(no subject)

Chance of snow on Tuesday. It won't snow, of course, it almost never does unless the weatherman has proclaimed it 100% definite (and even then it had an annoying tendency to not happen when I was still going in to an office every day and was all psyched for a day off). Even if it does snow, they're predicting highs around 50 for Friday and Saturday. But to get myself in the mood for the cold...

Things I actually like about winter:

• velvet weather! warm fuzzy pettable clothes.
  
• big fuzzy sweaters
  
• the smell of wood smoke from the houses lucky enough to not have gas fireplaces
  
• snuggling with sweeties underneath piles of blankets
  
• dazzlingly clear blue skies when it's not overcast
  
• the crunchcrunchcrunch of snow under my boots and the everyday noises muffled by a blanket of snow
  
• holiday season
  
• hot chocolate, port, and punkin pie
  
• tomato soup and grilled cheese sammiches
  
• bare trees coated in a layer of ice, turning them into crystal sculptures
  
• moonlight reflecting off of snow and watching the stars on a cold, clear night
  
• "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on TV
  

What I don't like:

• those ice-coated branches falling on power lines and taking out the electricity
  
• ice on the streets/sidewalks/driveways
  
• numb feet and achey joints
  
• wind that cuts through all your layers and makes your bones hurt
  
• being caught in traffic as the first snow hits the ground, at which point everyone here turns into a complete maroon and drives either 6 mph or 65 mph (the latter being the obnoxious SUV drivers who think 4-wheel drive makes them invincible, and whom I often pass a mile or so later off in a ditch)
  
• sunset at 4:45 pm, pitch-black by 5:45
  
• having to wait 20 minutes for the heater in my car to stop blowing cold air
  
• Christmas music in the stores starting in mid-November
  
• having to wait 10 full minutes before I get any hot water in my shower
  
• feeling like I'll never get completely warm again
  
• having to drive in snow and ice
  

C. and I went to see "The Sixth Day" Friday night. It seemed like it was a lot longer than it actually was, but it was a fun movie. We weren't exactly expecting Oscar-calibre performances, and the female assassin was way way WAY cute. =) Could the Evil Overlord look any more like Steve Jobs?
As we were leaving the theater, we caught a bright flash overhead and realized that we'd actually caught a tiny bit of the Leonids; very cool. I didn't manage to see any more the rest of the night unfortunately. In a less impressive display, we also caught the trailer for "Dungeons and Dragons"; it looks like it will be another "Mortal Kombat", except maybe without the redeeming soundtrack. Not that I won't go see it anyway, of course. I even saw "Mortal Kombat" in the theater.