Feeling tired today?

OK, for those of you who did not know... today is more than just the last day of February. Today is Public Sleeping Day. Really, it is. If you're feeling a bit tired today and you happen to be walking through a park or riding on the bus, or even sitting at your desk trying to do your job, go right ahead and feel free to take a nap. If you're walking through the park and you see an empty bench, go lay down and close your eyes for a minute. Riding the bus to work? Not to worry, just close those tired eyes, but don't forget to get off at your stop! No one really knows who the creator is of this particular day, but it does apparently exist.

The anything and everything website... for free.

I don't know if many people out there have ever heard of or used Craigslist before, but I have to say, speaking from past and present experiences - it's a great idea! If you've never heard of Craigslist, it's a free website which is used for many different things. You can buy and or sell stuff or give stuff away. You can find a job and or offer a job, there's a section for personals, just about anything you want or need is on this FREE website. Most states (not all) have found this website. My dad posted an ad for a blackberry he no longer needed about 2 weeks ago. Instead of putting in a drawer and letting it collect dust, he put an ad on Craigslist with the amount of money he was looking or hoping to get for it and within an hour, someone had replied to his post, they arranged a time for pick up and the deal was done. Just like that.

I just recently posted an ad for some furniture and since posting it on Sunday, I have gotten about 10 responses. It's not always easy or convenient e-mailing with whoever is the most interested and trying to arrange a time to see the product, but in the end, when all is said and done, it's amazing how quickly it happens. Plus, you want to give people time if they are interested to come and see the product. My rule is, if I don't hear back from someone within 24 hours, I will move to the next person who is interested. I figured if someone really wants something, they will act quickly. So, if you ever need to buy, sell, look for a job, and maybe find love, Craigslist is the place to go.

Holy Icicles!

And we thought we had it bad!! These pictures are from Versoix, Switzerland. No, I did not take them - I've never even been to Switzerland! The water in the background is Leman Lake. I got these in an e-mail recently and thought I'd share. Although our sidewalks are a sheet of ice and some people can't quite get into their cars because their doors are frozen (one guy on the news last night even broke the handle off his door trying to open it!), but I think these pictures take the cake! The are indeed, inceredible!

Damn Potholes!

What a way to start off a day. I'm on my way to work this morning, I had just driven past a rest area when BANG! I hit a giant pothole. I continue to drive, hoping my tire will stay in tact, considering I was less than 5 minutes away from work. No such luck, I was no sooner driving on the rim, wondering if the actual tire was still attached to it. The pot hole was in the far left hand lane, so I slowly maneuvered my way across four lanes of light traffic to what I thought was the breakdown lane. After I came to a complete stop, I put my hazard lights one and prayed to god that no one would hit me. I called Triple A and since there was a storm yesterday which ended in rain, which pretty much froze everything over this morning, there were multiple car accidents which required tow trucks. I was on hold for about 5 or 6 minutes, checking my phone every couple of seconds to make sure that the call hadn't ended. There was no hold music, so I wasn't too sure the status of the phone call. A representative eventually answered the phone and I explained my situation. She then asked me for my membership number and then the location of my car. If I had not been sitting about 1/4 of a mile in front of an exit sign, it would have been harder to explain where I was exactly. She then asked me if I was pulled over enough to the side or if I would like a police escort until the tow truck arrived. Normally I would have said no, but since I soon realized that I was not sitting in the break-down lane and that it was a regular lane that was leading to an exit in which many cars seemed to be taking, I told that I would like one. She told me it would be about 45 minutes. Which this morning, seemed like no time at all. My eyes were then glued to my rear-view mirror, watching the cars change into the lane I was in, swerving at the last minute not realizing there was a car there. After a few Mack trucks did that, my life was starting to flash before my eyes and I was really hoping either the police cruiser and or the tow truck would arrive. I then thought that maybe I should get my car on the snow bank, since it was low enough to drive over. It was iced over, but I managed to get my car over to the side more, which was much better.

About 15 minutes later, I saw a police cruiser approach my car, which on any other case would have been nerve-wracking, but in this situation, I couldn't have been more relived. He got out of his car and said to me, "You must have hit that pot hole in the far left lane back there... along with the other 15-20 cars that now have flat tires." In a way, I was sort of glad I wasn't the only one. He said there was another person a little further back than me who was little more important that he might have to attend to. Knowing that this wasn't a speeding situation, and that I could possibly make light of the moment, I simply stated, "There's someone more important than me??" He smiled and told me he didn't mean it that way. At that time, the tow truck had come and the police officer had a short conversation with him, most likely about all of the other people who needed his service. The police officer got back into his car and waited with his lights on while my deflated tired was being changed. My tire, only about 3 months old to me, was no longer of use and it will have to recycled, and sent to tire heaven. I was only an hour late to work, which I supposed could have been worse. At least I eventually got to work, safely!

A Sloppy Valentine's Day...

My resolution is clearly not sticking. Then again, they hardly ever do. It's hard to post something on a blog when there isn't really much to say. I haven't really done anything recently that has been worth posting.

Today is probably worth posting. It's not only Valentine's Day, but it's also the first major winter storm in New England and it's February. We usually have already had about a foot by now, and today's storm is only dumping a good inch, maybe 2 in the Boston area. They said between 3 and 7 inches, which in NE, is considered a dusting. It's the sleet and rain on top of the snow, what little we have, that will make things to hard to travel. When it rains in NE, people sometimes forget how to drive. And when there's snow, sleet AND rain, forget about getting anywhere you need to go, on time. I was about 17 minutes late for work this morning, which was actually pretty good. I thought it would have taken long, given my route to work was completely un-plowed. The average speed limit was in the 25-40 mph range, which I think is pretty normal. There were over 110 schools closings today and several businesses shut down. I suppose it's fair to say that we were warned this Nor'Easter could have been a lot worse. When I woke up this morning, the weather was on and they were saying how the storm's path had moved slightly, which meant less snow/accumulation in the Boston area, and up to 2 feet in southern NH and western Mass. That really only meant good news to 2 kinds of businesses. Mountains/ski area's, and Schools. The wind is certainly howling out there... so much that my umbrella flipped inside out and part of it broke. If you don't have to go outside today, don't!

Here's Mike Wankum's Weather Blog from Thebostonchannel.com

I remember when I was little, the night before a snow storm, I was so excited and prayed that there would be enough to close school. In my town, school NEVER closed, so it was a big deal if it was a snow day. On the days that we didn't have school because of snow, my mom would come into my room and instead of the normal song she sang "Good Morning to You......" (lyrics to the Birthday song were replaced by Goog Morning") while pulling up my shades and blinding me by the morning light, she was quietly wake me up and tell me to look outside. And when I did, it was the best sight ever. And then she would tell me there was no school. I don't know what kid in their right mind could actually go back to sleep after being told there was not only enough snow on the ground to close school, but that the neighborhood kids would be sledding most of the day. I certainly didn't go back to sleep and enjoyed every minute of it. There's always the days towards the end of the school year that you have to make up , simply because of that snow day you had.

On the other hand, it's Valentine's Day... a day of love. I spend many, many years being single on this day. I have to say that it's quite nice to have someone special in my life to share it with. I made a pact with a friend of mine about 6 years ago that we would go see a chic flick on Valentine's Day so we didn't have to be alone. It was about 2 weeks before the sappy holiday that I made her go to Cleary's bar in the South End. She was always the one to convince me, not the other way around. So, we went to the bar and we ended up talking to this guy who was clearly interested in my friend. I was kind of upset, because I was the one who dragged her to the bar and here she is, being picked up by a cute guy. My friend had her heart set out for a while to meet a doctor. So, further into their conversation, the topic of emlpoyment came up and she found out that he was a doctor! He called her a day later, and due to scheduling conflict, they scheduled their first date for Valentine's Day! My friend had emailed me asking if it was ok. Being the good friend that I am, a little more annoyed than understanding, I told her to go on the date. They were married this past July.

On the other hand, it's Valentine's Day... a day of love. I spent many, many years being single on this day. I have to say that it's quite nice to have someone special in my life to share it with. Our plan of attack is to make dinner and stay in. I think most restaurants charge double as well as florists. There are a few people in my office that got roses from their S/O's, which is very sweet and thoughtful. It's definitely a give-away when/if you get them. There's usually no question as to why you got them. My boyfriend and I are going to make dinner and curl up on the couch and watch whatever is on TV. Besides, even though Valentine's Day is sometimes a little over-rated, it's the one day to truly let that special someone in your life, know how much you care. (puke).

Happy Groundhog Day!

I only make so many New Years Resolutions and I try to keep them. But it seems that I have already failed at one already. I have not been good at keeping my blog updated. I am going to try harder as it seems lately there is a lot to talk about. Today is Groundhog Day, which is a superstition that the German's believed that if a hibernating animal cast a shadow on Feb. 2 -- the Christian holiday of Candlemas -- winter would last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early. And every year, it's as if it's the same thing, year after year. Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his "home" sees his shadow and runs back home and there we have it, 6 more weeks of winter. Bill Deeley, the groundhog handler, pulled the little guy out of hibernation for over 15 years, ,who haswas replaced today by Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle members John Griffiths and Ben Hughes. Who knew there was such a thing!? I am not convinced that when he does see his shadow that it's from the natural light. There are so many lights and camera's around, anyone would see a shadow! Well, not today, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow for only the 15th time since 1886. Wow, that's a really old Groundhog!! The last time the little groundhog saw his shadaow was back in 1999. This year, I don't think we needed a Groundhog to tell us how long winter would be. After all, we had an unusually warm winter, and it was 67 degrees on January 6th! We didn't have our first snow fall until a few weeks ago and that was only a dusting. Somehow, I think we all knew that winter wouldn't last long. But I also think it's sort of funny that we let a rodent predict how long winter will be! I think snow is very pretty, but it can also be a pain. So, I am happy to hear that Spring will be arriving early!

Oh, and by the way, Scientists are now saying that Human's are the cause for the El Nino/Global Warming!