is the word 'diary' better than the word 'blog'? probably not.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frosty! Plus: Parka=Boyfriend.
Well, here I am back in the pioneer valley. Last night the weatherman on the local news informed me that the wind chill was 20 below zero, and if I went outside I could get frostbite on any exposed skin within 10 minutes. I stayed home.
This morning (well, actually it was 1pm, but I haven't slept well for like 2 weeks, including last night, so at 1pm I was just getting out of the shower) Nasser stopped by to make me check to see whether my car was working so he could drive me to the grocery store in case I was stranded. And you know what? The Audi 4000 started RIGHT ON UP, as if to say "SO THERE!" to Tom, who was quite certain I'd be calling AAA today. She is a prince among cars! So then she took me to Target and to Trader Joe's, and we got all the supplies we needed, while avoiding buying frivolous things like cute jackets and extra-fine grade walnuts. No, we settled for normal walnuts because we are in the midst of Project: Live Within Means. The walnuts are for the walnut-chocolate tart I am baking for Peter and Alison tomorrow.
Now, it's true that I used to call Martin Donovan my boyfriend, but now I have decided that my Triple 5 Soul Parka is my boyfriend. Why? Because I am in LOVE with it. It is SO FREAKING WARM that I was just fine walking around in the 10 degree weather today, even though I was wearing only a short-sleeved Tshirt under the parka. There is some serious cold-fighting technology going on in my coat, people! However, I learned that it is NOT OK to leave one's gloves in the car when one goes to Target, because the walk from the store to the car pushing a cart is much too cold on bare hands.
Anyway, my boyfriend, as you can see, is black, with a cute asian-print lining and a huge and warm furry hood. The hood keeps my relatively hair-free head very warm; however, if I need peripheral vision, I wear the dorky pink sheepyfleece-lined hat I've perched on boyfriend's shoulder in the photo-montage. Boyfriend also has backpack-like straps on the inside so that if I am walking around inside and get too warm, I can wear him on my back, leaving my hands free for important things like shopping (for non-frivolous items). He also has adjustable tabs at the waist so I don't have to look like a barrel when I wear him. And also: a profusion of pockets for the holding of things. My cute pink snowboots complete the warmth-ensemble. Ramsay tells me that now I really need some SmartWool socks, which, he promises, will keep my feet warm outside without making them too hot when I'm indoors. But those are expensive and not within this month's budget. The End.
Enough about the cold.
You know what's really weird? My housesitter didn't eat any of the food I left behind, except for a huge 2-pound block of dark chocolate that I had bought for baking. Do you have any idea how large a 2-pound block of chocolate is? So I also bought some more chocolate today. For baking. For some reason I have a tremendous ability to live alongside yummy junkfood without eating it.
This conversation happened today when I went to campus to pick up my mail and etc. As I walked by the chair of my department's office, I said hi and stopped in to talk a bit. He asked me whether, if I were a Democratic Senator from Colorado, I would say no to Alberto Gonzales (Bush's nominee for Attorney General). I said I would. Tom was walking by just then and he said, "OF COURSE SHE WOULD. HE IS A TORTURER!" then held a really convincing look of indignation on his face for quite awhile. He continued, "WHO IS GOING TO STAND UP AND ASK HOW THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM FASCISM?" I looked at my Department Chair as if to say, "Well, what else can I say?" And The Chair replied, "But wouldn't you just say yes to the President's nominee and save your political power for a battle you could actually win?" He was looking at me while he said this. So I said, "Maybe I've decided it's OK if I don't get re-elected?" The Chair insists, "No. You HAVE to get re-elected!"
So if you want to fund my campaign for re-election, let me know. I don't have much extra cash right now.
7:59 p.m. - January 18, 2005
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
