Blizzard? Not so much.
We had one day of totally blizzard weather, with about a foot of snow, but then it was all over. Nothing at all like the hit New York City or the Connecticut shoreline took (south of us).
I handled it by staying at home and doing all my household chores for the week.
The following day, all the roads were plowed, and the trip to my writing office (all two miles of it) presented no problem at all.
I would have gone during the blizzard, if not for an unavoidable treacherously steep hill.   No matter which route you take, you have to go down a steep, twisty road that ices over really quickly, and leads directly into a busy intersection. Saturday was a good day to not do that.
Upside: I could observe all the birdie-pal action at home! Our restaurant is very popular in winter, being the only one in the neighborhood with a heated birdbath.  Not that they’re bathing — it’s drinking water, and it saves them from having to eat snow and spend precious calories heating it up with their tiny birdie bodies.
We always get the cardinals and sparrows and chickadees, with some juncos tossed in the mix. Downy woodpeckers, and red-bellied woodpeckers.  The mockingbird comes by once in a while. But Saturday, we were also mobbed by the starlings. Good move on their part: we had liquid water, birdseed, a hanging block of suet, and a cedar tree whose branches are loaded down with a good crop of cedar berries.  A well-balanced diet, no foraging in the blizzard required.
In other news: I totally skipped Arisia, and will probably skip Boskone, as well, due entirely to my dropping the ball during the job-loss officialdom scrambling. Except, I might possibly drop by for a day, as audience, not panel participants.  Readercon, however: I responded to their request to let them know if I was interested in participating, with a definite Yes! Last year I got lost in the shuffle, and didn’t make it on the program; this year I want to stay on top of things.
Also: Worldcon is coming up in the middle of August (didn’t it always used to be over Labor Day? When did that change?), and I really do want to be on the program!  As does every other writer in the universe. Plenty of competition, there. Well, I’ll attend either way, but I really want to get back into the swing of panel-participating and fan-meeting, and writerly professional schmoozing.
Okay, enough of this blogging stuff… I have some actual work to dig into!
— Oh, all right, one more thing: Walk Off the Earth.
The dancers are guest stars, and I bet you didn’t know that your fly could double as a percussion instrument.
One of these days I’m going to have to see those guys in concert.
January 25th, 2016 at 10:22 pm
We got nary a flake nor a flurry up here in Greenfield.
Really liked the video, which would also make a good ad for whatever brand of zipper those two guys were using–I didn’t see a single catch or snag!
January 25th, 2016 at 11:26 pm
Here in Asheville NC we got 18 inches and are still digging out. About 30 miles away, Mt. Mitchell (highest peak in the East) got a record 66 inches. I live on a tiny side street (one block long) which is flat at our house and then dips steeply. Fortunately, the flat way out goes to a plowed street. So I may dig the car out tomorrow and go to the grocery store.
Have you ever thought of trying to get on the literary track at DragonCon? Quinn Yarbro goes every year. It’s huge (30,000 attendees). I think Bill Fawcett runs the lit track. It’s Labor Day weekend and is in Atlanta, only 4 hours from me. Be cool to see you there.
Be well and enjoy yourself.
January 26th, 2016 at 5:27 am
Hmm.. It occurs to me that Worldcon shifted to earlier than Labor Day after DragonCon out competed the Millennium Philcon. Basically, there’s no point in holding the Worldcon over Labor Day weekend if everyone’s going to Atlanta.
January 28th, 2016 at 7:39 pm
Actually, one reason I never went to Dragoncon Was that it conflicted with Worldcon. But since that’s no longer so… maybe I can see if I can manage both?
January 26th, 2016 at 9:58 am
Yay Readercon! My only regret about moving to a new hotel is being too far from the Korean BBQ place.
January 26th, 2016 at 7:11 pm
Worldcon is sometimes over Labor Day; it depends on convention center and hotel availability and pricing, and on what the committee chooses. There are a lot of factors. Sometimes the facilities are less expensive in August. Also, people who work in education or have school-age children often can’t make Labor Day because it conflicts with school.
January 28th, 2016 at 7:43 pm
I don’t mind it being earlier — in fact, that’s better for me!