Postcard Reminder

We got a postcard reminder in the mail. On Saturday, 28. March 2015 there will be several full and partial road closures in town because of the MIT Beanpot Cycling Race.

There still is a good 4 feet of snow on the ground. Unless temperatures warm up, which they don't seem to be doing anytime soon, there will still be a good 4 feet of snow on the ground. Roads are barely wide enough for two cars to safely pass let alone cars and bicyclists. Instead of this:

Maybe race organizers should think about running a Beanpot Iditarod.

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week

1. After a year of being unemployed, The Eldest finally got a job in a lab. It's through a temp agency and only for 3 months, but it's better than nothing. Fingers crossed it works into a permanent position.

2. Some day finally arrived. Since it's my slow season, I began cleaning and organizing the studio/basement in between shoveling and raking snow off the roof. I cleaned a pile of stuff and put it away that was living on the writing desk chair.

3. Ma and Dad stopped by in a dream. In the dream, we were going shopping to their favorite Mahket. Ma said she didn't want to go. Dream me knew this was a dream because shopping was one of Ma's favorite sports. She would never skip this outing at least not without a lot of fussing and whining. So Dad and I were left to go on our own. Dad dressed up as he usually did. Suit and tie. Favorite fedora (he never went anywhere without a hat), and a top coat. It was like the top coat detective Columbo wore though not as ratty. Funny, I don't remember Dad ever owning a coat like that.

4. With all the snow, the sleepy, little town where I live had some big excitement. The roof collapsed at the strip mall that houses the post office, dry cleaner, Edible Arrangements, bank, beauty salon and some assorted offices. Fortunately, the building was evacuated before the roof caved in and no one was hurt. Sad for the business losses.  Sutton Square Plaza Roof Collapse

5. On the nights Himself works late, The Eldest has invited me to marathon watch programs with her. We finished all 9 seasons of The X-Files, have watched assorted espisodes of classic Doctor Who. She introduced me to a (new for me) anime series, Death Note. It's about a young man who finds a notebook. If he writes someone's name and knows what they look like, he can cause their death. Along with the notebook, he gains a new companion,a shinigami (angel of death) called Ryuk (My favorite character). The young man, Light, decides evil people should die to make a better world.  So the dilemma, do you become evil if you kill bad people?

How was your week?

Throwback Thursday

I was leaving class at Control Data Institute (computer programming and operations). Got to the parking lot and Hubbell, my 1979 Ford Mustang, wouldn't start. Another woman from a class 2 or 3 months ahead of mine (a new class started each month), hailed one of her classmates, Derry, in the parking lot.  I had AAA, but he said he had jumper cables, would get my car started before I finished dialing the number. He got Hubbell started and worried I'd have trouble on the way home, he put the jumper cables in the car. "At least if you're stuck on the road, you'll have cables and can flag someone to help." Imagine giving jumper cables to a complete stranger? Got home without any problems.

The next day, during morning break, I found Derry to give him his cables back. We went out to the car, and Hubbell had a flat tire.  I told Derry after class I'd have AAA come and change the tire for me. He wasn't going to have any of that. It was a matter of pride. "Can't have anyone [in there] think what a pantywaist I am that I can't change a tire for a little girl." After that, Derry became another big brother.

In his spare time, Derry made wooden cars and trucks which he hand carved for his son. I commissioned him to make a hook and ladder fire truck for my nephew. It was a thing of beauty with small, removable ladders and a large ladder that could extend.

When I graduated CDI, Derry presented me with a pencil holder which he made. "For your desk" There was a place to hold pencils, a brass plate with my name, and Hubbell. Right down to the details. There was a painted engine under the hood, the doors and trunk opened, The car could be removed from the base to be rolled across the floor.  Derry even made the stuffed, good luck teddy bear that lived in a cubby by the gear shift.

After all these years, I have a reminder of my first car and a cherished friend. Derry passed away in 1990 from leukemia. His birthday was 16. February. He would have been 73 years old. I miss you, D.

Wordless Wednesday

Nicht Glücklich

Library Card

With all the snow and to stave off boredom, I thought I'd download an e-book from the library.  I haven't read Written In My Own's Heart's Blood, the 8th book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. The book came out last year, and I thought everyone who would ever read it must have read it by now. Sadly, others using the e-library at the Boston Public Library hadn't read the book either, and the book was not available. Not to worry. I have a library card for Central Massachusetts.

I accessed the service, and got an error message telling me I need to see a librarian. That ain't gonna happen until August because of all the snow, I can't see around the snowbanks at the end of the driveway to back out. And what do I need to see a librarian about? Haven't used the card in years and have never taken out an e-book with it.

After struggling to remember user name and password, I finally get into my account. The reason I need to see a librarian? My library card expired. What the hell? A library card expires? Am I the only one who didn't know this?

Where In The World?

Another snowy weekend. In a few hours, while leaing on the shovel, I'll be dreaming of a place with perfect weather (i.e. no snow). Andy over on Fishwrap made a list of perfect places the other day. I thought I'd steal  borrow his list, make comments, and add a few of my own places.

1. Arizona - Desert southwest. Sounds warm in the Winter. Is it brutally hot in the Summer? That wouldn't bother me, I like hot and humid, but that kind of weather makes Himself whine. And what about haboobs? Those sand/dust storms? Sounds like shoveling sand might be involved. I don't want to shovel anything.

2. Portland, Oregon. The City of Roses (not Pasadena like you might think) Last week,  "Cousin" Alesia posted a picture of a beautiful, white rose, in full bloom! from her garden. Imagine it warm enough for roses to bloom in February? I hear a lot about the grey, rainy weather. Rain doesn't have to be shoveled, but I wouldn't want to have to pump out a basement. Gloomy weather can cause problems for me, but I have a special lamp for that. Besides, Al has talked about Voodoo Donoughts.  Besides, the Voodoo Doughnut doll on their webpage makes me laugh.

3. Austin, Texas. I've never been to Austin, but I've been to Dallas. Lots of cowboys! No, not the football team. Real cowboys. Chaps in chaps. I was in Dallas in July. The heat made my sandals melt to the pavement. Himself would whine about the heat. I'd get to see my frend, Fraue, more often as her parents are Minnesota snowbirds. But, don't they get snow in Texas? No shoveling is top of my list.

4. Seattle, Washington. With my Bostonian perspective, I'm thinking that's a lot like Portland, Oregon minus the Voodoo Doughnuts.

5. Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco, California. I've been to LA (well, the San Fernando Valley). Liked it though traffic can be a drag along with earthquakes (didn't have one the three times I visited) and wild fires. Earthquakes might involve rubble, and that would need to be shoveled.

8. Tokyo, Japan. Andy's been there a lot. It's his favorite city, and he has family there.. He said it can get really cold. Cold wouldn't bother me. I'd have to learn a new language. Andy probably knows enough Japanese to get by and his wife is fluent in the language. The language barrier is putting this city in my no list.

9. New Mexico. I have friends who live in Eastern New Mexico. In the high desert. It gets cold there. Red posted a pic of her phone with the weather app. The temp was in the teens and colder than it was here. It snows, too. No shoveling.

10. Bermuda. I liked it when I visited there a life-time ago. Wouldn't need to learn another language. Not too hot. Not too cold. Beautiful beaches. Golf. Himself would like that. Just the worry about being in the middle of the Hurricane Highway. Ditto islands in the Carribbean.

11. Florida. No snow though it's gotten cold enough to freeze the citrus crops. Robin, do you worry about the hurricanes?

12. Australia. I have friends there. I know it can get really hot, but that would only bother Himself, not me. Wouldn't need to learn a foreign language per se, and I already know some of the slang. Possibilities here as long as I wouldn't have to eat the Vegemite.

13. Tasmania (still Australia). Friends have retired there. Haven't heard about snow or hurricanes

14. New Zealand. Scenery from the Lord of the Rings movies was gorgeous, and I am on the tall side as far as Hobbits go. Didn't Christchurch have a really bad earthquake a few years back?

If money was no object and you could pick up and move on a whim, where in the world would you live?