Weather or Not

I was just reminded, by the evening weather forecaster, that March is typically our 2nd snowiest month of the year.

On the plus side, it's not typically the snowiest.

I may need to start looking for a winter home somewhere warm and snow-free.

When the Weekend goes Wonky

Christopher and I had big plans for this weekend. We didn't have anything going on during the weekend days, but we had plans for each of the evenings.

We were going to have dinner and go to a concert with his sisters on Saturday night. We were going to go out to dinner at a restaurant we meant to go to for his birthday (in January), tonight.

And then things got a little strange. I started feeling kind of under the weather on Saturday morning. Nothing major, just my stomach feeling a little "off." I blame the fact that I had to take my car in to the shop and so I was stressing over how much it would cost (although, so far, they haven't found what is wrong so it didn't cost anything). But, for whatever reason by the middle of the afternoon when I tried to have a nap, I was in knots. So I bowed out of dinner and the show. Christopher went out to dinner, and then he and his sisters actually all came back here to watch a movie, because the concert they wanted to go to was sold out.

Last night, well, last night was going along okay until, at about 1:30 in the morning, the pup got a little sick, too. So we were awake for a while, then. And I woke up for no good reason around 4:30, then got back to sleep in time to get up around 7:30. Which meant that today didn't go so well, either. And we cancelled our dinner reservation (again), and stayed in.

So here we are just hours away from the end of the weekend with no real "weekending" to show for it. Okay, yes, we had a good time hanging out last night and watching a movie with his sisters. And the house got cleaned. And I did some editing I needed to finish. And we ignored the two or three inches of new snow on the sidewalks because it was the weekend. And I got a start on my taxes (until I got hung up on one little box which I have no idea how to complete). And I'm watching the Academy Awards while Christopher gets caught up on some things in the office.

But we never really got that good "weekend" time in.

You know how they say that people who are sleep-deprived have issues dealing with day-to-day life because of that lack of down time? Well, here's hoping that tomorrow isn't too harsh. I'm not sure I could deal with a hard week since I seem to have missed out on the easy weekend.

Friday Food - Bribery

You know, most people hear the word "bribery" and think of bad things. But tonight I'd like to make a case for the positive sides of bribery. For instance:

At work, when one of my co-workers needs me to step in and deal with something she doesn't want to do, I'm much more likely to do it when a bag of peanut butter M&Ms appears on my desk. (Does anyone else remember "Oompahs"? They were a "Willy Wonka"-branded half peanut butter/half chocolate in a candy shell candy back in the 70s. I don't know if they exist any more, but they were the forerunners of these M&Ms.)

At home, when the pup needs a little enticement to go somewhere -- such as into her kennel before I leave for the day -- bribery in the form of a treat is very helpful. If nothing else, it keeps her from whining and whimpering at least until I'm out of earshot. Which makes is possible for me to feel a little less guilty.

When you're in need of a big favor, though, that's when the bribery has to be good. Like when you're moving, so you promise everyone who helps that they'll get pizza and beer when you're done. Or, say, you have to drop your car off at a garage at 7 in the morning and need someone to pick you up. That's not really a good time for pizza and beer, but it's so early that there definitely needs to be some recompense. Tomorrow, in just that case, Christopher will be getting treated to croissants from Patisserie 46 on the way home. And I just might get something for myself, too. After all, it would be sad to make him eat all on his own.

So... A question for you: What food bribery do you prefer? (Go ahead... leave a comment on here so everyone can see it... I think it could be interesting to see what you all say.)

Sleeping Sound

Don't tell Christopher, but I really enjoy watching the pup sleep.

I like when she's just stretched out, usually with her head on a pillow or the arm of a chair or propped on my leg. And she just quietly breathes in and out, with the occasional snuffle or snort. And she's peaceful and calm and you know she feels safe and secure.

Okay... In bed at night, sometimes she doesn't choose the best place to settle in. Sometimes it's right up against your legs and kind of keeps you pinned. Sometimes she's right up by our shoulders and won't move. And, frequently, she takes on the role of chaperone as she tries to stay warm by staying between Christopher and me.

But, even though there are times when I really wish she'd go sleep on the floor, or at the foot of the bed, or anywhere else so that Christopher and I can pretend to have some alone time, I have to admit that I do kind of enjoy having her around and sleeping sound(ly).

But don't tell Christopher, because right now he actually moves her out of the way most nights so we can snuggle up. And I don't want that to stop, either.

Non-Travel Vacation

No big surprise, the day after a major snow storm, the travel options are a little vague.

Today, on my way to work, I was picking up speed just as my car started to make a wobbly, vibrating sound. It stopped when I slowed down, so I simply dropped into rush hour traffic and kept going.

Once I was at work, I called the car repair shop that has helped me out in the past and described the situation. I explained that it seemed like it was probably a balancing problem, simply made worse by the snow. And the guy on the phone agreed that that's what it sounded like.

So I made an appointment to take the car in - with the guess that it would take about 45 minutes, so I could do it over an extended lunch.

Then I got there. And an hour later the guy came out to say that they had gotten my tires balanced, but the reason it had taken so long was that they found I have 2 bent tire rims. Of course, since Subaru only made the rims on my car for about 2 model years, they would have to be ordered in - with arrival in about 3 to 5 weeks. (I won't tell you how much they will cost - and the "generic" version is almost the same price, so going that route doesn't really help.)

Oh. And they also found that my engine was basically completely out of oil. Which was a bit of a surprise, to say the least. So along with rotating and balancing my tires, they also proceeded to do a full oil change (or at least an "oil fill") as well as putting some dye into the system which - after about 75 miles of driving - should leak out and give them an idea of what part of my car is leaking.

To do all of this, I ended up taking a half vacation day, because we obviously went way beyond the lunch hour.

Do I know how to vacation, or what?

When Good Snows Go Bad

It was such a nice week of melting. We were really starting to feel like spring might not wait until May to arrive. And then... well... the weather forecasters were actually dead-on right for once.

You see, early in the week they started predicting 8 to 14 inches of snow for us between today and tomorrow. Then, yesterday, they started to narrow down that window, saying that it would start this morning, peak in the mid-afternoon, and carry over into tomorrow.

When Christopher got up to let the dog out at about 6 this morning, there was no snow falling. What snow we had on the ground was nicely shrunken after the past week and life was fine. I thought, maybe, the forecast was wrong.

When I got up a little after nine and took the dog for her walk, the weather was breezy, but not bad. As I walked her, I was starting to think about gardening and hoping that things might actually start turning green, soon. All I saw was two snowflakes on my way back into the house.

By 11:30, we probably had a couple of inches of snow on the ground.

Our evening plans got cancelled - not for fear of snow or driving, but for fear of being unable to find parking. Our cooking class plans (for the class we bought Christopher for his birthday) got cancelled.

We had errands to run, though, so we went out around noon-thirty -- when the snow was about 3 inches deep. The roads were messy, but not awful. But whenever we parked for any length of time the car would get covered in snow, much of which was melting and freezing on the slightly-warmer car.

By the time we got home from our errands (which, honestly, were a breeze because no one was out shopping -- even Target was almost empty, which is unheard of on a Sunday afternoon), the snow was probably about 6 or 8 inches deep on the sidewalks and driveway -- which had been perfectly clear at 9 a.m. (Yes, I know that clearing the walks mid-storm is silly, but our snowblower can only handle about 7 inches of snow, so if we don't clear mid-storm we're kind of stuck. Literally.)

So now all of our nicely-melting snow is covered in another near-foot of snow. And the temps are dropping again, so we're pretty much assured that it's not going anywhere for a while.

Good thing I bought some fresh-cut tulips last week.

Friday Food - The Lunch Conundrum

When you're getting up in the morning and getting ready for work, if you're trying to not spend money, you have to consider what to take for lunch.

I'm a big fan of the peanut butter and (strawberry) jam sandwich on white bread, but - at least for me - that is a warm weather lunch.

I enjoy cold meat sandwiches year-round, but... well... you have to remember to buy the meat for that to work.

I work in an office with a microwave, so cups of soup do well - but only on cold days.

I discovered, a while ago, that there are a bunch of frozen meals that aren't all that expensive and - if you work it right - are only about a buck each. So I stocked up on some of those a while ago, buying what sounded good at the time.

Which brings us back to packing lunch.

Yesterday, when the temp was warm-ish (in the 30s - which is warm this time of year), I was running a little late and had to figure out lunch.

Too cold for peanut butter sandwiches. No sandwich meat in the house. Not really feeling the soup idea. So I opened the freezer and grabbed the frozen meal that sounded best.

Unfortunately, 4 hours later, the Turkey Dinner that I was microwaving just didn't cut it. The peas were fine. The mashed potatoes were okay once they were dunked in the gravy. But the stuffing was just mush, and I actually broke the tine of a plastic fork trying to cut the turkey. Overall, a thoroughly underwhelming one-dollar meal.

Breakfast is so much easier. The office has a toaster with a PopTarts setting, and I always have those on hand in my desk.