Publishing Through the Ages

Last week I read a very interesting article, Scrolling Down the Ages, in the New York Times. The article describes "book publishing" in the ancient Roman world and compares it to publishing today. It is not surprising that the two have quite a bit in common. Personally, I think the article is an interesting and amusing one because it combines my two worlds of Classics and publishing. For me, you can't get any better than that!

This and That, Weekend Edition

There really isn't a whole lot to report from this week.

Work: Work has been incredibly crazy and busy, as usual. I'm really hoping that things calm down soon, because I would really like to take a day off sometime soon. I really don't have any plans to go anywhere or do anything special. I just really want to take a day for myself where I can do absolutely nothing all day and not worry about anything or anyone. Hopefully I can do this in a few weeks after I get some big books to press.

Rest: In spite of being busy at work and really wanting to take a day off, I at least try to take full advantage of my weekends. For whatever reason I was able to sleep in really late this morning. This morning I woke up at about 11:00, and I'm pretty much just starting my day. I suppose that is something that I can be proud of!

Weather: The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately. I think—and hope—that we can say that it is officially spring. The weather has been warm and sunny and clear, and I've been able to take a few walks after work. Things are a bit colder today and we are expecting some rain later this weekend, but I think we're finished with the freak spring blizzards. I might be able to officially move the ice scraper from the backseat to the trunk of my car.

Birds: I still haven't figured out what to do about my bird situation. They are still nesting in the wall of my apartment, and I haven't told management yet. I've sought the advice of some friends and co-workers and I've been getting mixed answers. So far the solutions are split on whether to let the birds stay there for a while longer or to tell management so that they can get rid of the birds and patch up the hole. But I've been hearing a lot of rustling in the wall today. I just put my ear to the wall, and I heard some little chirping. Now I'm starting to wonder if some eggs just hatched and if there are little baby birds in there. So now I really don't want to tell management until the babies are big or strong enough to fly away on their own. Obviously nothing in my life can be easy and simple!

Current mood: a bit tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Blondie "Call Me"
Current drink: coffee

This and That, Weekend Edition

Out of commission: I was out of commission all day yesterday because I was hit pretty hard by a terrible headache/borderline migraine. No, it wasn't a hangover, and I actually haven't had a drink in about a week. But when I'm stressed, working too hard and too many hours, eventually my body gives in and forcibly tells me that I need to rest. Unfortunately my body's way of telling me this is by hitting me hard with a headache. When I woke up at about 9:00 on Saturday morning I felt pretty awful. I took some Excedrin migraine medicine and went back to bed. I hoped that if I slept for a few more hours the headache would go away. I slept until about 2:00 or 3:00 but still felt pretty bad. In addition to still having a headache, my entire body ached. I forced myself to eat and drink something, and I sat and watched TV for a few hours, but I still wasn't feeling too good. So at about 7:00 or so, I went back to bed. Today my headache is gone, but my body, especially my neck, is still a bit achy and sore.

Work and chores: Unfortunately I can't rest too much today. I brought some work home with me this weekend, and I have quite a bit to do. I also have the typical household chores that I need to do. And I also promised to bake some Baklava Bars for a birthday celebration that we are having for my boss at work tomorrow. So, apparently it is back to the same stress-filled grind that puts me out of commission in the first place.

Snow: Because I slept for most of the day yesterday, I wasn't able to continue my live blog on the spring blizzard. When I looked out the window when I initially work up, thing still looked pretty wet and a very thin layer of snow covered the roofs on the buildings around me. But things didn't look too bad. But, like I mentioned during my live blog, Colorado is made up of microclimates. Things might be fine in my area, but things could be horrible just a few miles away. When I woke up this morning, there wasn't a trace of snow and the sidewalks were dry for the most part. But when I went shopping today I realized that things were completely different just 10 miles south. Areas like Louisville and Superior were still covered with a very thick blanket of snow, and the mountains to the west were covered with snow. Even south Boulder was a completely different picture from northeast Boulder. It's just strange.

Strategic bagging: Packing items into grocery bags is a fine art, at least in my opinion. You need to be thoughtful and strategic about how you pack things. For example, it probably isn't wise to throw the 4 pound bag of sugar on top of the potato chips and loaf of bread. And it's probably not wise to pack the heavy, 5 pound bottle of hand soap with the fragile, delicate eggs. I now have a deformed loaf of bread and probably a bag of smashed potato chips, but fortunately the eggs are fine.

Bird nests: Yesterday, when I was trying to sleep off my headache, I would occasionally hear some rustling outside of my apartment. At first I thought that maybe maintenance was doing something outside of my apartment like patching the roof or cleaning the gutters. But more and more I realized that it sounded like birds or some other kind of critter. I heard more of it this morning when I woke up. So before I went shopping today, I went outside to see if I could find what I was hearing, and, lo and behold, a little bird's head popped out of the wall next to my bedroom window. Someway and somehow, some birds have built a nest in the wall outside of my apartment. I have absolutely no idea how they could manage to do that. And, because this hole/nest is on the south side of my apartment, an area where I rarely walk, I never noticed before. So I suppose I need to tell the apartment managers and maintenance about this, but I'm not sure how they will take care of it without disturbing the nest. But also doesn't seem wise to have a bird's nest between my bedroom and the outside world.

Current mood: tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Chantal Kreviazuk "Time"
Current drink: Barq's root beer

And a Word from Our Sponsors...

I'd like to interrupt my Live Blogging with a quick message...

Because I drink so much Barq's root beer, I signed up for the "Coke Rewards" program. Basically whenever you buy a Coke product you get a special code. You can enter these codes in your account and later redeem them for a variety of things. This morning I got a promotional e-mail with part of the subject line reading "earn double rewards by celebrating Earth Day." Initially I thought, this is great, something about the environment! Then I opened the e-mail and this is what I read: "Earth Day is a great time to celebrate the many wonders of the world—like cool, crisp refreshing water. In honor of Mother Nature, you can earn Double Points with DASANI." DASANI is a bottled water. If you really wanted to celebrate Earth Day, you wouldn't be promoting bottled water, you MORONS!

Current mood: amused and irritated
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Faith Hill "If My Heart Had Wings"
Current drink: water, filtered from the tap!

Live Blogging - April Blizzard, 2009

8:45 a.m.: A quick post since I'm at work. Run for your lives! The storm is approaching! Last night we had a steady rain, and when I woke up this morning, it was still raining in Boulder. But when I turned on the news, they were doing reports throughout Denver and apparently it was already starting to snow there. By the time I got ready and stepped out of my apartment building, it was still raining. But by the time I got to work, it showed the slightest resemblance to snow. Now the rain/snow is falling harder and it is falling at a 45 degree angle. The predictions are that the storm is only going to get worse, so they already made the decision to close the office at noon today.

10:28 a.m.: It's still not snowing in our particular area in Boulder, but apparently it is snowing really bad elsewhere. Most of the people in our office decided to stay home today, so things around here are really quiet. Normally I would really like this, but unfortunately this makes it a little difficult for me to get things accomplished when the people I need to work with on certain projects are at home. Oh well. In a few more hours, I'll be at home too.

12:03 p.m.: I'm officially home, so now I can feel less guilty about blogging while "working." At about 11:45 I was still at work and it was still raining, and a few minutes later, I was in our office parking lot and it was finally starting to snow in Boulder. The snowflakes are big, fat, heavy, and wet. It still seems like it is too warm for the snow to stick on the pavement and grass, and nothing is accumulating right now. But it seems like the snow is bad and sticking in other cities around here. We'll see what happens through the rest of the day.

1:05 p.m.: The snow is really starting to fall and it is finally starting to stick to the grass and roofs. The trees outside my apartment are swaying, so that must mean that the winds are starting to pick up. The weather people are predicting about 10 inches of total snow by this evening, and more snow is expected throughout the night. So they think that when all is said and done we could very well be up to about 2 feet. And just a few minutes after I started typing this, I looked out the window, and it seems like the snow is falling harder and fast. I'm sort of wondering if I need to make a cup of hot chocolate (spiked with rum) to honor the occasion of our spring blizzard...

3:45 p.m.: Well, it's not exactly snowing, but something is coming down right now. Maybe it's rain, or maybe it's almost sleet. Either way, whatever it is, it is coming down pretty hard. It's still pretty windy and it's kind of cold, but it's not freezing cold. What's happening right now, in Boulder at least, isn't quite a blizzard because the snow isn't exactly sticking and accumulating. I think the temperature is still a tad too warm, so the snow isn't exactly able to pile up. It is just really, really wet right now. A small river actually is starting to form in the greenbelt area behind my apartment building, and it looks quite lovely.

6:20 p.m.: Colorado is obviously made up of many microclimates. The weather in Boulder can be very different from the weather in Denver, and that seems to be very much the case today. Since I got home at around noon there have been periods of snow, followed by periods of hard rain, followed by more periods of snow, followed by more rain. The weather in Colorado also moves in cycles and bands, obviously. As I started writing this particular update, I was going to say how amazed I was with the microclimates throughout the area. Even though we've had a few brief periods of snow in Boulder, we've mostly just had a lot of rain. Denver and other areas around the area, on the other hand, have had a lot of snow. But now, as I look out my windows and sliding glass door, I see some huge, fat snowflakes falling. Again, it looks like the heavy, wet kind of snowflakes, so I wonder how much of it will stick. All I know is that the little river outside my apartment keeps getting bigger. (Don't worry, I'm being dramatic, and there will be no danger of flooding.)

9:31 p.m.: At about 7:45 this evening I went outside to get my mail. When I stepped on the sidewalk, I was feeling pretty thankful that I wore my snow boots. I stepped right into some thick, wet slush, and there were a few puddles along the sidewalk that were a few inches deep. At the time it was still raining/snowing, but it was fairly light. The temperature didn't feel that cold, but it was probably in the low 30s. Yes, apparently I'm getting used to the colder weather. Naturally it is dark now, and I can't tell if it is raining or snowing or if it is the rain/snow mix that we've been having off and on all day. But when I poked my head out onto my balcony, it sounds like it is mostly raining. I just looked out my dining room window and the sidewalk below looks slushy, but there isn't a blanket of snow. This certainly isn't the powdery type of snow that we get in the middle of winter! As I might have mentioned before, this storm is supposed to continue through the night, so we'll have to wait and see what things look like in the morning. If I were at work or if I had someplace to be, I would probably be hating this weather right now. But, from the comfort and warmth of my apartment, I think it is kind of cozy!

Spring or Winter?

We've had several days of absolutely beautiful springlike weather. It's been warm and sunny. But this is Colorado and the weather can suddenly change. It has been gray and cloudy, and a light rain has been falling through most of the day. As I was driving home this evening after work, the rain started to fall a little bit harder. The weather people aren't quite sure what to expect. It all depends on the temperature and how much it will drop this evening. So they are predicting either rain or about 2 feet of snow. Since I don't know if we are going to get rain or a blizzard, I brought some work home with me just in case. If it does snow, it will probably be the wet heavy snow that we occasionally get during spring. But because it has been so warm lately, I doubt that it will be bad enough to keep anyone home for a snow day. But you never know, and you can always hope!

Holidays and Work

Work: This has been a mixed weekend for me. I actually have had a lot of work to do. I need to finish my taxes. No, I didn't wait until the last minute, but the month of April just caught me by surprise. I seriously don't know what happened to the months of January, February, and March, but I was a little surprised this weekend to remember that it is April and that taxes are due in a few days. Why does time fly so much these days? The past few months seem like a total blur, and I think I had a birthday somewhere in that time, but I honestly don't remember that much of the past few months. That is kind of sad, actually.

In addition to doing my taxes this weekend, I also have real work to do. I actually need to drop by the office today to pick up some more work that I can bring home with me. Once again my week was absorbed with another messy project that took up most of my time, so, once again, I had to bring other work home with me to catch up on what I couldn't get to.

Avoidance of work: Even though I've had a lot of work to do this weekend, I'm having a hard time getting motivated. This is probably due to the fact that I'm already exhausted from the past week and just want a "day off." I tried to do a little work yesterday, but I just couldn't focus. So I went for a long walk around Twin Lakes to clear my head. After my walk, I had to go out to do some shopping.

Holidays and shopping: It must be a bitter irony that holidays such as Christmas and Easter bring out the worst in people and shoppers. I wasn't even shopping for holiday stuff. I just needed some basic essentials, and by the time I got to the stores, I was starting to regret ever leaving the house. I went to Target and it was a madhouse. I tried to make my way past an area where there were crowds of people trying to get their hands on Easter baskets, Easter candy, and stuffed animals. It was a mess and if you didn't watch yourself, you could easily get run down with a shopping cart. I happened to pass a very friendly woman—the only friendly person in the area—who was obviously feeling the same way I was feeling. She smiled at me and simply said, "you can feel the desperation in the air, can't you?" That simple statement spoke volumes for the mood of the place. I don't consider myself especially religious, but regardless of the holidays and what they mean and whether or not one believes them, is it too much to ask for some simple kindness and respect toward the people around you? Why is a smile so hard to muster and why is it so difficult to say "excuse me" or "thank you"? Forget that this is a holiday weekend, kindness should be a daily occurrence, in my opinion. But for whatever sad reason, times like this really do bring out the worst in people. Fortunately, though, there are a few good people out there. They are those few glimmers of hope who help to restore a little bit of faith in the people of the world.

Review

I finally had my annual review at work today. In a nutshell, it was a good one. Apparently I've accomplished a lot more this year that I thought I had. When I was trying to write my self-evaluation, I honestly had a difficult time trying to think of what I did all year. When I read my review that was written by my boss with comments from my co-workers, I though, Oh yeah! In addition to the quantity of things I've done--carrying a full load of projects, serving as team leader, serving on editorial committees, working with other departments and freelancers, etc.--apparently the quality was pretty good, too. And apparently I'm also doing well on a personal level. It was said that I'm diplomatic and strategic. And it was also said that I approach things in a calm, thoughtful, and rational manner. Apparently no one knows that I appear calm and rational at work, but when I go home I drink a bottle of whiskey! Anyway, it was also said that I have a good sense of humor and, in general, I'm pretty easy to work with. So, I'm happy. And I'm flattered. I'm happy to get a good review, and even happier to know that a good review means that they are less likely to get rid of me!

This and That, Weekend Edition

Weather: The weather has been really strange lately. We've had moments of mini-blizzards followed by moments of spring. We've had a few good and serious snowfalls recently, but the days following were warm and sunny. This is typical of Colorado. For the past few days they were predicting a horrible blizzard for Friday night and all day Saturday. Friday was a strange day. For the most part it was dark and gray. There were ominous clouds over the mountains and while I was sitting in my office, I kept thinking that the storm was going to hit before we all left work. We had a brief storm, of rain, not snow. Once that rainstorm passed the clouds parted and the blue skies returned. Clouds rolled in again then rolled out and we had blue skies again. So now everyone was thinking that the storm would hit during the evening commute. Nothing. It was cloudy and starting to get windy, but no rain and no snow. The winds picked up during the evening and it finally started raining at 10:00. I was in bed by 11:00, but I got up around 11:30 or 12:00 and looked out the window and it was starting to snow. This is the blizzard, I thought. When I woke up this morning, I looked out the window and there were about two inches on the ground. Not exactly the two feet they were predicting. Oh well. I guess that means that I will be able to go out this weekend rather than being trapped in the house.

Work: Wednesday marked my 2-year anniversary at my current job. These moments pass with little recognition and fanfare, so I gave myself a pat on the back. It is hard to measure time in publishing. Two years can sometimes feel like two weeks, but other times it can feel like fourteen years. It's kind of like dog years. I have my formal review next week, so I still need to write up my self-evaluation and my goals for the next year. Because of the economy, no one is getting a raise or a bonus this year. Normally that would bother me, but I'm just thankful to have a job considering how bad things are out there. So rather than stew and pout over what I'm not getting, I appreciate what I have. And what did I do to celebrate my anniversary week? I brought work home with me over the weekend! Sad, but I had to. I had one particularly bad and messy project that absorbed most of my time during the week, and I had to put a lot of my other projects aside. So now I have to use this weekend to catch up on everything else. Happy anniversary!

Current mood: productive
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Jessica Andrews "There's More to Me Than You (ballad version)"
Current drink: Barq's root beer

Semi-Live Blogging - "Blizzard" 2009, Round 2

OK, it's not quite a blizzard yet...

6:56 p.m.: It has stopped snowing, but, baby, it's cold outside!

5:55 p.m.: The winds have died down but it is still snowing. According to the reports on the news, about 3 inches have already fallen in Boulder. Because it was still relatively warm today, 45 degrees, the sidewalks, parking lots, and streets are still warm enough to keep things from getting icy. Yet. When the temperature drops tonight, it might get a bit icy. But, I'm thinking (and hoping!) that the morning drive to work will not be that bad.

4:57 p.m.: Watching the news last night and this morning, the weather people were saying that we were expecting another snowstorm to hit at around noon today. The weather was hit or miss. It was definitely cloudy, but then it would clear up and there would be patches of blue sky. Then at about 3:30 today, the clouds really started to roll over the mountains. They were dark and gray and ominous. Then the cloud level dropped to the point that they were completely hiding the mountains, but it was still dry. Then, within about five minutes, sleet started to fall. And then the wind started to pick up. Then after about ten minutes it was snowing and snowing hard. The wind started to pick up, so the snow was blowing sideways. I decided to leave the office early, and when I was dusting the snow off my car, the snow was really wet and heavy. Fortunately the roads were still OK; they were just wet but not too slick. It's still snowing pretty hard right now, so we'll see what the rest of the evening will look like.

Cooking Adventures

Tonight I tried a different version of a recipe that I've made before. The original recipe is a Baked Ziti with Fire Roasted Tomatoes. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe and it was pretty good. The second time I made the recipe, I substituted turkey for ground beef and penne for ziti and added some spices (basil) and threw all the spices in without really measuring them. I thought this one was better, and I've made this version several times before. But tonight I wanted to try a purely vegetarian version, so I invented a new, longer-named Baked Penne with Zucchini and Mushrooms in a Spicy Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce. I omitted the meat/turkey and added a bunch of mushrooms, both white button mushrooms and portabellas. And again, I seasoned it without measuring anything. But this time I added a bunch of crushed red pepper flakes. Apparently crushed red pepper develops its flavor and heat as it cooks, because when I first added it, it didn't seem spicy, so I added more. It turned out to be spicy, but it wasn't too overwhelming or unbearable. I like spicy food, but don't like it so hot to the point that it burns your taste buds and ruins the meal because after a while you can't taste anything. This amount of spice was just right. Maybe I overdid it with the cheese on top, but who can resist all that ooey, gooey goodness?! My only regret was that I didn't have any wine in the house to drink with the meal!


Current mood: tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Faith Hill "Breathe"
Current drink: thinking about breaking my Cognac-only-on-weekends rule...

Earth Hour

Last night, for one hour, it was Earth Hour. This is a time when on the last Saturday of March from 8:30 to 9:30 people are encouraged to turn off their lights and non-essential appliances. The event began in Australia in 2007 and 2.2 million people participated. Since then the event has grown and gone global. This year about 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries participated. Earth Hour is intended to draw attention to climate change and energy conservation. Seems simple enough, but, naturally, this kind of event is bound to draw a lot of negative reactions. However, I was somewhat surprised to see how passionately negative and angry these reactions were. Many people responded by saying that during Earth Hour they were going to turn ON all of their lights and all of their TVs and appliances. They were going to burn tires in their front yard and drive around the neighborhood in their SUVs. Other people said that it was just the government's way of brainwashing us to believe some kind of hoax. And others said that it is a pointless, useless, and empty gesture that won't solve anything.

I think that it would help to point out that Earth Hour is a largely SYMBOLIC gesture. I think everyone knows that turning off your lights for one hour on one day in the year isn't going to solve the climate crisis. But, like I said, the event is symbolic and it simply calls attention to the situation. It is like wearing red on World AIDS Day. Wearing the color red in and of itself will not solve the AIDS crisis, but it draws attention to the crisis. It is a simple way of making a statement.

Yet, as simple and symbolic as the event was, it was still surprising to see the reactions. But then again, climate change and the environment are just like religion and politics. People are passionate about it and it is polarizing. For the most part I'm a quiet eco-geek. I never preach (except I sort of do in this blog...), but I live by example. However, I have friends who stand at complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to opinions about the environment. I have some friends who say that I'm a fool for believing any of "this garbage" because global warming/climate change is really a hoax. Then, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I have friends who tell me that I have no right to call myself an environmentalist because I eat meat and wear leather. Unfortunately these are the same friends who tell me that I have a lot of blood on my hands and that I probably deserve to die from heart disease or cancer because I eat meat. Gee, thanks! Fortunately those friends are few among many good ones! Anyway, when you are dealing with people, on either end, who are both extreme and self-righteous, you really don't get anywhere with an argument. I just let them talk and talk until they run out of air. I stay true to my beliefs and do what is right for me and do what I think is right for the rest of the world. That is simply how I live my life in general.

So did I participate in Earth Hour? Yes. What did I do? I drank some wine, lit a lot of candles, and read by candlelight. It was wonderful!

Current mood: rested
Current music: iTunes on shuffle--David Gray "Babylon"
Current drink: it is a little too early for cognac, but that will be my current drink in 30 minutes!

Self-imposed Snow Day

The blizzard has blown through Colorado and things are finally starting to calm down. It has stopped snowing and the winds have quieted down. As I mentioned in my previous Live Blogging post, our office isn't closed today, but instead it is on a delayed start. It officially opens at 10:00, but there was the option to continue working from home. In theory, I should be able to get to work just fine. I'm only a few miles away. But I made the decision to stay home and continue working from home. In my mind, I think that this is only fair. I work about 9 hours every day, and I often bring work home with me and sometimes I even work over the weekend. I justify staying home by saying that this pseudo day off is payment for the salary freeze and all of the unpaid overtime hours I have been putting it. It is a small reward, but I will take what I can get!

Live Blogging - Blizzard 2009!

OK, so maybe it is only kind of live. It's is a little after 1:40 as I start typing this post. When I first woke up this morning, the snow was falling lightly. I made the decision to stay home, then the office officially closed—I don't think that there is any correlation between the two, although I like to think that they can't function without me. Then it started snowing harder. Then the wind started to pick up. The wind was pretty bad and the snow was swirling around. It even started to blow into my balcony. Naturally I've been watching the news all morning, and the reports have been pretty bad. The freeways and roads are a mess and more like parking lots because the cars aren't going anywhere. But, right now it has stopped snowing and the winds have died down. Occasionally a gust of wind will blow the snow of the roof, but for the most part things have calmed down in Boulder. I haven't been outside yet but have only looked at things from my balcony. It looks like we got about a foot of snow.

Even though the storm has quieted down, I bet the drive to work tomorrow morning will still be horrible. Once the temperature drops and things freeze over, that's when things get really bad.

Update, 2:26 p.m. MST: looks like it is snowing again and the winds are picking up...

Update, 4:47 p.m. MST: It is still snowing, and it looks like we might be up to 15 inches by now. But, on brighter news, I just made the best grilled cheese sandwich ever!

Update, 6:23 p.m. MST: It is still snowing, and I'm trying to decide if I want to drink wine or cognac tonight.

Update, 7:16 p.m. MST: It is still snowing, it is really cold, and I chose the wine.

Update, 8:54 p.m. MST: It is dark. I can't quite tell if it is snowing or not, but if it is snowing, it is pretty light. I'm on my second glass of wine, so I don't care too much.

Update, 3/27, 7:37 a.m. MST: The snow has finally stopped falling in Boulder. But I'm watching the news this morning and there seems to be some light snow still falling in Denver. I think that we might have received a total of 15 to 18 inches of snow yesterday. Our office is not closed today but it is on a delayed start and it will officially open at 10:00 this morning. It was stated, however, that you can continue to work from home if you like and if you don't feel safe driving in to work. Right now I'm torn. I live only 3 miles from work, so in theory it should be easiest for me to drive to work. But, because I live on a road that is neither primary nor secondary, my roads probably will not be plowed as well. And, second, I honestly just want to stay home and have a pseudo day off. I have a few hours to think about this, so we'll see what I decide...

Current mood: relaxed (not working! - shh...)
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "I've Loved You Before"
Current drink: Barq's root beer; Update: Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz; Update: coffee

Poor Birdie!

This little birdie landed on my balcony, and I think he looks a little uncertain about flying in our latest blizzard!

Responses to Snow

Whenever it snows, you are bound to get absurd reactions from certain people in response to the snow. Some of my favorites include:

1. It's snowing...so much for global warming. If it's cold and snowing, that means that global warming and climate change do not exist! It's called weather people! There is a difference between weather patterns and climate change.

2. It snows in Colorado, why isn't the state prepared, why don't they plow the roads? Well, they do plow the roads, but there is a pattern/system for how they do this. They plow the interstates, freeways, and major roads first. Then they go through the secondary roads and so on. Calm down and be patient, people!

3. People don't know how to drive in the snow, it must be those Californians who are causing all the accidents. I was born in Colorado but I moved around and came here from California. Californians—sometimes justly but mostly unjustly—are not liked in Colorado. Californians are blamed for every bad thing in Colorado, and they are especially blamed for bad driving and not being able to drive in the snow. A few people have jokingly made the stereotypical assumption that I don't know how to drive in the snow because I'm from California. So I take advantage of stereotypes and, jokingly, say, "no, because I'm from California I don't know how to drive in the snow, but, because I'm from California, I do know how to shoot someone while driving 75 mph on the freeway!" I just want to remind people that that is a joke. I'm not violent or crazy, and I would never shoot anyone on the freeway...I would only think about it...

Snow Day!

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weather in Colorado has been changing. For the past few weeks it has felt like spring. Now winter has returned, and it looks like March will go out like a lion not a lamb. When I woke up this morning at 6:00 there was a steady, fairly heavy, snowfall in Boulder. But when I turned on the news, there was no snow falling around the newscasters who were reporting throughout Denver. I called our office "snow line" and checked my work e-mail a few times, and there was no report of the office being closed. At most there were one or two people who made their own decision to stay home. I took my shower, had my breakfast, got dressed and ready like I do every morning. At about 7:30, the snow seemed to be falling harder and the winds seemed to pick up. I sat around my apartment for about 20 minutes and debated whether I should go into the office. I live only 3 miles away from work, and people generally assume that I'll be the only one able to make it into the office. But with the weather already pretty bad this morning and knowing that things will just get worse throughout the day, I made my own decision to stay home. Just as I finished writing an e-mail to the other people in my department to let them know that I wouldn't be coming in (so there!), an e-mail came through from the corporate office that let everyone know that the Boulder office was officially closed. Yay!

I've been wanting (and needing!) to take a day off, so I suppose this is one way that forces me to do that!

This and That

Walking: I mentioned in my previous posts that I have been taking long—and some short—walks around my neighborhood. On Monday, in spite of being utterly exhausted after work, I forced myself to take another walk "around the block." This time when I passed the park near my apartment complex—and I now know that it is called Gunbarrel Commons Park—I noticed that there seem to be some exercise stations in this park. These are stations where you can do some exercises, like pull ups, step ups, triceps dips, and various other exercises. I was somewhat in a hurry to get back home to cook my dinner because I was starving, but I think that running this park and doing the exercise circuit might be a fun thing to do sometime. So I kept walking, and even though I was exhausted when I started my walk, I felt about 100% better by the time I got home. Unfortunately I didn't walk yesterday because I had to do some shopping after work, then I was eager to watch Obama's press conference. And I didn't walk today because there is a snowstorm approaching, and it's pretty cold and windy right now. But I've been enjoying these walks, and feel bad and guilty when I don't/can't walk. So, I think that I'll start walking again in a few days when we get nicer weather.

Weather: as I mentioned above, the weather is changing right now. For the past few weeks it has felt like spring. It's been sunny and warm, but we're expecting snow tonight. The reports coming from the different news sources vary. Some say we'll get a few inches, others say we'll get a foot, and yet others say we'll get over fifteen inches. So tomorrow we could have anything from a dusting to a blizzard. You never know in Colorado. It is safe to say that everyone in the office is hoping for a big snowstorm so that the office will be closed for the day.

Stupid questions: There is such a thing as a stupid question. During the presidential news conference last night, one of the questions was something along the lines of "why haven't you asked for something specific that the public should be sacrificing to participate in this economic recovery?" Um, sacrifice? So, losing jobs, homes, taking pay cuts, not getting raises, bonuses, 401k matches, losing health care and other things like that are not considered enough of a sacrifice?

Impulse buys: I think that Jello pudding cups—both chocolate and vanilla flavors—could possibly be the most impulsive impulse buy I've had to date. I suppose that is why they say make a shopping list and stick with it!

Current mood: full (just ate dinner)
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Tori Amos "A Sorta Fairytale"
Current drink: Silk vanilla soymilk

Walking and Exploring

The weather is absolutely beautiful again, so I thought I'd take another walk. But, instead of walking around Twin Lakes again, I decided to explore the area closer to home. Yes, I've been living in my new apartment for almost 10 months, but I really haven't explored the area that much other than by driving to and fro in my car. So once again I strapped on my walking shoes and out I went.

As I was walking, I discovered a huge park that is pretty close to my apartment. There are lots of open gassy spots, picnic tables, basketball courts, and swings, slides, and jungle gyms for the kids. I went past the park and kept on walking. I've always known that I'm really close to the Celestial Seasonings factory, but I guess I never realized how close I really was. It is only about half a mile away. I continued walking "around the block" and found some really nice areas with great, clear views of the mountains. I have a feeling that these spots could turn into some excellent locations for taking pictures of the mountains, sunsets, storms, or whatever. I continued my tour around the block, but came to the less exciting areas with the office park on one side of me and apartments and condos (but nice apartments and condos) on the other side of me. Eventually, and somewhat too soon, I was back at my apartment.

The walk was about one mile long. I was able to see some nice sights and get in a little bit of exercise, too. Even though I'm a big wanderer and love taking in beautiful scenery, I'm also in this for the exercise. When I came to Colorado for grad school, my first apartment was about a mile and a half from my front door to our department office. Because I was so close, I naturally walked that distance every day. And I walked that distance no matter the weather—100 degrees, rain, snow, 50 mile per hour winds, and, yes, sometimes uphill, all while carrying a backpack full of books! Back then I was really healthy and in really good shape. I had a hearty appetite and I slept well. That all changed once I graduated and entered the working world. Now I spend 8–10 hours a day doing nothing but sitting and reading. And by the end of the day I'm usually too tired to do anything that requires any real effort or exertion. But then my attitude suddenly changed. A few days ago a friend told me that she is training for a half marathon, and naturally I thought that her goal was amazing and impressive. That is when it hit me that I need to get out more and move some more. I'm not going to be running a half marathon any time soon, but I just feel the need to move. I think it will be good for both my health and my sanity.

Current mood: energized
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Maroon 5 "Little of Your Time"
Current drink: Barq's root beer

Long Walk

Lately the weather in Colorado has been absolutely beautiful. It has been sunny, warm, and dry for the past few weeks. This is a double-edged sword, I suppose. On the one hand, I'm thankful that I haven't had to drive over snow and ice to get to work. On the other hand, things are extremely dry here in Colorado and this isn't good for the drought situation. But, with the weather being as nice as it is, I decided to get out and take a long walk around Gunbarrel. There are a few walking, running, and biking trails close to my home, and, sadly, I haven't really taken advantage of them. So today I strapped on my walking shoes and ventured out and explored the area.

I decided to take a walk around the Twin Lakes which are just to the east of my apartment. These are two man-made lakes and they are part of the Twin Lakes Open Space. The west lake of the Twin Lakes was dry and empty, but the east lake had some water in it. I assume that both lakes will be full in the spring, summer, and fall. With the exception of the little gnats that seemed to follow me along the trail, it was a peaceful and relaxing walk. I'm sure it will be even more beautiful once the grass turns green again and once the trees start to sprout some leaves. And, with the walk being somewhere between 2 or 3 miles, I got in some decent moderate exercise, something I'm desperately in need of! Maybe one day I'll work up the endurance to run around the lakes...

Current mood: energized
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Matt Nathanson "Come On Get Higher"