On Such a Snowy Day, Let's All Give Thanks of the Techie Kind

My son's school closed early today, so I left work to pick him up (he normally walks a mile home, but he didn't have snow gear). Unfortunately, my work day wasn't over, and I didn't want to lose any vacation hours. The fact that I could bring my computer home and boot up with full connectivity to my company reminded me once again what a great age we live in--technologically speaking, anyway.

So here's my "thank you!" list for today:

Laptops

Broadband (I don't even think I remember how to use dialup anymore!)

Instant messaging

Broadband

Good ol' email

Broadband

RSA SecurIDs with those nifty random number generators

and did I mention broadband?

Oh, yeah, and thanks to Midas for putting those nifty winter-style blades on my windshield wipers a few weeks ago. Sure made the drive home easier.

Last Ski Day?

It'll be a warm day for the slopes (low 40s), but we want to get in at least one more trip. We're heading to Pat's Peak, meeting friends for their annual "let's take the kids and see if they might like to ski" outing. (The dad is an excellent skier, but the others--born and raised in Texas--are still novices.)

As my husband likes to say, "This year our goal was to move from greens to ... medium greens." And we achieved that, making several runs from the top of the peak (down the "easiest way down" slopes, which nevertheless have some steep sections). We didn't start skiing till we were in our own low 40s, so just being able to accomplish that has been a triumph. Our son, being a kid, is of course much better than we are and has taken up snowboarding as well. (If you saw him, you'd assume he was a boarder, with his lanky blond hair and lanky tall frame.)

This coming week's weather was supposed to get into the 60s and 70s, but now the forecast is calling for more like highs in the 40s and 50s. Does that mean we might be able to squeeze out one more weekend next Sunday?

Eh--probably not. Better to strike while the iron is cold. Wish us luck on the slushy slopes!

Where's the #$%&@ SNOW Already?

Okay, it's been cold enough to make snow at the local ski mountains--that's good. But now, with the incessant cold but no new snow in the Boston area (not in Lexington anyway), the thin crust of snow left behind from last week is just solid ice. It's barely safe to leave or enter my house, at least not without risking limb (maybe not life, but limb for sure).

I'm not even complaining about the fact that we haven't gotten to use the handy-dandy electric snow thrower we bought last year--just about the ice.

So the weather gods need to make up their minds: It either needs to get warm again (let's face it, those 50-degree days were kind of nice) or snow a little. Blizzards need not apply--just a few inches to make my yard safe for traversing once more.

How's Your Holiday Going?

Mine has been pretty nice, even if we're a little disappointed about the lack of cold weather for snow making on the slopes. On the plus side: no sidewalks to shovel!

Also, my husband's Xmas present finally arrived (only a couple of days late)--a new induction burner for the kitchen. We don't have gas running to the house, so induction is the next best thing in terms of heat control. This might as well have been a present for me: Anything that encourages my husband--the best home cook I know--to cook more (easier now that he's finished with grad school) makes me feel pretty jolly.

How's it going for you this week? Appreciating the snow-free walks? Glad it's almost New Year's? Enjoying a little time off work? Counting your blessings?

It's When?

Good lord, it's December 1, and in the 60s. Global warming? Or just a fluke? Discuss.

(Yes, this is a short post, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Thanks for noticing my absence.)