I am profoundly busy right now. I won't bore you with the details, for the very thought of putting it in writing bores me. I do know that I don't have time for the things that I want to do: no random blogging and checking up on friends, no internet surfing, no photography (save the photo taken out the window from my desk last week), no crafts or interesting recipes being tested, no scrapbooking or needless trips to the bookstore. I have been cranky, and quite content to sulk in my crankiness. It is the only thing I am able to indulge myself in lately, it seems.

A storm ripped through this week, but the weather warmed enough for it to come as heavy rain rather than snow. The winds blew to 100 km/h, and we have shingles off the roof. In the heart of the storm, water was pouring into the house by the side door. "Don't worry about it and go to bed" I said, and did, sleeping soundly through the sound of shingles being torn from the roof and puddles forming in the dining room. Mr.C didn't sleep a wink. But that is why I could. All the Valentine I need, really. Although he did give me a pewter heart-shaped box for my earrings and a lovely book called The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. It isn't a history of love, though. It's a novel that had me sucked in with the first sentence "When they write my obituary. Tomorrow. Or the next day. It will say, LEO GURSKY IS SURVIVED BY AN APARTMENT FULL OF SHIT". That's my kind of writing.

Speaking of which, I just had comments sent to me from two reviewers of an article I wrote for an academic journal this past fall. The editor of the journal summarized their comments as this: "...it reads as equal parts newspaper article and forensic toxilogical report." I guess I have a bit more work ahead of me then....

And meanwhile, back on the home front, we have had some seriously cold weather and ice packs forming in the bay for the first time since we've lived here.

Life goes on. But now, I am off to see how you are doing...

Demand Action. What more can I say? I have been under the torrent all week. Letters and e-mails, ideas for campaigns and pledges, lectures like I've never had before. It's on our watch, folks. Now do me a huge favour and go buy some of those curly lightbulbs (oh, and send an e-mail to someone in your municipal, provincial or state and federal government). But now I am lecturing you.

I'm tired of the nightmares I've been having. I am pleading with the universe for an astronomical response. I am loving what Jacques Chirac has had to say and that the UN is stepping in. But I am devastated by what my own Prime Minister is saying and by the cynics who spout out against the useless UN. If not them, then who?

The head of the IPCC compared the climate change science report that came out yesterday to 50 Pearl Harbours when asked how the world should respond. One day later, and the issue is off the front page of the news. Why is social, ethical, moral and environmental well-being so reprehensible to so many? Is it that the evil-doers might just turn out to be us? That we are the villians? When faced with information, we are no longer ignorant and can not remain in our formerly blissful state. The fact is that this information is inconvenient. But take inconvenient and run with it, because a decade from now, we might wish for inconvenient.

There was a small ray of hope for me today, however. When I went to the grocery store, I noticed that they were completely sold out of energy efficient lightbulbs. Let's go, people...

My life is dominated by work right now, so finding the time to blog about anything interesting has been a bit hard. And I really regret not having the time to see how you are all doing. But I will be by. You won't be rid of me...

Here are a few things that I've been up to this week, though:

• My only "down-time" has been to stop and watch American Idol the past few nights. I can't tell you how much enjoyment I am getting from watching people make complete idiots of themselves. And I am finding Simon Cowell very attractive this season. Am I getting old? Am I getting bitchy?
• I know a schizophrenic woman. No one else knows that she is (that I am aware of). She annoys me to no end, but I know how to push her buttons. So I do. How mean is that?...
• I have been listening to Serena Ryder. While wearing my new Neko Case t-shirt.
• Mr. C told me yesterday that he doesn't know how my students listen to a word I say because I looked so good. How awesome is he?...But then I quickly dropped back down to the realization that I could be their mother.
• My son and I made a trip to the bookstore today and loaded up on new books. And journals. And pencils. Sigh.
• Tomorrow will be the third Friday in a row that a storm is forecast. The other two turned into nothing. Third time lucky? I need a snow day.