so tired

Our first round of prototype testing is complete. We worked long and hard Thursday through Sunday. Today we review what needs to be changed before next weekend. Then I'm going to take a couple of days off before we do it all over again.

The Universe...

...is very big...and very small. And we don't really know how big or small it really is yet.

Omnifest is coming up and the staff preview of "Cosmic Voyage" was last night. That was the main idea. Cool, though.

Tonight is "Mystic India". I expect to go home craving tikka and panner.

I'm a "somebody"

Our bus accident made it into the paper. There's even a picture in the print version. Here's a link to the online article. I'm the "someone" who got the kitty litter.

Passengers pitch in, but the bus stays stuck
Pushing, shoveling, even kitty litter couldn't free Metro Transit bus
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/14091964.htm

Blizzard!

(and the march of the exclamation points continues)

After the warm front that melted all the snow, winter came back with a bang. All this happened over night. When I went to bed at 11pm it was raining with a light dusting of snow. This morning, I caught a glimpse of snow out my curtains so I went with the tall snow boots (just because I like them better - I had no idea how bad it was). As I left my apartment, I noticed blowing snow out the window, but I just thought it was blowing off the roof.

I was wrong. Very, very wrong. There was at least 6 inches on the ground when I got outside and it is still pouring down. You can't breath in without taking in some snow. Then there was the bus adventure. It was great to see how everyone pulled together to try to work the bus free when it got stuck. Sadly, things just got worse so I gave up on that bus and decided to walk. That resolution lasted exactly two blocks. Trudging through fresh snow during a blizzard is not fun. So I holed up with some other bus refugees in an entryway and waited an hour for the next bus to come. Now I'm at work...because a little snow doesn't stop a Minnesotan.

Adventure at every turn.

!

Since I seem to be temporarily obsessed with the exclamation point, I've decided to let this one stand alone.

As promised - peeps diorama planning, in process. That's Sara on the left and Renee on the right. Cari is at home, but will join us in the next phase.

Peeps!

Today I purchased $20 worth of assorted Peeps (but I only paid half that. I had a coupon.) This was in preparation for the Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama contents. Rule #1: Must contain Peeps. Rule #2: Must be a diorama.

Sara, Renee, Cari and I are working together on this one. I'm planning to document the process in photos. Tonight we debate the Theme.

Soup!

I made cilantro lime soup last night. Yum. And the apartment smelled so good. Now I need to pack it for storage before I manage to eat all of it.

Optometrist appointment today. They are going to dilate my eyes, so the walk home should be fun.

Nothing new

Worked late last night. Went home and heated up leftovers. Did not make soup. Went to bed. Would have been earlier, but the damn Colbert Report is funny. Daily Show is new again tonight. These are the kinds of things I look forward to.

planning ahead

I spent the weekend mostly cooking and cleaning. I made two loaves of banana bread. One will be breakfast this week and the other one I froze for later. Plus I made some sort of pot roast. I threw a bunch of stuff in the crock pot and took it out in the evening. I brought some in for today's lunch and we'll see how it tastes then. I'm trying to make sure to make extras of things to freeze, and sometimes I do. But its usually followed by a period of not wanting to cook and eating all my stores. Better than the reverse, I suppose. Tonight I'm making a pot of cilantro lime soup that is also destined for the freezer. After that I'm down to the dregs and I need to go shopping again.

I heart the 80's

Twice today I've been mocked for using the words "Totally" and "Awesome" (but not together, though, it's not that bad). Then I got caught chair dancing. It's totally time to leave. Luckily, today will end with beers. Ah....foamy.

I crush Winter under my bootheel

Yesterday was warm (like in the 40's). This morning, my bus stop snowpile proved vulnerable to my attacks. I could do little to whittle down the main bulk of the pile, but I spent a satisfing five minutes or so kicking off every protruding knob, including a huge foot-wide craggy outcropping. I then jumped up and down on them and reduced them to powder. The powder will be no match for the sun today and will be gone by tomorrow.

I think I'm ready for winter to be over.

Susan's visit

Susan came to visit the last weekend in January. We had oodles of fun. Her flight was a little late in arriving, so we went right to breakfast at Hell's Kitchen. Wow - Delicious and unusual food. Susan said they had great coffee. I enjoyed a kick ass Bloody Mary. We made an attempt to see the Winter Carnival King Boreas parade, but were stymied by the latest of the hour. We did get to glimpse it through the streets, though.

We spent the afternoon with my friend Ethan and his dog, Riley, at the Art Shanty project on Medicine Lake. Art Shanties take the idea if ice shanties (used when ice fishing) and reinterpret them. There were installations like the huge glass jellyfish and performances. There was a shanty were you could get hot beverages for the price of a story. There was a science shanty, where we saw zooplankton. Just really cool. Only wish I'd worn the right shoes.

Dinner that night was at 112 Cafe. It reminds me of some of the best places I used to eat in Philly. We split a bunch of dishes and a bottle of wine and the whole bill (w/tip) only came to $80 odd. Susan was amazed at the price considering the quality of the dinner.

After dinner, we went to the 400 Bar, where Bob Dylan got his start. We met up with my friend Tilly and chatted for a while. The Hopefuls (formally the Olympic Hopefuls, until they performed for the OC and then got a cease and desist letter from the IOC) were playing that night. We caught the end of the set.

Sunday, Susan decided to join me at the UU church I've been attending. My choir was not singing, so that was just really nice of her. Then we joined my friend Ellen and her husband for brunch at a cute little place near me.

The big event this day was SNOW TUBING! Oh my god...this was so much fun. We drove to a local place (about 30 min away) that has skiing, boarding and tubing. The tubing was dead cheap and came with the tube and a lift ticket for the conveyor belt lift. It was everything great about sledding, without having to climb the hill. Susan did all the dangerous stunts, I was content with just whizzing down the hill. By the end, Susan had figured out how to "tube dance" with me. She could spin us and everything. Now I'm trying to get my work friends to go.

We were pretty much exhausted after the tubing, so we had a quiet dinner at a place near me. Susan got the very last beef tenderloin and it was so good it blew my pumpkin gnocci out of the water.

Monday was our last day. We spent some quiet time chatting at home. Then I got to show off some of the stuff I'd been working on. There was an open house at the warehouse to show off the (90' long) model canal we built for the National Canal Museum and some other of their interactives. Then we headed to the museum to poke around. I showed her where my new exhibit will go and we got a sneak peek at Strange Matter and Science on a Sphere. Before taking her back to the airport, we walked through Rice Park and checked out the remains of the ice sculptures (warm weather pretty much killed them on the same day they went up.)

Too much to do to fit it all in, but we had a blast nonetheless.

Oh, what a beautiful morning...

This was a morning to remind you why it is good to be alive. The air was crisp, clean and tasted of snow. The sun shining brightly from the blue sky warmed my face. Tiny snowflakes were falling, star shape distinct as they dusted the arm of my coat. Exquisite.

Plus - when I got to work, the toys I bought for a couple of guys on the Managing Light team went over like gangbusters. The Light Up Glow worms are gummi worms that glow when you grip them with the special pincers. Cost: $1. Officewide merriment: priceless. (sorry - had to borrow from the ad).

Warm hearts

This January was the warmest in Minnesota since 1846. It's back in the 20's again and we got two inches of snow last night. You could practically hear the sigh of relief from the natives.

Shoot

Hunts over. Some high school students found it after six clues. We had the park right, though, and how the medallion would be hidden. Close, but no prize.

The Hunt is on

The Medallion Hunt* started on Saturday. Should have been Sunday, but they released the clue early. I haven't been out to dig yet, but I've been doing a lot of noodling. Second clue identified in what the medallion is hidden. A Pearson's Nut Goodie wrapper (local candy maker, very tasty!). See...

Son of Pear, hometown fare,
The nut of this year’s quest.
Sweetest patty, never a baddie,
Covers the prize at rest.

*Medallion Hunt is sponsored by the Pioneer Press. The medallion is hidden somewhere on public land in Ramsey Co. A new clue to it's location is released every day. For some, it's a local obsession.

De-decked

Sad, but true. This weekend I repacked my holiday decorations (except the mini-tree which will go back up for Susan's arrival). The tree was especially crispy, so removing the lights was both easy and messy. Made the whole place smell good. It took me a while to clean up most of the needles (never say all, they hide). Now everything is in boxes waiting to go back downstairs. Usually the apartment feels empty when Christmas is gone, but this year it doesn't. Could be because I'm still planning things to do with it. Just have to wait until I can afford it.

Susan's trip is all planned out. We've got reservations where needed, lots of Winter Carnival things to see and do, and plenty of downtime to just hang out. Weather permitting, we are going snow tubing! Like sledding, but on a real hill (which is good because I have neither sled nor hill). Looks like it will be lots of fun.

Thus far I'm dragging on my New Year's resolutions, but kicking tail on my To Do list.

Making a list, checking it twice

I love making a list and then crossing things off. I got lots of home stuff done this weekend and then made big lists of other things I want to get done. I'm still hanging on to Christmas by my fingernails. It's not done until Susan comes to visit at the end of the month. The Tree is not going to last that long, though. It's dead. It stopped taking in new water a week ago. Now I tiptoe past it as to not loosen any needles. I still have a few friends I want to invite over to admire it, but if they don't see it by this weekend, they may have to just admire the photos.

New Year

New Years was wonderful. I don't think I've ever been through that many states on New Year's day before. Unfortunately, I've come back with a cold. Mild but annoying. So I've taken it easy the last few days (which the cat loves). I cleaned house and am working on a grocery list. Mostly I sit on the couch and admire my Christmas tree.

Holiday fun

I'm in a tizzy of holiday preparations. Friday, I used the car share to finish up my Christmas shopping. Saturday was full of rehearsals followed by the Holiday Choir Concert. We sounded beautiful. There was also much baking for the dessert potluck that followed. I did find time on Saturday to get my Christmas tree. My friend Ellen agreed to help me transport and install it. I've got the lights on now (and I though of Dennis and Susan the whole time I was decking the tree all by myself). My apartment smells so good.

Sunday was all about the baking. I went to my friend, Sara's, house and we baked several different kinds of cookies. Much fun.

The rest of this week is filled with Solstice fun. I volunteered to help with the Solstice service on Wednesday. So I need to pack and get ready to leave for Christmas in the slivers of time that are left.

A whirlwind, but a happy holiday-joy-filled one.