I have another snow day and so I have been cleaning and going through the mail, trying to get rested up for my three day weekend (President’s Day). We received a good balance transfer offer from our credit union, so I called their eight hundred number to apply. We are working hard to get out of debt for houses and children to come. I was chatting pleasantly with the account specialist only to discover, when I gave my last name, that the specialist in question was Eric’s fiancée Meg. It’s a small world after all; it’s a small, small world. She had to transfer me to another specialist for propriety, but was amused at the coincidence.

It’s Valentines Day and I am off school for reasons of improper highway management practices, not that I mind. Apparently they tried a new chemical that didn’t work and had to resort to using good old fashioned salt. St. Louis only owns two snow plows, so driving can be hazardous. During actual snow events the local drivers attempt to dodge individual flakes. I grew up in North Wisconsin and the local snow panic down here has always perplexed me. The idea that three to five inches of snow can shut down a city is bizarre. You would have to get several feet of snow up north for a similar reaction.

I tried to give Jes breakfast in bed, but she was up by the time I got back from the store with the perfunctory bouquet. I made three egg omelets with grilled onions and Wisconsin sharp cheddar. As a side dish, I made apple slices sautéed in butter, brown sugar, and fresh ground cinnamon. I haven’t been cooking as much as I like to, so it was nice to fire up the stove.

It’s odd to have time off. It shows me what my life could look like if I had a different job, one that was less stressful or closer. We had friends over on Sunday. As I started to watch the Grammies with them I had to comment that I almost felt like a guest in my own apartment, I am here so little. Despite what it may sound like, it is not my intent to complain. I am simply asking myself if what I am doing is wise. If there is a better way to live, I haven’t found it yet, but it seems like there should be a way to have both vocation and vacation.