Grayson, The Bomb Cyclone, a Snow Day, and a Warm Food Bowl for the Tummy

 It's a meteorological phenomenon, they are saying, because it will drop on the east coast like a bomb, even calling it a cyclone (which I didn't think we had in the United States). Either way, it has something to do with clouds and winds and air pressure and the line up of cold temperatures and the ocean - I will leave it to the scientists.

In teacher language, we received a snow day. Even the University closed, which is very unusual. I left my office and schools to get to the gym (loved that my dress socks matched my Syracuse clothing I packed...yes, I'm that guy at the gym - at least I don't wear my dress shoes). Glamis and I also got a walk in before rearranging the garage for easy access to the snowblower. It will be a test. I'm not optimistic I can nurse that machine another year, but I will try. If she doesn't start, that will be okay. Shoveling will be a workout.

I also took liberty to debut my mother's gift, a bowl cozy with Ane E. Rip butterfly imprints, after I microwaved leftovers for dinner. Mom says it's to hold a hot bowl and not burn your hand. It did it's job, and my cold hands didn't get their usual soup bowl warm-up. It's like a vest for cereal bowls (a brilliant idea - and I'm waiting for the ones you can plug in like an electric blanket to keep the bowl and the hands warm).

As I ate my dinner, I also began thinking about what I want for my birthday. I'd love for my sisters to get me one of those DNA swipe kits from Ancestry.com so I can learn all the lineages of my ethnic mutt genetics. I also started thinking about the iPad I got my mom. Without instruction, my mother quickly discovered that the new machine had Garageband and I was impressed she began making music from her spot at the dining room table. I told her she could record her music, mix it, and create her own cds. She said, "Oh, that's too much for me."

That's when it hit me. "I'm going to give my mother homework for the next month...something to do as Syracuse gets pummeled with snow." Mom can play with Garageband and compose an original piece of music just for me. Well, it needn't be original (it can be from the music she already knows), but I want her composing, singing, and using her creativity to make me a once-in-a-lifetime memory. She'll hate me for suggesting it, but I'm hoping that I will get an .mp3 of her song by the 16th of February to listen to when using my Grannie Annie, soup-bowl leg warmers.

For now, though, I will sit at my desk and look at the snow and get to work, taking advantage of the day to work from home. Let's hope this snow event isn't too monumental.