Nuclear Winter

Winter sort of brought life to a crawl this year. The ground was covered in jagged ice for months, and every task became an undertaking. My brain went through a shallow freeze sometime in February, but still we managed to while away the winter in high spirits. I'm not sorry to see you go, Winter that lasted five months this year, but I do thank you for some good times, which I'll append here, just to remind myself why it's always worth it to slog through even when you don't feel like it!

Highlights:
Snowy hike through the icy canyons of Turkey Run State Park and a winter picnic

Getting a new gas fireplace and cozying up night after night (Christmas present from Larry)

Starting a new job!

Anniversary party for Heather and Rick downtown with friends

Dinner party with Irene and friends at Chrissy's

Saw many plays and performances
     "Under the Lintel Tree" at IndyFringe (okay)
     Paul Strickland and Stewart Huff at IndyFringe (pretty good!)
     "And Then They Came For..." at IRT  (A story about Anne Frank) (very good)
     "Who Am I This Time?" ...at IRT (Kurt Vonnegut actually wrote some short stories that were not depressing and someone turned them into short plays...to mixed results.
    "The Dining Room" at Carmel Theater. (Okay)
    "Kings and Queens of Country" at Dance Kaleidoscope. (Awesome!) (with Jodee and Willard, really fun!)
    "Lion in Winter" (a friend was in it.)
    "Other Desert Cities" at IRT (pretty good!)
    "The Mountaintop" (about Martin Luther King Junior's last night on earth at the Hotel Lorraine)

Saw some lectures and readings at Butler, including filmmaker Lee Daniels, actress Marlee Matlin, and writers Cheryl Strayed and Jesymn Ward.

A concert for Spirit & Place Festival featuring Son Lux with Lily & Madeleine and poet Tony Styxx. 

We had some nice dinners out, usually after one of the shows, including Mesh (one of my faves in town), McCormick and Schmick, and Morton's (overpriced upscale man style dimly lit steak and more steak), plus some good authentic ethnic places in my 'hood. 

I did a little cooking, including a fantastic Valentine's dinner of lobster, coconut shrimp, salad, focaccia, tomato bisque, and chocolate coconut pie. And some really good wine from one of our CA trips.

I worked on a play, and then was assigned a new book, so I've been really busy procrastinating that.

Spring finally sprung, and the flowering pears are a bloom, and the flowers will soon follow! Spring is my favorite time of year! 

Thank you Grumpy Old Man Winter for making it that much sweeter!