Virginia Snow Punks New Yorker

I've seen snow in Hampton Roads a couple of times since I've lived here. Usually it's just a light dusting. People freak out and buy barrels of water and freeze-dried astronaut food the day before the 'big snow'. This storm was no exception. I'm sure every Walmart was beyond building capacity.

I didn't shop. Of course I didn't prepare. I'm a New Yorker. I thought, even if the snow does come, it won't be enough to stop my life right. When I woke up there was snow everywhere. By late afternoon, this is what it looked like.
There was nothing I wanted to eat in the house. Av and I both wanted takeout. Pizza Hut said two hours. Domino's said two and a half. That's when I decided the snow would not stop my life. It didn't even look that bad. I went outside to dust off the car. I couldn't even kick the snow aside. My footprints were deep and official.


I couldn't 'dust' the car off either. I had to go back in and get a broom. Anybody on the road in the neighborhood is crawling like a snail. I chuckle. I get out on the main street. It's caked in snow. I'm crawling too now. Even on the expressway...caked.




I thought I would handle a few things since I was already out right. Pssshhht. We made it to two crucial spots...


...Let the Ave man make a couple snowballs...
...and then went straight back home. Errands schmerrands. Virginia snow - 1...yankee girl - zip.

-ttyl, toya

The state of his union...

The only real moment that stood out to me was Obama's shout out to Michelle. The job and economy talk was careful and calculated. He spoke passionately about national security and eventually health care. He was all about reassurance and driving home the "change" agenda. That's cool. You know I'm for him.

But again the only moment I actually felt, without thinking, was when he called the first lady's project into attention. Michelle Obama will be working with health officials to join the fight against childhood obesity. Now, in my opinion, it's just not one of the most pressing issues on the itinerary, but the President initiated a round of applause and standing ovation for his wife. The first lady didn't smile with teeth showing until well into the applause. She signaled for the house to sit down. Was that humility? An attempt to refocus the attention... rightfully back to the man of the hour? Love and support from a wife? Annoyed of the show?

Maybe I was the only one that noticed. Whether staged or not, Obama seems to always give it up to his first lady. He seems proud of her. She always seems modest. Too modest? I don't know yet. After over a year of being the first black president and first lady, moments like that just make we wonder about the state of their union.

- ttyl, toya

A look at the eye doctor...

I love observing people. My favorite today was my optometrist. I had an appointment with him today. I'd never met him before but now I'll always go back. He was the oddest character. But I loved him. He said everything twice. Like Jimmy "Two-times" from Good Fellas. And he said "yeah" and "right away" after everything he said twice.
"Ok now just look ahead, look ahead yeah. Right there at the big E, the big E, right away, ok".
And then he moved around in the dark with a limp, but he bumped into nothing. He would tell me, out loud, the next instrument he needed.
"Now for the special lens, special lens yeah. "Right away just look this way, look this way right away".
"And tell me what you see on that line, on that line yeah. Ok now what do we see, what do we see, right away yeah."
At the end of his exam, he told me I was odd.
"You're odd. You're near-sighted in your right eye yeah and far-sighted in your left eye, in your left eye yeah. Yeah you should have a killer headache, killer headache right away yeah."
I was so amused. My son was laughing. That's all for now.
- ttyl, toya