Snow!

13 inches of it! It is rare that a university has a snow day, but we did today. As an undergrad we always referred to them as "once in a lifetime" events. But I have now had a snow day for two consecutive years. [can you say global weirding?]



I wish I could tell people considering Iowa that this is very unusual, but it seems to be happening more and more often (please refer to global weirding comment above). I will say that one (sort of) nice thing about Iowa is that the snow typically melts on and off during the winter. It's not like more northern states where it just piles on top of itself until Minnesota just disappears. It snows, then melts down a few inches, then gets cold and freezes again, then snows (repeat ad nauseum). And snow is manageable. Unfortunately Iowa also gets ice from time to time. Ice is tricky stuff: impossible to drive on and nearly impossible to remove from the roads. It also brings down power lines and trees.

It does end, though, and summer comes. Eventually.

But back to today. I did what any self-respecting college student does with some free time:

Sleep! (Yes, I really do wear a hat in the house. For me to be warm the thermostat has to be set at least at 80, and there is no way I am paying that much for heat. And yes, Zephyr insists on sleeping on top of me quite frequently.)




I also played in the snow with Zef

And I watched the Biggest Loser and Cupcake Wars, read the latest Runner's World, painted a closet, put up double-track shelving in the closet, and pestered the dog.

Elsewhere in recent news...I chopped off my hair.

And ate an enormously large rice krispy bar. The picture below is after I had devoured half of it. (I might also add that I was in class designing an obesity intervention with a group....oh the irony)






Hope everyone was able to enjoy the snow in some small way, even if you're like me and hate everything related to winter.

So this post basically mirrors my day: random, fun, and full of photos.

Have a great evening all! I'll leave you with a nice reminder that sunny days are ahead....even if it is still a long way off.

~L

A Productive Day

I wish I had something nice to say about the weather, but I really don't today. It's been in the 30s all day, with strong winds, spitting rain, and a thick cloud cover. A nice day to curl up on the couch with a book, but that's about it. It's a little unfortunate because it's my weekend off and I really love being outside, but I have done the best with what I have and instead have caught up on work inside.

So far today I have:

• Done homework
• Took the dog on a cold run
• Did some work on my vermicompost bin (indoors)
• Washed dishes
• Did laundry
• Cleaned up the mess I created this week when I painted my spare bedroom
• Partially cleared out my email inboxes
• Watched the Dog Whisperer (online, I don't have cable)

I almost didn't go out for a run because of the weather but there were two things that prompted it: a) Zephyr was driving my nuts and b) it's going to get a lot colder before it gets warmer so I just need to suck it up and get used to it.


And there's still more to do! The other stuff I plan to get done today...

• Put plastic over the windows for winter
• Vacuum
• Organize my paper files
• Organize my computer files
• Finish purging my old emails
• Clean the rest of the house
• Do some more laundry
• Brush the dog
• Some more homework and reading
• And I'll probably watch more Dog Whisperer!

Busy times, busy times...


Oh!! and one more thing!
Two of my  uncles wrote a book called "Hawkeye Greats, By the Numbers" It's now available on Amazon. If you're an Iowa fan, I think you should buy a copy ;)


~L