(no subject)

I slept in until Cordelia got me up at 10. She was unhappy with me for sleeping so late. It's going to be hard to get up at 7 tomorrow. I mean, I know I can do it. It's just less fun than sleeping in.

Scott e-mailed me and Cordelia to let us know that he got to work safely (and on time!). I'd been worried about that, so I was grateful. Hopefully, by the time he heads home tonight the streets he needs will be properly cleared. I was hoping that, if he was going to get stuck, it would happen in our driveway. I had visions of him ending up in the ditch along the highway.

We just got word on the Science Olympiad schedule. The two events Cordelia and her friend were signed up to do conflict with each other. That means the girls have to choose. Cordelia's not willing to do an event alone, so the girls will have to agree on their choice. Scott's coaching one event (there are also two fourth graders doing it, so there will be a team to coach either way), and the other girl's father is coaching the other event (I think there are also kids from other grades in that one). Scott's coaching To Infinity and Beyond (I'm not sure what that event is about-- It sounds like outer space of some sort). The other event is Disease Detectives. Cordelia and the other girl did Disease Detectives last year and came very close to placing (they were sixth. The top five teams get medals).

When we were at the public library on Saturday, we parked in the surface lot (there's an underground parking structure under the surface lot). We noticed at the time that all of the snow that had been cleared had been pushed into a big heap right on top of the handicapped parking space. That seemed like a bad idea to me. I mean, there must have been another corner of the lot to push the snow into. I suppose that was the easiest, given how the lot is configured, but easiest doesn't mean only or even best. That space is going to be unusable for the next couple of months. Even if we get a thaw, a drift that big takes days to melt away.

Time to start in on the dishes. The pan from the New Year's Eve turkey has been soaking and needs scrubbing. I'm not looking forward to that, but Scott's the one who scraped the grease and scraps out of it, so it's my turn. Cleaning that pan is the least fun of the clean up chores after New Year's Eve. Some years we put the pan out on the back porch and forget about it for a few weeks while the local critters eat the grease. That's not good for the pan, however, so we try not to do that any more.

(no subject)

I wish that pop bottles and tins of instant coffee and such listed how much caffeine is in a serving. I would be interested to know how my preferred instant coffee stacks up next to other instant coffees of various sorts, and it would be nice to know, on those days when I'm out of instant coffee or need to stick with clear liquids for whatever reason, whether I'm getting more or less caffeine if I substitute in a Coca Cola. I'd like to keep my caffeine intake level. I don't want to get a withdrawal headache, and I don't want to accidentally set my body to expect more than it's going to get from my morning coffee.

I just had a bowl of Campbell's chunky split pea soup. I didn't enjoy it much. I think I was expecting more salt which is fixable for next time. I was also expecting it to be thicker. I keep remembering the split pea soup of my childhood (which was, as I recall, standard Campbell's) and wanting some of it. I just haven't been able to find what I'm looking for. Trying to make it myself didn't work (probably because I didn't cook with ham or any added fat). My yearning for that split pea soup will probably go unsatisfied because Cordelia won't eat it if I make it.

(no subject)

It's official-- There's no school tomorrow. It's not the snow this time. It's the cold. They're predicting -40 F tomorrow with the wind chill. They don't want anybody outside who doesn't absolutely have to be. I feel really sorry for the mail carriers. I felt sorry for them today, and tomorrow's going to be worse.

Apparently the snow plow came through our street while Scott was at work. He says there's a four foot wall of snow in front of the driveway. The Subaru with its all wheel drive got through which is good because there's no good parking on the street. He does think that he won't be able to clear all of that snow to give good access to the driveway.

Cordelia is agitating to get out of the house this evening, but I don't think it's going to happen. Her suggestion is that we take her to use her Barnes & Noble gift card, but that would be an unjustifiable expedition, and it's not like she's going to run out of things to read. She's got dozens of books she hasn't read.