This and That

Work: It's still busy. You might send four books to press in one day, but don't think you can rest. You have three new books that you need to get started. Such is the publishing world.

Snow: I knew that it was going to snow this afternoon. The weather people have been talking about it. But I thought it was going to be a light snow. The snow started to fall right after 4:00, and it wasn't that bad. There were just a few swirling flurries. Before I had a chance to look up a second time, half of our department had already gone home to beat the storm. I stayed at the office until about 5:00 because I still had some things to do. By the time I left the office, there was already a good layer of heavy, wet snow on top of my car. By this time the snow was falling faster. It was really dark and gray and cloudy, and with the snow swirling around so much, visibility wasn't that great. The roads were wet and just starting to get bad. I was waiting at a stoplight about half a block away from my apartment. Our light turned green, and I was about ready to go, but someone completely blew through the intersection. I'm not sure if the other driver couldn't see the light or if he couldn't stop because the roads were too slick. Maybe he was just an idiot who ran a red light. But if I pulled into the intersection just a second sooner, the guy would have broadsided me. Fortunately when the weather is snowy and icy, I'm less likely to slam on the gas like I usually do. (Yes, I know that hitting the accelerator the instant when the light turns green is bad for my car, wastes gas, and hurts the environment. I'm trying to change this, honestly.) Thankfully I made it home in one piece.

Caffeine: With the weather being yucky this evening, I wasn't able to go to the grocery store like I intended. I'm out of root beer (among other things), and since I'm addicted to caffeine, I'm starting to go through withdrawal. Yes, I know caffeine is bad for you, and I'm trying to cut down, really. If you're confused, I drink Barq's Root Beer, and Barq's is the only root beer that has caffeine. So now I'm drinking coffee in lieu of root beer.

Green: I frequently lose myself in the internet on random blogs and other sites. It always surprises me that there are still people out there who are still in denial and don't believe that global warming and this whole climate crisis really exists. Some people out there who truly believe that this is simply some kind of frenzy spun and fanned by liberal wackjobs. (I'm liberal and often wacky.) However, the rest of the world knows that global warming is real and there is plenty of science that proves this. Yet, what is the harm in living a greener life? What's the harm in conserving energy? What's the harm in wasting less and recycling more? What's the harm in shopping for more natural and organic products? It might require some more effort and thought, but, quite frankly, more people in this population need to try thinking a little more.