16F and falling...
So cold. So awfully cold.
The snow is coming down, not like proper snow, but like little bits of milkweed fluff, drifting rather than falling, dancing in the air rather than coming to rest on the ground.
That's one of the ways you can tell how cold it is.
The other way you can tell is that the house is absolutely freezing.
I should be sitting here with a nice toasty bowl of oatmeal, but the meal moths got to the last of it (where the hell do those things come from?), so I'm having Greek yogurt with a nice cinnamony granola, a bit of honey and some raspberries, just for the joy of them, swirled in.
I've had worse things for breakfast! ;-)
I'm very much looking forward to getting through today and tomorrow--I'm looking at a four day weekend, with Monday off for the MLK holiday, and then Tuesday's PTO so that I can stay home and watch the inauguration with my husband.
We got an email yesterday at work, letting management know that people were allowed to bring televisions in to work and watch on Tuesday, so long as it didn't interfere with getting work done, and that they were trying to get the legal permission to pipe the streaming feed of the inaugural address onto our intranet, for people who couldn't get to a TV.
I can't remember any other event where such an allowance was made. Ever.
And you know, I can't help but think that our management is wise to do this, because I can't even imagine what it would be like, for me, to sit down with my littles years and years hence and tell them that I didn't see President Obama sworn in because, in that historic moment, I was working, and couldn't take the time to even listen. And not all of my coworkers are as fortunate as I am, and the whole place can't take off work the way I did. So contingencies are made, because, even among those who are way, WAY over my head, this event is even more important than it may appear to be on the surface.
I was reading my FL this morning, and came across this, and it's very possible that it reflects every single reason why that might be true.
all our children...'>
Next Tuesday, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President. On this historic occasion, PARADE asked the President-elect, who is also a devoted family man, to get personal and tell us what he wants for his children. Here, he shares his letter to them.
'What I Want for You - and Every Child
in America'
By President-elect Barack Obama
Publication Date: 01/14/2009
Dear Malia and Sasha,
I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.
When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.
I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.
I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.
Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.
That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.
She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.
I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.
These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.
I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.
Love, Dad
It's been a rare thing, of late, to hear a leader in this country speak of love and responsibility, dreams and obligation, hope and sacrifice, gratitude and work, all in the same breath.
Maybe that's only one of the reasons why this is a Really Big Deal.
The snow is coming down, not like proper snow, but like little bits of milkweed fluff, drifting rather than falling, dancing in the air rather than coming to rest on the ground.
That's one of the ways you can tell how cold it is.
The other way you can tell is that the house is absolutely freezing.
I should be sitting here with a nice toasty bowl of oatmeal, but the meal moths got to the last of it (where the hell do those things come from?), so I'm having Greek yogurt with a nice cinnamony granola, a bit of honey and some raspberries, just for the joy of them, swirled in.
I've had worse things for breakfast! ;-)
I'm very much looking forward to getting through today and tomorrow--I'm looking at a four day weekend, with Monday off for the MLK holiday, and then Tuesday's PTO so that I can stay home and watch the inauguration with my husband.
We got an email yesterday at work, letting management know that people were allowed to bring televisions in to work and watch on Tuesday, so long as it didn't interfere with getting work done, and that they were trying to get the legal permission to pipe the streaming feed of the inaugural address onto our intranet, for people who couldn't get to a TV.
I can't remember any other event where such an allowance was made. Ever.
And you know, I can't help but think that our management is wise to do this, because I can't even imagine what it would be like, for me, to sit down with my littles years and years hence and tell them that I didn't see President Obama sworn in because, in that historic moment, I was working, and couldn't take the time to even listen. And not all of my coworkers are as fortunate as I am, and the whole place can't take off work the way I did. So contingencies are made, because, even among those who are way, WAY over my head, this event is even more important than it may appear to be on the surface.
I was reading my FL this morning, and came across this, and it's very possible that it reflects every single reason why that might be true.
all our children...'>
Next Tuesday, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President. On this historic occasion, PARADE asked the President-elect, who is also a devoted family man, to get personal and tell us what he wants for his children. Here, he shares his letter to them.
'What I Want for You - and Every Child
in America'
By President-elect Barack Obama
Publication Date: 01/14/2009
Dear Malia and Sasha,
I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.
When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.
I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.
I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.
Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.
That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.
She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.
I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.
These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.
I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.
Love, Dad
It's been a rare thing, of late, to hear a leader in this country speak of love and responsibility, dreams and obligation, hope and sacrifice, gratitude and work, all in the same breath.
Maybe that's only one of the reasons why this is a Really Big Deal.