Post Script

So remember earlier this week when someone tried to set our dumpster on fire with their fireplace ashes? We told that story at breakfast with the family on Christmas morning, only to find out that my brother actually set their dumpster on fire doing the same thing the other day! Fortunately he happened to look out the window and saw the smoke before the fire got too dangerous, so he was able to go put it out before it got out of hand. And, he hopes, before anybody else noticed.



The boy says, "Seriously people, cool your ashes in a metal container this winter!"

White Christmas

Photographic evidence of the wonderfully peaceful and beautiful early morning walk the boy and I enjoyed today.

Merry Christmas, from our family to you and yours!

What A Jackass

As if there weren't enough reasons to NOT drive drunk in the first place, now we can add You Tube to the list.

Speaking of lists, I'm thinking that guy is definitely on Santa's naughty list this year!

Over It

This is why my honey has been driving me to and from work the last couple of days. Yesterday it took nearly two hours to get there. Normally it takes me about half an hour. Some people spent several hours on multiple buses to get to work. And then we ended up being horribly overstaffed so we had to send people home early. Today I had to go in early to open the building. I was the only person there for well over an hour. If only I could have left the phone on voice mail it would have been quite peaceful!

I'm home early, we have a fire going, and I am already in my PJ's. My honey and the boy are both sleeping, and I am trying to decide whether I should open a bottle of wine or spike some cocoa or coffee because it is fucking snowing again. I passed my maximum snow threshold a couple of days ago when I lost track of exactly how much snow we have. I honestly couldn't tell you, since my ruler only goes up to twelve inches.

Wine. I am definitely leaning towards wine!

Scenes From Our Morning Walk

Public Service Announcement

Yesterday afternoon the boy and I bundled up and went out for a trek around the block in the snow. Somebody needed a potty break, and it wasn't me. On our way back in we got to the top of our stairwell when the boy sat down in the snow and refused to move, preferring instead to sit in the snow mesmerized by watching one of our neighbors trudge through the snow to the dumpster to throw away some garbage. 

Once the neighbor was out of sight the boy was finally willing to get up out of the snow, so I dropped him off inside and grabbed our garbage to take out before the dumpster lid got too heavy with snow for me to open it. I actually had a little difficulty already, and once I got it open and tossed the trash in I noticed what looked like steam coming from inside the dumpster. A split second later I realized it was smoke and noticed a melting, smoking corner of a plastic garbage bag. So I ran inside, yelled to my honey that something was burning in the dumpster, and we went back out to the dumpster together with our makeshift firefighting equipment: a dustpan and bowl to scoop up snow to throw in the dumpster. 

Then we called 911 to report the fire, and were told that the fire department would come out to check it out but it might be a while due to the weather and road conditions (um, duh, why do you think we threw snow in the dumpster before we called you?). They did ask us to keep an eye on it and call them back if it got any worse. Within half an hour the fire department SUV made its way up our hill, which was the only vehicle I saw successfully maneuver the hill all afternoon. About ten minutes later three firefighters in full gear with shovels in tow came slowly walking up the hill, since their truck couldn't make it. They checked it out, took our contact information, and told us that throwing snow on the smoldering mess was exactly what they would have done, hence the shovels, but to be very careful in any situations involving smoke. Then they said that by the way, the investigators could not get here to check it out because the roads are so bad so please stay off the roads, and asked us to pass the message along to the condo association to please remind people to cool all fireplace ashes in a metal container.

So there you have it: cool all fireplace ashes in a metal container. And those of you in the greater Seattle area should stay off the roads and take a snow day. The nice firefighter said so.

Precarious

Photo Credit: Seattle Times

This is why the greater Seattle area should and, to an extent, does basically shut down during snowy, icy winter weather. Not only is it something we do not experience often enough for most people to know how to handle the weather and road conditions, but people also have to keep in mind that the cities do not have enough snow plows and sand trucks to handle even the major roads quickly. In many cases roads simply never get plowed or sanded. I did see a snow plow yesterday a couple of miles from home, but it wasn't plowing the surface streets. Our topography here only adds to the danger. And the hundreds of bridges? Forget about it.

I'm tempted to send this news story to my company's out of state home office and tell them that this is a perfect example of why we should be closed on days like this. When the majority of the school districts are closed and cities are telling people to stay off the streets, many businesses should close. Especially when your business does not lose money by closing down due to adverse weather conditions, it is irresponsible and dangerous to put your employees in situations like this one. And all of us who were told to report to work yesterday could have been in a similarly dangerous position in the blink of an eye.

Anyone who makes fun of the fact that a little bit of snow and ice paralyzes our city should have been driving on I-5 underneath that bus yesterday and trying to traverse some of our hills. Then talk to me about how laughable it is.

Dear Mother Nature

If you could keep dumping white stuff over the next couple of hours, I would really appreciate it. I could really use a snow day today. You see, I live in the Puget Sound Convergence Zone and being a Seattle native I am biologically predisposed to not knowing how to drive in snowy, icy conditions. Okay, perhaps that last part is a slight exaggeration. But really, we rarely get weather like this so most drivers here do not have much experience with driving in these conditions, and with all of the hills and winding roads around here driving is really treacherous. 

Also, my bed is calling me, and I would really, really like to spend the day in my pajamas.

Our Boy

Is it obvious that he has two mommies?

Let It Snow

I Should Really Check My Email More Often

I just discovered the following missive in my inbox:

For Immediate Release Contact: Adam Bitely
November 24th, 2008 Phone: (xxx) xxx-xxxx

Dear Fellow Blogger,

It is my distinct pleasure, as the president of Americans for Limited Government, to invite you today to become a key member of the exciting new conservative “bloggers central,” NetRightNation.com.

At ALG, we recognize the critical role you as a blogger play in gathering, assimilating, and disseminating news and commentary. And I, personally, am deeply grateful to you for taking the lead in fighting some of the most important battles our country has faced over the past decade, and more.

That's why I am so pleased to announce that NetRightNation.com is providing bloggers like you, the mainstream media, politicians, and other opinion leaders free, instant access to nearly 60,000 conservative blogs nationwide. And counting.

As a complete service bureau, NRN provides you a wide new array of blogger opportunities. As a featured blogger on NRN, you will be able to post your own blogs and interface with other like-minded bloggers nationwide. You will soon be able to “claim” your blog and customize your blog profile.

Information on NRN – blogs, as well as Twitter feeds -- will be divided by state, as well as by issue, to make it easy for you and others to access. NRN will also include a sophisticated search engine function and will soon have the capability for you to subscribe to customized email blog feeds on your topics of choice. Stay tuned, for these features will soon be online!

And all of that is just the beginning. In fact, I have asked ALG's Director of New Media, Adam Bitely, to follow up on this note with a letter of his own providing you the exciting details on how NRN can help you grow your own blog.

Above all, we want to make sure NRN is all that you, an important member of the conservative blogosphere, want it to be. So, as you visit NetRightNation.com, I urge you to please give us your input on how to make it the valuable asset we are committed to providing, at absolutely no charge.

Thank you for all that you are doing. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bill Wilson
President, Americans for Limited Government

I am so tempted to respond with a link to my actual blog and ask them if I meet their expectations of a member of the conservative blogosphere. Or if they even know what the word conservative means.