The Big Red Blog: The Blog Without Pity

For the Love of LL Bean
I have owned a crappy pair of knock-off duck boots for about, let’s say five years. They were the boots I put on when I shoveled. They’re not really meant for walking because I can’t bend or flex in them – like a foot, a knee, an ankle. It doesn’t work.

When we got a little over two feet of snow, followed quickly by another six inches I did what any person would do – I pulled out the shoveling boots. I walked to the bus stop in them, I wore them on the train, and I hiked around in them at the office.

By the time I’d get home, my little feet were screaming in agony. They’re just not comfortable.

I realized I’d have to buy a proper pair of snow boots – not fashion boots with a three inch kicky heel. I’ve got those and they are useless in any kind of snow. But I can run in them, so there’s something if I’m ever up for the role of some kind of action star. Plus, the salt destroys the buttery leather.

I have been eyeballing the feet of my fellow New Englanders for a while now. First, I’m short so it is easier for me to look down than up when I get squished into a corner train car. Plus, I figured I’d take a cue from them – I mean, they live here.

I suspected that if there was ever a legitimate opportunity for the wearing of UGG boots, it would be during massive snowfalls in New England. They’d be practical, mobile and keep your feet warm. I think I only spotted a couple of pair – apparently no one wants dirty suede.

What I did see by the hundreds – literally – were all shape and manner of LL Bean boots. I hopped onto their site and poked around, after a few minutes I found just the thing – the Storm Chaser. It is made like an athletic shoe but protects like a boot – water proof and warm to like -10 F.

They had me at hello.

I ordered them and they arrived on Friday. I was pretty leery of breaking in new boots on my walk home, but my dogs were aching, so I took a chance. I wore them home with no complaints. On Saturday I wore them around on our day of errands. On Sunday I trudged about five miles (or so) around Cambridge in them. These boots are made for walking.

I guess the moral of this story is that even though it seems lame or bougie or whatever, sometimes embracing the New England footwear lifestyle is okay. So I’ll proudly wear those big clunkers around for the rest of the winter.

But I’m not going to get one of those heinous Vera Bradley bags. And god help me if I ever wear a dickie.

By: Alyssa | Monday, January 31, 2005 at Monday, January 31, 2005 | |

More about books!
Okay, since I’m keeping track – I guess I’m doing it.

Let’s see, I read:

The House – the less said the better. I was intrigued by the idea of some of the guy’s other books, especially the one about a giant store that takes over a town (a la Wal-Mart). But the House did not really do it for me. I think I’m finally over my – wow, why don’t I ever read horror? phase.

Dr. Haggard’s Disease – I thought this was a little tougher to read than Asylum, by the same author. I think the fact that there’s very little dialogue makes it denser. This book is basically a flashback and inner monologue of the protagonist, Dr. Haggard. Still, it is quite compelling and interesting although I think I preferred Asylum a bit more. I’m enjoying my adventures with deeply damaged individuals.

Bones – I picked this up because of the cover, which was stupid. The book was initially very engaging thriller, but after a few chapters I started to lose interest. By the end, it turned into a meh episode of CSI or something.

Next up:
The Eyre Affair - I’m only a few chapters in and love it. I really enjoy a book that relies on you to know other things – like a bit about history or science. I can tell this one will keep me thinking, I just hope it keeps me engaged.

Okay – I’m 10 books in for January. I expect that pace is going to slow down once the ice age ebbs away . But who knows when that will be.

By: Alyssa | at Monday, January 31, 2005 | |

We’re on it
I got an emergency call from the French Connection last night. She and CC are trying to buy a house – like… immediately.

I guess they found a great place and are on fire with excitement and burning to hand over all of their money to a guy for a small 2 bedroom condo.

I will not share the cost – needless to say, it is too much. Not too much for Cambridge, but just too much. Does that make sense?

Boston is – as my mother-in-law would say “’spensive.”

Word.

I talked to the French Connection at length about their ideas, their hopes, and the location (our old neighborhood). We talked about costs, parking, affordability, the prospect of a porch and the excitement of central air.

Then Deeps took over when the FC called back to get more information about looking up property values online (Cambridge is on fire with some of their online features). Satisfied with the results of her discussion, FC promised to keep us updated about the purchase.

The side effect of such a conversation with the always-excited FC is that the excitement over home buying is contagious and now Deeps is highly motivated.

Highly.

“We need to get on this,” he said.

I was filling out our taxes and then I unleashed – which was totally unfair, but it happened. I’m human – a mean human.

“Look – I couldn’t even get you to give me a list of requirements like two weeks ago. I couldn’t get you to even look at the list I made. Getting started means, ‘Alyssa – you get started.’ That’s not going to fly, dude.”

Yes I call my husband dude because it is better than calling him dirty, filthy, foul profanities.

“I – but – no!” He started to protest.

Then I told him he hadn’t read the book, hadn’t done any research and I might have blacked out or something. Oh the yelling – it keeps me young.

This is what our fights are like – totally one sided. And arbitrary.

Before I sacked out with cough medicine – because the cough is mysteriously back, and I think contributing to my overall crankiness – Deeps delivered a small file folder to me.

Inside he’d collected important bank documents, a few lists of brokers, some mortgage information, and he put checkmarks on the list next to the “requirements” we established for the house.

“I’m sorry I yelled,” I said.
“I know – I’m sorry I didn’t participate more,” he said.
“I’m sorry about saying you don’t do anything, because you do lots of stuff,” I said.
“I’m sorry I called your cat fat,” he said.
“I’m sorry that she is fat,” I replied.
“I’m sorry that I told you that you stick your tongue out when you dance, because now you never do it and I thought it was hilarious,” he said.
“I’m sorry that I make chicken sounds when your parents call,” I said.
“I’m sorry for laughing at you when you fell in the snow at Williams in 1994,” he said.
“I’m sorry for hitting you with a face full of snow when we were shoveling on New Year’s in 2000,” I said.

Please commence your vomiting.

By: Alyssa | at Monday, January 31, 2005 | |

Man bags for everyone!
Men - if you're hesitant about the man bag, please let me direct you to Mr. Mike Rohde. He has found a very nice looking, masculine, man bag that holds his daily stuff. It's very, very nice and cheap!

I'm thinking I might need one. Maybe it's a backlash for the ugliest bag in the world.

It's a man bag the toughest among you could love.

By: Alyssa | Friday, January 28, 2005 at Friday, January 28, 2005 | |

It’s like I don’t even know you
Last night’s commute was so heinous – I was so cold and tired – I nearly lost my mind. I almost cried at Park St. It was bad. I’m not a crier.

But I kept myself together. I made it home. Sure – it took over two hours to go less than 5 miles. And some guy playing with my hair. But I made it.

When I got home, Deeps told me that he’d already eaten – because at one point on the phone I told him that I was thinking about trying to get a 2-bedroom apartment with the other passengers. Maybe we could move in together that night because the Red Line was not moving.

Then I told him that I loved him and I wanted him to go on and live is his life and be happy. To not be afraid to marry again.

Apparently my sarcasm translated into action to him – he took this opportunity to go buy some pizza. For himself.

Jerk.

“I just want you know – in this marriage, you get one. That’s your one,” I told him. He nodded solemnly.

I was mad, but I got over it a few hours later when I was sitting at the computer looking up some recipes (I’m meal planning since I think the Ice Age will never lift and no one will deliver).

He was talking – no yelling – at the TV. At Point Pleasant of all things.

“So were you always a slut? I need more back story,” he yelled to no one in particular.

Later…
“What you’re like the son of God now, mother trucker?”

(I like this new random tendency to punctuate ridiculous questions with the dirty version of mother trucker because I find it hilarious. Deeps is so reserved and like… adult – it is hard to imagine him ever dropping the F bomb. I on the other hand talk like a trucker or a Marine.)

“Oh for the love of Santa, what is wrong with you people?”

The other night he was watching 24. He stopped watching the show sometime around the “Kim is trapped by a cougar” trope. But I guess he was bored or something.

“Pick up the gun! Pick up the gun!”

Moments later….
“These people are so stupid, I don’t know how they get to work in the morning.”

I don't know, dear. But I do know that questions like this are why we are soul mates.

By: Alyssa | at Friday, January 28, 2005 | |

Stop in the name of Uggs
My friend Emily lives on the beach, in California. And she’s really cute. Please feel free to hate her.

Kidding – we love her so much we’re going to sell our blood and hair and maybe our DVD player so that we can go to Italy to see her get married.

So we were chatting yesterday about shoes. Because we both have very specific shoe requirements. She works at home and likes to dress – uhm – in what I’ll call Yoga casual. Because in LA you can’t just call them “sweats.”

She told me that she was wearing these UGG slippers and that she really liked them because they kept her feet warm (because it is “cold”) and because now matter how much you wear them they don’t smell.

See – this is why we are friends. We are constantly exploring our old lady tendencies together and she’s not afraid to share with me (and I share with you) that she’s got stinky cheese feet.

Em: So I’m thinking I should get some more, but like a clog.
ME: You’re going to buy more UGGs – that’s wrong. Don’t do it.
Em: I knew you’d feel that way. I don’t want to do it, but they’re just exactly right.
ME: First it was the Walking Spirit store, now it is the UGGs. You are on a slippery slope my friend.

I think I’ve talked her out of the UGGs by invoking the curse of the Walking Spirit store.

Finally, I reminded her that first and foremost she’s a Midwesterner and of much sturdier stock and that she should be wearing sandals in California when it is like 60 degrees out.

Em: I know, but my feet get cold.
ME: You need to go to Orbitz and book a flight.
Em: What?
ME: You need to remember the cold. I’m staging an intervention.
Em: What’s it like out there?
ME: Well, let me put it to you this way – it is so cold you can see through time.
Em: Really?
ME: Yeah – I totally saw some Red Coats and musket fire when I was walking through the Common. And then I saw some cave men.

By: Alyssa | at Friday, January 28, 2005 | |

To move the car
The Matrix, tiny and lithe, has been cleared since Sunday. And again on Monday. And then again on Wednesday. Anyway, we keep digging that sucker out – but not driving it.

It has been bitterly cold this week – in fact this morning, the temperature is hovering around zero.

In previous bitterly cold weeks I catch a ride with Deeps to the train station on his way to work. But no one has been driving this week, because I think the idea of moving the car from the street (we street park, which is why we have this problem) only to come back and find someone else in the spot is too much to bear.

Too much.

And we refuse to do dibs (a la Chicago and South Boston) because that’s not how we roll. So we’ve been sucking it up and trudging 5 blocks to a bus stop – a nice walk that takes like 10 minutes on a good day. But there are no good days with nearly 3 feet of snow on the ground, so you bundle up and hope for a small miracle.

But I have a grocery list and the refrigerator is nearly bare. I will say that the blizzard has forced us to stop being so lazy and to cook meals every night. Just the other night I whipped up home made mac and cheese and pork chops with a delicious mustard sauce. I did not know I had it in me.

And the fridge has never been empty before because we have eaten all the food. Even all the produce and the cheese. We even at all the frozen peas!

Someone is going to have to give up the ghost and drive me to the grocery store.

By: Alyssa | at Friday, January 28, 2005 | |

School for the gifted
I wasn't surprised by this headline:
January becomes snowiest ever for Boston.

However, I was puzzled as to why this story prominently features a picture of James Woods and some blonde hussies at the Sundance Film Festival.

I guess the Yahoo! people think snow is snow.

By: Alyssa | Thursday, January 27, 2005 at Thursday, January 27, 2005 | |

Making Babies
Is it wrong that sometimes I dream up these titles merely to freak out Cuddles?

No – I did not think so.

While the question of whether or not Deeps and I will ever be parents remains unanswered (but sadly – not unasked), I am happy to say I contributed to the making of Science Baby.

Because, as she so cleverly points out, it takes a village.

Need more baby things? Okay – well our friend Gus is walking.

Dooce is still on the loose. Dads are getting into the act.

And several people are counting down to the big day. (Some lucky people just had it.) A few folks are getting into the routine.

Why have a baby when you can live vicariously through others for free?

By: Alyssa | at Thursday, January 27, 2005 | |

In the name of science: Ziploc vs. Gladware

In the name of science is part of an occasional series of entries - you see them when I'm really tired of writing about snow and can't come up with other stuff.

I take my lunch to work – I’m sure many other people do. And I’ve been happy that companies have started making the little cheapo plastic containers. Look, sometimes you need to throw that stuff away.

I just peeked in the fridge and saw something that might be like a tortilla casserole – I don’t remember when I made it. So, it’s got to go.

But more often than not you throw some soup in a container, take it to work, eat it and then bring your little container home. Easy peasy – no brainer.

I, however, do not like to take the easy way every time. (Okay almost every time.) And in the name of science I am comparing the little plastic containers (by brand) you can easily buy at your grocery store. Please welcome Ziploc and Gladware.

I have started with comparably sized containers – each can hold about 2 cups of food. The containers are comparably priced.

Both have clear plastic containers with little blue lids. Both hold up well in the fridge, the freezer and the microwave. I have not been able to melt either in the microwave, as sometimes happens with take-out food containers.

Both do get the residual discoloration from tomato sauce – however I have noticed that that staining goes away after a few trips through the dishwasher.

So far – they’re pretty even. But then I started looking a little closer at them.

Ziploc features handy measuring lines in both cups and milliliters so you know exactly how much food you’re loading into the container. (I like this because I’m watching my food intake – which I guess is like saying you’re “financially embarrassed”.)

Gladware does not feature such lines – I looked and looked but didn’t find anything similar.

Ziploc’s lid is also a little easier to shut. I can push in the center (just like in the commercials) and snugly, safely close the container.

The Gladware version requires pushing down on all four corners of the container.

The Ziploc lid also has a small area where you can write the date (conveniently stamped “date”) of the food you dumped in – thereby avoiding that embarrassing question “Just how old is this tortilla casserole?”

Gladware does not have such a feature.

In the end, the devil is – as they say – in the details. Both products succeed in their primary missing to allow you to cheaply and easily transport food and later throw away if you’re so inclined. Ziploc just has that tiny bit of extra user-centered design that I appreciate.

Advantage Ziploc.

Previously In the Name of Science
Robitussin PM vs. NyQuil
Ragu Light vs. Healthy Choice
More than you wanted to know about Seasonale

By: Alyssa | at Thursday, January 27, 2005 | |

Don’t name your baby this
My friend, Brant, once regaled me with a fine story about his encounter with what he liked to call “a hillbilly of the U.P.”.

Allegedly, while visiting his mother, he was wandering around her small town in Michigan. He stopped at McDonald’s for a snack and waited in line behind a woman and her like three or four kids. They were all fighting and pushing each other around because that’s what kids do.

The mother – exasperated - asked the oldest girl to stop, “Potpi, please – stop doing that.”

Potpi did not stop.

Finally, Mom dropped her full name old-school style. “Potpourri you had better stop it this instant.”

As jaws dropped, apparently Potpourri decided to behave herself.

Please do not name you children Potpourri.

By: Alyssa | at Thursday, January 27, 2005 | |

Snow is pretty

The entrance to the Boston Public Gardens as you make your way from the Common. What I can't capture in this photo is how much scary traffic I waded through to get to the entrance - and then how utterly still and silent the gardens were.

By: Alyssa | Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | |

View of Arlington St. Church from the Public Gardens. I took a little hike across the Common and the Gardens to work this morning. I do it all for you Internet!

By: Alyssa | at Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | |

You can see from the bench at the far right, the snow is pretty deep in the city. But not too deep for the giant chocolate lab that nearly knocked me over with happy dog delight. Oh dogs - you must be in snowy dog heaven.

By: Alyssa | at Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | |

Usually this is a clear path around the pond - but it looks like the snow removal squad hasn't made it over there yet. A few paths were pretty clear - but you could not discern where the pond started and land stopped - so stick to the clear path. Unless you're a duck or something.

By: Alyssa | at Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | |

Massachusetts State House - just this morning during the snow storm.

My morning commute went something like this (a la Yosemite Sam): Rasa-frasa-son-of-@$&%. It took me like 2 hours to get to work - but the last 15 minutes, as I walked through the gorgeous, quiet cityscape were worth it.

Ooooh look - shiny.

By: Alyssa | at Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | |

Bandwidth: Adventures in Asia

My friend Stephen is doing a huge tour of Asia. He left the day after the earthquake and tsunami - I wasn't sure if he'd be able to do his trip. But he has, and if you'd like to spend some of your day looking at lovely photos he's taken you should visit his site and scroll through his photo diary.

Pretty.

By: Alyssa | at Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | |

Follow up: Nerd fest
I found a couple of pictures from the MIT Mystery Hunt this year – from Deeps’ camera. And I was going to post them online, but they look exactly like you’d expect them to look. Basically a bunch of dudes sitting around at computers with furrowed brows. If you can’t visualize that – I found this picture of MIT students (not 30-something dudes who are posing as MIT students).

Not really as sexy as like – action photos of me on a giant mountain of snow – that to quote Mike Pope was “several Alyssas high”. Yeah, the pile was probably in the 20-foot range, which is slightly less than 4 Alyssas high.

I’m seriously considering measuring everything in terms of “Alyssas high” because I think it might make our pending house hunt a lot more interesting.

Labels: 2005, nerds

By: Alyssa | at Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | |

Follow-up: World’s ugliest bag
I’m sorry – there are no pictures.

I realize that I’m a hypocrite because anytime anyone I read talks about anything weird, funny, or cute – I demand photographic evidence. Recently both Zander and Rachel have accommodated such requests.

So I apologize for shipping back the world’s ugliest bag before taking a picture. To quote my friend J – I had to get rid of it immediately. It was like an evil demon living in my cubicle and I had to cast it out.

Plus I don’t have a lot of time to return it and since the next Ice Age starts this morning (it is already snowing hard!) I figured I should move quickly.

Sorry – there is no picture.

To make up for it, tonight I’ll post many lovely photos of Boston. I’m dragging my Nikon to work with me and plan on shooting Boston Common and the Public Garden. And any frozen hobos I see.

By: Alyssa | at Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | |

Cautious Optimism
I don’t want to be a screaming harpy about politics. For the most part I don’t really address them here – it’s not what this site is about. Plus, I don’t do it that well – I’ll be honest.

I’m political in life, but I’m also Midwestern. I find that sometimes being actively political flies in the face of the state motto of Indiana which is something along the lines of “mind your own damn business.” It’s like the flipside of the coin “butt out.”

Heh.

The guy who thinks he got Bush into the White House (he apparently has never heard of Karl Rove – or for that matter, John Kerry) is now calling in his marker. Like 4 days after the inauguration.

He and the Pope apparently think the greatest threat facing America (and the world) is gay marriage.

He really wants a constitutional amendment. Bush has talked about supporting one. I think this is a bad idea – obviously. But I remain cautiously optimistic – and I look to history for this optimism.

I caught part of Ken Burn’s excellent documentary about Jack Johnson (aptly called Unforgivable Blackness). Johnson was a firebrand and he paid little attention to what others wanted or what society expected. Johnson dared to marry a white woman – and all hell broke loose.

In 1912 Rep. Seaborn Roddenberry of Georgia introduced the anti-miscegenation amendment. He wanted to amend the constitution to say (I’m paraphrasing) that intermarriage between whites and “any persons of color” is forbidden – forever.

That amendment didn’t pass – thankfully, and I have reason to believe that changing the Constitution of the United States to ban gay marriage would meet a similar fate. I hope it would. Because while some people may not agree, they may find it upsetting, they may find it offensive – a good number of people also don’t want the government stepping in and telling them what to do.

I look to the story that appeared in the Washington Post last year. A teenage boy came out to his community – he was active in his church. An outsider threatened to come to the town and raise holy hell about it. In the end, the town wasn’t going to take any guff from someone who didn’t live there. It’s not open-armed acceptance, but it isn’t close-minded condemnation.

It isn’t the radical step forward that gay marriage advocates are looking for – but I do think it remains a reason to be hopeful.

By: Alyssa | at Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | |

Sometimes the Internet will do you wrong
I love shopping online. It is easy and convenient, plus I like to get stuff in the mail that is not an annoying offer from Capital One.

I do not want a stupid Visa – I am trying to buy a house.

Usually my online shopping experiences are positive. I don’t usually get a bad item, but my luck took a turn last week.

I’m downsizing my commuter bag – I don’t enough stuff to warrant the larger size. Plus I tend to overfill if I have a bigger bag. And I have a bag that looks like something a boy would have and I really wanted a girl bag. Because I do. Okay – I do.

I wandered over to Timbuk2.com and put together an order. They let you customize your own messenger bag. This is a fantastic feature for probably everyone else on the planet – except me.

I should not be allowed to pick my own colors. I know that colors on a monitor aren’t always “true” to what the colors look like in person. (Exhibit A is the new down coat I ordered that looked like a nice fern green but is instead more of a pukey, drab green – the coat is now known as the Ugly coat. Thankfully, it is warm.)

I picked a lovely blend of a dusty pink and a deep plum. They looked (online) to have the same color value, just different shades.

A few weeks later I got a box at my office. The lovely office admin dropped it off and then kinda hung around as I opened it. I ripped the box open and gasped.

ME: Oh my god.
Admin: What?
I quickly closed the box.
ME: I have made a huge mistake.
Admin: What did you do?
ME: I ordered the ugliest bag in the world.
Admin: How bad could it be?
I showed her – she gasped then started laughing really hard.

Luckily, I can return the bag. I do not blame the fine people at Timbuk2 – I blame myself. Clearly, I cannot be trusted to pick out colors online.

I showed it to another co-worker and she emphatically supported my decision.

Co-worker: Why did you choose those colors?
ME: They looked good online and I wanted something more feminine.
Co-worker: Because you’re a 12-year-old girl?
ME: I…bu….I’m shipping it back tomorrow.

By: Alyssa | Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at Tuesday, January 25, 2005 | |

Not just a river in Egypt
I’m sort of blissfully ignoring the weather forecasts that we’ll be getting another 5-6 inches of snow tomorrow.

Is that wrong? If it is – I do not want to be right.

If you start to see snow demons, you may need to notify the authorities. It might also be a sign of carbon monoxide poisoning or frostbite.

I think I’m going to need another pair of boots. My shoveling boots are really only good for shoveling and not much else. Walking in them is like – unfortunate.

Meanwhile, I have delusions of an Italian vacation for my friend’s wedding. That means I need to find some deals on plane tickets, pronto. So far, no luck. The cheapest flights I found to Florence that are sensible (that means no random 8 hour layovers) are in the $700/person range. I’d love to see that number come down.

That’s like my favorite negotiating strategy next to “Is that the best you can do?” – the whole “I’d love to see that number come down.” It’s not too abrasive but so straightforward. Another good one is “What do I give up if I get it for $X.” You’d be surprised how well that works.

This is like my worst entry ever.

Tonight, however, I’m all about creating my Public Transportation Manifesto. Because clearly – people need a memo.

By: Alyssa | at Tuesday, January 25, 2005 | |

We are closed, try again later
Internet, weren’t you happy with my real-time blogging during the blizzard?

No – you want fresh material.

Fine. Last night I dreamed that it was raining really hard today and that all the snow had melted.

That is the most wishful thinking I’ve probably ever manifested in a dream.

Oh my aching back. The snow – she was light, but there was so much. And now the old back hurts. Thankfully, that is all. Deeps was complaining about his lower back too. I suggested that later we cuddle up and rub BenGay all over each other’s backs. Because that is hot.

So the city and the state are closed today. I hope you weren’t visiting Massachusetts for vacation this week because, well – it’s going to be a little tough. And we’re closed today. Come back tomorrow!

I spent my snow day trying to get rid of the rust on my favorite knives.

Seems the Kingdom of the Spiders (our apartment) is also home to an old dishwasher that was (no longer) full of rust. So it threw rust on our nice metal things. I’ve since cleaned out the dishwasher, but was kind if avoiding the knives. It would require a lot of soaking in powerful chemicals and the wearing of big floppy, rubber gloves.

But since Deeps was working from home today and my office was closed, I figured what the hay. I think I’ve saved everything except a couple of the serrated knives. Luckily, those are cheaper (and will be easier) to replace.

Then I realized I was wearing big floppy gloves, so why not go change the litter box. This is my exciting life. It is too good – do not try to replicate it.

Later, I watched a horrible movie called “Octane” from the free section of the “One Demand” list. Really – has Mischa Barton ever been able to act? Because I have no evidence of this. Also – Madeleine Stowe had some really unfortunate hair in it – and there was some Bijou Phillips. And we know how that usually works out.

Ultimately, the day was so taxing that I had to flee to the cozy confines of my couch, where I slipped into a coma-like nap. Mmm… napping is like one of my five core competencies.

By: Alyssa | Monday, January 24, 2005 at Monday, January 24, 2005 | |

Where is the Heat Miser?

The snowbanks top the extra large garbage cans we set out (tomorrow is trash day!) and you'll see that snow is up to the top of the fence in front of the house. For now it is the Snow Palace, in the summer it will probably revert to the Kingdom of the Spiders.

By: Alyssa | at Monday, January 24, 2005 | |

It seemed like a good idea at the time

Look at me! I'm back up - I'm the queen of the mountain. This was fun - but ultimately, not the smartest idea.

By: Alyssa | Sunday, January 23, 2005 at Sunday, January 23, 2005 | |