I probably should have turned the furnace down a little more than I did when I went to bed last night, because it ran almost all night. We didn't get any more snow, but I woke up to an eerie, misty fog. The birdbaths were frozen hard, but I was comfortable and warm in my inefficiently heated house. It was the novelty of actually having a furnace on one of these cold January nights that got the better of me. I can't afford to let it happen often, though, with energy prices so high.

It never warmed up much today, but I got my walk to the post office in this morning. I wished at the time I'd worn something heavier than a sweatshirt, because I could feel the wind whipping through the fabric, and on through my skin, right down to the bones. The day warmed up enough to melt the ice in the eucalyptus trees that overhang my street. As I drove under them, it was suddenly so much like a pelting rainstorm that I had to use the windshield wipers.

Let's have one more cold night and then cancel the rest of winter, shall we? I'm a Californian, and I didn't sign up for ice and snow.

Having all the furnace work behind me helped me get through a pile of work today. It helped almost as much as being warm did. It was the first day since last Thursday that I haven't had people tramping through the house, and I don't need that much of a distraction to keep me from getting things done. I do quite well with the materials at hand. I finally finished the last of the tax forms that are due at the end of this month. That's good, because it's coming the day after tomorrow.

In my ongoing effort to look on the sunny side, I commend our president for a well executed speech tonight. I didn't agree with some of the specifics, but when he spoke in uplifting generalities he was as inspiring as he's capable of being. Eliminating terrorist activity and working together to serve humanity are worthy goals. Bush currently has the ear of America, so it was a perfect time to espouse these values. Of the many things we lost on September 11, a little bit of the cynicism that pervaded our society is the one thing that will be missed least.

Someone had the nerve to ring my phone line during the speech, and I had to pause the TV and answer. No one was on the other end, and I didn't wait long before hanging up. I managed to catch up with real time by fast forwarding through some of the applause pauses. Thanks again, TiVo.