Which Way the Wind Blows

It seems that more cold weather is on the way for us. Never mind that we are we living through days of record lows, more such days are forecast for next week. At least that's what the weather reports say.

In places to the north, they are coping with lasting sub-zero temps. Around here, where it's 20 to 30 degrees warmer than that, there are plenty of folks who have neither the clothing nor shelter to safely and comfortably weather this weather, so I know I'm lucky that, for me, this cold snap is nothing more than an interesting change.

It reminds a little bit of when I was in college in upstate New York. We must have had some really cold cold days then. I couldn't say for sure, because I literally never paid any attention to the weather report then. Why would I? There was no internet, no local paper, and I didn't own a TV. Plus I lived on campus, so I just got up, looked out the window, and went with it.

Back then, if it was snowy I wore my Swiss hiking boots, jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and my blue down jacket, with gloves if I thought about it. It was never too bad. I do remember days so cold, though, that when I stepped out the door I felt the hair in my nose crisp up a little bit, and it was possible to walk across the glaze on top of the snow without ever breaking through to the fifteen inches of powder below.

What did I do? I took a deep breath, turned my face to the blue sky, shoved my hands in my pockets and went to class. 

One and a Half Day Week

I could live with that!

What Winter is Made Of

bright sun
frigid air
blue skies
fluffy snow
dry wood
warm fire
no school

Mark my Words

We spent part of our snow day watching Blue Jasmine. Regular readers know how diligently we pursue the Oscar nominees. Ultimately, for me, when the final credits rolled, the movie was unsatisfying, but I don't have a doubt that Cate Blanchett's performance will win the Academy Award, partially because I didn't like the end. 

He Writes the Songs

For Christmas, we bought Heidi's parents tickets to see Barry Manilow in concert. The show is this coming Friday, and as the purchaser of the seats, today I got a reminder e-mail. There was good ol' Barry with that permanent Cali tan and those blinding pearly whites grinning out at me from my smart phone. You're going to Manilow! read the subject line, and you know, just for a moment, I wished I was.

The Tip of the Icicle

The genius of Disney movies has always been how they are created to appeal to people of all ages; rarely does the studio produce anything that is less tan entertaining to the whole family.

We took our 7 and 4 year old friends Savannah and Chase to see Frozen today. True to form, we all enjoyed the movie, and on our way home we continued to talk about it. Olaf was funny; the ice palace was awesome; the trolls were silly.

"There's just one thing I don't understand," said Savannah. "Why would anyone want to get hurt instead of someone else?"

"Wouldn't you want to save your brothers?" Heidi asked.

"Oh," Savannah considered the question. "Yes, I would." Pause. "So that's why she did it!"

Corrective Vision

I'm an inveterate NPR listener, but on our way to the movies this afternoon I put on a popular music station for a change. It wasn't too long before the best hits of the 80s gave way to the commercials of today. "Listen to this ad!" Heidi said with irritation. " It makes me really mad every time I hear it." (She is more eclectic in her radio taste than I.)

A woman was telling how relieved she was to be able to take her sick child to the hospital without delay then a man explained how, as a firefighter, he needed to be able to barge into burning buildings without worrying about extraneous things. Next a woman said how pleased she was to spend a carefree week at the beach, and a man told us how he liked being ready to play sports, any sports, without restriction.

As I listened, I was mystified. What was this product they were all hawking? I really couldn't say.

Turns out, it was laser surgery to correct myopia that freed all this people to save lives and enjoy their own. "Do you know why I hate it?" Heidi demanded when it was over.

Because it's stupid and confusing didn't seem like the right answer. I shook my head.

"Because the women are only concerned with their children, but the men are saving lives and having fun. That infuriates me!"

That's a very good point! The content of that 30 second spot reveals an essential division in how the general public conceptualizes the difference in women and men.

And it's also a really dumb commercial.