling now.
Felt hungry from the effort and tried to eat the bagel I'd taken for lunch before driving away. While I was defrosting my car, it had frozen solid. Frozen cream cheese is weird. Not bad. But weird.
Got home, made some mulled wine for lunch with my roommate, watched way too much TV (now hooked on Once upon a time), started learning how to crochet a flower (before today I was exclusively a knitter), wrote some letters, read about part time jobs and stocks and taxes and SQL and uploaded all my photos from the past 6 months to Facebook.
All in a snow day's work.
Should be below zero all day tomorrow as well. More snow Thursday with better temps so my skis will be getting more attention in no time!
Stay warm, keep those faucets dripping, and sweet dreams from the 317,
K
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