The only way out is through

Half the house is now sick, although I am starting to recover, so at least we have a baseline idea of how long it takes to come out the other side. We all spent several hours this morning shoveling feet of snow out of the driveway and then took lots of painkillers and had shaky arms for the rest of the day. We gave up on the idea of passing dishes during dinner, and for my own part I mostly just leaned toward my plate so that I only had to bring my fork up a few inches.

Captioned the Arizona shooting memorial service very accurately, except during readings of King James, because my computer's context recognition is just not up to 17th century English. Was moved by President Obama's assertion that the little girl who was shot was jumping in puddles in heaven; I believe few things could be further from the truth, but I am surprisingly affected by the idea that other people believe this and need to believe this. Otherwise, only choked up during "Fanfare for the Common Man," because it is such a bold and simple notion.

Heard there was a small earthquake in northern California and realized with shock that on some deep emotional level I don't believe earthquakes can happen in winter. I think of them as seasonal events. This is absurd, and I can't imagine how I formed this idea.

Conferenced with Shuang, my friend and the editor of Hayseeds. She's sending us a first cut tomorrow, and seems pleased with it, which is definitely a good sign.