[Megan1982]

I've got a busy weekend planned. My neighbor is an artist (I can't help but brag - she is great! check out her stuff here if you're interested) and draws a lot of inspiration from our local ecosystem. Lately she's been looking at plankton under the microscope. She's got an opening tonight at a local gallery, and I volunteered to put together a display IDing some of the plankton she sees/uses and a very basic "why plankton is important to our ecosystem" poster that will remain with the display. Tonight I'm bringing a microscope and plankton samples for people to look at if they choose. I'm trying to be there to answer questions if people are curious, but not hit them over the head with too much science. Afterwards BF and I will go get a drink at a bar that's holding a fundraiser for a community member who's in need of a heart transplant. Sunday I'm catering a community theatre cast party to make some extra cash. It will all be fun, but the homebody in me is also looking forward to having no real plans next weekend and staying home.

Michele, your HRM question made me think of our discussion a few weeks ago about how many calories one really burns in hot yoga. If you get one I'd be curious to know the results if you do wear it to yoga. Yes I know all of our bodies are different, but I'd still be curious.

Sheila, that's great! One of our local shelters has a program between inmates and shelter dogs and it does good things for both sides.

Chris, I'm sure my parents will be using their snowshoes and cross country skis this weekend. They live about an hour north of NYC on a mountain.

To all those still sick, I hope you feel better soon. And for those in the path of the storm, stay safe and warm! Have a good weekend all.

[paperclippy]

Megan, I love the idea of your science exhibit at the gallery opening!

Michele, I had a Timex Ironman Race Trainer heart rate monitor watch, although I've misplaced the watch itself. It worked very well for me, but I wasn't trying to hook up to any gym equipment (which Timex is not always compatible with). I definitely sweated all over the HRM with no problems -- in fact, it works better when you're sweaty.

Good luck to those of you in the blizzard zone! Weather is so crazy these days. Yesterday it got all the way up to 55 here!

I think this weekend is going to be a take-it-easy weekend. I had been planning on taking Carter for a long walk in the park, but yesterday the weather was nice so I took him for a long walk (~45 mins) around the neighborhood to take advantage of it. I was really exhausted afterward and had some other pregnancy-related issues, so I think this weekend I need to not do anything strenuous, and maybe I'll need to limit to shorter walks in the future. (Nothing to worry about, nurse checked me out this afternoon and babies are happy and healthy -- we got to see them punching each other in the face on the ultrasound, which was kind of hilarious.)

[Shannon in ATL]

Jessica has Rock Em Sock Em Robots in there!

I disappeared the last couple of day - health insurance seminar yesterday, and got caught up in a roller coaster ride trying to refi my mortgage. I'll come back and post more tomorrow. My slow cooker soup was fantastic, the new cooker is the best thing ever, and I'll post the recipe as soon as I figure out the spices.

[saef]

Maybe 18 or maybe 21 inches of snow fell here from yesterday morning through the pre-dawn hours of this morning.

I'm about to suit up & head out with my shovel to free my car and also some elderly female neighbors' cars.

Wondering how everyone else is making out, particularly Bill, as I believe his area may have been looking at a heavier snowfall than mine.

Remember, though, I come from Upstate New York, where storms like this hit more often, and I helped my father blow out & dig out our driveway from a 45-inch snowfall after the Blizzard of '93, which remains my own personal standard for a What the F&^%$# snowfall.

[Mudpie]

I took the day off work yesterday due to the storm. And had to stay an extra night at the dogsit because my client couldn't get back (again storm related). I shovelled out the deck for the dogs last night and the snow was about 18-20 inches deep. The male dog is about 14 inches tall.

Today was rough going with walking the elderly lab (who is 13 years old today!). The snow kept making my knees turn and his bad hip was also bothering him from the same kind of motion. I think I will also be feeling the muscles in my *ss later today as I used them a lot to counter the problem with the knees.

We have a brilliant and beautiful blue sky today and this is also forecast for tomorrow. Many thousands of people will walk the beach and, by Monday when I have to go back to work there, the snow will become quite packed down and easier to navigate.

Bill This is all "small potatoes" compared to what will be happening in Boston and surrounding areas. Apparently cars are being ordered off the roads by 4 p.m. or motorists will face fines? I hope you and your DW are safe and warm and have a big snowblower handy.

Dagmar