The snow

I'm reminded of so many things when it snows:

• Sledding yesterday, I was reminded of my childhood winters playing outside in Minnesota
• The smell of a car in the cold air this morning while I was running reminded me of cold nights in Chicago in high school
• The man shovelling the walk at school today and the warmer air with the snow reminded me of Niigata
• Putting on my boots and rain gear yesterday also reminded me of Niigata, of riding my mini-cub.

In the last couple of days, I've had occasion to try and tell two people everything that happened to me in the last ten years. It's a long story, do you have a moment? 

Someone recently called my blog dull. It is dull. I'm happy with the dullness of my blog. Maybe my real life is dull too. If this blog just became me recounting my memories again and again, the same stories again and again, I would be content with that. I have tried and failed to be a popular or interesting blogger--I'm not capable of it. Here are more pictures of my kids, of my bag, of my hat, of my new rosary. It's like rummaging through a box of the most important things to me.

In your viva (the defence of your PhD, for the Americans out there), you answer the questions the examiners put to you and then you are told to leave the room while they make a decision about whether or not you passed. This will happen to me very soon--I will leave the room, walk to the kitchen and get a glass of water. I will look out the window into the Milton Keynes Autumn and close my eyes for a moment, remembering all the things that have brought me from some arbitrary moment in the past to that moment. I suspect it might be emotional.

Memories of snow aside, I also for some reason remembered the feeling of the day after you have a baby. It's a great feeling. One of the best in the world. Nothing matters--you had a baby during the night.