Welcome to the Icebox

Well, this morning was certainly an adventure! If you recall, I wrote that we had a thunderstorm--there was a lot of rain. It all happened exactly the way they predicted it would, and the temperatures plummeted. It was 5° when I got up this morning! The rain eventually turned to snow, but all that rain froze on the roads, and then we got snow on top of it, about an inch. The snow actually helped a little bit, so that we weren't driving on a sheet of ice. You could see it underneath, though, and it was pretty tense going. But I made it to work, and so did Ken! He said it took him about twice as long as normal. They closed part of one of the major highways in the area, because it was just SO bad. I took it slow and easy, but by the time I got to work, I felt like I almost had to pry my hands off of the steering wheel. We all made it in, except for Sarah, who lives in Michigan (and it was a lot worse there). A couple of people had to deal with frozen doors, because they park outside. We're lucky to have the three-car garage now, so that all vehicles are inside. Anyhoo, it was a wild ride! I hope everyone else is safe and sound.

A little more about my El Coqueto entry yesterday. First of all, although I don't speak Spanish, something hit me today: I think most words that indicate a female end in "a." My friend RaQuel sometimes calls me "Chica." So I think it should technically be El Coqueta. So let's go with that.

There were some interesting comments--thanks, everyone!--about how some are too shy to flirt, that sort of thing. To me, the key thing is that we don't even realize we're doing it most of the time! Sure, you can purposefully turn it up a notch, but the article I read even mentioned that we don't observe ourselves when we're talking to others, so we don't see our own body language. I bet even those who believe they are too shy to flirt are doing it subconsciously. And this is not a bad thing. It's just a way of interacting with others and making a connection. Lyn had a really good comment: "I get accused of flirting but to me it's just being friendly..i act the exact same way towards women..interesting..."

That's exactly it. Granted, there's a different element when it's a man and woman talking, but the principle is the same. You're trying to send a subtle message that you are approachable and friendly, and inviting that person into your inner circle. It can be as simple as a touch on the arm, but the visual clues come first to show that you're open to friendship. I don't know about you, but I'm not a touchy-feely person right off the bat. I need my good 18 inches or so of personal space, and if you invade that before I'm ready for it, chances are I'll step away. We've all known those people who immediately want to put their arm around you, rub your shoulders, whatever. Back off, man, or as I used to think sometimes, "Touch me again and you'll pull back a bloody stump!" (I never actually said it.) These are people who haven't done the prerequisite work of sending and receiving visual clues that show that such behavior might be welcomed. These are the people that I tend to avoid. It's just too much familiarity, too soon. It feels presumptuous to me.

So to me, flirting is a natural thing, a way of approaching others and "testing the waters" to see if they are open to a relationship, whatever type it may be. Don't be afraid to be El Coqueta, or El Coqueto, for that matter! Chances are good that you already are, and don't even know it! Ha ha!

Uh-oh, I've lost count of my Ten Little Indians. I think we're down to 7 or 8. I heard first thing this morning that Giuliani would drop out, and I heard on the way home that Edwards has already made his announcement that he's out. Rudy's strategy--or lack thereof--in Florida didn't work very well. Who was running his campaign? You can't just remove yourself from the spotlight, let everyone else get the attention, then step back in and say, "Hi! Remember me?" Everyone moved on, or as Austin Powers said, "That trained had sailed." <grin>

A little later

ACK! I love our place! I was in the kitchen, and when I looked out back, I saw a herd of deer. I lost count, because they were milling and running around, but there were at least 10, and for sure, 6 of them were bucks. Oh, I never get tired of seeing them. They're so beautiful.