AQuiet Saturday late afternoon.  My honey is playing his usual shoot 'em up games on his lap top and I'm watching a documentary on Netflix.  I made a pot of chili earlier and I'm thinking I should get up and make either some rice or corn bread to go with it. Quiet. Serene. Pleasant.

As I was getting up from watching the telly, I heard a beeping sound and it was annoying.  I kept asking Blaise about it but he kept saying he didn't hear it.  But as I was putting together the rice to put on the stove - the beeping fire alarm started in our building. 

I don't panic when the fire alarm goes off in my building.  I have lived here for 15 years and the fire alarm goes off at least once a year.... usually in the late evening on either a cold and/or rainy night. Statistically speaking, it is usually nothing - someone down at the other end of the T (our building is shaped like a big T - we are all the way at the bottom/back) doing something - so I don't worry about it. Also - every other time in the 15 years that the alarm has gone off - I have gone outside, so this isn't typical behavior for me.

​Our fire alarm is hardwired to the fire house and my section of the building is basically behind the fire house, do....  Anyway - I suggested that Blaise take this opportunity to go outside and have a cig and get the gossip.  I stayed inside - I had 2 candles burning and a pot of rice on the stove! I also have two geriatric cats that would need rounding up if there was a fire so better to stay in then run out. Ok - I'll admit it - I was still in my PJs and I wasn't going out there unless there was a damn good reason.

Then the alarm at the firehouse went off.  So I snuffed the candles and put on something I could go outside wearing (it pays to be prepared) and then took this neat photo of the fire truck when it pulled up outside my end of the building (first time in 15 years!! Usually they pull up at the T). 

So there was some running in and out of the building by fireman, but the alarm had gone off and I never saw or smelled any smoke or fire.  It was all over in about 10  minutes!

Blaise came back in but didn't have much in the way of gossip. Disappointing.

Either way - everyone is ok and I don't think there was any property damaged.  I'm still not sure if anything actually happened!

But at this point, I want to take a moment to thank our local Fire Department.  Where we live, we depend on volunteer fire departments - so its our neighbors who don their gear and come out  to look after us.  I'm very glad this was pretty much nothing and none of them were put in a dangerous position.

If you live in an area that depends on volunteer fire departments - don't pass up the opportunity to say things by participating in one of their fund raisers.  Its how they keep geared up for our safety!

Well - the rice is finished - so time for dinner!

Have a good evening everyone!

"It's cold, man, f**king cold!"  
-January 1994









Actually, when we left the hotel for the office on Thursday morning, it was -3 degrees in Peabody (pronounced pee-bid-e) Massachusetts. I've been around quite a while now and even I don't remember the last time I've been in -3 degree weather in an east coast state that wasn't Maine.

I'm not whining, it was an interesting experience!  The inside of your nose freezes every time you breathe giving you a weird sticky feeling. Your fingers are almost instantly cold, yet I had clogs on with no socks and my heels (exposed to the frigid temps) were still very warm. I'm just glad I didn't have to stand around in it for extended periods of time.

People say 'that's global warming for you' and others reply 'what do you mean global warming? it's -3!!' and to that I say that it IS global warming because we have gotten used to warmer temperatures (think anything above 25 degrees) when in fact, it was not uncommon to experience temps lower then 25 degrees.

It is what it is.  I got a good laugh out of the experience; no complaints here.

So yes, once again it was off on a work road trip - I don't think that work trips qualify for the road trip blog anymore because they are pretty 'same ole/same ole'. That said - if something good happens, I'll post about it over there.  On this trip the only thing that was out of the ordinary was that we ended up staying an extra day...oh and the random snow showers..and I figured that since we ate at Texas Roadhouse so much, I should buy some stock, so I did.

As I mentioned in the bio, my family is a large one.  I'm the eldest of 8 - 6 of those being boys. I had just turned 17 when the youngest was born on a bitter cold January night. So many stories and memories.  Here he is just prior to his first Christmas - adorable, right?

So why the mention?  Well, because its now 33 years later and the once 'little' man has become a father.  It is exciting but at the same time, a bit surreal.  I held his beautiful little girl and was transported back all those years ago when he was the wee babe I once held. Time seems to disappear and its as if you are in two places at once - then and now. And you look into that beautiful innocent face and suddenly the world with all its situations & aggravations doesn't really matter because it isn't about that - its about this one tiny person.  It is an incredible moment - and I'm just the aunt!  I cannot imagine how much more profound it is for her mom & dad!

She is the best Christmas present my family has gotten in a very long time. 

Welcome to the family little one! As your cousin Sam said on twitter - 'you are already so loved!'