The Pros and Cons of Snow

Because of the snow, I've been able to take some time off work for the past few days. When the roads are snow-covered, icy, and treacherous, the office closes and we can all stay home. The con of snow, however, is the snow removal process. A lot of people complain that the plows are never out clearing the roads. That doesn't seem to be the case in my area. They seem to have done a great job and I'm grateful for that. Everything was clean and clear and there was hardly any ice or slush on the major roads. However, what was left behind was the sand and pebbles—or whatever it is—that they drop on the ice. On the one hand, this stuff is great because it either melts the ice or gives you a little bit of traction so that you can drive without sliding around. This is bad, however, because the cars in front of you kick the sand and pebbles back into your car, and, naturally, these can fly directly into your windshield. Just about every car in Colorado has tiny chips or cracks—or both—in their windshields because of this. For quite a while, I've had a crack that has run across the bottom of my windshield. Because it is out of my line of vision, I haven't really done much about it. But today I noticed a brand new crack right at eye level on the passenger side. So now I'm thinking that I might actually need to get this replaced sometime soon. It's great that I've had several days off of work, but now I'm not exactly looking forward to this new, unexpected $300 expense to replace my windshield. Sigh...

Long Weekend

The snow has finally stopped, the sun has come out, and I can see small patches of blue in the sky again. Knowing that our offices would probably be open today, I woke up at my normal time and went through my usual morning routine. It took me about 20 minutes to clean about 20 inches of snow off my car. The roads to work were clear and clean and surprisingly dry. There were a few patches of black ice, but the drive into work wasn't bad at all. But the moment I stepped into the building I noticed that all of the lights were off. Apparently the power went out just as I walked in. There were a few people already in and we waited around to see if the power would come back. After about 45 minutes and after hearing from the power company that it could take four hours to restore the power, we were sent home and our office was closed yet again. So now I'm back at home. I did a few work-related things, and that's about all I can do now. Maybe now that the weather is better I can go out and do something fun. Or I can continue to be lazy...

Current mood: enjoying some unexpected time off
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Bond "Quixote"
Current drink: coffee

Snow Day, Day Two

It is Thursday morning, and it is still snowing. The snow hasn't stopped or even lightened since Wednesday night. So far the totals coming in for Boulder are 17 inches of snow, and considering it is still snowing, the final total will be even higher when all is said and done. It is supposed to keep snowing throughout the afternoon and into this evening, so we'll see where we are in the end. Although I'm sure it is a mess on the roads out there, it sure is absolutely beautiful to see from the safety and warmth of my apartment. Everything is pure white, and there are thick layers of snow on the branches of the trees outside my apartment. Some of the branches are bending precariously under the weight of the snow, and I'm surprised that none of them have snapped yet.

Because the weather is still bad, our offices are closed again, and everyone seems grateful for that. I think that it has been obvious over the past few weeks (and months) that everyone was in need of a break and some time off. It's almost nice to be forced to take time off like this. (And it is nice to be forced to take time off and have it not be a furlough that affects our paychecks!) Hopefully it will give everyone a chance to rest, relax, and recharge. Even though the snow is supposed to end tonight, the mess usually carries over into the next day or two. Our offices may or may not be officially closed, but the e-mail announcement that came out today said that because the weather has been so bad, Friday might be a wash too. Hopefully that means we can have another day off or, at the very least, a partial workday.

Current mood: resting and relaxing
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Gavin DeGraw "Chariot"
Current drink: orange juice (building up my immunity, because you just know someone in the office is going to get sick after all of this!)

Snow Day!

Today is our first snow day of the winter, and everyone rejoices! Yesterday the weather people were already predicting a wallop of a storm, and by the afternoon dark, ominous clouds started to roll over the mountains. It started to snow last night, and when I woke up this morning there was a good amount of snow on the trees and grass outside my apartment. I checked my work e-mail and there was a message saying we were on a delayed start and that we would probably close early. But, about 30 minutes later, a second message went out to let us know that the office was officially closed.

From the height of my apartment, I can't really tell how much snow is on the ground, and I'm not going outside! But there seems to be a good amount of snow on the tree branches. The snow is still falling and the weather people are saying that this is only the beginning. It sounds like the snow might continue throughout the day and it might get even worse tonight. So if we're lucky, we might have another snow day tomorrow!

More updates to follow, if anything exciting happens...

Current mood: happy to have a day off
Current drink: coffee

This and That, Weekend Edition

It has been another busy week, so there hasn't been a whole lot to write about.

Work: I'm still trying to catch up and keep afloat after getting about ten new projects last week. Earlier this week, we also found out that we've started a "joint venture" with another smaller publisher. Basically this means that we've taken on another publisher and that means that even more work will start to come through our office. The good thing about this is that we obviously have enough money to take on another publisher and this is gives me an even better sense of job security. After all, someone will have to work on these books. The downside is that we're going to get a lot more work, and there is a chance that this work might come through my team. Right now we all have a lot of projects, and we're close to working at our maximum capacity. There is already a lot of restlessness and the complaints are getting louder, so I'm not looking forward to the time in a few months when we get even more work. All of this, however, is in the early stages and we're all still figuring out what this all means. This acquisition was, quite frankly, a surprise to everyone. So this is a bridge we'll have to cross when we get there. On the plus side, last week we received our first non-furlough paychecks. And, to celebrate our first non-furlough paychecks, the office had a huge happy hour in which everyone blew their paychecks. Fortunately I was strong enough to leave after spending $20. And I might add that I didn't spend a whole lot of money on my own order of drinks and food, but I helped pay for my boss's share of the drinks and food, because it was National Boss's Day. The party started at one bar and was then going to move to another bar where another, separate party was going on. The other party sounded like it wasn't going to be very happy or festive, because it had the more disgruntled employees in attendance. It was an Unhappy Hour, if you will. Because I didn't want to get depressed or spend more money than I wanted to, I decided to slip away and go home.

Weather: The weather has been crazy lately. It has gone from winter to fall to summer back to fall and today it is winter again. Yesterday the weather was beautiful. It was in the 60s and it was sunny and clear for the most part. The only bad part of the weather yesterday were the winds. I woke up this morning and it was cloudy and grey. It started to rain, then it started to snow. The snow, however, didn't stick to anything, and it stopped for about 20 minutes. Now it's started again. Update: After about five minutes the snow stopped and the sun is trying to come out. I've updated this weather paragraph about three times since the initial post. I think I'm going to give up because it keeps changing minute-by-minute. I must live in Colorado. :)

Current mood: trying to get motivated to clean the apartment
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Dave Matthews Band "Crash into Me"
Current drink: coffee

Deluge

Just when I think that I have a quiet moment at work, I'm flooded with new projects. In the past week, I've received around ten new projects. That is in addition to the five or six projects that I already had. I can manage a heavy workload, but when you get a lot of new projects all at once, it can get overwhelming because starting projects is usually the most time-consuming part of the process. So, sadly and needless to say, I did what I vowed I would stop doing—I had to bring a lot of work home with me. However, I do manage to keep things into perspective. It's better to have too much work than no work at all!

This weekend I also need to write some reviews for three people in our department who are up for their annual or three-month reviews. This usually isn't difficult, but it is just time-consuming to put all of the right words together.

This is going to be one busy weekend...

Cooking Adventures - Tofu and Black Bean Chili

I slept in very late this morning and when I finally crawled out of bed, I looked out the window and saw snow covering the trees and grass. It's been quite cold, about 20 degrees, and snow has been falling lightly for most of the day. Feeling especially lazy and not really wanting to go out in the cold, I didn't do the grocery shopping that I was supposed to do today. But I still needed to eat tonight. I looked in my fridge and found some tofu and I knew that I had plenty of canned beans and tomatoes. So, because the weather was so cold and snowy today, I decided to try my hand at making Tofu and Black Bean Chili. I've never made chili like this before, but I thought, how hard can it be?

I pressed the tofu for about an hour to get out the water and moisture so that the tofu could then soak up all of the yummy flavors. I started the dish by sauteing some chopped onions. I usually also add some chopped carrots, because it gives the chili some texture and added vitamins, but because I didn't have any carrots in the fridge, I had to go without them. So I added the tofu (cubed) and browned them a bit. Then I added the spices, from your basic chili spice packet, but knowing that tofu can sometimes be kind of bland, I added more chili powder and crushed red pepper flakes to give it some more heat. Then I added diced tomatoes (undrained) and black beans (drained and rinsed). I also added some water because I like my chili saucy. Then I brought it to a boil, then lowered the heat, and let it simmer for about an hour. Once it was ready, I dished it up into a bowl, and topped it with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese. The verdict? It was yummy!

The final product

Update: It is now Monday evening and I'm finishing the last of this chili. A benefit to making a huge batch is that I can stretch it for several days. So, in addition to being yummy, it's also quite economical, too. I estimated that once you add up all of the ingredients, the total meal comes to about $6 or $7. And that covers dinner for three days! For a whopping total of a little over $2 a day! I rock!

Big Gay Weekend

This is going to be a big weekend in the world of gay rights. Tonight, President Obama will deliver a speech at a dinner and fund raising event for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay rights lobbying group and political action community in the nation. On Sunday, the National Equality March will take place, and it is a march that will draw attention to gay rights and the demand for equal protection under the law. The rights gays and lesbians are asking for are simple: the right to go to school or work and be free of harassment, the right to go about our daily life and be protected from hate crimes, the right for equal health care and benefits, the right to donate blood, the right to marry, and the right to serve in the military (this quick and easy list is courtesy of the National Equality March Web site). In a nutshell, we basically want all of the rights guaranteed to straight men and women. Yet, these are rights that have been denied largely because of political posturing or religious preaching.

Although there are a number of rights that gays and lesbians are denied, the two hot-button political issues right now are the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT).

Defense of Marriage Act:
DOMA was passed by congress and, sadly, signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. The law states that the federal government defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman and that states are not required to recognize same-sex marriages even if the marriage might be recognized in another state. Individual stats can pass their own laws that recognize (or ban) same-sex marriages or civil unions, but what the gay and lesbian community is fighting for is federal recognition and federal rights. The arguments for banning same-sex marriages vary. Many people like to use religious standards and argue that because the Bible says homosexuality is immoral and an abomination we should not allow or recognize same-sex marriages. These people take the Bible for its word, stand by it, and have a very literal and inflexible interpretation of it. Yet, this same Bible also states that a woman, who is not a virgin at the time of her marriage, should be stoned by the community. I wonder if there is a man, who stands by the Bible's claims of homosexuality, would also be willing to stone his wife right now if she wasn't a virgin when she married. The Bible also says that if a man sleeps with another man's wife, both he and the woman should be put to death. If this were the case, we wouldn't have many politicians left in Washington right now. The Bible also says that you must detest and not eat any creature from the sea unless it has fins and scales. So shrimp and lobster are out.

People also say that allowing same-sex marriages will destroy the sanctity of, in the words of Miss California, "opposite" marriage. Well, I honestly don't think that gay people running out and getting married brought the divorce rate among straight people to 50 percent. Many of my friends' parents are divorced and, sadly, a few of my friends are getting divorced themselves, but I doubt that any of these divorces were cause by gays and lesbians.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell:
Don't Ask, Don't Tell prohibits any service member—read gay or lesbian service member—from disclosing or discussing his or her sexual orientation. It also prohibits officers from asking about a service member's sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians are essentially forced to stay in the closet and forced to keep quiet. They are prevented from discussing whatever relationship they might be in. However, straight men and women are free to openly discuss their relationships, their boyfriends or girlfriends, or their husbands or wives. There is still a belief that having openly gay men and women in the armed forces would destroy the morale and cohesion of the troop. It would be a distraction and a threat. I'm not sure how other people feel, but if a service member is threatened by homosexuality, how can you feel safe having that person stand by you and defend you in battle? I don't care if you are willing to take a bullet for your country, if you're threatened and afraid of a gay man or woman fighting beside you and willing to take the same bullet, you are a coward. And how would people who favor DADT explain stories of women in the armed forces who are harassed, abused, and raped by men? I doubt they are being raped by the gay soldiers!

In spite of the fact that we are fighting multiple wars, soldiers continue to be discharged from the military for being gay. Many of these men and women are specialists and Arabic translators, and you would think that these are the people we need most right now. Yet, because they are considered a "threat," they are let go. It's astonishing and unbelievable.


Monday, October 12, also happens to be the 11th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a young man who was beaten, tortured, and left to die on a fence in Laramie, Wyoming. His attackers later admitted that they targeted him because he was gay. An this sad event and hate crimes in general are other issues that need to be brought up this weekend. This weekend, with President Obama's speech at the HRC dinner and with the March for Equality, gives the gay and lesbian community and opportunity to put their issues back on the table. Unfortunately, many gay rights activists have been highly critical of Obama because he hasn't yet done anything for gay rights and he hasn't acted out on any of his campaign promises. I'd be the first to admit that we need changes and that these basic rights should be extended to the gay and lesbian community, however, I also think that this heated criticism of Obama is premature and counter-productive. Obama has been in office for only ten months, and he walked into a situation where we were facing an economic and financial crisis and several wars. There are just some issues that needed more immediate attention. I think that if the gay and lesbian community really wants to make progress, they need to remain patient and, most importantly, remain supportive of the one person who has the potential to bring about these changes. Obama's campaign was built on hope and the slogan "yes, we can," and we need to remember this as we keep fighting. It might be a struggle and a long road, but it is something that shouldn't be given up.

Patriotism and the Olympics

Catching up on a few old stories of the past few weeks...

The idea of patriotism seems to change in meaning depending on who is in power. When George W. Bush was president, Republicans and conservatives had a very well-defined standard of patriotism. If you were against the war, you were accused of being heartless and not supporting the troops. You were accused of not caring about the people who were fighting and sacrificing their lives for your freedom. Naturally, you can be against a war, but still care about the safety and well-being of the men and women fighting that war. Those things to the Republicans, however, weren't mutually exclusive. If you were for the war, you were pro troops, pro military, pro America. If you were against the war, you were anti troops, anti military, and anti America. If you criticized President Bush, the Republicans accused you of being un-American and unpatriotic. However, now that a Democrat is in the White House, the Republicans have an entirely new definition of patriotism. Now it is considered patriotic to criticize a president. It is patriotic to call the president a failure in spite of the fact that he has been in office for only ten months. Now it's patriotic to shout out and call him a liar. I'm sure the Republicans would think that it would be patriotic to throw a shoe at Obama, but I'm sure they would agree that it would be unpatriotic—and criminal—to throw a shoe at Bush.

Obama's attempt to bring the Olympics to Chicago and the Republican reaction to it is a perfect example of the changing standards of patriotism. Though the geeky and nerdy part of me thinks that it would be cool to keep the Olympics in Greece permanently, I'd be the first to also admit that the Olympics is an international event and the opportunity and privilege to host it should be something that can be shared by all nations. Hosting the Olympics is great event. It gives the host nation a chance to show off its history and culture. And, like the ancient Greek culture from which the Olympics came, the event gives the host an opportunity to welcome guests from foreign nations, to extend open hands, and to build friendships and alliances for years and generations to come. It's a matter of national pride and you would think that any members of any nation would be eager to bring the Olympics to their country. However, when Obama tried to lend his support to bring the Olympics to the United States, Republicans and conservatives were outraged and appalled. Obama was accused of being arrogant and egotistical. He was accused of jetting across the world, when he should have been taking care of issues at home. (As if it were impossible for anyone, let alone a president, to multi-task and think of more than one issue at a time.) When Chicago lost the bid to host the Olympics, Republicans and conservatives cheered and celebrated this "loss" and "failure." How patriotic is that? Your country loses a chance to host the Olympics, and this is some kind of victory? Your country loses the possibility of job creation and a huge economic boom, and this is something worth celebrating? Wasn't this the same political party that would chant USA! USA! at the Republican National Convention?

Current mood: glad it's Friday
Current music: Dead Can Dance and Lisa Gerrard playlist on iTunes
Current drink: vanilla soy milk

Cooking Adventures - Pannekoeken

This evening I was in the mood for something different for dinner. I occasionally cook breakfast for dinner, and that craving along with a little homesickness led me to make pannekoeken tonight. Pannekoeken are Dutch pancakes and they are probably better described as crepes. If you want, you can probably make them savory and fill them with cheese and different meats, like sausage, ham, or bacon. Or you can make them like a dessert by filling them with pudding or fruit and topping them with whipped cream. My family always kept it simple and filled the pannekoeken with powered sugar and cinnamon.

I've never made pannekoeken before, but everyone has always said that it is easy to make. Still, this was going to be an experiment. The recipe to make the batter was simple, and I was ready to go. The first pannekoek looked awful, but apparently this is normal and to be expected, so I didn't get too worried. All in all, everything turned out pretty good. I think that I probably should have thinned out the batter a little bit with some more milk, and I need to work on my technique of pouring the batter into the pan and swirling it around—I got some interesting shapes that weren't quite circles! It wasn't quite as good as my Ma's, but for the most part it was a success.

Sick Day

Even though things have been busy at work these past few weeks, most of my projects were out in other hands either with authors or freelancers. So, with relatively little to do during the day, I decided to "call in sick" on Wednesday. Fortunately my boss is great and she knows how hard we all work, so she doesn't mind if we occasinally call in sick and play hokey every now and then. Sometimes we can even schedule our "sick day" a few days in advance. All night Tuesday night, I was considering taking a sick day. I'm never really sick and have never had to take a real sick day, but I realized that I had about 12 days of sick time left for the rest of the year. So on Wednesday, I actually called in sick. I might as well use them, because they don't carry over into the next year.

On my day off I decided to go for a hike. I was awake relatively early, and I got to Chautauqua Park in Boulder at about 10:30 and I was ready to hike around the Flatirons. I had my camera with me and I was excited to take a lot of pictures. It's been a long time since I've had a photography excursion day, so I was really looking forward to it. Hiking around the Flatirons while taking a lot of pictures is one of my hobbies that completely absorbs me. It distracts me and takes me to a different place. I don't think about work or the drama at work. I don't think about the pressures of money (or the lack of money!). All I think about is the beauty surrounding me.

My hike turned into a very long one. I wandered around my usual trails and explored some trails that I haven't been on before. It was an absolutely beautiful day. It was sunny and clear and the temperature was in the 70s. For the most part the weather was calm, but it started to get windy near the end of my hike. By the time I was ready to go home, I realized that I had been hiking for about three hours and I turned back only because I was starving and needed food.

All in all it was a wonderful day. In spite of the fact that it was an occasionally strenuous hike, it was actually a very relaxing and peaceful way to spend the day off. When I was home, I devoured a huge lunch and a huge dinner and I slept like a rock. When I was back at work on Thursday and Friday, I felt completely different. I felt energized and my mind felt clear. Maybe I sweat out all the toxic energy and emotions on my hike. Either way, I felt great for the rest of the week. I wish taking a three-hour hike were something I could do every day!