What is the Temperature in California??

As to be expected, not long after I return home from California we are hit with a heavy snowstorm here in Colorado. The snow started early in the evening yesterday, and it continued through much of the day today. This morning I had to clear about 8 inches of snow off my car before I could start my drive to work. Needless to say, the roads were tough to drive on at times. The surface streets and on- and off-ramps were the worst parts of the drive. And, naturally, you still have the foolish drivers who like to speed and weave in and out of traffic in spite of the snow and ice. They can do as they will, and tough poo poo if they end up in a ditch with multiple fractures and head injuries. Serves them right. I just prefer to take it slow and easy. You can pass me if you want. I like my car, and I like my life, so I'm not going to risk anything.

The drive and the cold might be bad, but it is beautiful. Here is a view from my apartment...



And just in case it gets cold...

I'm Back

It has been a long time since I have last written something. Apologies to my faithful readers. I took a little surprise vacation home for Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful time. It is always great to spend time with the family and the puppies. Of course, having such a wonderful time off makes it all the more difficult to wake up for work the next morning. I spent most of the morning in a daze and I was tired after a late flight. If I were smart, I would have taken an extra day off today. But instead of being smart, I decided to be a good employee and come back to work with the rest of the office. I don't feel so bad about being in a daze all day because everyone else in the office was pretty much in the same state of mind. Most people were so tired that they could barely put a sentence together, so I don't feel so bad. Needless to say, I took things easy today and tried to ease back into work. This meant that I spent most of my time answering e-mail, returning calls, and reorganizing my projects. I was glad that an hour of the day was dedicated to an interview. We have an open position in our department, so I helped with the interview. Needless to say, I will be happy when we officially hire him! :)

I suppose that I will have to do "real" work tomorrow. Or maybe I can plan my Christmas vacation. I think I might spend the rest of the evening tidying up my apartment, paying some bills, and drinking a glass of cognac...not necessarily in that order...

A Poem

Drowsy and drifting
Clouded and confused
Is it a dream
A darkened room
Lying atop cool cotton sheets
Skin, soft and smooth
Hot flesh pressed and melting together
Lips and kisses, hands and embraces
Moving and lingering and straying at a dizzying pace
Impatient passion
Insatiable hunger
Unquenchable desire
Unlimited ecstasy


--Well, it's not much of a poem. It doesn't even have a real title. It is certainly what I am feeling right now and what I am thinking. For some reason, I just feel tongue tied. I know what I want to say, but I just can't seem to say it. It is not quite good enough for me. I sound cliche, and if you read my other poetry it also sound repetitive. I just wanted to write it down before it slipped my mind completely. I was fortunate to have some great writing professors at the junior college I went to. They taught me that the most important thing in writing is to just write. Just put your thoughts on the page. It may not be good. It may not be what you intend or want. But the thoughts are there, and eventually you can work with them. Maybe this is just a work in progress. Maybe inspiration, somehow, in some form, will descend upon me. Until then...

Bad People, Wind, and Sunsets

Bad People: It seems as if some bad people are prowling around our office building. Two co-workers have noticed that their cars have been keyed in our office parking lot. Who the heck scratches up cars that are parked right next to an office building? I think my car is okay, but I need to check it tomorrow morning when it's not dark out. Fortunately, though, I park my car where I can see it from my office window. And since I obviously have an undiagnosed case of ADD and have a tendency to stare out the window and daydream when I should be working, I would probably see someone if they were lurking around my car. I really hope that no one does any damage to my car. After all, I don't think Santa will bring me a nice present this year if he were to find out that I broke someone's legs for messing with my car...

Wind: The weather really cooled off over the weekend, and yesterday there was a good rainfall that was almost snow. What is bad right now are the winds. When I went out for lunch this afternoon I was nearly blown off my feet. But that happens when you are little like me. It is fun, though, to try to dodge tumbleweeds that roll across the roads.

Sunsets: The winds may not have been all that fun, but the sunset this evening was absolutely beautiful. I just can't explain how beautiful it is to see the sun set behind the mountains when they are dusted with snow. I love watching the sun set into the ocean, but this is beautiful too. Some people don't like this time of year because it gets dark so early. I kind of like it. There is something cozy and romantic about it.

And speaking of cozy and romantic, I'm sure there is a poem in me somewhere, I'm just waiting for it to come out. Be patient, faithful readers...

Construction, Stupid People, Circus Peanuts, and the Weather

Construction: there has been a lot of construction in my area these days. I guess the city wants to finish their construction before the real snow starts to fall. One thing still confuses me, though. I keep wondering why the city of Boulder tends to do their major construction when school starts or during the peak of the semester. This is always when the most students are around and when there are the most cars on the road. For some odd reason, there is hardly any construction during the summer when the city is much quieter.

Stupid People: stupid people tend to be at their most stupid when there is construction. When a big orange sign says that the lane is about to close and that you need to merge into another lane, don't look surprised when you run out of road. Don't be surprised when you suddenly have to merge. And, of all things, don't be that idiot that speeds past the traffic and tries to cut in at the last minute. And, people, when traffic starts to back up, don't enter the intersection unless you know you can make it through without blocking traffic. How many times do I have to wait through a green light because you idiots keep trying to go through the intersection when you clearly shouldn't? You look like an idiot because you are parked in the middle of the intersection with nowhere to go and you look like an even bigger idiot because other people are upset with you because you are blocking their way.

Circus Peanuts: I just looked under the ingredients on a bag of circus peanuts. It contains that warning that the product "may contain milk and peanuts." Peanuts? What? Are they kidding? Are there really peanuts in circus peanuts? I've had plenty of circus peanuts and nothing in a circus peanut comes even close to resembling a real peanut.

The Weather: The weather has been odd lately. We are already in our second week of November and the temperature today was in the 70s. I suppose this doesn't mean much in Colorado, because there is always the chance that tomorrow we can have a blizzard that drops three or four feet on the state within a few hours. The weather would be perfect if I were sitting on a patio having a few beers with some friends. It might be hard to believe, but I wish there was a little more winter in the air...but not too much winter. I like chilly weather, but I don't want it to be too cold. I don't mind a decent snowfall, but I definitely don't want to deal with ice. I guess I do like a certain crispness in the air. I have a childlike fondness for seeing the steam from my breath, and there is something cozy about bundling up in a warm jacket. I like the smell of the cold air and it is made even better if you can smell a fireplace burning in the distance. And it is okay to be cold when you have a good glass of wine or cognac in your hand.

Current mood: annoyed with construction and stupid people, perplexed by circus peanuts, calmed by the weather.
Current drink: root beer...too early for cognac
Current food: circus peanuts
Current music: Beth Waters This Little Piggy

Look Both Ways and Say Thank You

When you live in Boulder, you are bound to encounter a lot of pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The closer you are to campus, the more people and bicycles you'll find. By now, I've gotten use to it when I'm flying around in my car. I know where the students tend to walk so I know where and when to slow down. I'm fine with the amount of people, but what I am not fine with are the people who think they own the road or who don't pay attention to where they are going. Pedestrians and cyclists have the right of way and I'll happily grant them that. I just wish more of them would look at the traffic and cars when they decide to cross the street. I can't even begin to count how many people just cross the street without the slightest glance to the left or right. Maybe I grew up in a different generation, but when I was growing up my parents taught me to look both ways before crossing the street. They also taught me that I shouldn't cross the street when a car is approaching. You can never trust the driver. When kids these days cross the street without looking both ways, are they just dumb or are their parents dumb because they didn't teach their kids to look both ways? If the people are crossing the street in a crosswalk, then I will happily slow down or stop. If you're jaywalking, well, then you better just walk faster than I can drive. And remember I'm from California, so I can drive fast!

There is, however, something that annoys me more than people who cross the street without looking both ways. What really annoys me is when you stop for a pedestrian or a bicyclist and they don't acknowledge you with a little thank you. When I stop to let a group of people cross the street, I kind of expect them to maybe look at me, smile at me, or give me a little wave of thanks. Again, this is something my parents taught me, so maybe I'm just expecting everyone else to do the same. Some people are really polite and do this. Others just walk on by. These, of course, are the ones I want to just run over.

This is all annoying and it makes me cranky. It just makes me wonder what happened to common sense and common courtesy. Maybe I just expect too much.

Current drink: Rutherford Hill 2002 Napa Valley Merlot