Winter has official begun! Yippee!
My favorite thing about winter is that once winter begins the days start getting longer again. I'm not quite sure why that matters to me so much, because sometimes I swear I'm part vampire and don't fully come to live until after sundown, no matter the season. But the reduced hours of daylight in the fall and winter months sap my energy, my spirit.
Now that winter has officially begun, that means spring is coming.
And starting now, the days will start getting just a little bit longer, day by day.
I'll consider that the season's Christmas gift to me.
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Friday, December 21, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Time for a cool change
The other day I was in a motel gift shop in Las Vegas. The town is obviously gearing up for the annual influx of new year's revelers coming to town. Among the trash and trinkets were a variety of souvenirs touting Las Vegas 2008. I won't be joining the Sin City celebrants, but seeing the souvenirs got me to thinking and I realize I need to come up with my own, personal and special way to say goodbye (and good riddance) to 2007 and hello to the new year.
When I was young, my friends and I used to try to figure out how old we would be when the year 2000 arrived. It seems so far off back then. And we'd in in our 30s! Ancient by middle-school standards. Now, 2000 seems so long ago, with 2008 just around the corner.
I have been been a big fan of 2007, so I won't be shedding any tears over it's departure. Maybe just tears of disappointment about wasting another year of my life sitting still. I'm not saying it's been an awful year or anything. It's just been, in a word, dull. Or the way I've lived it has been dull.
I've never been one for making resolutions for the new year, but this year I may make an exception. I haven't quite settled on the wording of what that resolution might be, but I want something to look forward to, something to strive for with the turning of the calendar page. I don't know what 2008 will bring, but it has to be better than this. I need to make it better than this.
Do people still make new year's resolutions? If so, will you resolve to do something better/different in the coming year? What might that be, if it's not too personal to share? I'm not looking to borrow someone else's resolution, but I would be curious to know what folks in the blogosphere aspire to in 2008. Maybe your motivation will inspire me, and others, to reach higher and farther in our goals of self-betterment.
If you have any suggestion about how (or where) to celebrate the new year (particularly if it's in the Salem-Portland area), I am open to stealing a good idea there outright. Or just tell me how you plan to spend the new year. I can't remember what I did last year, which tells you how memorable that was. Maybe that was the problem, I didn't kick the year off right and the whole year suffered.
Perhaps that's my first resolution right there.
I resolve to ring in the new year with a little flash (or at least some fun) for 2008.
That's one resolution down.
When I was young, my friends and I used to try to figure out how old we would be when the year 2000 arrived. It seems so far off back then. And we'd in in our 30s! Ancient by middle-school standards. Now, 2000 seems so long ago, with 2008 just around the corner.
I have been been a big fan of 2007, so I won't be shedding any tears over it's departure. Maybe just tears of disappointment about wasting another year of my life sitting still. I'm not saying it's been an awful year or anything. It's just been, in a word, dull. Or the way I've lived it has been dull.
I've never been one for making resolutions for the new year, but this year I may make an exception. I haven't quite settled on the wording of what that resolution might be, but I want something to look forward to, something to strive for with the turning of the calendar page. I don't know what 2008 will bring, but it has to be better than this. I need to make it better than this.
Do people still make new year's resolutions? If so, will you resolve to do something better/different in the coming year? What might that be, if it's not too personal to share? I'm not looking to borrow someone else's resolution, but I would be curious to know what folks in the blogosphere aspire to in 2008. Maybe your motivation will inspire me, and others, to reach higher and farther in our goals of self-betterment.
If you have any suggestion about how (or where) to celebrate the new year (particularly if it's in the Salem-Portland area), I am open to stealing a good idea there outright. Or just tell me how you plan to spend the new year. I can't remember what I did last year, which tells you how memorable that was. Maybe that was the problem, I didn't kick the year off right and the whole year suffered.
Perhaps that's my first resolution right there.
I resolve to ring in the new year with a little flash (or at least some fun) for 2008.
That's one resolution down.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Three questions
I was having trouble coming up with a blog topic for today, so I opted to seek out a meme.
This comes from the blog DailyThree.
1. What temperature do you consider to be "cold" or when you would need to wear warm clothes?
Anything below 60 degrees is cold for me, but that makes me sound like a wimp. Certainly anything below 50 gets cold. And any temperature where you can see your breath gets into the frickin' cold category
2. What is a typical winter like in your area? What are the average temps this time of year?
Winter here is typically rainy and chilly. (Although the news today was of snow falling in the higher elevations near Portland and through the mountain passes) Compared to most parts of the country, the winters are pretty mild. Average daytime temps (off the top of my head, not looking at actual weather norms) is probably somewhere in the 50s, with nighttime lows in the the 40s or upper 30. Of course all that goes out the window when the skies are clear, and temperatures can dip down below freezing at night.
3. If you live in a cooler climate, what is it that you enjoy most about it? Why do you choose to remain living there? If you live in a warmer climate, have you ever visited places that were seasonably cold? What did you like or dislike about it?
To be honest, I don't really care for the climate, but the weather here does make this a beautiful place when the sun shines and the skies are clear. The lush greenery of the evergreen trees makes a lovely contrast with the blue skies and snow-capped mountains in the winter time. Even the fall foliage, which is mostly gone now, is picturesque. I don't live here for the climate. I live here for my family and for my job. But I lived 10 years in Southern California, 5 in Palm Springs, where the winter daytime temperature can reach 70, or close to it. Now that was a climate I loved and a place I would live again for the climate alone.
I hope wherever you are when you are reading this, you are surrounded by comfort and warmth.
This comes from the blog DailyThree.
1. What temperature do you consider to be "cold" or when you would need to wear warm clothes?
Anything below 60 degrees is cold for me, but that makes me sound like a wimp. Certainly anything below 50 gets cold. And any temperature where you can see your breath gets into the frickin' cold category
2. What is a typical winter like in your area? What are the average temps this time of year?
Winter here is typically rainy and chilly. (Although the news today was of snow falling in the higher elevations near Portland and through the mountain passes) Compared to most parts of the country, the winters are pretty mild. Average daytime temps (off the top of my head, not looking at actual weather norms) is probably somewhere in the 50s, with nighttime lows in the the 40s or upper 30. Of course all that goes out the window when the skies are clear, and temperatures can dip down below freezing at night.
3. If you live in a cooler climate, what is it that you enjoy most about it? Why do you choose to remain living there? If you live in a warmer climate, have you ever visited places that were seasonably cold? What did you like or dislike about it?
To be honest, I don't really care for the climate, but the weather here does make this a beautiful place when the sun shines and the skies are clear. The lush greenery of the evergreen trees makes a lovely contrast with the blue skies and snow-capped mountains in the winter time. Even the fall foliage, which is mostly gone now, is picturesque. I don't live here for the climate. I live here for my family and for my job. But I lived 10 years in Southern California, 5 in Palm Springs, where the winter daytime temperature can reach 70, or close to it. Now that was a climate I loved and a place I would live again for the climate alone.
I hope wherever you are when you are reading this, you are surrounded by comfort and warmth.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Chilly reception
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Winter goes out like a lion
Snow is falling in some areas in the higher elevations around Western Oregon, including in areas around Portland and Salem.
Spring is less than two weeks away and this is only the second day this winter that there has been snow or ice on or near the valley floor. Yet, I've been hearing cars driving all around Salem all winter long with studded tires.
That's enough reason to chew up asphalt all over the Willamette Valley isn't it? One or two days of slick roads per winter?
Winter
Snow
Willamette Valley
Spring is less than two weeks away and this is only the second day this winter that there has been snow or ice on or near the valley floor. Yet, I've been hearing cars driving all around Salem all winter long with studded tires.
That's enough reason to chew up asphalt all over the Willamette Valley isn't it? One or two days of slick roads per winter?
Winter
Snow
Willamette Valley
Thursday, February 02, 2006
No power in the balls
I didn't wake up rich.
I haven't checked my lottery ticket yet, but I know I didn't win the big Powerball prize, because no one did. The jackpot for Saturday's drawing now grows to an estimated $180 million.
So, if you were planning to hit me up for a loan today, get over it. I may be hitting you up for one instead, so I can buy a ticket for Saturday's drawing.
And since I didn't wake up rich, I guess I better go to work. Damn, I hate it when that happens. And even worse, that damn groundhog saw its shadow, so supposedly we are in for six more weeks of winter weather. I really hate when that happens. Someone needs to take the little furry fucker out for forecasting such misery.
Powerball lottery
Groundhog Day
I haven't checked my lottery ticket yet, but I know I didn't win the big Powerball prize, because no one did. The jackpot for Saturday's drawing now grows to an estimated $180 million.
So, if you were planning to hit me up for a loan today, get over it. I may be hitting you up for one instead, so I can buy a ticket for Saturday's drawing.
And since I didn't wake up rich, I guess I better go to work. Damn, I hate it when that happens. And even worse, that damn groundhog saw its shadow, so supposedly we are in for six more weeks of winter weather. I really hate when that happens. Someone needs to take the little furry fucker out for forecasting such misery.
Powerball lottery
Groundhog Day
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Bored stiff
I'm profoundly bored.
I don't remember being this bored since I was a kid. The most enduring emotion I remember from childhood, particularly during the elementary school years, was boredom.
When I was in second grade we moved from living in town in Nebraska, with lots of neighbors and at least two playmates nearby to living out in the middle of nowhere in Oregon. I was so jealous of the kids who lived in town. They could see each other on weekends, walk to the school playground, walk to the store. That was freedom baby. Our closest neighbor was about a half mile away, and the closest one with kids my age was 2 miles away.
Until I got old enough to ride my bike, and later a motorcycle, to a neighbor's house I was trapped. There was NOTHING TO DO, or so it seemed to an 8 year old.
Well, that's how bored I've been feeling this weekend. It's not that I don't have stuff I could do, or even should do, there's just nothing I want to do. I don't know what I want to do and it's driving me crazy.
Some years back I used to have a problem of overobligating myself to events and activities. It started in high school and continued in college. I got involved in extracurricular activities, clubs, etc. I lived by my date book. It would get to the point where I would feel overwhelmed. Part of the problem was that I couldn't say no when people asked me if I wanted to do something or get involved in something.
Once I got into my career, I poured all that time and energy into my work. I eventually learned that putting that much time and energy into work meant if work went bad life pretty much sucked. I had to learn to say no and I had to learn to relax.
I may have learned that lesson too well. I eventually got to the point where I did nothing on weekend. I was a slug. A couch potato. A mushroom. But I rarely felt bored like this. I think it is because I was living in the desert and surrounded by the desert sun which nourished the body.
I turned down a couple of social invitations this weekend and now I'm regretting it. But the truth is, I haven't really felt like getting out and being with people.
Maybe it's the lack of sunshine and a case of seasonal affective disorder. I'm bored and tired and utterly lacking motivation.
OK, I'm going to try to shake off this lethargy and get something accomplished with the rest of my day. At least get some laundry done. And maybe take a nap.
Boredom
Seasonal Affective Disorder
I don't remember being this bored since I was a kid. The most enduring emotion I remember from childhood, particularly during the elementary school years, was boredom.
When I was in second grade we moved from living in town in Nebraska, with lots of neighbors and at least two playmates nearby to living out in the middle of nowhere in Oregon. I was so jealous of the kids who lived in town. They could see each other on weekends, walk to the school playground, walk to the store. That was freedom baby. Our closest neighbor was about a half mile away, and the closest one with kids my age was 2 miles away.
Until I got old enough to ride my bike, and later a motorcycle, to a neighbor's house I was trapped. There was NOTHING TO DO, or so it seemed to an 8 year old.
Well, that's how bored I've been feeling this weekend. It's not that I don't have stuff I could do, or even should do, there's just nothing I want to do. I don't know what I want to do and it's driving me crazy.
Some years back I used to have a problem of overobligating myself to events and activities. It started in high school and continued in college. I got involved in extracurricular activities, clubs, etc. I lived by my date book. It would get to the point where I would feel overwhelmed. Part of the problem was that I couldn't say no when people asked me if I wanted to do something or get involved in something.
Once I got into my career, I poured all that time and energy into my work. I eventually learned that putting that much time and energy into work meant if work went bad life pretty much sucked. I had to learn to say no and I had to learn to relax.
I may have learned that lesson too well. I eventually got to the point where I did nothing on weekend. I was a slug. A couch potato. A mushroom. But I rarely felt bored like this. I think it is because I was living in the desert and surrounded by the desert sun which nourished the body.
I turned down a couple of social invitations this weekend and now I'm regretting it. But the truth is, I haven't really felt like getting out and being with people.
Maybe it's the lack of sunshine and a case of seasonal affective disorder. I'm bored and tired and utterly lacking motivation.
OK, I'm going to try to shake off this lethargy and get something accomplished with the rest of my day. At least get some laundry done. And maybe take a nap.
Boredom
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Mixed blessing
Winter begins today. I don't know whether to be excited or depressed.
I'm not thrilled because I'm not a fan of winter. I'm not looking forward to the cold, wet Northwest days ahead.
What I am happy about is that this now means the days will start getting longer. I do like the longer days. So the good news is this means, after today we are getting closer to spring and more sunny days.
So, here's to longer, and warmer, days ahead.
Winter
I'm not thrilled because I'm not a fan of winter. I'm not looking forward to the cold, wet Northwest days ahead.
What I am happy about is that this now means the days will start getting longer. I do like the longer days. So the good news is this means, after today we are getting closer to spring and more sunny days.
So, here's to longer, and warmer, days ahead.
Winter
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Slip sliding away
The Willamette Valley is not known for having the greatest winter weather, that is unless you like rain and lots of it. But if there is one positive you can say about winter weather in the Willamette Valley, it is that it rarely gets below freezing. That means it rarely snows, which is good, because the valley, Portlanders in particular, are just not equipped to handle it.
But here it has been below freezing temperatures at least at night all week, and come Sunday it snows and sleets in Portland. A strong, blustery wind, whipped up the show and sleet that didn't stick to the streets. And idiots were out on the roads, apparently going to and from their Christmas shopping errands.
Unfortunately I found myself in that mess in Portland today, because I had spent the night up there Saturday night to do so dogsitting for my daughter's family. Fortunately, the people that were out on the roads were taking it slow and easy. But that didn't stop cars from slipping and sliding on the hills, sliding into each other on occasion.
Unfortunately, I have a pickup, which had nothing in the back. So, I stopped and picked up two 50-pound bags of dog food to have some weight back there, to try to keep the ass end from sliding around in front of the headlights. I'm not sure if it helped much, but I made it out of Portland, and the roads got better as I got closer to Salem.
It only took me about 3-4 hours to get home, including a stop for food for me and dog food for the truck. But that was nothing compared to my daughter's family. It took them 8 hours to get home to Portland from Pendleton, which is normally about a 4-hour drive.
Fortunately, everyone is home safe and sound. This afternoon I wasn't so sure that would be the case.
Winter
Snow
Portland
But here it has been below freezing temperatures at least at night all week, and come Sunday it snows and sleets in Portland. A strong, blustery wind, whipped up the show and sleet that didn't stick to the streets. And idiots were out on the roads, apparently going to and from their Christmas shopping errands.
Unfortunately I found myself in that mess in Portland today, because I had spent the night up there Saturday night to do so dogsitting for my daughter's family. Fortunately, the people that were out on the roads were taking it slow and easy. But that didn't stop cars from slipping and sliding on the hills, sliding into each other on occasion.
Unfortunately, I have a pickup, which had nothing in the back. So, I stopped and picked up two 50-pound bags of dog food to have some weight back there, to try to keep the ass end from sliding around in front of the headlights. I'm not sure if it helped much, but I made it out of Portland, and the roads got better as I got closer to Salem.
It only took me about 3-4 hours to get home, including a stop for food for me and dog food for the truck. But that was nothing compared to my daughter's family. It took them 8 hours to get home to Portland from Pendleton, which is normally about a 4-hour drive.
Fortunately, everyone is home safe and sound. This afternoon I wasn't so sure that would be the case.
Winter
Snow
Portland
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Ice, ice baby
Isn't one of the benefits of living in the Willamette Valley in the winter supposed to be that it rarely gets cold enough to freeze here? What's up with this weather?
Yea, it is great that we are going to see sunshine today, but with the temperature only expected to reach about 42 degrees, that's not the sort of homecoming I was hoping for.
I don't like cold weather. Never have. And it's seems I've moved back to Oregon just in time for an unusually cold winter.
My body has a very difficult time crawling out of bed in the mornings when it's cold. The whole time I was in Vegas it was considerably easier to wake up and drag my butt out of bed, even on nights where I had far less sleep than I got last night, and I think that's just because it was warmer in the room. And the irony is, I don't think we ever even turned the heat on in our motel room. I know I didn't and I don't think my brother did either.
When I lived in Southern California, Palm Springs in particular, it was not unusual to run into people who said they didn't think they would like living there because they like having four distinctive seasons. For the record, I think those people are whacked in the head. Why would people want to be cold? I don't get it.
I guess I can't avoid it any longer. It's time to venture away from the heater and out into the cold -- 29 degrees. There's a bit of ice out there, which could make the drive into work a little more exciting than normal. Several schools and school districts are delaying their openings due to some ice conditions.
And winter hasn't even officially started yet.
Is it too late to turn around and go back to Vegas?
Weather
Winter
Yea, it is great that we are going to see sunshine today, but with the temperature only expected to reach about 42 degrees, that's not the sort of homecoming I was hoping for.
I don't like cold weather. Never have. And it's seems I've moved back to Oregon just in time for an unusually cold winter.
My body has a very difficult time crawling out of bed in the mornings when it's cold. The whole time I was in Vegas it was considerably easier to wake up and drag my butt out of bed, even on nights where I had far less sleep than I got last night, and I think that's just because it was warmer in the room. And the irony is, I don't think we ever even turned the heat on in our motel room. I know I didn't and I don't think my brother did either.
When I lived in Southern California, Palm Springs in particular, it was not unusual to run into people who said they didn't think they would like living there because they like having four distinctive seasons. For the record, I think those people are whacked in the head. Why would people want to be cold? I don't get it.
I guess I can't avoid it any longer. It's time to venture away from the heater and out into the cold -- 29 degrees. There's a bit of ice out there, which could make the drive into work a little more exciting than normal. Several schools and school districts are delaying their openings due to some ice conditions.
And winter hasn't even officially started yet.
Is it too late to turn around and go back to Vegas?
Weather
Winter
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Too cold at home
Brrrr! It's 28 degrees this morning here in Salem. Yes, 28. That's below freezing people! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually looking forward to the return of the rain.
I made the mistake of looking at what the current temperature is for my friends in Palm Springs, where it is already 63 degrees.
If I can resist the urge to crawl back under the blanket and comforter, I am going to take a long, hot shower.
Global warming my ass!
Weather
I made the mistake of looking at what the current temperature is for my friends in Palm Springs, where it is already 63 degrees.
If I can resist the urge to crawl back under the blanket and comforter, I am going to take a long, hot shower.
Global warming my ass!
Weather
Monday, November 07, 2005
A cold hard look in the rear view mirror
The brisk air assaulted my lungs like a foreign invader. Bronchi were shocked into waking by the chilly air just a few degrees north of freezing. I could see my breath huffing out of my mouth as I walked the few blocks to the convenience store.
On a night chilly enough to store perishable food on the patio, I inexplicably decide it was a good idea to walk to the store. An array of sensations, seemingly forgotten, came flooding back. My house keys wriggled around in the pocket of my slacks, feeling like an ice cube melting against my thigh. I felt the tips of my ears turning red. I fought against the cold air by lighting a cigarette from a long-ago purchase bar pack found on the inside pocket of my coat.
I walked at a swifter pace than normal, which increased the wind chill against my face but raised the heart rate, keeping shivers that threatened to penetrate my ribs from breaking the skin.
When I arrived at the corner store, before I could get to the counter I was sniffling like a coke-head after a trip to the restroom. Why does your nose run when you come in from the cold?
I made my purchase and headed back out into the night. I decided it was time to take the gloves out of my pockets and put them on for the return hike. Trying to soak in the moment, I was both repulsed and intrigued by the chilly autumn air. I stared at the fogged up windows of cars parked along the street, wondering how long it would take the fog to turn to frost. I looked up above the street lights and saw a few of the brightest stars penetrating through the haze of light that hovers over the city at night. Days of rain and clouds gave way this afternoon and evening to mostly clear skies. There was no protective blanket of clouds tonight to hold in the earth's warmth. Suddenly I wished the clouds were back.
When I got back to my place, I walked into the door and my glasses immediately fogged up, like the windows of those cars parked along the road. I didn't bother to try to wipe them off, I merely placed them on the table and walked away, letting them acclimate to the radical change in temperature.
They made the adjustment much quicker than their wearer has.
Spending nearly 10 years in the California desert seemed to virtually wipe out any recollection of what life was like in the before time, when I was an Oregonian. Now, seemingly daily, I'm bombarded by memories -- names, faces, experiences, locations -- that make the last 10 years melt away, like a dream upon waking. It all seemed so real while I was in it. Now, the memories, names and faces of a decade of living and working are slipping away. It's a mixture of the movie "Groundhog Day" and the end of Daylight Saving time all wrapped into a wool blanket. I keep falling back in time, over and over again.
I feel like I'm navigating my course ahead through a fogged windshield and the only clear view I have is in the rearview mirror, at a life mostly forgotten here in Oregon that is slowly coming back into focus and another life left behind in Southern California that I am reticent to let go of, yet it keeps receding away.
It's good to look back at a life lived once in a while, but I'm growing wearing of squinting through the fog and looking backward. I want to look forward again and find the road ahead.
Groundhog Daylight Losing Time
On a night chilly enough to store perishable food on the patio, I inexplicably decide it was a good idea to walk to the store. An array of sensations, seemingly forgotten, came flooding back. My house keys wriggled around in the pocket of my slacks, feeling like an ice cube melting against my thigh. I felt the tips of my ears turning red. I fought against the cold air by lighting a cigarette from a long-ago purchase bar pack found on the inside pocket of my coat.
I walked at a swifter pace than normal, which increased the wind chill against my face but raised the heart rate, keeping shivers that threatened to penetrate my ribs from breaking the skin.
When I arrived at the corner store, before I could get to the counter I was sniffling like a coke-head after a trip to the restroom. Why does your nose run when you come in from the cold?
I made my purchase and headed back out into the night. I decided it was time to take the gloves out of my pockets and put them on for the return hike. Trying to soak in the moment, I was both repulsed and intrigued by the chilly autumn air. I stared at the fogged up windows of cars parked along the street, wondering how long it would take the fog to turn to frost. I looked up above the street lights and saw a few of the brightest stars penetrating through the haze of light that hovers over the city at night. Days of rain and clouds gave way this afternoon and evening to mostly clear skies. There was no protective blanket of clouds tonight to hold in the earth's warmth. Suddenly I wished the clouds were back.
When I got back to my place, I walked into the door and my glasses immediately fogged up, like the windows of those cars parked along the road. I didn't bother to try to wipe them off, I merely placed them on the table and walked away, letting them acclimate to the radical change in temperature.
They made the adjustment much quicker than their wearer has.
Spending nearly 10 years in the California desert seemed to virtually wipe out any recollection of what life was like in the before time, when I was an Oregonian. Now, seemingly daily, I'm bombarded by memories -- names, faces, experiences, locations -- that make the last 10 years melt away, like a dream upon waking. It all seemed so real while I was in it. Now, the memories, names and faces of a decade of living and working are slipping away. It's a mixture of the movie "Groundhog Day" and the end of Daylight Saving time all wrapped into a wool blanket. I keep falling back in time, over and over again.
I feel like I'm navigating my course ahead through a fogged windshield and the only clear view I have is in the rearview mirror, at a life mostly forgotten here in Oregon that is slowly coming back into focus and another life left behind in Southern California that I am reticent to let go of, yet it keeps receding away.
It's good to look back at a life lived once in a while, but I'm growing wearing of squinting through the fog and looking backward. I want to look forward again and find the road ahead.
Groundhog Daylight Losing Time
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