I thought the fact that it snowed last week to be of note. It remained peculiar all week and the snow all but disappeared by Friday. They talked of some more snow over the weekend.
I didn’t take them seriously. I’ve also been wearing the same pair of clothes since Friday as a result.
By Saturday morning there was already a good amount of snow on the ground. We were over at Chris’s parents, making the annual 50 dozen cookies (no exaggeration) and it was a good day for snow. Saturday night, very few people were on the roads. I went with Chris’s dad to pick him up from work in their 4×4, and while we had to drive slowly, it wasn’t bad.
The next morning went from Chris’s back to his parents’ to finish making the cookies. Now the roads were getting bad. Yet it kept snowing.
Keep in mind this is a city that has about five plows just in case we get that odd inch or two. When we get the fourteen inches that we did, they’re in over their heads. Most of the busses have shut down, and the roads are barely plowed, if at all. I’ve heard downtown is a little better, but that hardly helps all the way out in Mt Tabor.
It’s funny that one of the reasons I moved to pdx was because it almost never snows here. Now they’re not sure when it’ll stop. It’s not coming down heavy, just very steady. And it doesn’t help that I also don’t own the appropriate clothing for the snow. Assuming I can get downtown in the next day or so I’m going to try to take advantage of the sale at REI. We’ll see how that works out.
I’ve thrown in two photos. The night time photo was taken Saturday night. The daytime photo was taken this morning. It’s probably hard to see much as they were taken through the front window, but trust me. Mondo snow.
Okay, enough complaining about the snow. It’s a few days to Christmas, maybe it’ll be white this year. I’m pretty sure my package won’t make it to my parents’ house on time. But that could be because I haven’t mailed it yet. Oh well.
I know it looks like just a dusting, but that’s because it really is. It’s also a big deal for the area and drivers get petrified of it. Which makes them idiots because they still drive in it.
I, however, don’t have a vehicle and so have no option of going anywhere. What’s worse is that I really don’t have suitable shoes for wandering out and about in it. And I so do love a good wander.
All joking about the weather aside, it is supposed to be in the teens/twenties for a good portion of the week, so the snow we get will be sticking around for a bit. That should make commuting tomorrow fun.
I’m still without an Internet provider, so I’m writing all this from my phone, lovely thing. I had plans to do some errands, but that’s unlikely in today’s weather. And as I write this ambulance are screaming past. Silky people. Anyway, I’ll likely be sitting about knitting last minute gifts, trying desperately to get them out before the big day.
I’m sure having a late Thanksgiving didn’t help matters, but the close of this year has snuck up on me. For whatever reason, I’m still back at the end of Septemberish. So the fact that it’s already Christmas still confuses me.
Thanksgiving was a nice relaxing four-day weekend. We had dinner over at Chris’s aunt’s house with his family and then played cards into the evening. Lots o’ good food. Pretty low-key next few days. More eating, more food.
And then Sunday. Sunday we went hunting for Christmas trees in Pleasant Valley. After about an hour searching I found a beautiful little Nobel that was just asking to be cut down. That night I was the proud owner of a newly decorated, freshly cut Christmas tree. It looks better in real life than it does in the photo. You know how camera phones are. Even the jPhone.
I love technology. I’m currently on the bus as I write this. It’s not actually thanksgiving yet, but I thought I’d write before I got too busy not working.
Right now it’s cold, rainy and dark. And it’s not even five pm yet. Such is life in the northern latitudes. Don’t forget, I’m about the same as southern Maine.
In other semi-exciting news, I’ve almost finished my kick ass tweed jacket. I just have to finish the button bands and collar, do a little tidying, and then it’s all mine to parade around in. I’m rather excited.
That’s really all I’ve got for now. Enjoy the holiday!
It always surprises me when another November the 9th creeps up. Sunday I turned 27. At least I’m pretty sure I did. Some point near my birthday I tell people I’m already the next year. But then I get so used to thinking I am that age, that when my birthday comes along I add an additional year, realise it can’t be right and just plain confuse myself.
So I’m going with 27. Three away from the big three-oh. In my younger years I always feared getting too old. 30 was a scary number forever away. But now it doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. Who knows, maybe I’m growing up.
And in other exciting news, I got my first computerized axial tomography scan. My sinuses had been acting up for quite some time, and finally I decided to go get them checked out. They wanted a CT scan to make sure there was nothing wrong. After that I saw the otolaryngologist who asked me a few questions, and then examed my nasal passages with the endoscope. Now that was pretty fun.
Turns out I have a bit of inflammation, but nothing to be concerned about. She gave me a week’s worth of steriods and then about three months of nasal spray to help with the inflammation. Additionally, she recommended I start nasal irrigation therapy. So I bought a neti pot. Everyone I’ve talked to thus far loves the neti, but I’m still a little wary.
And for those unfamiliar, a video. Behold the neti!
Can you believe it’s been one year already since I first set foot in Portland? Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Wise words, those.
I was trying to think of something exciting in my life to write about, but like so often, nothing comes to mind. Most of the chatter these days is about the upcoming elections. I’ve voted already, so that’s done with. And if you know me at all, you shouldn’t have to think too hard about who I guessed for.
But I’ll give you a hint: I could never vote for someone with the IQ of a box of rocks, who in all seriousness is just a few heartbeats away from presidency. And that whole “but she’s just like us” tripe? People, this is presidency here… we don’t want someone like us. We want someone better than us. Someone who knows what they’re doing. Someone who’s actually read the job description, for that matter.
So, I encourage you to vote responsibly. I hope we’ve learnt from our mistakes these past (long) eight years. Ideology is a dangerous thing. Especially in the hands of the incompetent.
Obviously this looks a bit different from what you’re used to seeing. I had found the same template in WordPress as I had used in Blogger, but I couldn’t get the links working. As a result I chose another theme that integrated better. Let me know what you think.
Depending on when you visit, you’ll notice any variety of changes to the site. Instead of sending you somewhere new, this time you’re staying in the same place and I’m just doing a little bit of reformatting. And if you’re reading this from an rss, you probably won’t notice anything at all.
I had originally been publishing this site with Google’s Blogger. I liked it well enough, but it was a bit limiting if you wanted to publish externally. So after we got internal blogs at work, and at the recommendation of a friend (thank ABC), I decided to try out their software.
We’ll see how that goes. And mind the mess until I get this all straightened out.
And every now and again, for reason of edification or of boredom, I feel the need to post something that has nothing to do with my life, yet I find horribly interesting.
To that extent (and please, don’t bother if you don’t have sound), I present for your viewing pleasure, The Evolution of Dance:
So one of the interesting aspects of moving somewhere very far away is the type of disasters that happen. Getting a blizzard here would phenomenal. Getting one in Pennsylvania, while not common place, wouldn’t be anything that special.
One thing that happens here with enough frequency so as not to be extremely shocking, is landslides. On Wednesday, a house near the main campus of where I work slowly started coasting down the hill and into the neighbours’ houses. Click the picture for a larger image, or you can read about it here.
I don’t live anywhere near any hills, so I’m in no danger of landslides. Now if Mt Hood decided to blow, that’d be another story…
