a foot of snow falls on new york and it's all NPR can talk about. hello? it snowed 15 inches outside my apartment last night too! i guess lots of snow in chicago isn't exactly newsworthy, as bad weather is the just punishment for those of us crazy enough to live in a place like the midwest. it'd be like reporting on a mugging in new york, or a smarmy politician in washington, i suppose.

anyway, it did snow 15 inches on friday/saturday. it's terribly beautiful, if inconvenient. no playing in the snow for me, however, i've been trapped inside the apartment with laryngitis all weekend. i'm starting to get a little stir-crazy. i can't speak above a whisper, which, as it turns out, severely limit's one's activities. unable to leave the apartment or talk on the phone, i've been alternately cooking and organizing things. andy finally fled the apartment to take refuge at a football-watching party this afternoon, which was probably wise when he saw me drag everything out of the pantry and prepare to sort and reorganize it.

i made a first attempt at making vegetarian chili this weekend. the results were yummy but really more like tomato soup than chili. andy pointed out that the recipe i picked didn't call for any chilies, which might have been a part of the problem. hmm. anyone have a good recipe to share with me?

shame on you, president bush, for spending all that money on a party, at a time like this. american financial aid to the countries flooded by the tsunami wasn't even half of what you spent on security alone for the inagruation. your war in iraq is draining our nation's financial and human reserves daily, and yet you decided to have a big party. you're already president! shame.

on wednesday night chicago saw a record high of 61 degrees. 48 hours later the temperature had dropped - by 52 degrees. the radiators and old creaky windows in our apartment can't keep up when the daily highs are in the single digits. we move around the apartment wrapped up like eskimos, polar fleese and wool and goose down strategically layered, showering periodically in order to raise the core body temperature. mostly what i want to know is, who first thought it would be a good idea to build a city HERE? i hate chicago winters. the air is so cold it burns exposed skin, and there's no skiing or other fun winter sports to make the weather bearable. hrrmph.

on the plus side, i'm all about winter food. tonight i made mushroom risotto (cheers to mari for the recipe), and last night we went to the Duke of Perth, a pub which makes me nostalgic for my oxford days right down to the super-chilled pints of strongbow. in spite of the mexican polka music which can occasionally be heard seeping out of the kitchen, they serve up tasty, steaming pots of vegetable or shepards pie garnished with mashed potatoes - perfect for winter nights. zeke has been putting on his usual winter weight to cope with the cold apartment - perhaps i should follow suit.

signs one is being outpaced by one's siblings:

when my baby brother calls to tell me he's named me as a beneficiary on his life insurance policy. what? he has life insurance? i still remember when matt would throw a fit at the dinner table if his vegetables touched his macaroni.