Cold!!!

It was 22 degrees out this morning. And since it's been so long since I've had to bike in weather that cold, I forgot to add a wind layer on my legs. Brrr.... And I couldn't feel my big toes by the time I got to work. Will definitely dress warmer tomorrow.

It's raining outside

Well, maybe it's actually drizzling, not really raining. But, it was definitely raining last night, so I'm reordering time a bit in order to keep the title to the blog post. So there! Take that Einstein. This is what relativity is useful for. :)

My travel adventures continue and now I'm in Arden with P and K (and kids). I'm working in Hartford this week, so I flew in a few days early and P picked me up at the airport to spend the weekend with them out here. Some of K's family are also here (aunt, uncle and their kids) and we went to have drinks with other members of K's family, so it is quite the H weekend. (Lots of initials, I know. But for those of you who are cool (ie also related to P and K), there's no need to explain. For those who aren't cool, well...too bad...)

We're heading back to Hartford tomorrow. It has been very nice to spend time with the kids and I wish I could hang out with them for a few more days. I'm glad we're spending the holidays with them. It's been far too long since I've played at being "Auntie Doctor," as they call me.

In an airport

It seems I spend a fair amount of life either in airports or on planes. This weekend has not been out of the ordinary in that regard. I'm currently sitting in the Delta SkyClub at LaGuardia. My flight to Atlanta was delayed due to weather (in Atlanta), so I get to sit here for another hour (or more) before boarding. I'm glad that D and I spend the money on the board room/club lounges. It makes flying far more relaxing to be able to sit someplace quiet, have a drink (alcoholic or non), use free wifi and not have to worry about packing up your stuff every time you need to go to the bathroom.

I went to Veniero's yesterday and got cannoli to bring home. The shell might be a little soft by the time they get there, but they'll still be tasty! :)

New York. New York

I'm in NY for the weekend visiting my aunt and sister. It's definitely nice to see them, and fun to have so many restaurant options, but it doesn't really feel like home. I miss it on some nostalgic level, but not really on a real emotional level. I feel more attached to Colorado than to NY. But then I've spent a far larger portion of my adult life in CO, than NY.

Pearl Cleage

Went to a performance/gathering tonight where Peal Cleage read some of her work. Absolutely amazing on so many levels. Alice Walker was also there and read a number of poems, but I was actually more impressed by Pearl. The Indigo Girls performed as well and I have to say they did a much better job than when I last saw them live in Anchorage. In general, I get the feeling that Amy and Emily aren't the most vibrant live performers, but it was still enjoyable.

On feminism

I went to hear Gloria Steinem and Beverly Guy-Sheftall speak tonight (at a fundraiser for Charis, an feminist bookstore in Atlanta). Very interesting and well done. I wish we'd had more time to hear their discussions.

Anyway, when Gloria Steinem was talking about the value of getting women together in groups to talk and share experiences, something she said struck me. "Since we're all unique, if we're all having the same experience, it's political."

Something to think about...

I am very distressed

We got an offer on the house today and D's out of town, so I'm making decisions by myself, which is kind of stressful. So I decided to watch an episode of Dollhouse to relax a bit, and it worked fine, until the very end when they showed a trailer for the new Star Trek movie.

I think I'm in shock. Why did they have to do that? It was fine the way it was! It's Lord of the Rings and Star Wars all over again. Why do studios keep thinking they need to "improve" things?! It's terrible. It's awful. And I feel ridiculous for being this disturbed by it, but it's just WRONG! Yes the old movies and old show were campy and ridiculous, with stupid special effects, but that's what it was! And it worked that way! And inspired trekkies for years without any problems.

I just don't understand...

Cleats

I have to say that, after living two winters in Alaska, ice cleats are one of the best inventions ever. I can confidently walk around my driveway without falling on my ass. This is true progress.

Quote from "Juno"

"Honey, doctors are sadists who like to play god and watch lesser people scream."

Ha!

Alaska is cold

It's been below zero for over a week now, with temperatures generally hovering around -10 to -15 at the house. When we woke up this morning, Dan discovered (while in the shower) that the water pressure was really low. Thankfully he was able to wash off all the soap before the water cut off completely, but the investigation into the source of the problem revealed that the pipe from the well to the house was probably frozen.

I lucked out and found a thawing guy from the valley who happened to be coming to Anchorage to drop his daughter off at a sleepover. So he's outside right now working on the pipe. Hopefully we'll have water soon.

(On a related note, we're also pretty sure that the radiator loop for the basement is frozen too. Maybe he'll be able to thaw that while he's here.)

Yes, Alaska is cold.

Things I am thinking right now...

1) The Seattle airport is weirdly quiet and empty. It's like no one wanted to fly on election day.

2) CNN is nutsy. They call states before any polls have reported (VT), call states the opposite of what the polls actually show, and call states when only 1% have reported and it's a close race. I'm sure their computers have some logic to them, but I think they need to add some human common sense to their conclusions.

3) The Alaska Boardroom has two vegetarian soups. I've never seen such craziness. And it makes me very happy.

4) Wine helps tremendously with feeling nervous about the election.

5) If McCain wins, New Zealand is looking more and more attractive.

6) It's cold in Anchorage right now.

7) ...my brain is a tad fuzzy as a result of #4.

It just keeps getting better...

Palin's 17 yo daughter is pregnant. And keeping it. And getting married to the father.

1) Soap opera anyone? I thought this was a political campaign.

2) I have to wonder if Palin's political ambitions lead her to put even stronger pressure on her daughter about keeping the child and getting married.

3) Poor kid.

4) Abstinence education doesn't work. Duh!

5) Shame on Palin and McCain and the Republicans for using a 17 yo kid as a political tool. And that's exactly what they're doing to get the support of social conservatives.

6) This is the role model for women the Republican party is giving us? Have kids early and often? What the F---?

Palin???? Palin????

Watch the bouncing ball!!!!!

Hurricane Gustav

I'm on call for September and the feds are starting to gear up and pre-deploy assets (meaning they send people and supplies out ahead of time and stage them in a safe place, so they can get to the area needing assistance more quickly. Gee. What a great idea!)

Anyway, so I'm watching the National Hurricane Center closely and keeping an eye on my email to see when I'm going to be sent out. Guess I should also start packing my bag and such, but I'll wait on that for a bit.

Food and self-description

When I was in Boston last week, my friend B told me about FitDay, an onling diet and exercise journal. Over the past year I've put on a bit of weight (travel, moving, living in Alaska) and haven't been too successful at taking it off (travel and lack of self-control). Keeping close track of what you eat, even without actually dieting, can have a big impact on what you eat just 'cause you're more conscious of it. So here goes. Follow the link to My Journal.

Another thing B and I talked about was this idea of choosing two words to describe yourself. I was only able to come up with one, but was talking to D last night and he helped me with the other. So my two words are empathy and thoughtful. D's two words are intense and exuberant. Feel free to join in on the fun (or comment on our selections). :)

Joss does it again

You have to watch it by Sunday July 20th or it's gone. Or you can download it from iTunes. Totally worth it.

Countries I've visited

I found this cool site while procrastinating. :)



create your own visited country map

This is what it takes to get me to post to my blog

Something new from Joss Whedon with Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillon. Yay!!!

But seriously, I know I need to post to my blog more regularly. It's quite possible that no one is really looking at it any more, but I suppose if I post regularly and people check it randomly, eventually traffic will increase again. So I'm going to do my best. (Of course, I've said that before. )

Snow

Three days ago the National Weather Service said it was going to snow on Thursday, but that it would be 50 degrees, so it wouldn't stick. (I know; it doesn't really make sense to me either.)

Yesterday, they said there would be a few flurries, but it wouldn't stick.

This morning, they said it would snow 2 inches, but it wouldn't stick.

Last time I went outside, there was 10 inches of snow on the ground (I measured it). And it's still snowing. Now they're predicting 1-2 feet.

But, it is spring time in Alaska. So it's light out until 10pm and the snow is beautiful and white.

And I might lose power 'cause the snow is heavy and I have a tree right next to my electrical lines. Ah, thank goodness for a generator.

I am a parent

D and I started fostering this past Friday. We currently are parenting a pretty amazing 17 year old young woman. It's going really well so far; a few of the fairly standard teen problems, but otherwise we are both really enjoying having her around.

This is definitely going to be an interesting experience.