Oregon Snow Week

Last Monday I pulled something in my lower back shoveling snow out of the driveway.  Let me tell you, it is humbling and annoying to not be able to put on one's own socks.  The muscles in my left hip decided they wanted to help my back muscles, and their contribution was to seize up my hip and make everything spasm if I tried to do anything approaching lifting my left knee.  Luckily, rest and drugs have restored most of my flexibility, and I can now do things like tie my own shoes and get into and out of cars (or out of bed) without the use of a cane.  I'm afraid The Child may have learned some new swear words. 

Eugene has been functionally shut down by 13 inches of snow for most of the last week.  Luckily, we didn't lose power, but lots of people in the area did.  The local school district had snow days every day but Friday.  The University shut down Monday and Wednesday, and opened last Tuesday and Thursday.  I learned that, even though there's no clutch in the car, I still drive a bit with my left leg (ouch!) and that potholes in the road really do transmit vibrations through the car's frame.

Today (3/3) the snows has mostly melted off of the streets and sidewalks, but anywhere were that is shaded still has snow.   The small hills of snow in store parking lots remind me of my winters in Minnesota decades ago.

On the writing front:  I got a two day rejection.   Between not being able to sit in one position for any length of time and the roads being too icy for travel, I haven't gotten any actual writing in.  I have been reading for pleasure as much as a speculative fiction writer can.

On the gym front:  Arg.  I'm pretty sure that I should hold off on the rowing exercises for another week.  And the cable core twists.   I guess I'll have extra time for the ellipticals.

A big shout out to Mark for having to deal with an invalid.