We had our first snow last night. The kids loved it. When I got home, the front yard showed tell-tale signs of wild, snow-day fun, and a very cute snowman was still standing cheerily on the grass, smiling at me. Quaint, puffy flakes were still fluttering quietly from the sky, stilling the frantic noises of the city.
You could have taken our neighborhood and put it directly on a wall calendar.
Now, however, it's been 24 hours since those charming flakes began to fall and, well, the novelty is wearing thin. The snow is no longer fresh and inviting--it's like a white layer of rock. And I had to hack away at a quarter-inch of ice on my car's windshield this morning. And there is the little fact that said car (that's lawyerese for "the car I just mentioned") does not have a working heater--no warmth, no defrost. In fact, the only mechanism for defrosting the windshield is to keep the windows open so the air circulates.
My teeth are still chattering.
Yep. I think I'm ready for summer.
MOJ
WALL-E
You've seen the movie. WALL-E is old, boxy, a bit clunky, a little quirky, but ultimately endearing.
Enter EVE: she's sleek and streamlined; she's fast; she's powerful.
And together, the two of them save the planet.
Well, recently C got a laptop, and it instantly got nicknamed EVE, mostly because of its comparison to my laptop. They're actually two versions of the same machine: "twin" Compaq Presarios. But mine is old, boxy, a bit clunky, more than a little quirky; and hers is sleek and streamlined; it's fast; it's powerful. They don't look like the same machine; they don't even look related. And I'm fairly certain that they won't team up and save the planet.
See, unlike the Disney WALL-E, my WALL-E isn't much into saving things. His hobbies seem to be more along the lines of destruction: freezing up unexpectedly, losing data, refusing to connect to the Internet, dredging up an endless supply of error messages (each of them more terrifying than the last), displaying the Blue Screen of Death, and otherwise thwarting anything I try to do. If I didn't know better, I'd say someone had finally developed artificial intelligence: WALL-E comes up with new devilish tactics on a daily basis. You have to admire that kind of creativity...
...if you're a sicko.
I'm fairly certain that, earlier today, during one of WALL-E's attacks, I heard maniacal laughter echoing up from the general vicinity of the Underworld.
Unfortunately, I don't have one of those laser-things that Disney EVE used when she tried to vaporize Disney WALL-E (before they became friends, of course). If I did, my WALL-E would be in mortal peril.
MOJ
Enter EVE: she's sleek and streamlined; she's fast; she's powerful.
And together, the two of them save the planet.
Well, recently C got a laptop, and it instantly got nicknamed EVE, mostly because of its comparison to my laptop. They're actually two versions of the same machine: "twin" Compaq Presarios. But mine is old, boxy, a bit clunky, more than a little quirky; and hers is sleek and streamlined; it's fast; it's powerful. They don't look like the same machine; they don't even look related. And I'm fairly certain that they won't team up and save the planet.
See, unlike the Disney WALL-E, my WALL-E isn't much into saving things. His hobbies seem to be more along the lines of destruction: freezing up unexpectedly, losing data, refusing to connect to the Internet, dredging up an endless supply of error messages (each of them more terrifying than the last), displaying the Blue Screen of Death, and otherwise thwarting anything I try to do. If I didn't know better, I'd say someone had finally developed artificial intelligence: WALL-E comes up with new devilish tactics on a daily basis. You have to admire that kind of creativity...
...if you're a sicko.
I'm fairly certain that, earlier today, during one of WALL-E's attacks, I heard maniacal laughter echoing up from the general vicinity of the Underworld.
Unfortunately, I don't have one of those laser-things that Disney EVE used when she tried to vaporize Disney WALL-E (before they became friends, of course). If I did, my WALL-E would be in mortal peril.
MOJ
Grace
My grandmother is dying.
Okay, she's really my wife's grandmother, but I feel like she's my grandmother. My own grandparents were gone before I got a chance to know them, so Grammy Grace has, in many ways, been the only grandparent I've ever really known. She was the first member of my wife's extended family who made me feel really welcome. She has truly treated me like one of her own grandchildren, and I literally cannot imagine my own grandparents loving me any more than Grace does.
Just a few months ago, on Memorial Day, we all visited the family plot at the cemetery together. Grammy was with us and, since she cannot read the names on the headstones, C was telling her whose plot was whose. When C pointed out Grammy's own plot, Grace actually clapped her hands and said, "I can't wait!"
We've known she's been emotionally ready for a long time--she lost her husband almost 15 years ago, and, with failing eyesight, has become increasingly dependent upon her daughter (my mother-in-law). She never wanted to be a burden, and I'm sure she missed her husband and siblings. So her decline over the past two months has been bittersweet. She is anxious to go, and we want her to be where she's happiest--but we didn't want to say goodbye quite yet.
Now she's in her final days, and goodbye has come. What saddens me most is that my children won't get to know her, really--won't understand how much she's done for our family. C points out, though, that it's wonderful that we've been here in Utah this past year, so the children will have some memories of her. She's right, of course--it was one of the reasons we wanted to be back in Utah, and we have truly enjoyed that blessing since we got here. Plus, we're an eternal family--so the children will have the chance to really get to know Grammy again some day.
And I feel grateful not to have to wait for "some day." I feel such joy for having known and having loved this wonderful woman here. She is truly one of the best people I have ever known.
MOJ
Okay, she's really my wife's grandmother, but I feel like she's my grandmother. My own grandparents were gone before I got a chance to know them, so Grammy Grace has, in many ways, been the only grandparent I've ever really known. She was the first member of my wife's extended family who made me feel really welcome. She has truly treated me like one of her own grandchildren, and I literally cannot imagine my own grandparents loving me any more than Grace does.
Just a few months ago, on Memorial Day, we all visited the family plot at the cemetery together. Grammy was with us and, since she cannot read the names on the headstones, C was telling her whose plot was whose. When C pointed out Grammy's own plot, Grace actually clapped her hands and said, "I can't wait!"
We've known she's been emotionally ready for a long time--she lost her husband almost 15 years ago, and, with failing eyesight, has become increasingly dependent upon her daughter (my mother-in-law). She never wanted to be a burden, and I'm sure she missed her husband and siblings. So her decline over the past two months has been bittersweet. She is anxious to go, and we want her to be where she's happiest--but we didn't want to say goodbye quite yet.
Now she's in her final days, and goodbye has come. What saddens me most is that my children won't get to know her, really--won't understand how much she's done for our family. C points out, though, that it's wonderful that we've been here in Utah this past year, so the children will have some memories of her. She's right, of course--it was one of the reasons we wanted to be back in Utah, and we have truly enjoyed that blessing since we got here. Plus, we're an eternal family--so the children will have the chance to really get to know Grammy again some day.
And I feel grateful not to have to wait for "some day." I feel such joy for having known and having loved this wonderful woman here. She is truly one of the best people I have ever known.
MOJ
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