I finished my comps yesterday afternoon. 3 essays in 7 days, now I can spend the next month or so stressing over whether I passed or not. Feels good to have them out of the way, I can now focus on other stressful things. :)

Went for a nice long run this morning. First time in nearly three weeks I have done anything more than just a short trot here or there. Total distance covered this morning was approximately 7 miles, though I only ran, maybe, 6 of them. Great weather for running this morning. Around 65, bit of a breeze, not too humid, and cloudy. The trail was dry and firm, so no slippy slide into trees. It is a bit rutty with all the mountain bikes that ripped it up when muddy, but it is in decent shape.

The weather was great last week, we even managed one high of 80 something. I, unfortunately, was unable to get out and enjoy the great day. I am hoping the nice weather will hold this week and I can get out into the garden and do some putten about.

Carol is powering through her interviews, making awesome progress.

I am back to my normal schedule now. Three months and I am done with this degree!!

I have an embarrassing confession. Yesterday morning we received a wee bit of snow, maybe a half inch in total, and I refused to go out side. Even as I claimed the roads were to treacherous to travel, I was laughing inside as this minor snow would be no excuse elsewhere.

For those of you who are busy gloating at my misery here is a little more to cheer you up: it was 10 F this morning (and no, I won't translate that to C :)). On the upside, it is going to get warmer this coming week. I am hoping the worst of the miserable weather is past. I am craving some greenery and flowers.

Snow storm of 2011

Below you should see some photos of the horrid snow storm I have been forced to endure. Nasty weather!!

Time for the promised whine. The weather took a turn for the nasty Monday night. Rain (with occasional thunder storms) started around midnight and turned to sleet around two. By the time I was nosed out of bed by a certain cat, it had turned to snow and the streets looked horrid!! Snow and blowing and snow devils danced down the street all morning keeping me snuggled in at my computer. The afternoon moderated a bit, but it also cleared a bit. The clear skies allowed the temperature to plummet and now it is really cold. It is currently 12 F with wind it is 9 below!! We will be lucky to get to 18 for a high today. That won't allow the icky stuff to turn to acquire a more acceptable phase.

The nasty weather closed most things, even the local transit authority shut down. I am not going anywhere for the time being. I am confident in my abilities to navigate the slippery roads, but I don't trust the other drivers who don't know how to drive on icy roads. I suspect the number of bumper bumps will rise this morning as people return to work.

My job today is to box up all this cold weather and its attending plagues and ship it back to Alberta whence it came!

I feel obligate to brag a bit today. I am ate lunch sitting on our back cement pad without a jacket or robe on. I went to the gym and should have worn shorts and short sleeved t-shirt. I am currently sitting on the couch with doors and windows open enjoying the beautiful warm air that drifts through. Mags is sitting on my shrinking belly washing her face and complaining that I am moving too much. It feels wonderfully like spring though I know the weather is going to be back to misery next week. This is what I call a chinook!! 73 right now. The calendar says Jan. 28, the misery of living in Texas I guess. :)

Supper is Channa masala, yum yum. I think it has become my most favorite dish. Deep, layered spices without being excessively warm.

Stay tuned for next weeks whine on the excessively miserable weather!!

I am back in school, sort of, once more. All my classes this semester, the last semester, are online. I have been having trouble getting motivated and getting going though. Usually, the first week or so I am driven, working hard etc. etc. The sag doesn't show up until much later. This year, though the classes appear interesting, I lack motivation. Not a good thing this early.

Picked up some budget software yesterday and spent the afternoon working up a budget. I feel better about our finances now, though it is shocking to see how much we spend.

The weather is improving, I am hoping for a mild, very mild, February. I am tired of the brr ick stuff already. I have been planning my early garden, think I will put in onions, lettuce, radishes next week. Oh, and carrots as well though they are a slow developer. So, this weekend I will have to do some gardening as the weather looks nice. Maybe getting out in the sun and dirt will help moderate my mild depression. Maybe I am just pre-birthday blahing??

My weight remains steady. No change. But I am not stressing as I am doing all the right things: eating healthy and in range, exercising, sleeping. I looked in the mirror this morning and saw folds of loose skin and thought: skin is heavy, it takes time for it to disappear, it will take time for the scale to move, so not stressing the weight is right.

I have been doing some rulking (run/walk) in the area park lately. For a gift to each other, we picked up a state park pass after Christmas and have been going to the closest one lately. It has a great trail that follows the Elm Fork of the Trinity river for miles and miles. (Barb ran part of this trail when she was visiting). Once you are a mile and a half out into the bush, the sounds of the highways are gone. Still jets and all cause DFW is not that far away, but that just makes it feel like home. Anyway, I am currently up to run 7/walk 1 for 8 repeats on Saturdays (Monday, Wednesday, Friday are different with Friday's being real short), and I am thinking about moving to a steady but short run for the next few weeks. The week of Feb. 14-21 is when I do my comps and will need a lighter schedule that week. So far it has all been going great!

I am still debating this idea, but I am thinking I might run a half marathon next year on my fiftieth birthday. The Fort Worth race is held on the last weekend in February which would be right on my birthday. Assuming they don't move the date around!! That seems like it would be a wonderful birthday present to give myself. I know I can run 5k already, and I am working on the 10k, so it would not be a huge stretch and I would have a year to prepare.