Well, we never did get our bad weather here in Cincinnati. The freezing rain was gone by morning due to some extremely gusty winds that dried up all the moisture. This was good news for driving, bad for the very distant hope of a snow day. The winds, while quite nice to listen to while tucked up warm in my bed, disturbed the pups who bolted awake anytime a gust hit the house during the night.
We also had a slight emergency when the fibreglass cover over my outdoor pipes unsecured itself from the house and started to blow across the yard. I ran out in my boots, pajamas and coat and secured it but, needless to say, at 5:30 a.m., this meant I wasn't going to get much more sleep.
It seems that many of my friends to the north had bad weather and thus had a snow day. I tried not to envy them as they posted on Facebook. I could have used a snow day just because I had completely forgot until I got to the office that my boss had signed me up for online training not long after I started and the training was...today.
This meant six hours of my day were to be spent listening to a lady walk me through a PDF presentation about how to be a recruiter. If I'd have done the training when I first started, it would have been very helpful. However, having been in the job for over three months now, much of the training was more of a, um, "well, duh!" type of situation.
It also didn't help that I had to keep the phone receiver glued to my ear for periods of up to an hour and a half without a break. My ear is still hot from listening to the lady talk. What made it worse was that there were these periods when we had to read some of the worksheets before we could move on. It really only involved skimming. I did this in two minutes. The lady gave us eight minutes of radio silence before we could move on.
On the plus side, I could multitask. While I was training, I scheduled one candidate for a follow-up interview, got feedback from another candidate about his interview that happened this afternoon and also got the good news that one of my candidates had been offered a position.
This, on a normal day, is considered pretty good activity. I'd say that since I was multitasking, it was pretty darn good activity.
After the training finished, I had a ton of work to do including talking to my candidate who had the job offer. She's an Indian lady who is very nice but as is quite typical in her culture, defers to her husband. This meant that I had to talk to her husband and tell him every detail about the job as well as negotiate her rate with him. He ended up agreeing which means his wife will accept the job. This was my first time dealing with a husband. I've been told it will happen many more times.
I finally left the office late only to discover it was snowing. I took time to turn my face up and greet my favourite white frozen substance before I got in my car. I'm glad I did that because by the time I got home, I had an email from my boss with a new job opening and a strong suggestion that I start working on it tonight. He also sent it to my fellow recruiter. Thus, since I got home, I posted the job on Monster.com, posted it on my Linked In profile and contacted seven potential candidates.
I'd like to think I'm done now. The pups are feeling neglected. My Szechwan chicken stir fry needs to be prepped and cooked and, well, I'd quite like to sit down so I can enjoy "Friday Night Lights" and "Top Chef."
When I look at my day, it's probably a very good thing it wasn't a snow day, really. Even though the idea of sitting at home, doing very little but enjoying the excuse to do very little sounds nice, there's something to be said for having a good, productive day at work. There's something else to be said about having to come home and work for a little while and not minding.
I find this to be a pleasant realization. I find it even more pleasant that I can say after three months of learning and working, I actually love my job. It's been a long time since I've said that and it feels really good. It definitely makes up for not having a snow day.
Since it's still winter, I could still get my chance at a snow day. However, Punxatawny Phil might contradict that since he saw his shadow today and this means we should get an early spring.
Ah well, that would make a lot of people happy so I won't complain. I love spring as much as winter in it's own way.
Besides, no one said it didn't ever snow in the spring.
Happy Groundhog day!
Showing posts with label snow days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snow days. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Snowy Sort of Days...
It snowed a lot today. It started right before I got up and hasn’t stopped since then. Driving to work wasn’t too bad because the snow hadn’t been falling that long. Driving home from work was another story but I’m fortunate to live only a short distance away so at least I didn’t have to have white-knuckles for too long.
Unfortunately, the bad weather meant that I couldn’t make it home to the puppies at lunch. I left them uncrated all day because I had a feeling I’d get stuck. I hate not being home to let them outside but I think it’s far better for them to be stuck inside without being stuck in a crate for outside. They were very good, considering the length of time I had to leave them.
Of course, I think they were more perturbed to have been stuck inside all day because they were missing out on the snowfall. Before work, they spent almost the entire time it took me to get ready gallivanting out in the snow. They came in covered with snowflakes and as happy as larks.
Rory, in particular, enjoys snow. For some strange reason, she can often be found rolling in the snow. I’m not just talking a casual roll- I’m talking a full on, writing on the ground with joy and loving every minute of it roll. You can almost see the grin on her face as she does it. Her other favourite hobby is ice chewing. She particularly likes it when I knock the icicles of the roof and toss them away so she can go get them. Generally they’re too heavy to actually carry but she tries. She can also often be found lying on her tummy, contentedly trying to chomp away at a mound of ice on the frozen ground. Sookie enjoys the snow too but in a different way. Being my little huntress, Sookie enjoys the clear landscape for birdhunting that snow provides. Without too many objects to disguise her prey, she enjoys the tease of running up to birds as they land briefly. She hasn’t caught one yet but she’s trying. She’ll bound across the garden from one side to another in order to catch a bird. Of course, when the snow is deep enough, she tends to swim across the garden but she doesn’t seem to mind too much.
The trouble with dachshunds is that they’re low to the ground. This means even with a shallow fall of snow, the undersides of their tummies catch the icy substance and they come inside dripping underneath. There’s nothing that gets you on your toes quite as much as a dachshund who comes in from outside and jumps on your lap, dripping with snow.
Still, I’m pleased that my girls like snow. It means when I go outside, they come with me instead of shivering and quivering inside, afraid of the cold. Instead, they frolic as long as they can outside, come inside to warm up and then proceed to go back out. I tried putting their coats on them but they just get them soaking wet which defeats the purpose.
I enjoy the snow too. I don’t particularly like to drive on it as I’ve mentioned before but once I’m home or when the roads are clear, I find it rather a treat to have the world surrounding me be a blanket of white.
The only part I don’t like is that while kids in snowy areas get snow-days from school, the adults around them still have to go to work. It’s not that I can’t get to work when it’s snowy. It’s more that I want to stay home and pretend I’m snowed in. There’s something wonderfully liberating about not being able to drive far. It forces you to stay inside and do things like puzzles or sewing or cooking or reading. Since I enjoy all these things, snow days are definitely for me. I just don’t get them very often. Actually, unless it snows on a weekend, I don’t really get them at all.
Still, even when I’m not truly stuck inside because of the snow, winter allows us the time to relax and not feel like we have to do very much at all. Or, if we do, it’s not at the busier pace of the other seasons when there’s things to be done outside. Also, the snow is covering my lawn which means for the next few months, it won’t grow which means I won’t be able to mow. Since I dislike mowing rather a lot, this makes me happy.
Ah, snow….I love you! Happy Wednesday.
Unfortunately, the bad weather meant that I couldn’t make it home to the puppies at lunch. I left them uncrated all day because I had a feeling I’d get stuck. I hate not being home to let them outside but I think it’s far better for them to be stuck inside without being stuck in a crate for outside. They were very good, considering the length of time I had to leave them.
Of course, I think they were more perturbed to have been stuck inside all day because they were missing out on the snowfall. Before work, they spent almost the entire time it took me to get ready gallivanting out in the snow. They came in covered with snowflakes and as happy as larks.
Rory, in particular, enjoys snow. For some strange reason, she can often be found rolling in the snow. I’m not just talking a casual roll- I’m talking a full on, writing on the ground with joy and loving every minute of it roll. You can almost see the grin on her face as she does it. Her other favourite hobby is ice chewing. She particularly likes it when I knock the icicles of the roof and toss them away so she can go get them. Generally they’re too heavy to actually carry but she tries. She can also often be found lying on her tummy, contentedly trying to chomp away at a mound of ice on the frozen ground. Sookie enjoys the snow too but in a different way. Being my little huntress, Sookie enjoys the clear landscape for birdhunting that snow provides. Without too many objects to disguise her prey, she enjoys the tease of running up to birds as they land briefly. She hasn’t caught one yet but she’s trying. She’ll bound across the garden from one side to another in order to catch a bird. Of course, when the snow is deep enough, she tends to swim across the garden but she doesn’t seem to mind too much.
The trouble with dachshunds is that they’re low to the ground. This means even with a shallow fall of snow, the undersides of their tummies catch the icy substance and they come inside dripping underneath. There’s nothing that gets you on your toes quite as much as a dachshund who comes in from outside and jumps on your lap, dripping with snow.
Still, I’m pleased that my girls like snow. It means when I go outside, they come with me instead of shivering and quivering inside, afraid of the cold. Instead, they frolic as long as they can outside, come inside to warm up and then proceed to go back out. I tried putting their coats on them but they just get them soaking wet which defeats the purpose.
I enjoy the snow too. I don’t particularly like to drive on it as I’ve mentioned before but once I’m home or when the roads are clear, I find it rather a treat to have the world surrounding me be a blanket of white.
The only part I don’t like is that while kids in snowy areas get snow-days from school, the adults around them still have to go to work. It’s not that I can’t get to work when it’s snowy. It’s more that I want to stay home and pretend I’m snowed in. There’s something wonderfully liberating about not being able to drive far. It forces you to stay inside and do things like puzzles or sewing or cooking or reading. Since I enjoy all these things, snow days are definitely for me. I just don’t get them very often. Actually, unless it snows on a weekend, I don’t really get them at all.
Still, even when I’m not truly stuck inside because of the snow, winter allows us the time to relax and not feel like we have to do very much at all. Or, if we do, it’s not at the busier pace of the other seasons when there’s things to be done outside. Also, the snow is covering my lawn which means for the next few months, it won’t grow which means I won’t be able to mow. Since I dislike mowing rather a lot, this makes me happy.
Ah, snow….I love you! Happy Wednesday.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Mother Nature's Message....
It's really snowing out there. It hasn't stopped all day. I've enjoyed every minute of it. I went out to shovel this evening and now have what I'm calling "Mt. Snow" on either side of my driveway. I still enjoy shovelling. It's fun. The only problem is that I'm running out of places to shovel the snow. Mt. Snow(s) are bordering on four feet tall, no exaggeration. I tried to toss the snow over the mountains but that only worked for so long.
To top it off, just as I was finishing up the mammoth task of clearing my driveway, the city snowplows drive by. Now, I salute their efforts. I know it has to really be awful to have to go out in this kind of weather. However, I do NOT salute their efforts to block my driveway. Yes, dear blog readers, despite my 1.5 hours of shovelling, just as I was finishing up, the snowplow pushed more snow to the end of my drive, thereby creating another ridge to shovel.
I shovelled their mess. My drive was clean. It's now covered with almost two more inches of snow. I'd complain but I can't. It's too lovely. I peeked out my window and the reflection of the stark white earth onto the skies above is so bright that it almost seems like twilight. And not the syrupy, terribly-written vampire kind, either.
It's very pretty out there. Granted, I'm not looking forward to the morning when I realize that I'm going to have to shovel or get stuck. I'm not looking forward to the snarky comments about how I'm so 'lucky' that I live so close. I've decided that if enough people mention this, my response will be, 'Yes, I know. But fortunately, accident lawyers are happy to sue, regardless of the proximity of home to office!"
Sounds bitter, I know. However, there are times when Mother Nature tries to tell us that it's best to bed down and enjoy the fact that she's given us a 'time out' from life. Today was a good day because I got to watch the snow fall without having to go out in it. I managed to sew my sock monkey, make a batch of pea soup with mint for lunch today plus leftovers for lunches at work. I got my novel uploaded to Amazon.com for publishing on the Kindle ($1.99, a bargain ( I hope!). I made roasted Cornish game hen with roasted veggies for dinner, watch Jack Bauer and still have time to blog twice. All in all, it was a wonderful 'bonus' day off.
Long weekends are the best. Normally, a weekend consists of Saturday which, for me- and many others- consists of a day of running errands, getting all the stuff done that's hard to do after work druing the week. Sunday is getting stuff done around the house: Laundry, cleaning, tidying...whatever. That's it for a weekend...usually. But on three-day weekends, you have an additional day...a day to actually relax. For me, relaxing means getting all the things done I can't find time to do normally. I mean, how often do I really have time to sew a sock monkey? Yet on my third day of a three-day weekend, it's no problem. I can multitask: Watch DVD's while sewing. It's a perfect way to relax.
In the end, I have a sock monkey named Frankfurter. I have a book almost published into the e-reader zone. I had a nicely shoveled driveway, even if it's already covered again. I had good food and even better leftovers. And, finally, I watched Jack Bauer do his Jack Bauer thing and take those bad guys down with a flick of his wrist.
I confess, even though my logic and better-judgment prevails, the optimist in me, the dreamer in me hopes that we get an email from our company saying that since the weather sucks and the roads are quite terrible, it's better if we all work from home tomorrow, regardless of how far we live from the office.
Yet, unfortunately, there's a realist in me that knows my company doesn't care that driving is dangerous: We should try to make it in because work waits for no man...or woman.
Still, if I can't get out of my driveway, work will just have to wait. Mother Nature is giving me a message and I must obey...it's my way of thanking for the snow. Poor work...you'll just have to wait.
Happy Tuesday!
To top it off, just as I was finishing up the mammoth task of clearing my driveway, the city snowplows drive by. Now, I salute their efforts. I know it has to really be awful to have to go out in this kind of weather. However, I do NOT salute their efforts to block my driveway. Yes, dear blog readers, despite my 1.5 hours of shovelling, just as I was finishing up, the snowplow pushed more snow to the end of my drive, thereby creating another ridge to shovel.
I shovelled their mess. My drive was clean. It's now covered with almost two more inches of snow. I'd complain but I can't. It's too lovely. I peeked out my window and the reflection of the stark white earth onto the skies above is so bright that it almost seems like twilight. And not the syrupy, terribly-written vampire kind, either.
It's very pretty out there. Granted, I'm not looking forward to the morning when I realize that I'm going to have to shovel or get stuck. I'm not looking forward to the snarky comments about how I'm so 'lucky' that I live so close. I've decided that if enough people mention this, my response will be, 'Yes, I know. But fortunately, accident lawyers are happy to sue, regardless of the proximity of home to office!"
Sounds bitter, I know. However, there are times when Mother Nature tries to tell us that it's best to bed down and enjoy the fact that she's given us a 'time out' from life. Today was a good day because I got to watch the snow fall without having to go out in it. I managed to sew my sock monkey, make a batch of pea soup with mint for lunch today plus leftovers for lunches at work. I got my novel uploaded to Amazon.com for publishing on the Kindle ($1.99, a bargain ( I hope!). I made roasted Cornish game hen with roasted veggies for dinner, watch Jack Bauer and still have time to blog twice. All in all, it was a wonderful 'bonus' day off.
Long weekends are the best. Normally, a weekend consists of Saturday which, for me- and many others- consists of a day of running errands, getting all the stuff done that's hard to do after work druing the week. Sunday is getting stuff done around the house: Laundry, cleaning, tidying...whatever. That's it for a weekend...usually. But on three-day weekends, you have an additional day...a day to actually relax. For me, relaxing means getting all the things done I can't find time to do normally. I mean, how often do I really have time to sew a sock monkey? Yet on my third day of a three-day weekend, it's no problem. I can multitask: Watch DVD's while sewing. It's a perfect way to relax.
In the end, I have a sock monkey named Frankfurter. I have a book almost published into the e-reader zone. I had a nicely shoveled driveway, even if it's already covered again. I had good food and even better leftovers. And, finally, I watched Jack Bauer do his Jack Bauer thing and take those bad guys down with a flick of his wrist.
I confess, even though my logic and better-judgment prevails, the optimist in me, the dreamer in me hopes that we get an email from our company saying that since the weather sucks and the roads are quite terrible, it's better if we all work from home tomorrow, regardless of how far we live from the office.
Yet, unfortunately, there's a realist in me that knows my company doesn't care that driving is dangerous: We should try to make it in because work waits for no man...or woman.
Still, if I can't get out of my driveway, work will just have to wait. Mother Nature is giving me a message and I must obey...it's my way of thanking for the snow. Poor work...you'll just have to wait.
Happy Tuesday!
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