In like a lion, out like a lamb?

As the saying goes, if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. Well, if The Weather Channel is correct, we should have highs above 50 for the next 10 days! What has my life come to that I now think 54 is a warm day? Ahhhhh...I'm finally ready for winter to go hibernate and spring to rear it's pretty little head!

March 1st snow storm...aka the Lion.

Cute street near my apartment.



















"The Boulevard"...Blackstone Boulevard











View of Downcity from the Jewelery District.


My "driveway." Needless to say my car wasn't having this. I learned to walk.



















Nothing escaped the storm! The inside of my front door.














Once I opened the front door. Wow, wall-o-snow!

Ice Skating Rink

Is that an ice skating rink in your back yard? Oh no, I'm sorry that's just my driveway trying to kill me.



So yesterday I walked to work in a heavy snow shower and walked home in pouring rain. What is this, Seattle?

Well, the newly fallen snow was washed away by the rain and unfortunately the temperature dropped below freezing last night so all the little droplets of H2O turned into ice. So like a scene out of a movie, I walk outside this morning to clear the ice and snow off my car to find the entire parking lot covered in a thick coat of ice. About an inch in most places! Not fun and not safe.

So I slip-slided to my car thankful that the only accumulation of snow and ice was on my windshield. As I scrapped my windshield my neighbor came down, we joked about not hitting the wall as you fishtail around the corner, made a little small talk, he put his windshield wipers down, and then hopped into his BMW and drove off. [If you aren't aware, wise people leave their wipers up when it snows so that they don't get frozen to the windshield or caked on with ice. I am not wise.] Well, as soon as he leaves I break my windshield wiper off. I don't know if it's broken, I don't know if it's fixable, I don't know how to put it back on, and I can't figure anything out with all the ice accumulation on it. (As a little background story: Andrew and I bought new wipers sometime before we drove the car out East. We purchased them at an Autozone or something and headed out to the car to replace them in the store's parking lot. They came with instructions and seemed simple enough to fix. Well, apparently it was so obvious that we were clueless and incompetent that the man who sold us the blades came out to help us. No big deal, they do that all the time at those places, right? Well, I should mention that he only had one hand. He had one hand and a hook on the other hand, but so easily did what Andrew and I's four hands couldn't do. Pathetic.)

So I took my gloves off so I could try to fix the windshield wiper. I dropped them and they slide across the ice rink. I then hobble over to them hoping not to pull a hamstring and angrily throw them into my purse. Needless to say, I chucked the wiper blade onto the passengers seat and hopped in the car. I was already late enough for work.


I then proceeded to back out of my parking spot...easier said than done. I got out into the middle of the lot and couldn't move. My wheels had no traction and wouldn't spin. My engine just revved. I was worried that I would wake my neighbors and then be embarrassed about being stuck in the middle of the parking lot so I avoided giving the car too much gas. I straightened the wheel and was able to inch forward. I started to turn to make the corner to exit the lot and fish tailed towards the building. I wasn't going anywhere. Not by automobile at least. I couldn't leave the car in the middle of the lot for the day so I managed to back it into the spot (as displayed in the photo above) and walked bitterly to work, frustrated and defeated. Not a happy morning:(

Christmas Holiday-Part I

Wow, nearly three weeks ago, my whirlwind of a vacation ended and I've yet to find the time to write about it all, so here's a brief recap.

The vacation started off a little rough. Like something that only happens in movies, my luggage was lost on my Christmas Eve flight. I ran around Florida buying last minute gifts that were too large to take on the plane, in 85 degree weather, wearing long johns and a cashmere sweater, hoping my luggage would turn up! I was so frustrated and miserable and prepared to wear that same outfit for a few days:( Fortunately, my luggage was found.

I received a phone call at 1:00 AM on Christmas morning. A gentleman informed me that he was from United and would be delivering my luggage in about 10 minutes. What?! Don't they do that kind of stuff during business hours? Either way, I wasn't complaining, I would have my luggage for Christmas and my two-week vacation! At 1:30 AM I saw two headlights, but to my surprise it wasn't a United van with a UPS looking man. Instead, two men wearing sports jerseys and ball caps, blaring rap music, and driving an Impala arrived with my bag in their trunk. It seemed a little odd, but I didn't care. It arrived!! What a relief. I was so thankful to not be stressing about my luggage anymore. But seriously, who were they?!

I spent Christmas day enjoying great food, watching Mama Mia with my family, playing a little Wii with the sis, opening presents, playing with matchbox cars, and enjoying a break from my usual routine. Andrew arrived late that night and the chaos called "vacation" began the next day.

Andrew, my mom, my brother, my brother's girlfriend, and I set out for Orlando the morning of the 26th. We hit Celebration on our way in, walked around Rollins College, ate lunch in Winter Park on Park Ave, and then headed to our hotel, the Gaylord Palms. We relaxed at the hotel, ate dinner, and walked around the beautiful and decorated atrium. We hit up ICE that night--an exhibit made up off all ice sculptures. When Andrew told his family about it they just laughed and mentioned how only people where it's warm would pay to freeze in 9 degrees and ice! It's true. We made gingerbread houses, laid out by the pool, and visited with my cousins the next day. After a 2-day stint we headed back to P-county to spend a few days with the rest of the family.

Here's a summary of our Orlando trip in pictures:

This is when...

So many thoughts, and plenty of time to think them as you clean off and dig out your car.

This is when you say to yourself, "Who needs milk? Who cares about that recipe? Chips and salsa sounds like a good dinner to me. I'll just stay in."

This is when you realize the term "quick trip" will be anything but quick.

This is when you're glad you walked out the night before your big meeting and not late the morning of.

This is when you want to stay inside until the snow melts and then just drive your car out of its spot.

This is when you wonder how you graduated college with honors, when you didn't figure out not to leave the "digging out tools" inside your car.

This is when you pray the doors aren't frozen shut because you did, indeed, leave the tools inside.

This is when you hope you don't bury your purse in the snow as you try to dig to your door to put the purse inside.

This is when you understand why people put their windshield wipers up before the snow--so they don't get frozen to the windshield.

This is when you wonder if you're crazy or the people who didn't try to convince you not to move here are crazy.

This is when you understand why people invest in snow blowers.

This is when you encourage yourself saying aloud, "Hey, at least you don't have to workout tonight!"

This is when you understand how your toes can be numb while the rest of your body is sweating.

This is when you realize that going to the grocery story without a shower first may constitute a first degree misdemeanor.

This is when you realize why people delicately use the shovel to scoop snow off their car instead of a wimpy brush.

This is when you don't understand why you just dug a path to get to your car and then foolishly filled in with snow from on top of your car.

This is when you realize that wearing cotton sweatpants isn't the wisest choice, in fact, it's a terrible choice.

This is when you realize why others say the phrase "sucks to be you."

This is when you realize why people dangerously drive with only partially cleared off cars, with limited visibility and snow projectiles flying at your car on the highway.

This is when you wish the driveway to your parking lot, bordered by a rock wall and your house, was slightly wider.

This is when you realize why people call "dibs" on parking spots and reserve them with superfluous objects.

This is when you're thankful you signed a lease with a landlord that plows the parking lot and not the one that said "There is a shovel and salt in the basement, it's your responsibility."

This is when you wish you had a pair of ski pants and a couple crazy friends with you so you can play in the snow drifts.

This is when it hurts your heart as it starts to snow again right after all your hard work.

This is when you understand why people live in the suburbs with garages as you watch their dry, snowless cars whiz by your snow speckled, frozen, piece of metal on wheels.

Seriously, Old Man Winter?

Ok, this has gone from "kid in a candy store" to just plain inconvenient. I feel like I haven't been to my church since before Thanksgiving!

Does it only snow on Sundays in New England?

This scenario has happened numerous times to me: the snow is coming down heavily, the City hasn't issued a parking ban so church doesn't get canceled, my landlord hasn't plowed our parking lot yet, and I don't know if my non-4 wheel drive SUV can get up and down the hills on plowed or unplowed streets. It's quite the predicament to be in, to stay or to go?

Two quick snapshots as the snow just keeps coming and coming:

Dibs

Another reason why I love winter: "Dibs."

I had all but forgotten about this ritual since I now live in a city that does not permit on-street parking overnight, but thankfully my friends in Chicago and Boston carry the torch well. I have never heard of anything so crazy, with the exception of a similar tradition before the 4th of July in Evanston.

Apparently, for one season each year, people put aside their selfish tendencies and respect others' "dibs." Honestly, I think it's more out of fear of retaliation than respect, but let's give 'em a little grace. So for those of you who don't know, some cities have a tradition of staking claims to parking spaces. I'm not sure how it started, but people have developed a mindset that if they are going to do all of the work to dig their car out of the snow, they should be entitled to that spot until the snow melts or for the duration of the season, in some cases. Emy shared her entertaining story pertaining to her naivety about calling dibs on her spot and I challenge Emy to top one of these, take a picture, and post it on her blog. Until she does so, I encourage you to enjoy some of the finer things in a life, a little light-hearted humor:

Dibs Season in Chicago

Parking-Spot Savers in Boston


Need a little enticing?

Monday, Monday

Mondays are bittersweet. Like many people, I hate Mondays.

I lament the end of the weekend.
I mourn the loss of relaxation.
I yearn for a few more agenda-free days.

Unfortunately, unlike most of this planet, I have an extra hatred for Mondays. I detest going to bed Sunday nights because I know the misery that will come in a few short hours: garbage collection.

"No big deal, Kim," you say. "I too take out the trash. You'll live." Oh, but it is a big deal. For some brilliant reason the City of Providence's trash pick-up occurs before 6:30 AM. Yea, that's right. The City expects cans to be taken in before leaving for work, probably to alleviate rodents or something. Not only do they pick up trash early, but of course, the garbage company can't pick up recycling as well. Oh no, we need a separate company to do that. And if that's not enough, they can't even do both sides of the street at once! Oh, no. They do the entire north side. And then come back for the south side. Seriously? Is this necessary? Is it even efficient? Four separate wake up calls?! If it's not apparent, getting woken up multiple times during my last hour of sleep doesn't make me happy. It's one of the worst ways to regularly start my week. Perhaps having a room at the front of the house where the cans are literally 10 feet from my window doesn't help.

I hate trash pick up.

However, before a nice person (emy) points this out, I will say that I am very thankful that my trash is picked up. I'm thankful that I don't have to drive it in my car anywhere. I'm thankful that it's not filling the streets where I live or polluting my water source. I appreciate all aspects of trash removal, with the exception of the cruel hour in which it occurs.

This morning was an extra joy. I really didn't want to take out the trash last night. I never know if a certain amount of snow will prohibit them from picking it up since it delays schools and cancels churches and all. I don't want to look like that dumb girl from Florida who dragged the cans to the street to sit there for a week since she obviously didn't know they weren't coming. I decided that I would wait and hope one of the other 5 tenants would take it out. If the garbage hadn't been collected by the time I woke up, but my neighbors put theirs out, I would take ours out in the morning.

SO...as I drifted off to sleep last night I heard the rumbling of the wheels on the super sized cans. "Yes!" I thought. "Suckas!" Someone else takes it out every week and I generally allow this without guilt. Well, my delight quickly turned sour this morning when I woke up at 6 am (day 1 of my new plan to work out and do a morning Bible study before work) to discover that the cans I had heard last night were from my neighbors across the street and not my building. So with outside temperatures in the upper teens, I roll out of bed, throw on my winter crocs and grab my mittens. I'm certain it'll only take 5 minutes. No biggie.

Famous last words, ey? Well, to my surprise it's snowing a bit, I'm terribly underdressed, and I have on backless shoes while forging snow drifts! I start with the "easy" stuff: recycle bins. Do you have any idea how heavy recycle bins are when they are full of recyclables + ice + snow?! Not light, I'll tell you that much.

Then I turn to the cans. There are four large cans total, but my neighbors generally play the "I'm only taking out the cans I use" game. I decided to be a bigger person and commit to all four. This was before I realized that dragging 20+ lb garbage cans, uphill, on an unplowed sidewalk, with crocs on was an absolutely foolish idea. I might as well have been wearing ice skates while attempting this. I pathetically hobbled up the hill, inches at a time, backsliding with every step I took. And with each bin and can I placed on the curb, it required me to take the next one further and further up the hill.

I let my imagine run and was secretly hoping a neighbor was watching out the window. I figured one of two things would happen: 1) They would have a great start to their morning watching a hilarious, yet pathetic attempt by the girl across the street trying fruitlessly to pull garbage cans uphill in the snow OR 2) They would pity the pathetic dame and come out to help her. Unfortuately, I don't think either occurred. Anyway, 15 or so minutes later and 5 lbs of wet clothes heavier, I accomplished the task at hand: 4 garbage cans and 6 recycle bins on the curb! It took everything in me to not call that my workout and move on to the next item on my to-do list!

This post is a little lengthier than I had expected. I mean, who can really spend that much time describing garbage collection? Probably only me.

Anyway, I promised bittersweet. That involves some "sweet."

So, I must confess that I look forward to Mondays for one, undignified reason. I spent the afternoon today eagerly anticipating my evening of digressing to a 15-year old, sitting in front of the tv, and watching ridiculous teen-dramas and trashy reality shows. That's right. I'm coming clean. As of last week, I have embraced my homeworkless evenings and turned on my newly subscribed cable. It's the only night I watch TV, but I spend my Monday evenings flipping around between The Secret Life of the American Teenager, The Bachelor, Mama's Boys, The Hills/The City, and 17 and Counting. Not my proudest moments, I'll be honest, but I do look forward to a mindless evening once a week in front of the tube!:D

SNOW DAY!!!

It's true. I received the email, sent at 6:24 this morning, informing me that worship has been canceled.

Snow Day?!?

Times two!?!?! Never have I heard of this, but perhaps it's quite common in urban areas. We are possibly having our second snow day, FROM CHURCH, on Sunday!! That's right, snow day from church! Crazy, I know. Apparently, churches or other businesses located downtown can't really function on days with parking bans since downtown, which generally relies on street parking, has been prohibited from allowing parking. The city bans on-street parking to allow the plows to be able to clear the roads without obstacles. Plus, it's really unsafe for people to be driving as the snow is pouring down, the plows are trying to do their job, and cars are slip-sliding all over the place!

Well, now that I think of it, I bet this is a lot less common than I first hypothesized. If you think about it, Providence is not exactly the most urbanized city in the U.S. Most cities, like Chicago or New York City are comprised of residents who walk or take underground public transit to get around town. They can probably still go to church through mounds of snow.

But, then again, I guess it's not just cities that have this problem. Think about suburban Buffalo, NY. They regularly get feet of snow. Imagine the motivation and preparation it takes every Sunday to dig your car out and drive through possibly poorly-plowed local streets. Plus, the added work for churches to make sure that their parking lots are plowed and usable! Gives the term fair-weather Christian a whole new meaning, huh?

Okay, well I'm done over-analyzing this whole experience they call winter. Either way, it's crazy and exhilarating for me! We're only expecting 3-6 inches this weekend so it's unlikely that it'll happen, but exciting nonetheless (in an impious and rebellious kind of way :D)

1st Casualty of the Season...

It's true. I had my first casualty this winter season. My flight arrived late last night, I split a cab with a random stranger*, and promptly crashed into bed in preparation for my first day back at work.

[*Note: It sounds a little crazier than it actually is. I shared a cab with another young professional woman, headed the same direction as me. Students generally flock to other students at the airport to reduce cab fares by getting groups together to split cabs. So while students make taxi plans you just wait for an invite or strike up a conversation with the nearest, non-sketchy looking person you can find.]

My office relocated while I was gone so it was my first day at the new place. I set out on a new route for work. Literally, less than 20 steps into this new unknown territory--a.k.a. the sidewalk on the other side of my street--I fall. Fortunately, I didn't fall on my work laptop, I didn't drop the phone, and I didn't even fall on my backside. No. I am proud to tell you that I busted, in style. Well, as stylish as you can in work clothes, with a briefcase, on the phone, in front of dozens of commuters stuck in traffic along the road. In fact, my fall was almost even graceful. It took on a bit of a slide element, like dancers or ice skaters or Tom Cruise in Risky Business. One leg remained planted, while the other slowly glided forward until meeting its demise. If only all falls happened this gently and painlessly.

It looked...
Almost graceful

Almost without fear

Almost, intentional.











PS I realize I owe you a detailed and entertaining summary from my Christmas vacation. It is coming, soon, I hope. Between the unpacking at home, unpacking at work, grocery shopping and trying to catch up on sleep, I'm an overwhelmed woman!

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2009!!!!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends!

A Christmas to Remember

I thought I would fill you in on my upcoming endeavors and warn you that I may be M.I.A. for a week or so!

Family Vaca 2008!!!!!

I'm heading home for Christmas on the morning of the 24th. I get to do the family thing for a few days and then we're headed out on vacation to Orlando. My mom, brother, brother's girlfriend, Andrew and I are headed on an adventure to Gaylord Palms. We're going to visit Rollins, Winter Park, hang at the hotel, see ICE, build gingerbread houses, and go to Universal Studios! I'm really excited for the opportunity to all hang out together and relax a bit.

We'll head back home for a few days where Andrew and I will get to hang out with my family and see a few of my high school friends before heading out on the roadtrip of the century!

Day 1: Head out from Tampa towards Becka's in Port Charlotte stopping at the Roaring 20s Pizza and Pipes restaurant on our way. We will spend the evening with Becka, Jon and baby Reagan! I'm so excited to finally meet her and catch up with Becks.

Day 2: Depart from Becka's house seeing Jenn (Fort Meyers) and the Giant Head of Beethoven and Keri (Cape Coral) somehow on our way to the Everglades! Make a pit stop at the Smallest Post Office in the US and send a few postcards and head towards Miami via Alligator Ally. We'll hit up a few more random stops on our way to Jacksonville. We'll spend the night at Chateau Emy and take her hostage.

Day 3: Leave Jax, with Emy, for Hotlanta swinging by one of the Tiniest Churches in the US in South Newport, GA. Eat lunch in Savannah. Visit the Big Cow and the World Globe Gas Storage Tank. Then arrive in ATL!! Lots of options await us there: the Baseball Equipment Coke Bottle, the Varsity, Centennial Park and most importantly New Year's Conference where we will meet up with Erin and Claire!! We'll watch the peach drop in ATL and then leave Emy with Claire and head on our merry way.

Day 4: Destination: Tennessee. Check out the World's Largest Chair, Replica of the Statue of Liberty and arrive at Grandpas! Hang for a few days on the farm with the family!

Day 6: Head through Memphis visiting the Muffler Man, the New Urbanist Island and some historic sites on our way to Chi-Town. Keep ourselves busy by visiting Lambert's Cafe (Home of the Throwed Rolls), Superman, Big John, the Giant White Cross, and a few other random destinations.

Finally, make my way to O'Hare and back to Providence for work the next morning!

Wheew...I better have some good stories after all that!


View Larger Map

Walking in A Winter Wonderland

It started snowing Friday afternoon and just never stopped until Sunday!! Here are some pictures of my beautiful neighborhood:

The East Side



















Main Street with real icicles!
















Walking to work has proved difficult. Illinois prepared me for the cold, but not the hills. Walking on flat land with ice is one thing, but to walk downhill on ice is a whole new story!! I'm pretty sure I pulled something in my back this morning when I saved myself from falling but looked as though I was enduring vertical convulsions.




















However, I must confess that I really enjoy living on a hill. I don't know if it's a sick pleasure or the feeling of success when someone conquers the challenge, but I love listening or watching cars try to go up the street to see if they can actually make it.
PS Who says people in the NE aren't nice? This guy pushing the truck was just walking up the hill when the truck tried to go up. Shortly after this picture the truck gave up and the guy kept walking.














Downtown Providence
















Also, there is no grass to distinguish the right-of-way between the streets and sidewalks so the snow clearing has turned into a battle of the piling. The plow drives down the street and pushes all the snow to the sides. Then the residents and landlords snow blow and shovel to clear their sidewalks since they have to (slipping is a liability), back into the street. It's pretty crazy. Needless to say, there aren't many sidewalks to walk on to work, sometimes you have to plow through the drifts and on roads with no traffic you just walk in the road.














So when I see this I think, "Guess they won't be picking that up tomorrow." Oh no, I was wrong. They still picked up our snow filled recycling this morning!














Too bad that I put off doing my laundry until Sunday...it's in this detached portion of the house.














Saturday night I decided to clear off my car (this is before I got it all off)...















Sunday I realized that it was all in vain, you couldn't even tell.




















Nothing escaped the elements.

1st Winter Storm in RI

The first winter storm of the season is on its way and I'm so excited!! Luckily, I walk to work so I will be able to get home in 15 minutes regardless of the snow fall since I'm not dealing with the roads. I just have to be careful that someone doesn't slide of the road and onto the sidewalk:)

Well, as I eagerly anticipate the joy of being cooped up in my apartment, with a blazing fire, some hot cocoa, writing Christmas cards (a little late, I know), watching a holiday movie, and staring at the falling snow, Andrew's mom sent me the reality of what the future holds. A little heavier than I dreamed of!

That blob in the middle of the picture is their golden retriever in the driveway!! Notice you can't see where the driveway ends, yards begin, or the road runs through it! Good luck shoveling that, Andrew!

Doesn't snow just look so pure and perfect before there are any footprints to mess it up?!


Normally I wouldn't mind, but this is killing Jaso and I's plan to go to New York City for the day tomorrow. There is no way he is going to get out of Boston, let alone pick me up and get us 3 hours through the Northeast to NYC.

I'll be sure to post some more pics once it arrives in Rhody:)

Recipe of the Week

So I've got a song of the week and I'm hoping to implement a picture of the week, but first I'll issue the recipe of the week.

Winter is upon us and in full swing (in most places) and what better way to stay warm than with a nice hot bowl of soup?! [My mom is not going to believe that I eat this soup, let alone make it!]

A few notes: Two onions sounded like too much, but it wasn't. Also, before adding the tomato paste the soup had a nice beef broth base and I liked that. It tastes great with the tomato paste, but I think adding a can of stewed or diced tomatoes instead would allow the base to remain more broth-y than tomato-y. Either way, it turned out great and it's got lots of protein and fiber! So cook up and enjoy:)

Italian-Style Lentil Soup
(from my good friends, Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
5-1/4 cups water
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, saute the onions, celery and carrot in oil until almost tender. Stir in the water, lentils, parsley, bouillon and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar and salt; heat through. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

SERVINGS: 6
TIME: Prep: 15 min. Cook: 40 min.

Nutrition Facts:
One Serving: 1 cup
Calories: 122
Fat: 2 g
Saturate Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 420 mg
Carbohydrate: 21 g
Fiber: 6 g
Protein: 6 g
Diabetic Exchange: 2 vegetable, 1 starch

Brrr...It's cold in here....

1st snow of the season!!! What a great start to the day!! Unfortunately, I didn't know it was going to snow so it was quite the surprise to walk out of my apartment this morning, late for church of course, to the further delay of brushing off my car. I planned to take some pictures as soon as I got out of church, but it all melted by then:( Oh well, it will come again some glorious day!

On the downside of this fabulous day, the heat broke last night and the temperature has steadily decreased throughout the day. Current temp in my apartment: 52 degrees. There is a heating company working on it right now since it's getting down to 15 degrees tonight and that would cause problems on many levels: freezing pipes, freezing tenants, etc.

I'm currently in bed under the covers (the only warm place in the apartment). I'm using the art of layering to survive: I'm wearing sweat pants, a sweat shirt, a beanie, and socks which snuggling under a sheet, down comforter, quilt, regular comforter and a throw blanket. It's working pretty well--my hands are the only parts exposed and cold. The worst part is that I'm very unproductive when this happens because doing anything constructive requires me to abandon my cocoon and move about in the frigid apartment.

Winter Vests= Great Invention

There are many many great things about winter and there is no doubt that I will address lots of them over the next few months on here. Today, we'll start with just one: Layering.

Layering is a tool that is supposed to be used to ensure warmth outside while providing comfort indoors through removable layers that can be shed to prevent sweating to death. Unfortunately, I abuse the art of layering to fuel my tendency to be lazy and unkempt. For example, today, I tried on a collared button-up dress shirt under a v-neck sweater. Deciding that the outfit didn't match and the Mr. Rogers' impersonation was less than attractive, I decided not to wear it. Well, rather than starting over, I just put a vest on top of it, zipped it up and pretended the mismatching button-up wasn't under there. So, yes, I'm wearing a horribly ugly outfit right now, but I'm masking it with a vest so my co-workers are completely oblivious to the disaster lurking beneath.

Note to you southerners who hate-on turtlenecks and vests, we need them up here:)
So when I say "vest" stop picturing the teacher vest and start picturing the winter vest:

Update x 2

Update #1-Good News:
I have heat.
Yes, I have heat, which is fantastic for the nightly temps dipping into the 20s and 30s. Bad news: It only works when my neighbor, Mike, turns his on or off. So unfortunately for him, he's got an annoying girl knocking on his door every other day to tell him she's cold or she's hot. Really makes for community building though, if that's what Walt is going for.

Update #2-Bad News:
I can't control my heat.
Unfortunately, since I can't control the temp I can't adjust it based on my needs (i.e. waking, sleeping, running a marathon, Tae-Bo, etc. ). More bad news: I don't like it to be hot when I sleep. So, 6am I wake up, temperature is 73 (which, interestingly, feels cold in the summer as air, but hot as heat in the winter). I can't sleep it's too hot. And to make matters worse either my heat is on (creaky hot water baseboard heat) or the mice are competing in an Olympics. I cannot fall back asleep because I am certain that I hear the pitter patter of hundreds of hurdling mice scurrying all over my apartment. I hear "tap tap" in the wall and am further convinced that they are trying to eat through a floor board or dry wall to create another egress. Yes, you can say it, I'm paranoid. So, thanks to my brilliant decision to actively pursue looking for mice I am now terribly afraid that I have them and that they run around my apartment in the middle of the night. I even turned the light on thinking they may get scared and scatter like roaches, but I made sure to not look so I wouldn't actually see them! Baahhhh! Why did I open this can of worms?

It's Time

Dear Mr. Landlord,

Please turn on the heat. It was 59 degrees in my apartment this morning when I woke up. I think it's time to light that boiler, flip that switch, do whatever you've got to do. I realize you don't live here and probably don't care, but let's get on it. I would like to spend some time outside of my bed and the 4 blankets I use.

Thanks!

Sincerely,
Polar in Providence


P.S. You are going to force me to switch out my fall fireplace decor for a real fire to keep warm, which, as we both know, is not technically permitted.

Fall Fireplace Candle Holder











(It sure is cute isn't it? It's currently burning Yankee Candle's Spiced Pumpkin tea lights. Oh autumn, you are divine.)