I know that February is a short month. However, it seemed to go quicker than usual. As typical, we had a bunch of snow. Once weekend, the snow almost prevented us from leaving the house. I am still hoping for a true snow day. About a year ago, they closed the College for a day. Of course, they closed it at 4:00 PM, so that was a virtual waste of a snow day.

I hope everyone had a good holiday. Unlike most years, Rachel and I actually dressed up and went out to celebrate. It is the first time since our wedding since she has worn a dress! She looked wonderful in it. She will probably post the pictures we took on her site.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas or whichever holiday your family celebrates. It has been a crazy past couple of weeks. Pizza Hut finally contacted me about our past dining experience. They sent me a couple of coupons for free pizzas. In addition, the regional manager contacted me and gave me a $25 credit for my next order. That is fine, just as long as their products improve. I am not going to eat a crummy pizza even if it is free.

It is bad enough being out of work. Being sick is only worse. Over the weekend, I had major breathing problems. It felt like my chest was in a vice. Fortunately, I am feeling much better. At least I did not have to take off any sick days.

Yesterday, Rachel and I were relaxing. The weather started okay, but quickly became quite windy. Apparently, remnants of hurricane Ike was passing through. A number of small branches and twigs came down.

We had the dogs out for a quick potty break when the wind really started to pick up. I said it was time to go in and we started to corral the dogs. I was not quick enough. A branch fell right on my arm. It did not leave any marks, but it is still sore today.

As the weather is starting to turn, it is time to change the direction of our fan blades. However, I can never remember which way it should be blowing. So, I figured that I would write it down now. In the warmer months, the fan should be blowing down. In theory, this creates a wind-chill effect and cools you down. In the cooler months, the fan should be blowing upwards. This circulates the air without creating a wind-chill effect. Now, I no longer need to remember which direction the fans should be blowing; I just need to remember to change them. Of course, your mileage might vary.

Actually, I am not sick of the snow. But, I am sick and we have had a lot of snow recently. On Friday, it took an extra hour to get home. By the time I got home, I felt wiped. Fortunately, Rachel had been keeping the driveway relatively clear.

More snow today. I started to head home. But, the freeway on ramp I normally use was blocked by police vehicles. No problem, I'd just go to the next on-ramp. I had no problems getting on, but the traffic was bumper-to-bumper. The freeway was closed just after the point where I got on. So, I ended up getting off the freeway on the on-ramp I originally intended to use. I had to drive around a bit before I could start heading in a different direction. I ended up passing my work. After several miles of below five miles per hour, I finally found my way onto a freeway.

We had quite the ice storm yesterday. There was probably a half inch of ice on the driveway and vehicles. Since more freezing way was on its way Rachel and I decided to clean everything off before we went to bed. When we woke up, it looked like we did not clean anything. There was at least another half-inch of ice plus six inches of snow. There were several accidents in the area. I decided that it would be safer to work from home.

Driving during the snowy season presents some additional challenges and problems. For example, the salt dispensed on the road invariably ends up on my windshield. Usually, I turn on the wipers for a bit and it goes away. Of course, that depends on having wiper fluid. A light on my dashboard indicated that it was low. Again. I filled it up only a month ago.