February has arrived, and we are in the grip of a cold snap. We have had a tiny bit of snow nearly every day this week, and although we have not had accumulation, it has made us feel like winter has us by the neck. Samantha turned 21 this week. She came down to my office for to have lunch with me and collect her birthday (cash) gift. I am no longer cool enough for dinner, so I coughed up the money for her to go out for her birthday dinner with two friends. They are going to Red Lobster for dinner, and out to a club for a celebratory cocktail. They have a designated driver, which is always a good idea, even if only one drink is in the plans. Alex is taking her out to lunch as his gift. Sam is never happier than when she's going out, even when it's with the fam.
I'm working long hours at work lately. We are short handed and the work load is heavier than usual for a variety of reasons. The view from my office window is about the only thing I see in daylight. That may be one reason why January tends to be kind of depressing. When we get enough daylight that I can walk the dog in the evening and not be in the dark I'll feel more like I have a life outside of the office. It's been hard even to make time for my yoga class. Every time I do go I pay the price for sporadic attendance. It would be easy to give up my class and stop going altogether since I always seem to be starting over at the same level, but so far I am not giving up. Of course the up side is overtime pay. That's always welcome, even if the extra work is not.
I'm working long hours at work lately. We are short handed and the work load is heavier than usual for a variety of reasons. The view from my office window is about the only thing I see in daylight. That may be one reason why January tends to be kind of depressing. When we get enough daylight that I can walk the dog in the evening and not be in the dark I'll feel more like I have a life outside of the office. It's been hard even to make time for my yoga class. Every time I do go I pay the price for sporadic attendance. It would be easy to give up my class and stop going altogether since I always seem to be starting over at the same level, but so far I am not giving up. Of course the up side is overtime pay. That's always welcome, even if the extra work is not. 
I am knitting almost every day, but there is not really anything that looks like much. The Parting Ways sock is benefiting from being my lunch time knitting (when I have time to take a lunch), but at less than one inch per day it's hardly growing before my very eyes. I am working every evening on the Kimono Shawl, but It is only one and 1/2 repeats past where it was for the last picture, so a new picture would be no great thrill for anyone but me. Other crafty goodness is in short supply.
I've done a little maintenance on the blog this week - check out the counter on the sidebar for a little bit of encouragement. I wish George W. Bush peace and serenity and a good retirement. I wish it could happen for him TODAY. All of the excitement about the 2008 presidential race makes it easy to think he'll be gone soon, but we've still got a long way to go. He may be an irrelevant lame duck, but he can (and will) still do a lot of damage before he's finished.
