Slush

I should be cleaning my apartment, but instead I am drinking coffee and (as my friend Jimmy's Mother calls it) "living the life of ease." I suppose at some point today I should get dressed and actually leave the house. Well, I have several hours before the Academy Awards start tonight to take care of my errands... so coffee and the life of ease, it is!

Yesterday I met Justin in West Chester (is that one word or two words? Need to look that up!) and we drove to Indiana to go to the Webb Antique Mall. I think they should change their name to the "Webb Clown / Princess Di / JFK memorabilia Antique Mall." I get major sensory overload in places like this. I love all the small items in the glass cases but if you really looked at them closely it would take you all day! We wandered about and tried to be organized about our route through the place, but it really had a strange layout. Justin tried to be helpful by picking out things to decorate my apartment with, like a massive clown head, Princess Di rugs and scary dolls to put over my non-existent headboard. I told him once that if we ever end up cohabitating I will leave all the decorating up to him... now I'm not so sure. Sadly, we left empty-handed.

We drove back to Oxford and he took me to the library at Miami U. Did you know that I am dating a celebrity? There is a poster advertising the library with a picture of Justin on it hanging in the stairwell... I TOTALLY have to have one of these! Who needs scary clown heads when I can have a poster of Justin and his co-worker who uses her kid as an excuse everytime she needs to leave early, to decorate my apartment?!

We were supposed to go see a play at the University so we went to Justin's office to check to see if tickets had been released. Before buying the tickets he showed me around one of the creepiest libraries I have ever been in. His office is in the basement of the Art and Architecture Library and the whole time I was there I was really creeped out. He told me stories about suicides in the building but I really try to keep an open mind about places like this and not let stories or past events influence my feelings and thinking. The library was closed so it was just the two of us. I constantly felt like someone was watching me. I kept turning my head to look, but of course no one was there. He goes there to study sometimes overnight - there is no way I would be in there alone!

We had a couple of hours to kill before the play, so we went to dinner and we started to have freezing rain. By the time we left the restaurant there was an inch of slush on the road. We didn't know how long it was supposed to last and decided to go to the play anyway.

The play was "The Conversion of Ka'ahumanu" It was done in a very small and intimate theater at the University. Although a bit long at times, it was interesting since I really have no idea about the history of Hawaii and it's native people (sorry Justin! - I'm learning!) I can't imagine having to act in such a small setting. I mean, I can see getting up on a stage and doing a play because you really can't see the audience because of all the lighting. With this play the actors might as well have been part of the audience! At times they were a foot away from us and there was a lot of eye contact between the actors and audience members. I think I would start laughing or something. I suppose this is why I am not an actress.

When we left the play the freezing rain was still coming down. I was wearing clogs and my socks were drenched. Justin had an umbrella but it didn't really help much! I just knew I was going to fall and bust my ass. We made it to the car and he was using the ice scraper brush to get all of the slush/ice off the car. This is the point in the story where I become an abused woman. He went to throw the scraper into the backseat but when doing so, he whacked me on the head with it and all the ice and slush that was on the brush was now all over me! He was VERY amused by this. I think that I have a concussion as well as cerebral hemorrhaging along with hypothermia from all the fallen ice that landed on me... PLUS, it was dirty ice! :(

And, yes... I plan on using this act of abuse for years to come against him! :)

Snow Rant

Last year after it snowed a couple of inches I was walking to my car and my shoes were absolutely wet. I went and bought some snow boots because having wet shoes isn't much fun, really. Well, after my purchase it didn't snow again for the rest of winter and I never really had the opportunity to wear my boots. Needless to say, I have worn my boots more than I care to discuss this winter. I am over the snow. It needs to go away.

After the last snowfall a couple of weeks ago I let Mother Nature take care of my steps and sidewalk while silently hoping that no one (mostly myself) would not slip and fall while the sun did it's job of melting said snow. I got lucky. I didn't want my luck to run out so after the 5 or 6 inches we got the other day I did some thinking. Maybe if I go out and buy a snow shovel I might have the luck I had when I bought my boots. Perhaps it won't snow again all season!

Tonight I went to Home Depot and bought a shovel. I've never purchased a shovel before, let alone a snow shovel, so I was a bit overwhelmed with the selection. Who knew there were so many kinds of snow shovels!? I bought one that had a fun little ergonomically correct curve to it hoping that after I shovel I won't be totally achy. I came home, put on the snow boots that I have worn too often recently and went to town on my porch, steps and sidewalk.

Shoveling snow is not fun. Where are all the neighborhood kids that need extra cash??

I mean, I did it when I was a kid, but that was for money! I have a bad feeling about the achy thing tomorrow - I think I used the snow shoveling muscles I haven't used since I was a kid. Also, when I came inside my face was frozen and full of hives - yes, I am allergic to the cold! Actually, this is the first time since being in Ohio that I have had the hive thing. It's not very attractive, I'm afraid. I hope the mail carrier appreciates my efforts and leaves me a nice present or something. I am sure she has been cussing me all over the place about having to risk her life to bring me my Netflix movies.

My last thought about Ohio and it's horrible snow problem is this; I CONSTANTLY bitch about the snow and the cold and how it sucks the life out of me. Everyone keeps telling me the same thing "Ohhhhh, this is nothing compared to how it NORMALLY is!!" So, if this is nothing and Ohio is used to MORE snow than 5 or 6 inches, then why is it so freakin' hard to maintain the roads? It started snowing Tuesday around noon and stopped late Tuesday evening. How is it that when I drove to work at 9:30am on Wednesday, there was STILL snow on the road and it was pretty hazardous. Can someone please explain this to me? If it were to snow like everyone tells me it normally does, I can only assume that Dayton is in an emergency state since it can't even keep up with a couple of inches!

Here's hoping my new shovel has the same magical effect on Mother Nature as my boots did!