I’ve been waiting and hoping to get a geo-tracking hit from Africa, and I finally got one. It’s from somewhere in the northeast of South Africa.

I assume it’s my friend Charlize Theron, home visiting for the holidays. I hope it’s not Winnie Mandela. I hear she’s a jerk. It’s a good thing The Cosby Show got cancelled before the Winnie Mandela domestic help abuse scandal broke, because otherwise Sonya’s daughter would have felt like a jerk for being named after her. Also, it’s a good thing that The Cosby Show is fiction.

Note: I am not actually friends with Charlize Theron, but I think she’s beautiful and a good actor. What’s more, I used her picture as an example for my last haircut. If she is interested in becoming friends with me, I hope she takes this opportunity to get in touch.

The clock radio woke me up this morning by listing all the area schools and businesses that are cancelled or delayed today. I listened to the alphabetical list, and of course the University of Iowa was not included. I don’t know if it’s the rugged pioneer spirit of our ancestors or what, but this place never closes. I heard a rumor that it closed once in 1994, but that was before I lived here so I don’t know.

I think it might have something to do with the hospital, which is part of the University and by far the largest health care center in the area. I guess if they shut down the University, they’d have to shut down the hospital too, and then everyone would die. That would be a shame. I don’t see why it would be so hard to shut down everything except the hospital, though.

It has been just about the worst December ever, weather-wise. I’m really glad we moved into the house last year at this time instead of this year; moving in 2 degrees Fahrenheit (a couple of weeks ago) or with 4 inches of wet, heavy, sleety snow on the ground (now) would be a giant pain.

Hm, I didn’t mean to sound so whiny. It’s not really that bad. I have boots to keep my feet warm and dry, and I bought myself a little treat over lunch today: some peppermint-scented shower gel, to get me in the holiday spirit.

Fa la la la la to you too.