-17

That's what it said in my car this morning on my way to work. Still no snow, it's been almost a month and a half since we've had any. Mmmm... an arctic desert, who could ask for more?

Yesterday, little boy called me from the elementary school a block away from home - he'd forgotten his keys. OK, I tell him, I'm leaving at 3:30, stay at the school, I'll come pick you up. I get to the school about 3:45, park, go in, and look around for a misfit (a 6+ ft tall high schooler in a letter jacket would stick out like a sore thumb at a K-6 school). I do not find him. The nice lady who took me to the office did not find him, either. I get back in the car and drive the block towards home. Lo and behold, there's ol' tall & lanky walking towards me, hunched over and paler looking than usual. He'd walked back home at 3:30 and was waiting for me by the house. It was, at that time, 3:53. Dork. Hypothermic dork. Well, at least I got plastic on his window that still had a breeze coming through it.

I ran 4 this morning. It was alright. The day was sort of weird - slightly surreal and not very productive and really, really freaking cold. I swear, I'm going to finish that memo tomorrow if it kills me (and it just might).

This is for my mom. Mom, remember how you always told me that getting books from the library was the best thing, cuz they are free? You were right. Plus, the St. Paul library has Rosetta Stone language programs for free, too. Chinese, English, Spanish, French and Russian! I've already learned 3 new verbs and how to say "bull" (the animal, thankyouverymuch). I'm not doing the Chinese program (I'm convinced that tonal languages are beyond me), but I may yet if that whole Trans-Siberian rail trip to Beijing ever gets off the ground.