Snow Day!

I got my first snow day today as a teacher. JBP got his first snow day ever. It's been a long time since a storm of any sort has meant anything to me other than overtime. It felt good to just crawl under a warm blanket and watch TV with my son, drink cocoa and bake cookies.

All told we only got about 3 inches or so of snow. Der Deutscher and I spent quite a bit of time joking with others transplanted to this area from real Snow States -- how this is nothing. In Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, etc, it wouldn't even get a second thought. Here it shuts down half the state. Oh well, I got a "free" day.

And what a note to end it on. Der Deutscher has been wanting to get me into a newer car ever since I started teaching. My new commute is about an hour a day, half an hour each way. He doesn't feel comfortable with the reliability, or lack thereof, of my 1998 Nissan Altima.

We'd test driven a couple of vehicles and pretty much decided which one I liked. But we wanted to drive it again in bad weather. Like, oh say, today? See, when we bought the Altima we got it in the Spring. Didn't find out until six months later that it sucked on snowy and icy roads. We did NOT want a repeat of that experience.

After the second, successful, test drive tonight we learned there were several attractive incentives and deals available on the Mazda 5 mini-van... this month. Which ends at midnight tonight. So, we ended up driving it home, tonight.

I'm still in shock. (And a little bit afraid to breathe in my own vehicle now! =)Are all snow days this good?

Nimitz' Lady

P.S. The only reason we got a brand new vehicle was because I insist on driving a stick shift and the chances of finding the Mazda 5, or any other decent vehicle, used in a stick are next to nil.

Beaten Down

I got my grown-up patootie beaten at basketball -- by my SIX YEAR OLD SON!!!

And you shoulda heard him crow! I took him to the Y to shoot some hoops and next thing I knew I was out there with him playing defense. He ended up beating me 16 to 4 in a 45 minute game.

And that, despite the fact I got about triple the looks at the basket he got!

It's rather humbling to get your rear kicked by a six year old. But, in my defense, we were playing with a hard to handle youth ball. Of course, there's also the fact I've never been that athletically talented and have no real training in basketball -- up against his ability to hit an adult height basket, accurately, without looking!

I don't know where he gets it but it sure gives me something to look forward to bragging about when I see the Iowa State Ladies next month.

The family's headed to Ames, IA, between Christmas and New Year's for a little b-ball OD -- three games in three nights. Whoopee!!

Gotta remember to bake some cookies before we leave or the ladies on the team will never forgive me. That's ok though, I'll just hide behind my son who considers a 5'11" forward to be "little"!

Plus, we've been to so many away games the last few years they pretty much consider JBP to be their good luck mascot. They'd never harm him!

Nimitz' Lady

Makes Sense

You're totally like 50% California!

You've been here before, haven't you? Wasn't that you I saw stepping into Brad Pitt's cement footprint at Mann's Chinese and telling your mom to "Take my Picture!"? I thought so!

How California are You?

Scary Convenience

Cash, check or finger?
Fingerprint technology allows consumers to pay without cash, credit cards

The "Pay By Touch" program at Cub Foods allows customers to purchase their foods by just scanning their fingerprint. Users must register with the system by supplying a blank check and a government-issued ID. When a customer checks out with the Pay By Touch, the system accesses his or her checking account and withdraws the amount they owe.

This recent article on the Iowa State Daily's website is just scary. Can you imagine how easy it would be for the government to completely control who was allowed to buy and sell things when you do all your transactions electronically, authorized by a fingerprint? Eeww. Worse than any scary movie at the theater.

Nimitz' Lady

Re-named

JBP is so taken with his reading/spelling/phonics lessons that he now goes around spelling everything. Either words he has learned in school or reading off letters from words on signs all over town.

In the process he has also renamed Der Deutscher and I. We are no longer Mom & Dad, nor Ma & Da, nor Mama & Dadda, nor Mommy & Daddy, not even Muh-ther and Fah-ther. No, we are now ... M-O-M and D-A-D.

In self defense I have begun calling JBP... S-O-N.

Nimitz' Lady

P.S. The Lady Cyclones just pulled off a big win at UNI in Cedar Rapids, IA. Down most of the game they came from 16 down in the last few minutes of regulation play to tie it up and put the game into OT, where they won 80-76. Great game.

"Mistaken" Anger

I've actually been battling a case of mistaken anger toward Der Deutscher recently. He did nothing.

I got a text message Monday morning at school, "I Love You! :)" Of course I assumed it was from Der Deutscher. After I casually TM'd him back, "I Luv You Too" (the 3 button is busted on my phone) I looked at the number and realized it wasn't his phone.

Monday afternoon I discovered the TM had been from a woman I didn't know to her son. Wrong number.

Der Deutscher had nothing to do with any of this. But for me, emotionally, it's like the instant of warm, fuzzy feeling I got from thinking I had a TM from him had been cruelly yanked away from me, leaving me cold and bereft. So, I've been struggling not to blame him for what happened. For not even thinking to send me a random I Love You TM.

¡Así es la vida!

Nimitz' Lady

What's wrong with this...

"Record high voter turnout is expected nationwide today, with more than 41% of registered voters saying they plan to cast a ballot."

Nimitz' Lady

Election Night Fever

For the first time in the three months since I left the TV News biz I actually miss it. It's election night with all the attendant excitement in the air.

This is the first election since I could vote that I've watched as a "civvie" -- taking part in neither party politics nor news coverage of the election. And with so many possibilities floating in the air tonight I actually feel the pull to join in again.

Of course, part of this feeling is this is the first election in 5 years where I don't have to deal with a TV station that doesn't know Jack about covering elections, but tries to pretend it does. I came to the NBC affiliate in this time an award winning elections producer. C-SPAN had even chosen to air MY elections show LIVE NATIONWIDE! in 2000! But my station here never even asked for my help with elections coverage.

I'm sure this renewed feeling of excitement over "news" will pass, but in the meantime I'm kind of enjoying the fact that I've recovered enough from my burnout to actually feel it.

Nimitz' Lady

Not much to say, but New PICTURES!

The last month or so has been pretty bad for us, which is why I haven't posted, at all. Unlike some who write when they're depressed in order to feel better, I write when I feel good, mostly. When I get really down in the dumps I just want to forget about writing anything and lose myself in a good book.

Things are starting to look up for us now, and hopefully I'll be back to my foolishly blogging self soon.

In the meantime I've posted a whole bunch of new photos from the last couple months on Flickr! Check out the link on the right side of your screen and Happy Viewing.

Nimitz' Lady