Scattered flurries. Partly cloudy, with a high near 19. Wind chill values between -4 and 3. Blustery, with a northwest wind between 17 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.

The other day Jason and I were driving along some slippery Ohio roads (I moved to Ohio a few weeks ago) and I was looking around feeling a little homesick for Oregon.  There was a fresh blanket of snow on the ground and so we decided to go out for a hike in it. I think the reason why I started to miss Oregon so much was because I am use to the rain in Oregon this time of year.  One thing that I really like about the rain in Oregon is that when it is raining, I feel like I am getting something done.  Whenever it is raining I think "oh good a few more inches to insure we will have a green summer" or "man, if I were a tree I would love getting this big drink of water" I know this is really dorky but, I feel like it is checking something off my list and so it makes me feel good.  I have found that there are two things that make me happy, and one of those is checking things off of lists.  Sometimes, after I have done a lot of things in a day I will write those things down and then methodically check them off.  I know it might seem like cheating to write the list after the tasks are completed but, it still makes me feel accomplished, if you don't believe it, try it for yourself sometime.  The other day, I got to do the other thing that makes me happy, crossing things off of my list.  I reserve the act of crossing for larger accomplishments, so on Friday I was able to cross "Get a Job" off of my list. After our walk through the woods I was able to check off "Get some exercise" and then we were on our way back to Grandma's for dinner.  The sun was setting and the roads were beginning to ice up again, I watched as a salt truck traveled up and down the highway, and I almost began to complain about how horrible salting the roads is for the environment and the undercarriage of vehicles, when it hit me; I think I might like to drive a salt truck. I know it sounds crazy but, sprinkling the roads with salt would really fulfill my desire to feel like I have got something done for the day. Since I had already crossed off "Get a Job" I decided that salt trucks in Ohio are like raindrops in Oregon, I know it is a depressing simile but, at least I can still feel like something is getting down around here.

...it snowed here last night. by last night i mean at 3:30am this morning, the hour in which we layed down for some zzz's. regardless of the time, i just had to take some photos of the enchanting wonderment falling from the sky. here is how it looked in the city night lights:

Today, as will be the custom for the next couple of months, I was on the subway riding to Columbia. This was not a first, and is thus not the central point of this post, though it is an important element. I was standing by the door listening to "Super Furry Animals" on my freshly-recharged iPod when someone entered the still-moving train-car through the door at the end furthest from me. "great" I think to myself as I observe a 5'4" african american gentleman with ratty black/white cammo pants, a large black coat, a black stocking cap, crazy gold stuff on many (but not all) of his front teeth, and a rough-shaven look that was almost as unkempt as the rest of his general appearance. The fact that he had just walked into the car was a strong indication that he was going to start asking for money which, as those who know me can attest to, is one of my least favorite things that another person can be doing (right after "kicking me in the eyes" on my list of "things I dont like it when other people are doing"). regardless, I closed my eyes and turned up my iPod in order to insulate myself from the unpleasantness that I was sure to comence at any second. You can imagine my surprise when I heard a faint but highly musical sounds bleeding faintly into my sturdy MDR7506 headphones. I opened my eyes and turned to see the aforementioned transient-looking fellow blowing determinendly into a clarinet. Curiousity took over and I removed my blaring headphones to hear what might be happening sonically in the enviroment around me. The results were startling. This individual was playing a smooth and highly improvised version of "my favorite things" with a level of tone and tact that made me forget my immediate surroundings. The guy was good. And now we come to the "first time" part. At the end of the song the musician walked down the train slowly and gratefully accepting tips where they were offered. I knew that for the first time I would have to give him one, and I did.

That is all for now.

i'm enjoying some tasty ben and jerry's chocolate fudge brownie low fat frozen yogurt. it has a yum factor of 10! but after i bought it i began to wonder - why don't they label "moderate fat" foods? what if i don't want high fat frozen yogurt OR low fat frozen yogurt? what if i want moderate fat frozen yogurt?

• drink more water
• take advantage of where i'm living
• continue to create 1 watercolor painting daily
• stay busy (don't procrastinate)
• eat less sweets!

also, here is an image of a great friend of mine this christmas season:

... so we'll see y'all later! It was great to see those of you that we saw : )