Happy New Year everyone! Glad you're all enjoying so many great movies. They always save the best for year-end Oscar buzz, wish they were better distributed through the year.
I've been gone for several weeks and gained more weight than I "should" have over the holidays. What's really surprising is that for the first time I'm not engulfed with shame over it. I just promised Karen that January 2 was the time to regain my equilibrium and lose the holiday weight. For one brief moment I thought, maybe I should leave the Maintainers and go back to the dieters, but here is where my friends are. And here is where the inspiration is, because so many of you share stories of being disciplined in the face of stress or temptation, which is exactly what I need right now.
Stress is in the air, as this is the month we are no longer able to make enough money to pay our bills (we had to sell our wedding chapel last year after 17 years due to 80% drop in business). So we watch our savings be eaten away as we put into place our next business venture, which won't make $$$ for us for several months. But spending $$$ at restaurants is generally not worth it. You really notice unnecessary expenditures when you are taking it from your life savings!
It was -14 today in Fahrenheit (-25 C), without the windchill factored in. Yeesh. Dagmar, sometimes I think your job sounds really fun, but I confess the idea of spending hours outdoors today seems pretty tough. Hope you have hand warmers and the dogs have coats!
It was -14 today in Fahrenheit (-25 C), without the windchill factored in. Yeesh. Dagmar, sometimes I think your job sounds really fun, but I confess the idea of spending hours outdoors today seems pretty tough. Hope you have hand warmers and the dogs have coats!
I don't use the hand warmers as they make doing stuff difficult. I dress in layers and I have thinner gloves for driving and my trusty Marmot snowboarding ones for walking. The Marmots are thick but still fairly flexible, as are my snowboarding pants. Not a sport I would ever consider doing but I love the gear for those extra, extra cold days.
Most of the dogs don't wear coats. They are out for 40 minutes on the cold days and I keep them moving and out of the water. They do fine. I use my face (my only exposed skin) as an indicator to whether their ears or feet are getting too cold. If my cheeks have gone numb and I can't tell whether my eyes are in their sockets it's time to get back in the car.
I'm dogsitting since last night and this morning we face howling winds. Different gear, which I packed after carefully monitoring the weather forecast. I know one dogwalker who doesn't consult the weather forecast or a thermometer and she is always complaining about having the "wrong clothes" and being too cold, hot, etc.
I am a planner and I have gear for everything that the environment can throw at me. I like to be reasonably comfortable at work.
Time to get ready for the wind! I really need one of these to get out there this morning (it's still dark and I can hear the wind howling around the house).
Okay, I'm hoping that my keycard will get me into the building at my office over the weekend, because I need to pick up my laptop so I can work from home Monday and Tuesday. Our forecast is for 8-12 inches of snow over the weekend and -17 F Monday and Tuesday. Should have gone in to pick it up yesterday, I'm not sure why I didn't. Today at least it should be in the 20s so safe for running errands and such. Dagmar, I don't know how you do it. The dog sitter/walker we use for Carter typically plays with the dogs indoors in lieu of a walk when it's this cold and only takes them out just long enough to do their business.
I've never been in a temperature that cold in my life and to be honest I'm kind of freaked out about it. (LOL, why did I ever move away from Los Angeles? ) When we lived in RI it was down around 0 and slightly below a couple times and I remember it being pretty brutal just to get from the car to buildings. The news has been reporting about homeless shelters opening up for more people in all the areas that are having this arctic blast. I can't imagine being stuck out on the street in these temperatures. Sad that many people will probably freeze to death, and we won't hear about it because they were homeless.
I am getting totally thrown off this morning. A branch on a shrub is squeaking on our window and it sounds *exactly* like Carter whining. I keep hearing it and looking over to check on him, and he's just snoozing away in his dog bed by the window.
It is cold here, but nothing like Jessica's temps. Whew. Though we may have ice Monday, which will shut us down with just an inch.
We have seen no movies this break. We had plans for several but sick interfered. We want to see Walter Mitty. And the Hobbit. And something I already forgot. Oh, Anchorman 2.
I found my line in the sand this holiday. Not to get into anyone's politics or stir trouble, but I have decided that I set the rules in my own house for firearms and no one will bring one in, not even family. I'm not sure where the chips will fall with this, but I had to address it. Blah. I think family is sometimes better not face to face.
Shannon I tend to forget that you Americans do indeed have different rules from us. We are not allowed to carry firearms without all sorts of licenses and permits and certainly not on our persons when we go visit for Christmas.
to you for standing up to that family member in what, to me, was a dangerous and difficult situation.
Shannon, I read this over breakfast and was very, very shocked. I do know that gun laws are quite different in the US, and I know about 'the right to bear arms' tangle. But this struck me so forcibly. I could not imagine anyone coming into my house with a gun.
Please note that this is an observation about life outside the US. I know there are people on this board with guns in the house. In fact, I suspect there are in my sister's house.
The snow/freezepocalypse has begun! It's coming down pretty fast right now. I think after I finish eating breakfast I will take Carter for a walk -- he hasn't had one in a while (again, I am a bad dog mom these days) and this is the last day it will be warm enough for him to go out. He likes the snow and I have a waterproof coat so a short walk should be fine. Tomorrow I think we'll have to put his coat on just to let him out to pee!
In other news, the girls slept without their swaddles last night! Woohoo! It was a long process but I'm glad we've finally kicked the swaddle to the curb.
Shannon, it is perfectly reasonable for you to not allow people to bring guns into your house, especially since you have a small child around. Your property rights trump the right to bear arms. I personally wouldn't allow guns in my house either. They scare the crap out of me. My parents had a gun when I was a kid, but the fact that I didn't even know they had it until I was grown and out of the house says something about how well they kept it locked up and how infrequently it was used. I think they bought it during the Night Stalker scare in the 80's. DH's direct family hasn't had guns but there are hunters in his extended family.
Watching the snow coming down. We were supposed to get about an inch last night and it was closer to 3". According to the forecast, it's also supposed to stop for a few hours (it hasn't). 3-5" more today, and another couple inches later tonight, when the wind picks up and the temps dive. I suspect DS won't be going to school tomorrow. I probably should also have made the trip to work over the weekend to snag the laptop.
Shannon, I support you completely on firmly stating your household gun rules. Your home is your castle. Period. No one should be uncomfortable or feel unsafe in their home. My views on firearms are quite the opposite; I own some and am licensed to carry but I've been told I'm a nut by both sides because I favor truly draconian proof of competency, safe storage, thorough background checks, and seizure as soon as a prescription for any brain-altering drugs is filled. That last one has made me a pariah among the inlaws, oh well. But I live out in BF Nowhere, and my township doesn't even have its own police service.
Saw The Hobbit the other night, and found myself disappointed - the movie was so skewed toward pandering to the 3D technology that some of the fine elements of the story were lost. I think I'll go back and read the book again and let my own imagination loose.
Watching the freezing rain fall, sadly contemplating how this will cost me a charge on my credit card, as it made me cancel an appointment for a facial at a day spa in the northern reaches of this county without giving 24 hours' notice. I tried, but the receptionist insisted, "The freezing rain isn't supposed to fall until tomorrow." Like it's a train that arrives strictly on schedule. Well, honey, it's falling right now, as News 12 and the National Weather Service website could both attest, as both have issued advisories. And I was slipping a little walking home from the gym, which is what made me try to cancel.
Anyway, this was supposed to be a nice outing, with a facial and after that, a movie: "Nebraska," a black & white fi;m that stars the veteran Bruce Dern who's likely up for a best actor award, and which appealed to me greatly when I read reviews. Not happening, apparently.
Looks like I am staying home. May as well do a little advance cooking for the week and sadly, keep listening & watching an hour-long video of a conference presentation that I'm supposed to be writing up into a research report. (Still figuring out how I'm gonna rework their "show of hands" moments into a narrative text.)
Not sure of the snow totals so far but it sure looks like about a foot out there. Probably more like 8-10 inches though, and it's still coming down heavily. We had at least 2-4 inches left over from a previous snow down to begin with though. I am so glad that I went to the grocery yesterday (despite the grocery being a total zoo with lines halfway across the store) and picked up my laptop so I can work from home. There's a decent chance they'll just close my office altogether due to weather though!
Saw The Hobbit the other night, and found myself disappointed - the movie was so skewed toward pandering to the 3D technology that some of the fine elements of the story were lost. I think I'll go back and read the book again and let my own imagination loose.
Thank you! That's how I felt as well. Seeing Inside Llewyn Davis in an hour--will report back.
I took Chico to the vet Friday and it has been determined he is in the beginnings of kidney failure. I am to do a saline drip on him twice a day and they put him on prednisone to increase his appetite. It's working!!!!! He is eating and even asking for food.
In other news, my FIL got his first hole-in-one yesterday!
I took Chico to the vet Friday and it has been determined he is in the beginnings of kidney failure. I am to do a saline drip on him twice a day and they put him on prednisone to increase his appetite. It's working!!!!! He is eating and even asking for food.
Sorry to hear that about Chico Allison. to both of you. And you know the prednisone and the saline will make Chico pee like crazy.
Saef-- that is ridiculous. I would call back and ask to speak to a manager. They would be foolish to charge you and potentially lose a customer when the weather is frightful!
Allison-- glad Chico is responding to your nursing care :-)
to get out there this morning (it's still dark and I can hear the wind howling around the house).
without all sorts of licenses and permits and certainly not on our persons when we go visit for Christmas. 
to you for standing up to that family member in what, to me, was a dangerous and difficult situation.
to both of you. And you know the prednisone and the saline will make Chico pee like crazy.
