Blizzard of 08

They've been telling us for a week that it was going to snow today. Oklahoma news media get all jived up about weather. This morning they co-opted the Today Show to do non-stop coverage of the snowstorm that hadn't really started yet. They had these poor, cold reporters out standing in the snow next to the road in Enid and Okarche, saying "as you can see, Bob, there's nearly a quarter of an inch accumulation. The streets are wet, but they're not slick. But they probably will get slick. It's a dry snow right now, but it may start to melt and freeze as the temperature drops...'

Blah blah blah. Come ON. There are people in Wisconsin laughing their asses off at us. It's six feet deep up there.

It has been snowing on and off all day. But it's not that bad.
It's pretty, though. So my office-mates and I went out to take our pictures in the snow at lunch. Krysten took this one of me. I wanted to look really miserable and cold.


It had stopped actually snowing, however, so Dejah had to help by shaking snow on me from the bushes.

It's supposed to be 50 degrees or something tomorrow, so it won't last, regardless of how much it snows tonight. Might not even last long enough for Grayson to use the new snow disc we got him a couple of weeks ago. Though I bet I'm out in the cold yard later tonight giving it the old college try with him...

A narrow miss and a sense of perspective

This morning on the way to work, I very narrowly escaped a fender bender. A woman pulled out from a side-street in front of me without looking. I braked and swerved, she slammed on her brakes, and we coasted by each other with about an inch to spare. I actually thought she had hit me at first, and stopped to check the damage. She stopped on the side street as well and I went over to talk with her. She apologized and I asked if she was okay. She said she was, but had to stop to "give herself a minute" to recover from the adrenaline.

I'm glad I was nice to her. I thought she had hit me and I was feeling pissy about it. But when I went around to survey the damage, there was none. We dodged the bullet. I wished her a good day and went on my way. It's not a nice way to start the day, but it was nice to get that reprieve. Sort of puts things into perspective for you. Makes you appreciate the travails you don't have. Like accidentally setting your alarm to go off at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. You're pissed that you got woken up, but it's so nice to hear the alarm and realize you don't have to get up, that it's almost worth it.

Perhaps in some parallel universe, I'm calling my insurance agent today. But not in this one. Not this time.

I had to drop off some bookmarks at the downtown library on my way to work for their summer reading program. So after my near-miss, I went on downtown, arriving in front of the library at 8:45 a.m. I climbed out, opened the back of my car and heaved this 40-pound box of bookmarks out in a 30-mile-an-hour freezing wind, staggering to the front doors with it while simultaneously trying to keep my skirt from pulling a Marilyn Monroe on me right there are Dean A. McGee Street.

Alas, the library does not open until 9 a.m. So I schlepped the box back to the car, climbed in out of the wind and waited. Over the next ten minutes, I listened to Eldest on cd and watched the homeless people converge on the library's entrance, waiting for it to open up so they could spend the day in the warmth, surfing the internet or sleeping in chairs. At 9 a.m. the doors slid open and we all entered together -- me and my box and the homeless people and their various knapsacks, plastic bags, rotten sneakers and all. Another opportunity for perspective on my lot in life.

Lately I've been feeling a little old and tired and used up. Chances are I'm not going to be rich or famous. Watching those folks congregating around the library entrance has to make you think about how spoiled you are. How lucky. Oh, was I agonizing about the meaning of my existence? I'll stop that now.

In Which I Meet Sandra Day O'Connor

I had the immense privilege of giving a speed-tour of the museum's Archaeology exhibits to former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor last week. She was in town for the investiture of a 10th Circuit court judge and presided over a huge evening event at the museum the night before the ceremony. Apparently the place made a positive impression, because she made a point of stealing a half an hour from the following day's luncheon event to stop by and take a peek.

Peter, the museum's Associate Director, and I gave her the tour. Before she arrived, I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs (as my father would say). But once she arrived, she was so perfectly charming and delightful that it was easy to be comfortable with her.

She took delight in the museum's glass elevator, was completely fascinated by the archaeology exhibits, and asked real questions as we tooled her around. She was friendly and warm and personable, and clearly had a real interest in natural history. Unlike a number of dignitaries I've toured who are clearly just following their tour schedule. She was wonderful.

Now we hear that President Clinton may be making a swing by the museum before or after his stump speech for Hillary on Wednesday. I thought my assistant was going to wet her pants when she heard that. She literally got red faced, started to giggle, and had to fan herself to cool down! I told her we would not allow her to meet President Clinton if she was going to giggle.

It would be very cool to get to meet him, however, and to tour him through the museum. I'll feel like such a big wig, with all this meeting of dignitaries.