Long-overdue update
I've been very remiss in not posting more often here on LJ. If it's any defense, I'm not posting a whole lot anywhere else, either. Stuff Happens, but it's not the sort of stuff anybody else would be interested in reading. Does anybody really care about what I had for dinner, or what I got for Christmas, or suchlike? It seems doubtful to me.
But January is turning into Travel Month for me, so it seemed like a good way to reinitialize my LJ account.
The New Year started with a drive to my parents' home, just south of Carson City NV. We arrived just before the snow started to fall. Depending on your source, that part of Nevada was slated to get either no snow, or a "light dusting" of snow. We got 6-8 inches overnight.
So I shoveled the snow off their driveway (a new experience for me!), and spent New Years warmly nestled indoors. Oh, we took my folks to see "The King's Speech", which was an event in itself: only theatre playing it was in Reno, about 45 minutes drive away. Still, no problem...
Until it came time to drive home. Highway 395, which we'd planned to take? Chains required. I have chains, but I'd rather not use them if I don't need them, thanks. So we took Highway 50 to Interstate 5. And then we learned that Interstate 5 was closed on the Grapevine (final approach to LA from the north, for those non-Californians reading this), so we had to detour west to the 101 for the last leg of the journey. Thereby turning an 8-hour drive into a 12-hour drive. But we got home safely.
This weekend, we're driving into the mountains again: Winter Weekend, an annual snow event. I'm bringing chains along, but I'm really, really hoping not to need them. I probably will.
But next weekend, ahhh, no snow at all. I'll be flying away on a business trip. To, um, Pago Pago. In American Samoa. For a couple of weeks. Returning in February. I will, as always, be working long hours and trying desperately to complete the installation in the time allotted -- which is never enough, somehow -- but I suspect I may get a few hours to myself. In the tropics. While the rest of you are freezing.
I'm still being threatened with more travel in coming months (e.g. Ottawa), but for now, this will do.
And on an amusing note: The Monday after my return, I have jury duty. Yes, the days are just packed.
But January is turning into Travel Month for me, so it seemed like a good way to reinitialize my LJ account.
The New Year started with a drive to my parents' home, just south of Carson City NV. We arrived just before the snow started to fall. Depending on your source, that part of Nevada was slated to get either no snow, or a "light dusting" of snow. We got 6-8 inches overnight.
So I shoveled the snow off their driveway (a new experience for me!), and spent New Years warmly nestled indoors. Oh, we took my folks to see "The King's Speech", which was an event in itself: only theatre playing it was in Reno, about 45 minutes drive away. Still, no problem...
Until it came time to drive home. Highway 395, which we'd planned to take? Chains required. I have chains, but I'd rather not use them if I don't need them, thanks. So we took Highway 50 to Interstate 5. And then we learned that Interstate 5 was closed on the Grapevine (final approach to LA from the north, for those non-Californians reading this), so we had to detour west to the 101 for the last leg of the journey. Thereby turning an 8-hour drive into a 12-hour drive. But we got home safely.
This weekend, we're driving into the mountains again: Winter Weekend, an annual snow event. I'm bringing chains along, but I'm really, really hoping not to need them. I probably will.
But next weekend, ahhh, no snow at all. I'll be flying away on a business trip. To, um, Pago Pago. In American Samoa. For a couple of weeks. Returning in February. I will, as always, be working long hours and trying desperately to complete the installation in the time allotted -- which is never enough, somehow -- but I suspect I may get a few hours to myself. In the tropics. While the rest of you are freezing.
I'm still being threatened with more travel in coming months (e.g. Ottawa), but for now, this will do.
And on an amusing note: The Monday after my return, I have jury duty. Yes, the days are just packed.