Dangerous, dark day

Today is a triple D:  dangerous, dark, day!

The pounding rain beckons me to slip back under the covers and read a book while listen to the lilt of the water hitting pavement.

If one works at a home office, mere steps from one's bedroom, the siren's call of a position of repose can often be heard on an afternoon as one nods over the key board.

That is dangerous - but not nearly as threatening as this kind of day, when it takes nearly herculean focus to stay at the key board and not give in to the call of the rain drops.

You might think that a day when piles of snow are building up because it's pelting the earth with its errant whiteness would be a danger day.  But you'd be wrong - that's the sort of day on which I thank my lucky stars that I have to cross a hall instead of driving across town to get to work.  I dive in feeling happy that I can add the two hours that would be lost to clearing snow from vehicle and driveway and fighting snow drifts and slippery roads to reach my workplace.

This is definitely the most dangerous type of day for someone who is as inherently lazy as most writers are and as 'into' books as most writers are.

Warm bed + sloshing rain outside window + feeling of lethargy = danger Will Robinson (robot thrashes arms about).

Solution: close office door and keep blind pulled down over window so I can't see rain.  Turn on squawk box in office to drown out lovely sounds of rain.  Turn on faux fireplace to warm it up in here so warm bed not tempting. 

Yeah - back on track and ready to roll into another productive Tuesday!

What about you fellow freelancers - what do you to fight this type of dangerous day?  Or is a rainy day even a threat to your productivity?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on maximizing productivity from a home office.

Make like a dog

Ok, that it's cold out today - at - 18C - is no shocker and if anyone has the temerity to say 'Cold enough for ya' I'll probably apply my hand upside his/her head (to see if the brain is frozen).  But, only in my mind of course - otherwise it's assault with a pissed-off weapon.  However, the real trick to enduring this kind of climatic punishment is dressing for success.

My polar parka ready for exterior protection duties

In this case, dressing for success means making like a dog and putting on extra 'fur'.  Here's my answer to extra fur - my 'Nanook of the North' primal parka.  It's good to around -50F and I'm warm from my neck to my knees. 

Not real fur of course – that’s cruel, especially for Barenaked Ladies (in these temps).

But, oh my gosh, does the face get cold when that bitter wind has the gall to blow right up my nose. 

Not sure if I'm ready to step over the fashion fault line and get a balaclava (robber ski mask type hat) but it is tempting.

Do you think donning one of those would smear my makeup or look at all unprofessional?

A new year of abundance (and bitching)

Well, it's the first working day of 2013 and I've named this as the year of abundance for me and my business! 

So, let's start on a positive note: A prosperous and abundance year to you from all of us at Write.On Communctation Services International.

Abundance calls for a positve outlook and I am usually positive but this is my forum to bitch, whine, moan and generally let off steam about - what else - the weather.  We can't do anything about it so it's fair game for bitching, moaning, etc.  If you can do something about a problem, well   . . . you should do it! 

That's not the case for weather.

So on this the first work day of a lovely, bright and shiny new year, it occurs to me that I HATE, loath and despise being cold!  This thought occured to me when I was downloading pics from our recent sojourn to Florida, where - I belatedly realized - I was never, ever cold.  Oh yes, there were a couple of chilly days but I was never bone rattlingly, feet freezingly, hand shakingly cold.

I could get up to answer nature's call at night and not be cold upon exiting the covers.  I could go from hot tun to pool or vice versa without freezing my tocus off.

I could walk out on the balcony to enjoy a breath of night air and not freeze by bajeebas off.

My hands were never numb and my feel never felt like I was walking on an icy pond.

Being constantly - or as constantly as the age-induced personal tropical heat waves allow - cold isn't fun.  What is your pet peeve about winter?  Is it the cold, snow, lack of snow or other?

May you and your family and business experience a truly abundant new year!

. . . . and so it begins

It's November 25 and a blanket of snow covers London, Ontario.  Not this one, mind you; this picture was taken last year at the beginning of December.

Why post an old pic?  Because it's pretty and that's really the only reason for snow - isn't it?

Oh yeah, there's all that environmental stuff.  As a boater, I want a LOT of snow to fall  . . . just not here.  From my understanding, to fill up Lake Huron, a ton (and I do mean a ton) needs to fall in the far north - by Lake Superior - to run down through the system and refill the depleted lower lakes.

Today's dusting doesn't qualify as pretty, yet.

At this time of year and in this part of Ontario, snow serves to give us a clean slate to cover up that ugly late November mud and dead-leaf crust we have on the ground.

It also gets us in the Yule spirit, so we can go out and shop at local retailers, which is actually mood + safety.  Who wants to venture out on the highway to go to big box stores or across the border when it's snowing out.

Snow at this time of year is the holiday season's wolf whistle saying, "Hey, look at me!"

I'd never be a proponent of greedy commercialism, etc. but everyone has someone who would love a special treat from one of our hard-working local artists, retailers or other small business person.

So delight in the snow  . . . and go  . . . shopping (or to grandmother's house because she could use a visit from you too - or dental work if she has wolf's teeth)!

This is the one and only time you will hear about enjoying snow on this blog - the end!

Hot 'nough for ya'

Don't you just hate it when someone comes up and uses that as an opening line these days?  The true mark of a moron.  I like to say - "No, I'd like it to be about 10 degrees warmer, like 7th ring of hell hot, then I'd be happy" with a straight face.  Some pretty interesting reactions.

Nevertheless, it really is hot enough for just about everyone these days, with record breaking temperatures all week.

Is this a real sign of global warming?  Are biblical end times near?  Is 2012 to be the last year that humankind walks the earth?

Chime in here and let me know what you think: Is it hot enough for you?

Change seasons, change clothes, change name

The ROCASS you know and love is no longer Residents of Canada Against Spring Snow; for now and through the next few months it will be ROCASS: Residents of Canada Against Sweathy Summers.

Whether it's the cold, wet stuff that screws up your plans to drive to work every morning or the hot, humid heat of summer, Canadians love to bitch about the weather.

So be a weather whiner!  Bitch here, bitch often

Go, snow, go: what are you doing to cope?

April showers are supposed to bring May flowers but when those are snow showers, they bring scraping car windows, shoveling side walks and, worst of all, pulling your boots out of storage.  After all it is April 24 and those boots have long been put away.

Pull out your boots, mitts, hats and scarves children, because it's snowing out there.  Time to defend your turf against the white enemy.

Our budding trees and blooming tulips aren't loving this.  Did you protect yours before bed last night?

Definitely not the latest snow we've had - I remember seeing the white stuff on Victoria Day weekend - but definitely the latest in recent history.

So growl and snarl and deal with it, or be like me and head off to somewhere warmer.  Heading to Vegas tomorrow.

So tell me what are you doing to cope with this late blast of Father Winter's breath?   Chime in here and tell all!

(BTW, this meme reminds me of watching my neighbors walk their dogs this winter.)