Freezy, sneezy weather

Lady Liberty stood on the sidewalk in the icy blast of a major cold front. She moved her body back and forth as if she was dancing, and not freezing. But she was in good spirits, doing a job that "pays well," to support her children.
Happy moments when motorists would honk their horns to acknowledge her attempts to get their attention, and ultimately their business for her employers. And there was the guy who used his truck's PA system to tell her to get inside and get warm.
Lady Liberty stood outside all day Tuesday, January 16, wearing her liberty crown, and waving her sign at motorists.
Ice built up on windshields. Road workers spread sand on bridges, and authorities closed sections of the interstate that runs north and south through the hills to the north.
Two inches of snow reported as near as sixty miles away, but around here, nothing but rain, sleet, and frozen leaves on the lime tree we planted this summer.
Down to twenty-eight degrees with ice on the roads, normal in the northern climes, but dangerous around these parts.
My City Council meeting was cancelled.
And I was informed by the editor that I'm the new business reporter, in addition to covering city government.
See you at the livestock show later this week.
City Boy signing out.

Grill "Chef" Going Back to News Hounding

It's been a slow holiday season for me. I've sent out dozens of resumes to potential employers across the state, mostly newspapers who advertise they are looking for news reporters.
Most of them rudely ignored my cover letters and emails. Don't want to work for them anyway.
Had a good conversation with a newspaper in East New Philippines, sent some clips, but they were looking for a copy editor to lay out pages behind a computer all day, and I wasn't interested. Never heard back about their regional reporting position that supposedly was open.
Nevermind. I've accepted a full-time job as a city hall reporter in a small town about twenty miles east of Cottonwood City. I'll be working with a guy I worked with in another small town, at its daily newspaper, several years ago - he has lobbied relentlessly to get me hired on to work with him. Together, we make a great reporting team, with me on the government, him on the police beat.
I start work next Wednesday, and for the time being, I'll keep my grill chef gig part time.
Anybody want to celebrate? Send me an email, and maybe we can meet at La Tuna, or somewhere, when the weather gets warmer.

dreams that are so mundane you aren't sure if they were actually dreams... should be banned

Was there really a guy riding a skate board up and down the sidewalk outside my apartment last night?

Did I shave my legs?

Did my next door neighbor buy the building?

The unexpected joys of urban living

It came to me like a distant echo surfacing from deep in my subconscious:

"I'm an alligator. I'm a momma papa coming for you."

I'd eaten garlic, had a glass of wine and was soaking in the tub when it happened. Was I hallucinating? Was it indigestion?

No, it was my upstairs neighbors playing the always fabulous Ziggy Stardust. Apart from seeing my sweetie -- and Cristiano Ronaldo -- dancing in striped tights, it made my day.

Thank you upstairs neighbors, for the unearthly serenade.

Freak out in a moonage daydream, oh yeah.

Long live Glam!

What would Miss Scarlet say?

Here's to living in the moment!
No to the future!!

From the BBC:

French marchers say 'non' to 2007

The demonstrators took French restiveness to extremes

Hundreds of protesters in France have rung in the New Year by holding a light-hearted march against it.

Parodying the French readiness to say "non", the demonstrators in the western city of Nantes waved banners reading: "No to 2007" and "Now is better!"

The marchers called on governments and the UN to stop time's "mad race" and declare a moratorium on the future.

The protest was held in the rain and organisers joked that even the weather was against the New Year.

The tension mounted as the minutes ticked away towards midnight - but the arrival of 2007 did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm.

The protesters began to chant: "No to 2008!"

They vowed to stage a similar protest on 31 December 2007 on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris.


*****
Only Grrrl may be blogging soon on living in the moment, and other various existential conundrums. We shall see... wouldn't want to make too hasty a decision. After all, until those crazy Frenchies get their way, tomorrow is still another day.