Now this is getting ridiculous

I mean, the ornamental 2" we had for most of the week has now mushroomed into 14"!

Our city is paralyzed...Portland is just not a snow kind of place. Yeah, sure, about half the population owns snow chains (so they can go skiing in the mountains), but that's it. And there's nowhere near enough plows, sanding trucks, etc.

Ick.

Closing school

People in Oregon are snow wimps. Seriously.

My kids have been out of school for FIVE days (all week) for 3" tops:

Come on. 85% of the student population walks to school here! And you know all us parents have been trudging in to work all week. Insane.

Of course, the best part is that our lovely snow will turn to cold rain come Christmas. Figures.

Doin' My Part

Ah, Black Friday...

Must say, I was honestly a bit disappointed. Yes, there were some "doorbuster" markdowns, and a few were even items I wanted to buy.

But the overall pricing wasn't that much improved over the previous week, when we took the kids looking for ideas. And frankly, I'm buying less than last year - so every bit is noticeable.

Still, I managed to unload my entire Christmas bonus in about 3 hours! Thankfully, I have just a few small items left to buy, and all those cards to mail, and then I'm DONE.

(And ok, the HP printer doesn't count - it's not a gift, just a replacement, and a fabulous deal from Office Max at that)

So Now What?

The gas station in my little town has regular gas for $1.99 a gallon. After the $4.09 in the spring, it's such a relief to see. But it has me wondering...

When we were at $4/gal and climbing, everyone - including me - was trying to find ways to conserve gas.

Hypermiling
Hybrids and compact cars
Ride sharing and carpooling
And so on...

Now that gas is back down, how many people will honestly keep worrying about this? Or will we, as Americans, climb back in our 18 mpg SUVs and get back to our old ways?

For my family...we've relaxed a bit, I will admit. I still hypermile in my Hyundai Elantra some, but I'm not coasting every light like I used to. And the Explorer is seeing a bit more useage than before. I do think we've fundamentally changed our mindset, however.

Will be interesting to see how everyone else reacts!

What a weekend

We just returned from a great weekend in Las Vegas! Took the kids with us, to celebrate my brother's wedding. They had a lovely ceremony in the Flamingo garden, followed by a fun party in the Stratosphere. I'm so absolutely delighted with how it went...almost wish *I* got married in Vegas now! Can you tell the kids loved the view from Strat?

One small complaint. We stayed at the Flamingo, in their recently remodeled "GO" rooms. Cool, mod decor - but those neat frosted glass doors to the bathroom don't block the light at 2am. I could have KILLED my hubby when he woke me just 30 minutes after I'd finally fallen asleep...

Today's Fun Discoveries

It's amazing the random insights you can have when stuck with excel spreadsheets all day...particularly when listening to mediocre online radio.

For instance...I never realized how prevelant the wailing jazz sax in 80s ballads. Yikes. I know Kenny G was big and all...but why did EVERY band have a Kenny-wannabe!?!

And another thought - no matter how intimidating a boss might be, how annoying a coworker or neighbor is, keep this in mind. EVERY single one of them has done the Electric Slide at a wedding. ALL OF THEM. Hard to be annoyed or scared when you can picture that person sliding on the floor, no?

Weekend fun

We took our last chance at nice weather this weekend.

Hubby was stuck at work, but the kids and I had fun at Ecola state park, on the coast. We hiked the 2-mile Clatsop loop (going up 800 feet for the entire first mile!), had pizza at nearby Cannon Beach, played in the surf, and just enjoyed the heck out a pretty day.

Oh, and I finished some jewelry...but that seems so unimportant right now.

This is fun

I'm writing this post from my Crackberry. How fun! Ok, granted it's not the easiest or most efficient way to do it...but it's my new toy, and I had to at least try it once!

I'm doing my part for the economy

Not really because I want to.

First, the graphics card in my computer died - a slow, lingering death. (Which is why it's been a while since my last post!) Off to Best Buy we went, to spend $100 on a new card - instead of $500 for a new computer. Only problem...my 5 year old computer has PCI and AGP slots, but the latest-greatest is PCI-Express. So I had exactly TWO options to chose from. Oh yeah.

Then, today, hubby and I upgraded cellphones and service. I got a BlackBerry Curve - and boy oh boy, do I understand why they call them CrackBerrys. It's fun, and addicting, and...yeah.

But heck, if I can figure out how to post to my blog from my BB...this could be great!

My Love/Hate of Fall

What's not to love about Fall? The changing leaves, crisp mornings, crackling fires and apple cider and the prospect of Halloween. Ah, such a wonderful time. And for someone whose birthday is in October, Fall should be extra special.

And it is...but it's also my worst time of year too.

As late September rolls around, my anxiety levels go through the roof. I have so many painful memories of Fall, and they just keep coming back to me - making me dread what else will happen too. Many of my memories are small - hardly worth mentioning - but some are huge, and the combined weight is hard to stomach some days.

Days after my 8th birthday, I made a huge move - from my home in Oklahoma, where my dad and many of my family lived...to a new home in New Jersey, with a new stepdad and 3 stepsiblings who resented my existence. I moved to a new house, a new school...and had to start all over again. And for the next 4 years, the cycle kept repeating - I'd visit my dad in the summer, then return to find my mom and stepdad had moved to another new house, in a new city - and my brother and I were once again clueless, friendless, and struggling to adapt to yet another school.

Years later, my first marriage imploded spectacularly the day before my birthday. To hear the most painful news of your life, and then dissolve into a crying, yelling, angry/sad/overwhelmed mess in the middle of JCPenney's handbag section...yeah, that leaves an emotional scar. Just 2 weeks later I was at a divorce lawyer's office...and spent October and November arguing with my soon-to-be ex over the remnants of our marriage.

To cap it off, that same year, my Grandmother passed away Thanksgiving evening. The memory of cuddling my 20-month-old daughter at Grandma Dollie's graveside - protecting her from the cold, drizzly wind...it hurts so much still that I can barely write it.

And now, today, I received the news that my cousin Donna has passed away. She was fighting pancreatic cancer...and the last few months she has slowly been slipping away. It's not unexpected news, and in a way it's almost a blessing - this has been very hard on her, of course, but also her husband, her son, her parents.

But the news brings me not just grief at Donna's passing...but all of the emotional baggage that Fall carries. I find myself, sitting in my cubical at lunch, struggling not to just lay my head down and weep at it all.

I will be so grateful for the first snows of December this year....