It's getting dark and snowy outside. I'm the only one home, and all my lights are off, save the Christmas lights and a few candles in my room.

It's so nice and quiet. I love my roommates, but there is just something nice about an empty house every now and then. It's cozy...a different kind of cozy then the hectic cozy of having everyone home and milling about.

One roommate will be home in about 45 minutes, the rest are out and about at work or away for the weekend. I have nothing productive to do this afternoon, so I'm just going to enjoy the quiet.

It's time for randomness!

Ice has melted enough and it's not snowing right-this-second that I'm going to go do my Christmas shopping. It should be madness, I look forward to it.

Happy Birthday to Michael. Have a good one.

There are cats living under my house, and I'll let them, because this is the most depressing song ever.

Off I go!

The Roommates and I are gearing up for the start of a pretty major winter storm. We've already seen some snow (a few inches, most of which fell on my birthday, a great present if you ask me) and a lot of ice, but it's supposed to get worse.

We've got a couple of winter storm warnings issued for our area: freezing rain, snow, ice, frozen ta-tas. You know how it is.

It's snowing out right now, I was going to put up some more outside lights but I just can't bring myself to open the front door and go out there for two hours while my fingers turn black and fall off. Instead, I updated IBOM for winter with an old favorite layout, and doing some putting around online.

I've got books to read, movies to watch, games to play, stuff to bake, and some pretty good company to do it with. To top it all off I've got 19 days of vacation left and no place to be.

Let it friggin' snow.

I'm off to finally get my ID badge made for the Red Cross, I also have a meeting to get all situated to start my training to be a First Aid/CPR/AED trainer. I'm very excited about it, I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

I have about five hours of emergency response training next Tuesday, which I think is going to be really interesting and informative. I've got 35 hours left after these five before I can be a national responder, which is my goal. Until then, I can do local and state response.

I worked canteen on Monday and I met a really nice lady who gave me the contact number for the State Hospital's volunteer coordinator. So what did I do? I called of course.

Anything to keep me busy and out of trouble, right?

I have Bookbyte training on Wednesday, so then I'll be back to work there. I need the money, and it's time to go back to work anyway. I'm sad that I'm losing all my volunteer time, but I'll just move everything back into the evenings and it should all work out.

I'm making Spring Break plans, it seems early since term doesn't start technically until tomorrow, but time flies doesn't it Figs? It's best to get things set up now.

One of my New Years Resolutions was to get three stamps in my passport. Oh, and to get a passport. I will be getting it next week, and I plan on getting a nice inky stamp in it during Spring Break.

I'll be heading to Vancouver B.C. for a few days because Canada is only 6 hours away and I've never been there. Sav will be my co-pilot and we plan on stalking many stars, because as many of you know, all the good shows are filmed in Vancouver.

HotD:

Off to sew some pants.
I tore a hole it was sad,
Sewing ain't my friend.

I'm all packed and ready to get outta Dodge, I just need to go by the bank before we leave town so I have money in there.

Yay! I'm excited.

I'm absolutely not ready to leave. Tiff and I are driving up to Portland tonight to stay up there, since our flight leaves so early in the morning. I've done nothing at all to get ready, I haven't even packed anything.

I'm just so sleepy that I can't bring myself to do much of anything. I'll be ready by the time we've got to leave, but I'll probably be nice and whiny until then.

If you want a postcard, E-mail me your address and I'll send you one.

HotD:

Happy Birthday Dos!
I hope you have a great one,
We miss you very much.

Ran the YWCA booth at World Beat yesterday. We were located in the World Showcase, and even though we were under cover, I still managed to burn my face. It's like magic.

We were raising money for the Teen Program, which sponsors Snowball every year for the kids in the Salem-Keizer school district. We were doing pictures of people in hats from around the world. Mostly though, it was Terra and I sitting around in different hats all day drooling over the tasty smelling food and pawing through bridesmaids gown catalogs. I'm not a bridesmaid though I'm a groomsgirl, but a dress of black is still in order. I'm excited for them, she picked her dress on Saturday, she's going to look gorgeous.

HotD:

Cute French fencer guys
Obligatory joke now
Thrust and parry, heh.

I collect sleeping people.

It seems like a few times a week I have people sleeping in my living room. Not that I'm complaining mind you, it makes staring at someone so much easier when they're asleep, I just think it's funny.

Fred is on the couch and Ally is on the floor. I have an air mattress but apparently my floor (and couch?) are comfortable. I really don't get it myself, I wouldn't sleep there...but what do I know?

I'm getting a few last minute things done before I have to run off to a couple classes. I haven't been around to check my mail in days. Fred, Ally and I went to the beach for the weekend. It was absolutely gorgeous and I'll have to throw some pictures up for you to see, Figs. It was so lovely.

When we first got there it was raining pretty hard and terribly foggy, but by the next day the fog let up and the sun actually came out. It was great stuff.

Fred brought his laptop but wouldn't let me use it on the grounds that I wasn't allowed to check my E-mail the entire weekend. Likely story. I know the real reason why, and it isn't pretty. Let's just say "Cheez Wiz" and leave it at that.

It was a good thing though (the no e-mail rule...not the Cheez Wiz) and I needed to get away from town for a few days and just vedge, without feeling like I was obligated to anything. We played total tourists...went to lighthouses, the beach, all the fun tourist traps. It was great.

Ally catches her flight back for Memphis tomorrow at 12, which sucks. I wish she could have stuck around longer, but she couldn't get the time off work. I am glad she could make it up, however. I luvr her.

Fred leaves Wed, and I can't wait...I mean, I will miss him. Honest.

Today I have classes, then we're going to grab lunch (I have been promised Thai!) and go be slackers until my SC meeting this afternoon, which they plan to attend out of sheer boredom. The SC meeting is the only appearance I'm making at work until next Monday. I've still got 7 days off, baby. How hot is that?

HotD:

Ally is talking.
I'm not quite sure what she said,
Sleepy time chatting.