Mishaps and other haps

Someone refered to me (or in my general direction) as a “reality check” the other day.

It’s a flip-sided sort of phrase. A reality check can be a good thing if you’re trying to steer the course, but it sometimes has an abrupt, unpleasant, discordant manner. We don’t always want a reality check because it reminds us that we are not at the level we want to be. We still have hard work ahead.

Rather than casting doubt on your aspirations, a reality check should help you succeed by keeping you grounded and focused.

I can embrace all of these aspects of “reality check.” I think of it as a compliment, even if I don’t always live up to this ideal for myself.

Yo, we still have hard work ahead. There, I’ve said it.

Last night, our internet was out. We’ve been having trouble with Charter. I think most of Charter’s customers have had trouble with Charter at some point, so this is nothing new.

But it did change people’s plans for the evening since everyone had intended to use the internet for something (or multiple things).

Mlitiagrl and I ended up watching Death to Smoochie while Gruntac and PhysOrg took turns at a non-online strategy game (HoMMV, I think).

It might have been the hot chocolate with raspberry vodka going to my head (the *perfect* drink after being out in the cold, shoveling our driveway), but it seemed kind of nice to be doing something different from our normal workday routine.

I know I’m in a minority, but I don’t mind having the outside world turned off sometimes, for a little while, when I am tucked into my house with my guy and my friends.

I am getting excited about gardening.

Mlitiagrl and I have been talking about having a small gardening spot since we started discussing plans for buying a house last winter. Unfortunately, summer was mostly gone by the time we moved into the house and settled in, so we have just set our sights on the upcoming spring.

Nothing like looking at seed packets on a cold, snowy February day!

I spent most of Saturday being unreasonably exhausted, again. Fatigue has been a huge issue for me lately. It has been affecting work, home, my emotional state of being in general … and it doesn’t really seem to matter whether I go to bed at 8 PM and sleep for fifteen or seventeen hours or if I get three hours of sleep and work eight hours the next day. When I am exhausted, it always feels the same way and it’s not a feeling I want.

On the bright side, I did manage to get my computer issues resolved on Saturday. I have been having a startup problem for a few weeks, so I finally decided to backup files and reinstall my OS from the disc. I lost a few things, like my Firefox bookmarks, but nothing important. I am finding it very convenient that personal documents and e-mail are no longer saved on my computer.

In other news, several more inches of snow fell overnight. The neighbors were all out shoveling (sooooo early) when I left for work.

My co-worker decided to bring her pink eye to the office. I can already tell it’s going to be a funtastic week.

But she doesn’t know what a vagina is.

It’s amazing to me that so many people are ashamed of their own bodies and teach this to their children. These adults should be doomed to use the word “hoohaa” in every conversation they have, forever, and DROWN in their own embarrassment about their bodies.

If you can’t talk about your body parts by using their real names, if you can’t talk about sex with your kids in a positive and informative way, PLEASE DON’T REPRODUCE … we don’t need more ignorance in this country.

Oh, just to throw in a little levity:
BOOBIES!!!!!

EDIT: I should add that I came across the linked article by way of Neil Gaiman’s blog.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert.

I’m about halfway through this short, interesting, amazing book about the reality of global warming. Kolbert is a journalist who has spent time with scientists in a number of fields to compile the examples of observable climate change that she presents in her very readable narrative. I highly recommend reading it, whether you currently believe that humans are drastically altering the environment through their lifestyles, or if you need further evidence to believe that global warming will impact future generations soon and certainly.

A review I read of the book called it this generation’s Silent Spring and I think the comparison is apt so far. Rather than being particularly dramatic, reactionary, or full of political rhetoric, the book’s message is delivered unerringly, straightforwardly, simply, and convincingly. Let the evidence speak for itself.

There were many more weather-related car accidents yesterday afternoon, as snow fell, ice formed on major roads, and the city didn’t disperse salt fast enough. I was at work and heard about the accidents on the Beltline and the Interstate, so I avoided those areas when I left. Parts of those highways were closed for hours.

This morning, I was reading about the people who were stranded on the road in the weather because of the accidents. Some waited for three hours or more for help, with small children in their chilly vehicles.

I guess it was an unusual circumstance, but it’s the sort of thing that happens when you are not expecting it in winter in Wisconsin. Please make sure you have extra cold weather gear and blankets in your car.

Life is GOOD!

Dear Blizzard,

I WANT A CLEFTHOOF MOUNT.

Let’s see what you can do about that, shall we?

Love,
Minni

The reporters in this area apparently can’t figure out which day of the week it is, but they do know it’s cold. Area schools are closed today. Everything should be closed when it’s this hazardous to be outside.

Stay warm, everybody!