Hereafter, I will make it a point to end every paragraph with an exclamation point (!)

Well, I'm glad things are finally back to normal. And by that I mean there's a sink full of dirty dishes, laundry to be folded, and dinner to think about making, and yet here I am, wasting time, fumbling around badly with Dominic's guitar/snoozing on and off on the sunroom couch, wasting time better spent checking on my application process for UNO (due today. Gee, I hope they got everything in time) or sweeping the nastiness from the kitchen floor, where we tracked in snow from last night and throughout today. I was beginning to be concerned for myself because of the high levels of productivity I've shown lately--what, with getting a job and applying to grad school (last minute and haphazard as it was) and becoming the resident house-decorating drill sergeant with my rigid schedule of rooms to be painted. But now, alas, we're done with painting for the time being, and my laziness and carefully crafted skills of procrastination have returned to me, strong as ever. It just feels right, I say!

It snowed a good three inches last night, big fat flakes you see in movies (in my case) and Dominic and I went walking about our neighborhood in it. Everything was beautiful in a way I can't quite articulate. Hushed. An unbelievably soft white light infusing the streets and the beautiful old houses. Snow coming to rest on the historic lampposts. This morning it was deadly, a sheet of ice packed into the roads. Dominic tried to drive his Z up the slight hill in front of our house from where he'd parked on the side of the road the night before. I watched from the window of our house as his car slid sideways down the road. After fifteen minutes of being able to do nothing but coast backwards down the hill, he quit trying. He took the Blazer instead, and dropped me off at work, then came back for me at 11:00. Obviously, something has to give in our car situation. Also, why does this beautiful snow frighten me so much? Driving on it seems like a death sentence. I'm so scared of it. Argh! Adult responsibility. I don't like it, I say!

Our friends, Brooke and Dale, are coming to visit us on the 8th. It's like Christmas is coming early this year. Yes, I say!