After an hour and a half of shovelling with the snow still accumulating as I shoveled, coupled with not seeing any signs of a snowplow on our road till almost 10:30, I realized that it was not feasible for me to get the kids to daycare and preschool this morning.
Yesterday the kids had a late start due a dentist appointment, and for related reasons which I may get into here later, I ended up keeping Phoebe home with me while I tried to do work. (I managed some, but not a full day’s worth.)
Last week, as I mentioned, I did not get home, as scheduled, on Tuesday night. (Due to the snow in Boston.) And while I did get home reasonably early on Friday, it was following a pretty hellacious red-eye-with-a-connection during which I probably got about an hour of sleep (cumulative). All night. (The “overnight” flight from San Francisco to Chicago was about 3 and a half hours long, starting at midnight. I had trouble falling asleep, but finally managed to about half way through the flight. Only to be awakened shortly thereafter by a man in the row behind me, who was apparently watching the in-flight movie, and forgot that he was wearing headphones when he very loudly asked the flight attendant for a beverage. (Tomato juice.) (Two cans of tomato juice.) (Which he then proceeded to slurp.) (LOUDLY.) I was so annoyed that I didn’t fall back asleep till the descent, and woke up on landing. Then I had a 2-hour layover, which isn’t long enough for a nap, and then a 2-hour flight to Boston. I dozed off a couple of times during that flight, but I’m pretty sure that I’ve been in lecture classes during which I got more sleep. Seeing as I had an hour of driving to do to get home, I caffeinated myself up at the airport before going to my car.
By the time I got home a bit after 1:00 p.m. on Friday, I was tired and wired, and while I theoretically had about 3 hours to work or sleep before John brought the kids home, in practice I successfully managed neither.
While I have managed to get some work done here and there over the last 2 weeks, mostly at night, I have not had a full workday.
I was completely caught off guard by today’s snowstorm. Having only checked my weather widget, I saw a forecast high of 38, along with the icon for a mix of rain and snow. I hadn’t realized that these events would be after a night and day of cold temps and heavy snow. Right up to the point when I came in for a break from shovelling once I’d seen the snowplow, and saw how late it was, I really and truly thought that I would be able to have a productive day. In the end, I realized that the universe had other plans for me.
The universe wanted me to bake gingerbread.
collecting tokens 
It’s frustrating not to be able to get work done due to things beyond your control… but gingerbread is a decent consolation prize.
I hope you can get work done tomorrow!
gingerbread seems like a good way to deal with a snow day.
Your blog entry got me thinking of John Lennon’s words that “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
ah! message received loud and clear. the world definitely needed more warm gingerbread in it.
I’ve beent thinking about you all week, partly because you got our snow while we got your rain, but mostly because my daughter has been telling the following joke, courtesy of Zooboomafoo:
Knock knock
Who’s there?
Panther
Panther who?
Panther no pants, I’m going to [have to shovel snow]!
Your title is exactly how I feel most days. And especially since 2011 kicked off…
That sounds like a good plan, sometimes it pays to roll with the universe!
I know what you mean, though, I feel like being back in school paints a universal bulls-eye on my back and it gets bigger and bigger as we near finals and the end of term…then everything is bright and shiny during break, when I have time to deal with crises.
Gingerbread is no small comfort. (Hugs.)