The first blizzard of 2010

The local weathermen have been doing their best to make everyone FREAK THE F*** OUT about the blizzard scheduled to hit yesterday. And when the snow was coming down at a good clip as early as 2:00, I began to suspect that the forecast might actually be correct. I'd say we had at least another 6" of fresh snow on the ground by 1:00 this morning. Fortunately, I'm smarter than the average bear & made plans to catch dinner & a movie in the Power & Light district downtown in part to wait out the rush hour traffic. It worked beautifully. And the snow falling around the Sprint Center, Mainstreet Theater and other landmarks was equally beautiful. I saw no more than 10 people in the area. The neon was bright, but the area was still and silent. The giant Christmas tree still stood in the central area. It was magical. One of those nights that you don't want to end.

I was kicking myself for not stashing my real camera in my purse, but the limitations of the BB cam made for some fun effects.

The Sprint Center (streaks of light are snow falling, although in some shots they look almost like spotlights):

The Christmas tree was still in place:

It was strange to see the central area of P&L COMPLETELY deserted. I could have made snow angels anywhere I wanted!

I saw "Up in the Air." Loved the movie, although there were several details that hit close to home, making it as thought-provoking as it was enjoyable to watch. Namely, George Clooney starts out speaking at a conference in Columbus, then heads straight to Kansas City, has a sister named Cara, and is a professional axe-man—dredging up unpleasant memories of last October's events at work. Clooney's character also bore a striking resemblance to a guy I dated over the summer, for his sharp wit and charming personality, near-constant travel and singular focus on his job. It made me a little sad for him.

Following the movie, the challenge of finding food began. Room 39 was apparently the only restaurant with enough guts to remain open... which is fine because the food is consistently delicious! The evening's amuse-bouche was a tasty shot of mushroom soup. As we dug into our main course, the young drunken people at the bar became steadily rowdier. Like walking into a live musical, they kept bursting into song! First Michael McDonald (one guy's voice was a dead ringer!), then "Happy Birthday," then a showtune of unknown origin, and finally "Part of Your World" from Disney's "The Little Mermaid." Interesting choice. Also interesting that ALL the guys knew ALL they lyrics. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It was difficult to stifle my snickering, particularly in the Michael McDonald medley. Reminds me of every childhood visit to the dentist, where the radio invariably played him & Christopher Cross. Ironically, I still enjoy visits to the dentist but am pained by that music! The (bartender? owner? chef?) rushed to meet us at the door as we left, apologizing for the crowd though it wasn't necessary. I don't mind a free show, especially in good humor.

Fortunately for me, the roads were not nearly as bad as Chicken Little would have you believe, and I was nearly the only car on the road on my way home. I can't think of a better way to spend a snowy evening than great company, a great show, and a great meal.