1. I think this ad, for a roommate in a neighborhood in my hometown is one of the funniest things I've read in awhile. What do you think Neel? Are they medical students?

2. I think that while Erin and I commiserated over JK Rowling's shocking, no IRRITATING, revelations regarding Harry Potter and Hermione Grangier, Stephen Colbert, it seemed, does not agree with us. (wink)

3. I think I'm SHOCKED to learn that so many bloggers are introverts! Shocked, I say! Seriously, that's worthy of an NIH study, don't you think? I so appreciated all of your insightful comments on that score. I've downloaded this book, and I'm really interested to dig deeper into better understanding. I'm starting to think it's pathological in my family.

4. I think I have such mixed feelings about these darned Olympics. You've heard what a hot mess things are over there, right? I mean every day there's a new revelation, and we haven't yet seen a half-naked Putin riding a horse or a lion or whatever yet. Toothpaste explosives. Stray dog executions (we have to whisper that one around here). Don't even get me started on the human rights issues, including their horrific record on homosexual rights. And have you see this? It's a compilation of tweets from journalists detailing the horrific living conditions. Hilarious. Sad, but really funny too.

And yet, the Olympics. And not just the Olympics, the WINTER OLYMPICS. My all time favorite. I lovelovelove them. Every single event is entertaining to me from the opening ceremony to the last spray of snow from an ice skate blade.

What to do? Well. We're going to watch. How can we not? I can feel all the things I feel about Russia (and Neel's even a little worried about the terror threat), but I can still support our athletes and even let myself enjoy doing it.

5. I think I want to start a series called "Politicians I Admire." (Yes, I know, it'll be a short series.) As Cal grows more and more serious about this business (He's learning SO much.), I want him to know that not everyone is a corrupt scumbag. That there are good men and women out there who are doing hard work for good reasons. Have you guys heard about Creigh Deeds? He's a Virginia state senator (which means that Cal is working with him right now) who ran for statewide office twice and lost (most recently for governor, four years ago). He was in the national news late last fall when he was attacked with a knife by his mentally ill adult son. He nearly died and his son, Gus, did die, from a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

A horrific situation and a horrible story, just heartbreaking. What Senator Deeds has done in the ensuing months is, to me, nothing short of amazing. He got back to work. He got himself involved in changing laws that protect those who suffer from mental illness. And more importantly, he started talking. AC360, 60 Minutes, Deeds faced the cameras and told the story. He told the story of his son's decline into mental illness and of that horrible day. Mostly, he talked simply of Gus, and how his son was more than his disease. You can see the CNN story here.

Cal sees Senator Deeds every day. He says that there are significant visible scars on his face and one of his arms seems not to work well. Sometimes, in the middle of a committee meeting he'll just start weeping. I'm so proud to know that this man is representing our state. That my son gets to work with him and maybe bring him lunch once in awhile. I'm proud of the work he's doing on behalf of all of us. This man is who more of our politicians should be.

1. I think that watching this storm blow through and people's reactions to it has been a fascinating experience. Man vs. Nature? Authorities telling drivers to stay off the road and drives deciding they need a movie to watch or to see how the roads are or (shudder) to drive their kids around with their sleds attached to the car by ropes. I'm generally pretty content to stay put, and for two days I did so. Today Neel heads to Richmond to pick up Cal after he took the car out on his short drive to work yesterday and managed the roads just fine. They're snow-covered, but he should be able to get the kids home.

2. I think, speaking of human nature and Man vs. Nature, how about those stories coming out of Atlanta and Birmingham? I had a friend who took more than 10 hours to get home in that nightmare Atlanta traffic (and that's with two fender benders and slipping on the ice and hurting his back!). I follow someone on Instagram whose commute lasted 24 hours; they gave up and stayed overnight with friends. My dad got a freak five inches of snow and he still can't get out of his driveway, it's so icy. The blame game among politicians is embarrassing and, frankly, disgusting. Kids spending the night in schools? Ridiculous.

Our schools, unused to snow but quite used to hurricanes and Nor'easters, let out early on Tuesday, before the first flakes even hit the sky. Last week, schools were closed for several days for just a few inches. Neel poo-pooed that decision until he saw the roads. Maybe people will remember Atlanta next time they think a school has jumped the gun. Better safe than sorry.

3. I think, much as I can handle being stuck at home, even I have my limits. We've decided to take Cal out for dinner tonight as a reward for what's been a big week (some good and some bad). As we were going through our options last night, Neel suggested Chinese take out. Uh, no. At this point, you can take me out.

4. I think one of my favorite tweets of the storm went something like this: "There's no worse smug than Northern weather smug." I'll amend that and generalize because, face it, everyone is guilty. There's no worse smug than weather smug. Yes, Northerners do that: "Your city shut down for 4 inches of snow?" But Southerners are just as guilty of, "You think this is hot? Try adding 20º and 100% humidity." And how many of you have had a Southern Californian ask, slyly "What's your weather like?" All the while, you both know full well that they're basking in 76º and sunshine while you're trudging to work in an icy sleet. No worse smug than weather smug.

5. I think, enough of weather! I want to tell you about my neighbor Molly. Molly, who is just turned one last month, was born with something called an Omphalocele (um-fal-uh-seel). With this congenital defect, the abdomial wall doesn't close in the first trimester and several organs protrude through the umbilical cord. The organs remain outside the abdomen in a sac. In Molly's case, she has what's known as a Giant O, meaning her liver, bowels, stomach and spleen are contained within her O. Omphaloceles are eventually repaired with surgery, and Molly will have hers within the next five years or so as her body grows.

I can't talk about Molly without talking about her amazing parents and especially her mom. Autumn and Cameron were barely pregnant when they became our neighbors, and Molly was only months old when Cam went to sea for a seven-month naval deployment. Because Autumn needed help with some of Molly's care (extra hands, mostly), many of us worked together to make sure she wasn't on her own when she needed help. We became friends over that time, and I've never met a stronger, more patient woman. I'm proud to call her my friend.

Molly faces many challenges, and right now her challenge is to wean her from her feeding tube. It's an exciting, exhausting time for their family, but they walk each day with grace.

Whew! That was a lot of information! All of it to say that today is Omphalocele Awareness Day. And today I'm wearing black and while to honor the bravest, sweetest baby and her special family. Even Neel's got a black sweater on (He vetoed my idea of tight white jeans to go with). I hope that by doing so and by writing this, I've brought some awareness to you too.

five things, february 7

five things, january 31