Saturday, January 30, 2010

Sometimes Sinister Wears A Smiley Face

You know, if I had an IPad to carry with me wherever I go, I could have typed in my blog ideas as they came to me today; then I wouldn't be sitting here now wondering what it was that seemed like such a great idea a few hours ago.

Gone...that idea is gone forever...and our world is a little poorer for it.

Or not.

It snowed here today (no, that wasn't the great idea) and we got all of 4 inches of the fluffy white stuff, which meteorological calamity forced our local Starbucks to close 5 hours early. Someone explain to me - does Starbucks simply have to close for the winter in places like Minnesota and Wisconsin?

Larry braved subzero weather (Celsius-wise) this evening to clean the snow off my car so that I could go out to work tonight. Now I am sitting here blogging in a cozy bookstore (albeit without my tea), because the website I work from is down. While Larry gets to clean up the kitchen and put the kids to bed...

Is Larry getting the short end of the stick this evening, or what? And do you think I could get him to come here and clean off my car for me again so that I can get home?

My sister-in-law sent Brian a little headlamp for a belated Christmas present. Apparently, aside from Legos, this item is the best present ever for a 9-year-old boy. He keeps turning off the overhead light in the bathroom, shutting the door, and looking at himself in the mirror.

Simple child, isn't he? Easily amused, too...

Oh, hey, I just found the perfect birthday present for him - a Lego headlamp:



You know, that almost looks threatening - in a StayPuf Marshmallow Man/Ghostbusters sort of way...




I just realized that Larry was so busy cleaning off my car, he forgot to feed me dinner. Should I complain?







Starbucks coffee in snow picture courtesy of daily shot of coffee.com

Stay Puft Marshmallow Man picture courtesy of ROFLRAZZI.com

16 comments:

  1. I am sitting here, with plenty of time to write, wondering where all my great ideas went. I know I had one at Trader Joe's.

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  2. It very nearly was subzero in Fahrenheit here--7 degrees when I left the house this morning at 8 am. By the time I got home 5 hours later, it was a balmy (by comparison) 18. When we went to do errands a couple hours later, my 8yo didn't wear his hat. "It doesn't feel that cold," he said. It was 20 by then. Is that a positive, or a sad commentary of some sort? Discuss.

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  3. That sounds lovely, actually. We went and saw Avatar this evening. Really good. Horrible script, but still really good.

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  4. I live in Minnesota, but grew up in the Carolinas, and I was amazed upon seeing my first Minnesota snowfall (about six inches, pretty ho hum for these parts) that people didn't completely lose their minds when it snowed. There was still milk at the store! The news wasn't preempting other programming to talk about every single solitary flake that fell at the airport! For that matter, did you know that there is news other than the weather when snow is in the forecast? It was remarkable. I realize that a lot of that is because MN has resources that the Carolinas just don't -- namely loads of plows and salt-spreading machines --, but some of it just idiocy. And kind of remarkable, considering how many NY and other northern transplants live in my old stomping grounds these days. They should be ashamed of themselves.

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  5. Definitely!! Gotta keep the man on his toes! Oh, man, I thought I was so suffering with my 20 degree weather down here in Florida a few weeks ago. I don't think I could endure REAL weather like that.

    And my old brain works the same way. If i don't write down the thought, whoosh, away it goes in the deep abyss of my decaying brain cells.

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  6. Throw a snowball for me? We're weather-deprived.

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  7. I am definitely a little creeped out by the Lego man. *shudders*

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  8. It does look threatening. Such a great idea. I don't have any 9 year-old boys but I have do have two younger-than-9 year-olds that would still love it.

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  9. I've been in snow storms in Chicago and one of the few things that stayed open was the Starbucks and it was a lot more than four inches!

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  10. When my son was about the same age he too got a headlamp. Let me tell you, that thing comes in handy. We've used it during blackouts and reading in the dark. I'm not so sure the Lego one would be as cool now that he's 14.

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  11. The orange does SO sing opera. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG-0_p_yefg

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  12. Our trace of snow became 5-1/2 inches. A friend texted me this morning FROM HER BED to ask if we had church today. (Hello? The roads were plowed last night!) So I called the church's number and listened to the answering machine for her. Then I texted her back with the answer... I think I might be an enabler.

    We have a couple headlamps around here (very useful when my husband decided to hike the A.T. at sunset and we had to return IN THE DARK, silly man!) but that Lego headlamp looks very cool.
    But will it keep me warm in 18 degree temps?

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  13. My 8yr old would LOVE the Lego headlamp. I got him a cheapo book light for Christmas, and it's already falling apart. He's very sad about that.

    I'm always amazed here in NJ how poorly people handle snow. It's not like it never snows here, people! Every winter, and they salt the heck out of the roads and plow - we've never had more than a day without a clear road. But the milk and bread still fly off the shelves when a big storm is coming. I've stopped going out it in just because I don't trust the other drivers.

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  14. Our 6 year old got one of those for Christmas. Only it's not a headlamp, it'about a foot tall, you wind his arm and press his tummy for his feet to light up. I thought it was the best present ever.

    Kari
    Where Starbuck certainly does NOT close due to inclement weather.

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  15. I must have that Lego headlamp. If our on-line friendship ever meant anything to you, you'll tell me where it came from.

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  16. NOTHING gets shut down in Wisconsin--unless we get 10 inches of snow at one time. Otherwise we have hot brew to go all the time.
    A headlamp! Genius! I have 3 boys who will LOVE getting these for their birthdays.

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