2004-01-16 - 12:46 p.m.

A tit bit nipply

Well, here I am again. Another long silence while my little internet garden lies fallow. What can I say? I've been lacking motivation, and I've been busy.

I now feel that I have to play catch-up and give a summary of what I've been doing since I stopped updating regularly. While I've been wondering exactly how to do that, time ahs been passing. Sometimes I can be an annoying perfectionist - if I feel I can't do it perfectly I don't do it at all. To hell with that! I'm just going to jump in again, and fill in the blanks as they occur to me before more time passes.

The main feature of right now is cold. It is intensely cold outside now with temperatures well below zero for the last couple of days. The weather is a boring subject, but sometimes you have to pay attention: this weather could kill you! Exposed skin can become frostbitten in less than 10 minutes in weather like this.

What this means is that dressing in layers is a must. Sitting here at the computer I'm wearing two shirts, a sweatshirt and long underwear under my jeans and I'm still cold. The thermostat just a few feet away from me reads 68 degrees but it sure feels a lot colder than the 68 degrees it read a week ago.

What it also means is that walking to nearby destinations is out of the question. If it's more than a block away, you absolutely must drive. This is especially true of poor Lily whose asthma is exacerbated by these frosty temperatures.

I suppose I shouldn't complain because I know others are suffering more. A few months ago Lily's brother Jake and his fianc�e Tatiana moved into the apartment downstairs. He's originally from California and Carolina and she's from Texas, and they simply can't believe how cold it is. I've explained to them that frigid weather like this is rare, but that doesn't make it any warmer. Their car also seems to be used to warmer climes - the last couple of days it's refused to start at all. That's okay, Lily and I can drive them where they need to go.

And now I'm off again - I have to go pick Lily up at school, a mere six blocks away.