January 29, 2010

• I'm going to do what they did on the news this morning and cheat, by showing you a picture of last year's ice storm. This is because it is still dark out, so I can't take pictures of this year yet. You can see more if you go to my xanga for this date last year.

  Apparently we have a very punctual ice storm.

  Yesterday I had a business lunch with a couple of guys. I had forgotten what that's like.

  I don't mean that I'd forgotten about business lunches or about guys. I have plenty of both of those. What I'd forgotten about was how businessmen behave in groups. Both these guys are modest, interesting men. Together, they spent most of the time bragging. One left, and the remaining one and I had a pleasant and far-reaching conversation.

  I zipped home in time for my meeting with my new West Coast client, and we also had a fruitful and far-reaching conversation. He's another modest, pleasant man, but I bet that if I'd been a guy, it would have been completely different.

  You have to wonder -- first, how do men get anything at all done? Maybe they just do that "Mine's bigger than yours" kind of conversation when they first meet, and after they've established the hierarchy they're normal again. If not, then I guess I have to wonder how they feel about doing business with me, since I don't join in.

  Actually, I guess I did brag at one point. They were discussing old-school vs. digital marketing, in a "My firm is so cool!" kind of way, and said that of course no company can get by with just a website.

  "I can," I said. "I have a great website and do no other marketing, and I get two new jobs a day, every day."

  However, I said it in tones of childish glee, which is how women sound when bragging. Wrong tone entirely. They smiled at me indulgently and then went back to swapping yarns about the companies they'd saved.

  I did get two new jobs yesterday, I'm happy to say, so I have lots to do while snowed in. I feel quite sure that my class is canceled today, and I plan to work very intensely this morning in case the power goes off later. I have a lot of books to read, if that happens, and I got some light fiction onto my Kindle, too.

  We got all het up over #NWAicestorm2010 at twitter last night, and I joined in cheerfully enough. Everything's closed today,and the meteorologists on TV are indecently cheery as they assure us that we haven't dodged any bullets, since the real storm is on its way from Texas right now.

  My husband started out to work this morning, but gave up and came back in. This is not good, because he will spend the whole day sighing and moaning. #1 son, on the other hand, walked over to a friend's last night. Yep. In the ice storm. He very patiently showed us his wool socks and put on extra layers of woolies, and he texted me when he got there. There's a student slumber party going on, with sledding, and I bet they'll have fun. 

  • 7:15 am
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