Brrr. I just went outside in the middle of the night to dig out a notch in the snow left by the road graders so that I could drag out the trash and recycle bins.

I started breathing hard, and couldn't figure it out. It felt cold as hell, sure, but I didn't expect what I found when I got in and looked at the weather page.

-2°F / -19°C

WTF? It was supposed to be only 18°F for a low today!

Some towns nearby are reporting -7°F / -22°C

This is January/February weather.

Normal for here would be around 30 for today. WTH?

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I'll be ~ma-ing for you, MFNlaw. Maybe they can reroute some of the 700 billion bank bailout to the MI auto industry. My sister's still living near Detroit and even though none of her family is directly involved in the industry, any further blows to the Big Three(ish) will strike them, too.

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There are so many branches down from the ice storm we had last night that TCG can't get to work. There aren't any clear roads out of our neighborhood.

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much ~ma for you Maria, and Zoe-health~ma as well.

VW - I've been reading right along with everything, though staying quiet, and I have to tell you that the clear thinking you've got going on is powerful stuff. You are way out of CBD's league. WAY.

In the smaller scheme, to quote some Fat Albert: asking you to deliver Christmas presents to his relatives is like school in summer. No class. Your decision on what to do is yours, but given all the things that have come forth from his mouth on the topics of things you could be doing better - and given your awesome superpower of making your own decisions about what you want to do based on your own beliefs, and not his - you should shave some of that time and energy off of projects-related-to-CBD and use it to do something really, really nice for yourself.

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So much job ~ma for Maria and Zoe ~ma for Pix and ND.

I'm so ready to arse 2008 in the ear.

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{{Pix ND Zoe}}

Job ~ma, Maria.

I don't wanna go to work. And yet there is coffee there that I don't have to make.

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First, holy shit Pix and ND. I am just so sorry. You guys have had such a horrible year. I had hoped that having Zoe would be such a bright spot for you guys. Ugh. So much ~ma to you all.

Hang in their Maria. Much ~ma to you and all those that may be affected by this decision.

I spoke up because I sensed that VW was feeling torn; that maybe she wanted to still give the gifts, but maybe felt like she couldn't lest the world think her improper or succumbing to the whims of her insensitive ex.

I fully get feeling protective of her and the grrrr, totally. I just think all of the feelings aren't mutually exclusive, that's all.

I do feel torn. I was planning on giving them the gifts until my dad informed me it would be inappropriate, then I got further advice that that would be the case. I am now back to leaning towards giving them the gifts, but not killing myself to try to get them done by the 21st. I appreciate the dialectic approach to the advice given :).

And I'm also sorry if I've been very bitchy about CBD and/or the breakup in this space (and in my LJ, actually). He really is not a bad guy, and I don't want to paint him that way.

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I'm still awake.

About the time I was up and decided to take the trash out at 4 am, I noted without interest that a big old Waste Management garbage truck was parked across the street. I thought nothing much of it, and got back in the house quickly because of the cold.

Anyway, because it is so cold, apparently whoever was manning the truck decided that he had to rev it up every so often.

Just often enough to keep me from falling asleep.

Gah.

At 6:30, I called Waste Management, and they don't open until 7 am. I left an annoyed message.

Then I called the police. Enough is enough.

He seems to have stopped with the revving.

But now it's 7:15 am, I might as well have breakfast.

And.. it's -6˚F now. *sigh*

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You really haven't, VW. He's said some assy things, that just is what it is. But I haven't seen you ranting or painting him as an asshole generally.

Oh Zoe. Oh Kristin. Oh Drew.

I am so fucking over 2008.

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A man in Willmar, MN was tired of the last eight years of kids TPing his property at homecoming. This year he sat out with night vision goggles and saw 15-20 (!) kids rush his property with toilet paper.

So he sprayed them with diluted fox urine. One of the kids tried wrenching the supersoaker from him, and another choked him, but he got free. A finger may or may not have been broken.

Now he's charged with assault.

Somehow that doesn't seem right. Sure they will be smelly, but they were trespassing with intent.

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