So.. re-relaxing. Ice storms. Power outages. Bitter cold. Fun fun! And “clearly this bottle it too heavy, I must not be drinking fast enough.”

I like storms. Even if it’s not real, or so weak as to be less dangerous that driving to the grocery when the weather’s good, there’s a certain thrill that comes with them. It’s something primal, that touches the inner survival instinct, and by overcoming it – or just sitting in my living room through it – I get a small thrill.

Going out, driving on the ice, even only half a mile to the aforementioned grocery, become an adventure in hunter-gathering – hunter I suppose, if I were to assume the ‘proper’ gender role, though I have difficulty forming the simile with gathering food at the grocery, no matter the mood of the other shoppers.

Ice storms: we had a serious one. On top of several inches of snow, we got a night and part of a morning of sleet and freezing rain. Add in the single digit to subzero temps we got right after that, and I can no walk on snow like a snow hare, just in a fleece pullover and sneakers instead of a soft pelt and hairy feet.

The other consequence of this ice storm is that power was out, at its worst, for 280,000 customers of the local electric company. Including some friend of ours. They gave us a call Thursday evening. Their power had been out since 10 am and they have a toddler and an infant, so, needless to say, we could hardly turn them down! The spent the night at our house and most of the the next day (today for the next 13 minutes) with us.

Now, to preface this next section, I’ll explain our ‘plan’ for the holidays. It was a simple plan really, stay at home, relax, spend time with one another, watch some movies, do some work for R’s clients. Also, add in that we have no plans to have kids – we like kids, we have nieces and nephews we spoil and will continue to spoil, but when it comes right down to it we simply don’t want to make the kind of commitment. At least we’re honest about it.

So anyhow, having our home invaded by two kinds and their parents even for a day and half was… traumatic for us. There’s no way I’d want them to stay at their place under these conditions, but still I resented it. I suppose this just makes me human, but part of me still feels guilty about it.

That selfish bit, that part of me that wants for me, wants the peace and relative tranquility of just being alone with my wife. To read, to watch DVDs, to cook, to code on my own scheduld, blah blah blah, all that was suddenly threatened.

When R, in an inadvertant nicety, invited their extended families (she was thinking to only invite them) over for Xmas day, I was shocked, to say the least. Threatened. Fortunately, breakfast on them and their power coming on a few hours ago assuaged all.

Xmas is saved, we can be relative Hermits over the Holidays.

Go us.

Cary