I saw my first snowflake yesterday.

I've mentioned before that it will snow on rare occasion in south Louisiana. While it did snow two weeks before Christmas 2008 in New Orleans, it also snowed on Christmas in 2004, and to ring in the new year 2001. Before that, maybe something in the late 80's. I'm too lazy to look it up in an almanac now, anyway.

Those of you who know the story that brought me to BIONICLE may also know that I passed a semester of graduate school at The University of Akron in 2003. It was the spring semester, which means that school began in January. While it did snow during my time there, it was largely a blur. Remember, part of the story that brought me to New Orleans was that I couldn't drive in the snow, and wrecked my car [the first time, although the second time was what did the experiment in].

It snowed for the first time of the season overnight November 30. Where the snow continued on December 1, I was in the Modjeskimobile (what my wife & I have taken to calling the company minivan I'm using to go to work), and saw a small six-point star hit the driver side window. For a moment, I stopped to look.

I'd never seen that before.

I mean, we'd cut paper snowflakes in elementary school. It was a rite of passage in December, when leading up to Christmas ("I'm dreaming of a white Christmas//Just like the ones I never knew...."), but never did I get to see the real thing.

It would snow, but it'd be minuscule flecks that would melt when they'd touch something, and could never be inspected.

Even when I arrived at Akron, snow was already on the ground, and it all ran together.

My, those things are pretty.

In a slightly related note, it has become insanely cold outside. To compensate, Amanda & I bought our Christmas present to ourselves early: a copy of Wii Fit Plus, with a Wii Balance Board. Immensely fun, but not near as easy as we'd think. That, or we're really uncoordinated.

Oh, and neither of us are keen on being deigned "obese", either. I have a large frame, and Amanda is pregnant. Those are very good reasons why our BMI's are above 22, thankyouverymuch. Seriously, if I got down to 167 lb., I would have to check into an ER again like what happened 11 years ago, with dehydration.

Has it really been 11 years since my life took such a straight-yet-winding turn? My, how time flies.

-KIE