Snow day!
A brief excerpt from http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/115010864.html:
"As the skies cleared, the snow totals being reported to the National Weather service are looking historic. Racine can claim the early lead with 23.5 inches [I'll have to ask my mom how she fared in nearby Kenosha!], based on the calculations of the National Weather Service and an observer report. Other totals from Wednesday morning: 15 inches in Wauwatosa, 14.5 inches in Milwaukee, 13.5 in La Grange, 18 in West Allis and 11.5 in Beaver Dam.
"Snowdrifts of up to 10 feet were reported in some parts of southeastern Wisconsin.
"Hundreds of businesses and nearly all area schools closed in the wake of the historic blizzard as Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett declared an unofficial "weather holiday."
"The blizzard warning was canceled for all Wisconsin as of 10:15 as the snow stopped. Plows have made some progress in clearing Milwaukee County freeways, but officials are still urging most people to stay off roads because of blowing snow and some lake-effect snow."
I wish I would have remembered to take some pictures and show you the damages, and especially the before/after shoveling images. Oh well; I bet you could Google enough of them to get a nice idea of the weather we experienced.
I am so tired and shaky from four straight hours of shoveling, and my mood is on edge for a reason I'll explain. Lord knows that I will be sore all over tomorrow, but it sure was good exercise!...although too much. I overdid it, but at the same time there wasn't much choice in the matter. Here's the thing: I didn't have much help with shoveling the entire driveway and sidewalk. It was mostly me and my downstairs neighbor; let's call him Josh because I can't remember what it really is. His wife helped some but she was generally off entertaining their kids, which was totally fine - they have a girl almost three years old, and a boy at twelve - it was so great to watch and laugh at them play in the snow.
The problem with shoveling today was twofold: Darla's snowblower wouldn't start, so we had to do it by hand. There were more than enough shovels to go around, but our driveway is sandwiched in between two houses so tightly that it's hard to drive in and out. What I ended up doing was carrying the snow, one shovelful at a time, all the way down the driveway to a high pile in the yard. Josh told me I was nuts, but "doing an awesome job." It needed to be done; there was no way around it. Afterward I finished digging out my car and the trash cans.
I was happy for the first two hours, laughing and talking with the neighbors; but after a twenty-minute food break I felt pure exhaustion take over and the last two hours were tough. The kids were gone and it was just me and Josh at that point; his presence helped smooth out an otherwise dreary task. There was another problem, too, and the reason for my irritable mood: Wally didn't help a damn bit. He sat upstairs on his lazy ass the whole morning and relished in the day off work. I continually thought about how tall and strong Wally was, and how far we had to throw the snow over the fence, and what a wonderful asset he would have been for that particular task. It would have been such a great way to rekindle a friendship, too, because the exercise and sunlight and playing kids all lent themselves to a wonderful bonding time. But Wally refused to come: per the lease snow shoveling is our downstairs neighbors' responsibility. I understand this and haven't helped out much this winter myself, but I feel that when we have a historic blizzard and get dumped with far more than 15" of snow in one night (we had more than the recorded average for Wauwatosa because the snow on the nearby rooftops blew down into our driveway, creating drifts several feet high that needed to be moved) - well, when that happens, you get your butt out the door and help your neighbors. Screw task lists; that is a time to help.
So it was that when I came in after four hours, exhausted beyond belief and drenched with sweat, Wally looked at me and said "that was some shoveling marathon, huh?" and I responded monosyllabically and didn't even look at him. We were joking around this morning before I went out, but the knowledge of having practically killed myself to shovel out a driveway that Wally depends on just as much as I do, without his help, has temporarily cut off my good feelings toward him.
I do know better than to be bitter, though, and despite his selfishness this morning I have not been harsh with him. I recognize something: this is why over the weekend I exuberantly exclaimed to Carrie "I love my life!" and Wally confessed "I feel as if I'll be dead before summer." Introvert though I may be, my life is filled with loving reciprocal relationships; I gladly jump in to help out and spread love everywhere I go and am paid back in full with joy and meaning. Wally does the opposite: he lives his own solitary life, makes sure no one gets in the way (sometimes his household demands become a bit ludicrous to live with, and I feel bad for our downstairs neighbors who must hear from him every time the shared small hot water heater runs out in the morning), and assumes that everyone else needs to live in their own small selfish islands as well. Need help, neighbor? Too fucking bad, you live your life and I live mine. No wonder he's dying inside.
Ultimately, once my pure exhaustion passes, the experience this morning will make me pity Wally all the more. Josh seemed to have felt the same way. We both reigned in our tongues to an admirable degree, but there were a few heartfelt comments along the lines of "it'd be really nice if Wally came and helped," especially during the second dreary half. We tried to leave his car buried, but since I park right next to him it wasn't possible to dig myself out without also helping him out. Oh well.
One good thing came of his absence: I got to talk to Josh about myself a little bit. As it turns out he never thought Wally and I were a couple; despite Wally referring to me as his "girlfriend," which Josh verified, they had overheard me refer to Wally as a "roommate" through the thin living room walls and figured out our situation. Awesome. I got to tell them about my move to Arkansas and neuroscientist (although perhaps "gliascientist" is a more correct term) goals.
Well, unsurprisingly, I am starving. I'm gonna go get some food then study more. I studied for a straight hour this morning and would have kept going for another hour before going out, but the shovels started at 9am and I wanted to throw in my support ASAP. It was a good study time and I am happy to come back to my beloved subject. :)
"As the skies cleared, the snow totals being reported to the National Weather service are looking historic. Racine can claim the early lead with 23.5 inches [I'll have to ask my mom how she fared in nearby Kenosha!], based on the calculations of the National Weather Service and an observer report. Other totals from Wednesday morning: 15 inches in Wauwatosa, 14.5 inches in Milwaukee, 13.5 in La Grange, 18 in West Allis and 11.5 in Beaver Dam.
"Snowdrifts of up to 10 feet were reported in some parts of southeastern Wisconsin.
"Hundreds of businesses and nearly all area schools closed in the wake of the historic blizzard as Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett declared an unofficial "weather holiday."
"The blizzard warning was canceled for all Wisconsin as of 10:15 as the snow stopped. Plows have made some progress in clearing Milwaukee County freeways, but officials are still urging most people to stay off roads because of blowing snow and some lake-effect snow."
I wish I would have remembered to take some pictures and show you the damages, and especially the before/after shoveling images. Oh well; I bet you could Google enough of them to get a nice idea of the weather we experienced.
I am so tired and shaky from four straight hours of shoveling, and my mood is on edge for a reason I'll explain. Lord knows that I will be sore all over tomorrow, but it sure was good exercise!...although too much. I overdid it, but at the same time there wasn't much choice in the matter. Here's the thing: I didn't have much help with shoveling the entire driveway and sidewalk. It was mostly me and my downstairs neighbor; let's call him Josh because I can't remember what it really is. His wife helped some but she was generally off entertaining their kids, which was totally fine - they have a girl almost three years old, and a boy at twelve - it was so great to watch and laugh at them play in the snow.
The problem with shoveling today was twofold: Darla's snowblower wouldn't start, so we had to do it by hand. There were more than enough shovels to go around, but our driveway is sandwiched in between two houses so tightly that it's hard to drive in and out. What I ended up doing was carrying the snow, one shovelful at a time, all the way down the driveway to a high pile in the yard. Josh told me I was nuts, but "doing an awesome job." It needed to be done; there was no way around it. Afterward I finished digging out my car and the trash cans.
I was happy for the first two hours, laughing and talking with the neighbors; but after a twenty-minute food break I felt pure exhaustion take over and the last two hours were tough. The kids were gone and it was just me and Josh at that point; his presence helped smooth out an otherwise dreary task. There was another problem, too, and the reason for my irritable mood: Wally didn't help a damn bit. He sat upstairs on his lazy ass the whole morning and relished in the day off work. I continually thought about how tall and strong Wally was, and how far we had to throw the snow over the fence, and what a wonderful asset he would have been for that particular task. It would have been such a great way to rekindle a friendship, too, because the exercise and sunlight and playing kids all lent themselves to a wonderful bonding time. But Wally refused to come: per the lease snow shoveling is our downstairs neighbors' responsibility. I understand this and haven't helped out much this winter myself, but I feel that when we have a historic blizzard and get dumped with far more than 15" of snow in one night (we had more than the recorded average for Wauwatosa because the snow on the nearby rooftops blew down into our driveway, creating drifts several feet high that needed to be moved) - well, when that happens, you get your butt out the door and help your neighbors. Screw task lists; that is a time to help.
So it was that when I came in after four hours, exhausted beyond belief and drenched with sweat, Wally looked at me and said "that was some shoveling marathon, huh?" and I responded monosyllabically and didn't even look at him. We were joking around this morning before I went out, but the knowledge of having practically killed myself to shovel out a driveway that Wally depends on just as much as I do, without his help, has temporarily cut off my good feelings toward him.
I do know better than to be bitter, though, and despite his selfishness this morning I have not been harsh with him. I recognize something: this is why over the weekend I exuberantly exclaimed to Carrie "I love my life!" and Wally confessed "I feel as if I'll be dead before summer." Introvert though I may be, my life is filled with loving reciprocal relationships; I gladly jump in to help out and spread love everywhere I go and am paid back in full with joy and meaning. Wally does the opposite: he lives his own solitary life, makes sure no one gets in the way (sometimes his household demands become a bit ludicrous to live with, and I feel bad for our downstairs neighbors who must hear from him every time the shared small hot water heater runs out in the morning), and assumes that everyone else needs to live in their own small selfish islands as well. Need help, neighbor? Too fucking bad, you live your life and I live mine. No wonder he's dying inside.
Ultimately, once my pure exhaustion passes, the experience this morning will make me pity Wally all the more. Josh seemed to have felt the same way. We both reigned in our tongues to an admirable degree, but there were a few heartfelt comments along the lines of "it'd be really nice if Wally came and helped," especially during the second dreary half. We tried to leave his car buried, but since I park right next to him it wasn't possible to dig myself out without also helping him out. Oh well.
One good thing came of his absence: I got to talk to Josh about myself a little bit. As it turns out he never thought Wally and I were a couple; despite Wally referring to me as his "girlfriend," which Josh verified, they had overheard me refer to Wally as a "roommate" through the thin living room walls and figured out our situation. Awesome. I got to tell them about my move to Arkansas and neuroscientist (although perhaps "gliascientist" is a more correct term) goals.
Well, unsurprisingly, I am starving. I'm gonna go get some food then study more. I studied for a straight hour this morning and would have kept going for another hour before going out, but the shovels started at 9am and I wanted to throw in my support ASAP. It was a good study time and I am happy to come back to my beloved subject. :)