February recap

Cold. 

More cold. 

And a little more cold. 

Tired. 

More tired. 

And a little more tired. 

There was the computer fiasco. 

And protests, riots, disgruntlement. 

(I shouldn't read the news). 

The arrival of number 19. 

A few Ticket to Ride games. 

Some sparks of color in the very dreary dead of winter. 

Dead of winter has new meaning. 

Thank goodness February is over. 

I think tomorrow I'll celebrate. 

This week in review

One thing I learned:
I did learn things this week, of varying interest to an outside audience, but many of those things are restricted information, so I can't tell you what they are. Sorry. It's an archival thing. It happens.

One thing I read:
"Adjustment Team" by Philip K. Dick.

One thing that made me laugh:
The conversation at work about some very scandalous letters. Yes, folks, raunchy language did exist in the 1930s. (The conversation was not raunchy, but the letters were apparently quite salacious).

One thing that was very frustrating:
Resolving computer issues. I finally decided I'd made enough of an effort and bought a new laptop.

Cool thing I saw:
well, a friend posted some really awesome pictures on his blog, but I also really enjoyed this one.

Something new that I watched:
I finally got around to seeing Lincoln. It was very good. I watched Somewhere in Time, which is not really Oscar material, but we were introduced to the world in the same year, Jane Seymour's character shares my first name, and we both have connections to Mackinac Island. So, how could I not watch it?

One thing that made me happy:
Skyping with my nieces and nephews. I was brought up to date on my 4-almost-5 year old niece's love interests, and got the low down on angry birds from my 4-almost-5 year old nephew. Saw my new baby niece, number 19, and the other adorable nephews. I think I will give them all numbers from now on.

One new thing that I did/tried this week:
I tried a new pumpkin bread recipe and I used my food processor to shred cheese for the first time.

One unexpected surprise of the week:
I really kind of enjoyed not being so connected. Not that I liked not having internet access, but I did like being offline more than I usually am. I'm going to experiment this coming week by trying to cut back on how much online time I am.

One thing I hope to do differently in the coming week:
More sleep, more reading.

Top Reasons Why I Should Never Become a Bobsledder

1. My head functions better in one piece, and given my lack of coordination, it probably wouldn't stay in one piece for long.
2. I've never been up for roller coasters.
3. Yes. Ice. I get plenty of it without bobsledding.
4. My real talent is in spectating.
5. No cool Jamaican accent anywhere in this girl.
6. I don't think I'd look that good in spandex.

Maybe a bit magical

I usually think of February as that gray-brown-black dirty snow time of year. Admittedly, this is not a very positive way of thinking of a month. January is crisp and cold and white--clean snow. But February is just drudgy snow that has been trampled and driven through and fumed on by exhaust pipes. I don't have any bad experiences connected with February, and it isn't even like it drags on and on--it's the shortest month of the year, people. It just has that weird mental image in my head. (That and red hearts, which I also don't have any personal experience connecting hearts to February. So, again, no personal bias, just a bizarre mental picture).

Anyway, the other day, I had to step out into the frigid February air, and I noticed this:

"Um, yeah. It's snow. It's February. It snows in February where you live," you say. True, but look closer. 

It's all sparkly! Seriously, all sorts of poetic comparisons popped into my head, and I felt like a 7 year old who thinks she's stumbled into a diamond field. It was kind of exciting. And not dull gray brown yuck! This is how February should be thought of, if only because people would feel happier. 

There is probably some neat little life lesson there, but I'm just going to leave you with fun sparkly snow. Enjoy.