Red Elephant

Starting Again Somewhere

So, I wanted to write last night, but my power kept going out. Specifically, the main circuit breaker on my house kept going out, and this only happens when I'm running the dryer. I thought this problem would go away after I had someone out to look at it and he told me that the dryer didn't have a circuit breaker, so it could only trip the main switch. Pay the guy to install a circuit breaker for the dryer and we think everything's solved.

Flash forward to last night. Got sucked into watching 24, and right before the end... power goes out. Go downstairs, reset everything. Mental note that I'm going to have to get someone else to look at this. Back upstairs briefly. I thought I had it licked, and tried to do some dishes. Nope.

I turned off whatever light switches I could find. I unplugged Christmas lights, computer equipment, whatever. I turned off the furnace. I went back downstairs. I swore. Repeatedly. Then I thought I'd just wait in the basement until the laundry was done.

Am I stubborn enough to sit in the dark and wait for my clothes to dry? Almost.

I thought better and managed to get a couple more things done with just about everything in the house shut off. Somehow, it got through with the cycle. Not exactly conducive to writing, but makes for a story at least.

...

And here are some links that I've been accumulating--
Get ready to breakdance fight
Graphic designer asks 'What if' for his past & future
Online High School Simulation Game
The difference between writing & typing
The Secret Friend Society [beautiful webcomic]
New Beck Video - Hell Yess! [WM link at bottom]

And something that seems to be a trend, claiming copyrights on public art/landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Cloud Gate [aka The Bean] sculpture in Millennium Park, Chicago. [Why yes, I did get these via boingboing, thank you very much.]

Finally -- McSweeneys has been hilarious lately. I recommend Reading-Too-Much-Into-Things Comprehension

Damnit!

Beware the xacto knife unless you want to cut the tip off of your finger again. Luckily, it was hella-sharp, so the wound was clean. I put the skin back in place, wrapped it with a bandage & called it good. I can almost type.

In college, when I was working for the student newspaper I cut the tip off of my thumb. Same deal, perfect circle. The skin was a few degrees off, so now my fingerprint is very distinct. I'll have to put a photo up later, when I get my new digital camera. I'm thinking this one even though this one is more in my price range.

Update: I remembered that you can just superglue a wound if it's not too deep. I was tired of not being able to type.

Snow, Part Two

I finally made it to work at 10:30, just in time for the office meeting, minus a couple. Total commute time: three hours. Elapsed time since I woke up: four and one half hours. Two new records!! Still, only the second worst commute in a snowstorm ever. Worse yet was driving on the interstate for two hours from Omaha to Lincoln, when I was splitting time between the two cities.

On the lighter side, The garage fixed my tire for only $13. $1.50 for a new valve stem, the rest for labor. Turns out there was a screw in the tire, too. At least it's fixed. And they even put it on for me & aired up my spare. Things are looking up as the snow continues to fall down.

Also, Bronson just emailed me. He got his snow day after all. Creighton is closed today.

Hate. Snow.

So, it snowed like a motherfucker last night. Something like six to twelve inches. I figured I had better get up early to shovel. So, after shovelling for an hour, and skipping the front walk, I had most of the driveway done. We're in a winter storm warning, so it was all going to fill back up anyway. I just needed to be able to get my car out.

Back inside for a quick shower & a shave. Then I'm off to work. Except my little Honda can't quite get to the top of the hill. That's okay, I'll back up and give it another run. Nope. Not that time either. If I back up a bit more, I can build a little more momentum. I'll try it in second gear to keep my RPM low. Oh wait, I seem to be drifting over to the side. And now I'm stuck, two doors down, half-blocking my neighbor's driveway.

Wait, my neighbor is coming out, he's helping me back up. He's pushing. I'm rocking the car, like I was taught us to do. Annnnnd.... No dice. Neighbor: "Looks like you're high-centered, and leaking antifreeze. Are you overheating?" The temp gauge looked okay. Check that off as one less concern.

At least I can get my shovel and dig myself out. So I end up shovelling the street for another half hour. Meanwhile, some local guy with a blade on his truck plows the other side of the street. If I can get to the clear side and out of the ruts I've dug for myself, I'll be fine.

That last line felt like some sad commentary on life.

After two more attempts and two more shovelling sessions I'm successfully in the driveway, ready to make it over to the plowed side of the street. Now I have a quandry. Do I bring the shovel with me, or leave it in case my roommate feels like cleaning up the driveway after the rest of the day's snow? I really should just have a second shovel.

Problem solved! I notice my front right tire is flat. I'm not going anywhere. Apparently I ripped off the air valve when the car drifted over next to the curb. No wonder I had no traction & was unable to back up and turn at the same time. I'm going to finish this glass of water and simmer down a bit more.

Then I'll make some calls to places that fix tires. There's a garage up the street. If I can get there on a donut, I'll be somewhat ready to face the day.

I remember thinking while I was shovelling. "I get to do this for how many more years?!"

Ever Hear of Thanksgiving?

Driving home, I saw a giant inflatable snowman in someone's yard, and white lights in the shape of reindeer. I would like to extend my middle finger to everyone who continues to extend and commodify the "holiday" season. I would say Christmas, as that's the tradition I was raised in, but it's getting worse across the board.