HH the Dalai Lama

Bill Murray as Carl Spackler in the movie Caddyshack:

Bill as Carl claims to have caddied for the 12th Dalai Lama.

"Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

But in real life for those interested Macalester College welcomes His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama for a speech to the Macalester community on Sunday, March 2, 2014. A live video stream will be provided here. The video stream will begin about 1:30pm CST with the event start time at approximately 2:00pm.

Worst winter ever.

The most recent event produced about 10 inches of snow which apparently is the largest single snow fall of the season.

The morning newspaper reports a current snow depth of 24 inches.  This is the greatest depth of snow actually on the ground since January 26, 1982.  I think Reagan was president.

The view out through our patio door pretty much confirms what the newspaper is reporting.

Then of course there is the cold.  Highs for today and tomorrow are predicted in the mid-teens, only about 15 degrees below average for these dates.  For at least three days thereafter the highs are predicted to be only in the single digits.

Daylight savings time kicks off in just 15 days and as everyone knows the bicycle season arrives with DST.  But maybe not this year.

Worst winter ever.

Anticipation

I don't watch much men's hockey so I missed this.  Apparently Gopher men's hockey in arena video staff have followed the lead of plenty of other arenas in plenty of other sports and instituted a "kiss cam" with images projected on the score board video screen for the amusement of game patrons.

This guy came prepared.

Better lighting

Here's one more taken last night after sundown.  The natural light overwhelmed contrast and detail in the photos taken earlier in the day.

Nice table.

The table is really nice but the chairs, particularly the side chairs, are like pieces of art.  Two arm chairs, four side chairs.

In time for dinner

Another day when we reaffirm the price that we pay now for the reward that is June, another dumping of snow and as soon as that stopped the temperatures started to plummet.

Luckily for us some nice young men came around and dropped off a surplus dining room table so we will be able to have sit down dinner after all.

One with the very pleased new proprietress (and flash) and one without (and no flash).

You maybe have to be in the room to get the full effect but . . .

Nice table.

One step closer to homeless

As of late this afternoon we don't even have a dining room table.

Angela and Jon came by and picked up the one we used to have. Circumstances forced us to sell.

But check back tomorrow. These things usually turn out OK for us.

Pink flamingo redux

I don't even remember being in Florida recently but I do know that the family outpost in Florida does return forgotten items to recent guests using Priority Mail.  Despite me personally not having any recollection of having been outside the polar vortex I assumed that today's mail must have been the arrival from Floridia of my forgotten, oh, I don't know, flash drive?

Well, particularly nasty weather!!  But that's a completely different story.

Apparently my December posting entitled Pink Flamingo which did not actually feature any flamingo, pink or otherwise, rippled through the universe creating waves which have finally pounded back onto these ice encrusted shores.

It's a really swell pink flamingo and I think it goes well with our really, really cheesy Florida souvenir from back in the days when I was seriously into cheesy souvenirs.

We are torn between visions of the pink flamingo actually on the Christmas tree or perhaps as a new character for the small "c" catholic nativity scene which is a part of our annual pagan winter holiday celebration.

It will be much closer to the next appearance of the winter solstice before we are able to divine the true path.