Wednesday morning I pulled my car out of the parking lot onto the even side of the street (only legal since there was an active snow emergency) to facilitate plowing on the part of the city of Minneapolis and my condo association. The one neighbor I found who can still operate a stick shift came by in her car and took me to the airport. Sweet! because I thought I was going to have to take a bus.
The airport in Minneapolis was busy but pleasant. It was late enough in the morning that people weren't grumpy but early enough that no one was traumatized either. I fully expected my flight to be delayed or overbooked or both. It was neither and the flight attendants were hilariousDon't leave anything behind unless Norma will like it!
Cincinnati Airport: Very few people...
When I got into the city I was disappointed to find they had snow too. Guess it's a record setting season everywhere. To the city of Cincinnati I say Shovel your sidewalks!. Obviously I couldn't run in the neighborhood so I headed over to my old stomping grounds and was thrilled to find the park board did shovel their sidewalks. Win for Lizzo!.
It's not a real run unless there's ice on my hat.
After I ran we went over to the Bangkok Bistro, another Cincinnati favorite. They make a dish called Siam Noodles that can't be found anywhere else. It's awesome to me but I have a fondness for noodle dishes that few people share.
We did a quick shopping trip for gifts at an art store. This display made me think of Chris. And Belwood. Mostly Chris.
Friday: I went to work like a normal human being. Work was exciting and a lot was going on. It must've been cold because that's how I dressed.
Somewhere in the middle of my day, Amanda called me and said, "come over later". So I did. Friday night was preparations for her birthday party the next day. I cut up a pineapple for some infused punch (more on that in a moment). We also made orange zest and a lime/orange ice cube, also for the punch.
Then Amanda decided it would be a good idea for me to help her bake a cake. It didn't take long to learn that I shouldn't bake. Ever. I'm a good cook, but baking is a whole separate skill set. The only thing I was good at was separating the eggs. Me trying to use an electric mixer to whip butter was hilarious. After that I just did the dishes.
Awesome ingredients about to be a cake!
Awesome ingredients about to be a big ice cube for the punch bowl
I had some safety issues while zesting the oranges
Amanda had a bottle of Port for something she was making. Then she was all, "we should try this". We had a taste each and then Amanda thought we should have even more. I suggested she see how much Port she needed for the recipe and set that aside. "We're not going to drink the whole bottle!" But she did take my advice. The only container that seals and holds liquid she has: pee cups left over from catheter kits. (Thank god I know about the 'sterile field'.)
Showing me several of the bottles of alcohol she'd purchased for Awesome Punch
Putting some of the Port away for safe keeping. (It's a graduated cylinder and it's clean...)
Two bottles of wine and some really good conversation later...
Funny how they look straight from this angle. (They're straight from all angles. Trust me.)
Saturday: Obviously I stayed at Amanda's house on Friday night, which was unplanned. The wine was really unplanned.
Snug as a bug in a rug - and happy in the Owl blanket
She sent me home some time after breakfast before someone who can actually bake (thanks Alyssa!) was coming over to be more helpful than I ever could have been. I spent much of the day on my own couch.
Around 5pm I headed to the gym for what must have been my first workout in over a week. (Oh oh the joys I live through once a month.) It wasn't a super intense workout but I was on the elliptical for an hour and I felt much more like a human being afterwards than I had at any time during this week.
I came home, got dolled up, and went back out to drink more with Amandato celebrate Amanda's birthday. We started at Pizza Luce and then headed back to Amanda's for Punch. And hilarity.
Let there be punch!
Let there be punch and birthday cake!
Empty glasses didn't stay empty long at this party!
Amanda got herself flowers for her birthday - I hear the very same flowers are going to Amanda's mom today with some Christmas presents. Excellent re-gifting I say.
The punch bowl getting empty - the fruit is still nicely frozen though
Almost time for bed - off my couch!
It was a really good time with lots and lots of alcohol. That punch bowl was magic and kept re-filling itself.
Sunday: The greatest part of the whole weekend was waking up this morning without a hangover or a throbbing headache. WIN!. Actually, I went to bed around two (again, on Amanda's torture-rack-couch) so I was totally confused why she was up at 8:30am taking a shower. What in the world? And then she says to me, "I have to be in St. Cloud at 11am." Followed by, "I need to stop at Target because my gifts aren't wrapped and I don't have wrapping paper". Oh good, more hilarity to start my day.
We both got up, scrapped off our cars and headed to Target. I got a couple non-Christmas items and helped her pick out a couple gifts and then gift bags for everything. We went to Starbucks in the store to drink coffee WIN again and wrap presents. Then I came home and planted my butt back on the couch where it belongs.
Again, waking up snuggled in the owl blanket, happy as can be!
I had a moment to snap this picture between letting my car warm up and scrapping the frost off of her windshield
The Twin Cities: White, Liberal, and Cold. Yes we are, although as many of the comments point out, the article measured the white and African American population and failed to recognize the huge communities of South East Asians, African-born immigrants, Spanish speakers and the Native American community. Also, the thing about it being hard to make friends or develop a social circle up here; I have no earthly idea what that's all about. I did it and I'm one of the most introverted people on the planet.
For my Mac bretheren, I read some of these short cuts and I was all, you're kidding!. Hope you find them helpful too.
Speaking of scientists, we have a cure for HIV, now all we need to do is learn how to mass produce it. Think of all the wonderful things we can do now that we've never been able to in the past.
I seem to have about a million friends who are teachers, you should all watch this. I love it. My favorite thing from working at the Science Museum was turning the teenagers loose and watching what they could do.
Our total was over 17" just shy of the "foot and a half" mark. Here's how life's been for me lately:
Saturday morning: I slept in. When I finally got up, I looked out my window to inspect the snow that'd fallen so far. I then moved myself from the bed to the couch and continued my day of lounging.
Sometime in the afternoon, I finally made it outside to take some pictures.
Naturally occurring snow drift - the wind was for real.
The first time our lot was plowed
The "Christmas Tree" in the court yard
After photo session number one I got an hilarious call from Amanda. The first few sentences were hilarious. After that I did have the good sense to feel bad for her. It went like this:
A - Tell me I'm a good person
Me - Ok, why am I doing this
A - I tried to call off work today (she's a nurse) and the supervisor started crying
Me - Laughter
The rest of the story was not so funny becuase it involved shoveling, getting stuck and depending on friends and Good Samaritans. Amanda was also the first to describe the "shovel zombie" phenomenon that developed as part of this storm. People just walking up and down the streets carrying around shovels....
At some point, I went out to actually dig out my car. The only snow shovel I own, by the way, is an "emergency shovel" that fits in my trunk. I bought it after I heard an episode of Car Talk where another girl who drives a stick called in. I think she'd ultimately wrecked her clutch by trying to rock her car out of snow instead of digging it out. When I went to evaluate my own situation I had an interesting puzzle. Because of the crazy wind (no, really, it was a blizzard) one side of the car was fairly clear and the other side was hidden in a snow up to my waist. (Ask me how I found that one out.)
Amanda - I still have your gloves. They suck for shoveling snow but they are cute.
See all the snow between those two cars? Yeah, me too. The drivers side doors couldn't be opened. Exciting!
Literally hip deep in snow!
Christmas Trees out front.
After day 1 of operation Shovel.
My shadow in the snow.
I spent a lot of last night texting Amanda, just trying to keep her spirits up about the insane amount of work she was going to have to do. (Good thing she showed up because all of 3rd shift called in.)
In retrospect, this may not have been the most supportive picture I could've texted Amanda while she was in the middle of a 20 hour shift.
This morning: I woke up to find my state down a football stadium. Oh my. I again spent a large portion of the day on the couch. Check out all the stuff I found on the internet. (Aren't screen shots great?)
Who described 7* as "fair"?
Just so I know what's coming. I'm all like, ooh, more snow but look how warm it will be on Wednesday.
Another nurse on her way to work - too bad Amanda couldn't do this.
Hilarious headline
See the hole in the roof - the dome popped like a balloon! Now it's more like a sugar bowl.
Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Internet surfing is hard work. I need another nap.
By this time the temperature had dropped from the balmy 25* it was yesterday to the 2* that was our high today. So I really had to suit up for operation turn the car around. (Is it odd that I can hear Gloria Estefan in my head right now?) I rocked the car once and realized I had a little big more snow around the back tire that needed shoveling. Then my car slid out of that snow drift like butter. I just turned it around in the lot and backed into almost the same space. (I just need to be able to get it out tomorrow morning.)
On the plus side, it is the first time I've seen sun in several days.
This is how we roll in Minnesota.
Oh look, the driver's side of my car, no longer in a snow bank. Not entirely snow free. (I should keep that in mind for tomorrow.)
My shadow is much bigger than yesterday. Because there's sunshine.
Turn the car around - great success!
More of the Christmas Trees. Most of the snow had actually blown off by this point.
And the courtyard Christmas tree too!
Just a shot of how high the snow got. Those windows are about four feet off the ground.
For my next ninja trick - I will make my legs disappear in the snow.
After "turn the car around" I came back and did some serious cleaning. I know, right, 72 hours stuck inside; you'd think I would've done that sooner. I got done about in time to call my parents. Then I texted Amanda (who, by the way, has been at work this whole time) to make sure she has a plan for getting her car out of wherever she got it stuck yesterday.
In a rare move, St Paul has actually declared a second snow emergency because they didn't get the roads clear enough on the first pass. I'm assuming that people in St. Paul, much like in Minneapolis thought, "where am I going to put my car? In a snow drift on the other side of the street?" Or, "huh, I can't dig my car out; it's worth paying the tow fee to have someone else do it?" So many cars in both places couldn't move for the plows that they're just going to re-plow.
I have no idea if I'm going to work tomorrow. I saw some people who were out today and reported that if I could get off our street I'd be fine on the main streets and expressways.
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