Happy New Year!

It's now 2013!  And the semester starts next week.  It's been very cold for several days.  I went to a fireworks show a friend put on monday night.  It was very cool, and cold at the same time.  They get a lot of nice fireworks for a discount because they run some of the stands during the summer season.
One thing I had expirience with for the new year: They mean it when they say to play the WII with a lot of space.  I was playing a dance game with two of my siblings and we were standing too close together.  I got a nice welt on my wrist and the back of my hand due to painful collisions with one of my siblings remotes.  It wouldn't have hurt so much if their remote had the jacket on it-another personal expirience, didn't get a welt when the jacket was on-but we didn't have enough.  I put ice on it so it's fine now, but wasn't much fun yesterday.
Goal for the new year: Pass all my classes and get a job!
My brother gets home from his mission this month, and we're all looking forward to that.  Though sleeping arrangements have turned out to be tricky.....

Sad...

It is a very dark sign to see one homeless person standing on the streets asking for help in any way.  But it is even worse to see more than one.  I saw no less than three people in that situation just today.  And it was snowing too.  Temperatures seemed to drop last night.  I think it got below ten, or at least close to it.
These people stand there in any weather hoping for a helping hand.  I've heard a few say they are to lazy or addicted to take care of themselves so they don't deserve a handout.  That's the meanest thing I think you could say.  Maybe they did, maybe they didn't.  All I know is that if I can help a little then I will.  It's not my place to judge them about their circumstances.

Finally?

If you ever watched the movie 2012, you heard about the theory that the world was going to end-or something like that-on the 21 of this month.  This stems from the fact that the mayan calendar we use from year to year ended on that day.  But a friend told me that the Mayans would simply say it was the end of a cycle, not the end of the world.
Given they lived what, 3,000 years ago, do you really think they were predicting the end?
We're all still here in any case.  Nearly to the year 2013 in point of fact.  We did get more snow yesterday, but clear skies today.  Very cold though, thanks to clear skies last night too.
i've got one more week of break before school starts again.  Hoping to get a job in that time, but so far haven't had any luck.  But I'm not giving up.  I hope that employers are looking at me, and not dismissing me because I'm in college.  I had a friend who kept getting turned down for jobs for that reason-and they told them so.  That's just rude in my opinion.
That seems really stupid too, with the way things are going.   Gas prices are finally dropping, but everything else is still going up as far as I can tell.   If you don't have employees, how will you sell stuff?  And if they don't have jobs, where will they get the money to buy stuff and keep others in buisness?
Their choice, but I think it might come bite them later.

Wow..

That's the most snow we've gotten in a while.  Still bitter cold though.  We might get even more.  Far too many accidents on the roads so far.  Mostly slid off's, but that's scary enough.
It's really fun trying to shovel the driveway.  The snow is powder so it's not heavy-though the buildup from snowplows in the gutter is a real pain to take care of.  If we don't it freezes in a thick bank that makes getting into the driveway a nightmare.  But the snow melts slightly with the snowblower, and leaves just enough to turn it into something akin to a ice rink.  Try to get enough purchase on that surface to shovel.  I nearly pulled a muscle trying not to fall-or do the splits-while clearing our driveway.
I bet those who go skiing or snowboarding are really happy now.  They just bundle up and head out for a long crazy day wherever they like to go.  I've never done either-would like to though-but it seems the perfect kind for that stuff.

Not What I Meant...

I said I wanted a white christmas, and I got one.  Now we are having a two day storm that leaves the driveway covered about five minutes after we clear it.  As my Dad puts it 'screaming at a whote driveway you'd just shoveled five minutes before'.  While having enough to sled in is nice, I have to note all the traffic accidents-especially on the freeway- that happen as a result of unprepared drivers.
Plus most of this is powder, meaning it's great for skiing and stuff, and erasy to shovel.  But it also promotes things like black ice.  Having fallen more than once on that surface I know it's not fun.  The scene in While You Were Sleeping is fun, but that's not a common occurence.
This light snow does mean that tree limbs are safe from breaking, as it's not heavy enough to do so.  Just bitter cold-I read in a book that trees can explode if it getws too cold, something about the sap expanding?-which encourages the use of scarves and gloves and really warm coats.
I'd like a good old fashioned snowball fight though.  Maybe with forts if there's time.  And this kind of snow is good because it's less likely to hurt.  Too bad my neice is a little too young for that....

Pranks

A lot of the pranks you hear about occur around halloween, or a big school event.  Many of those are not fun to the recipient, and often leave hours of cleanup behind.  Toilet papering someone's yard, spray painting a school field bleachers or their symbol are signs of dislike or school rivalry.  But that often leaves the janitors a big mess, or the home owners.
Pranks around this time of year are hopefully more pleasant.  Things like leaving a bag of gifts for a needy family, a plate of cookies for a lonely person in the neiborhood(I know I spelled that wrong).
Secret Santa is one of my favorites, and it has many variations.  The point is to be annoymous.  And that's the best part.  Door bell ditching is fun when leaving a surprise because you won't get in trouble for it.
My family once had a group of people come by with quite the pile of gifts for all of us.  They claimed to be 'Santa's Elves'.  That is one of my best childhood memories.  And I still don't know who any of them were.

Dreams

I had a strange dream a while ago.  I was following a large yet widely scattered group of people towards a tall mountain.  There was a road going around that I watched many people go along.  But the gorup I followed went to the mountain and began climbing up a sttep slope.  The 'wall' was made of a very thick mud like substance.  It was thick enough to provide hand and foot holds, yet soft enough I could dig my hands into it.  The previous climbers hand and foot holds would fade to nothing by the time I reached where they had been.  So each climber had to create their own.  There were several points where i slipped, but I didn't fall.  Finally I reached a ledge about midway up the mountain.  A girl was hauling herself onto this ledge as I reached it.  I woke up before I could see what was on the ledge, or even get on it.  But I remember feeling determined to get there.
Around this time of year people have many dreams.  Children want that special toy or set.  Adults want family time or vacation time.  Children are waiting for Santa to arrive, while those who are religious prepare to celebrate the birth of our lord and savior.
My dream is to see my family together, happy and safe.  I also dream of giving my father a reason to be as proud of me when I graduate from college as he was when my younger brother graduated from high school.  I dream of seeing snow on christmas morning, and watching my two year old neice play in it.
Everyone has dreams.  The question is, when and where we plan to achieve them.