No Smoking at the Gym

I finally decided that today I would start going to the fitness center again to get some exercise. It has been a long time since I have had time to go, so it will be good for me to get back to some sort of exercise routine. On the way into the parking lot I noticed the most interesting sign. It was set up to inform everyone that the facility was now a SMOKE FREE environment. That's right, we can no longer smoke a pack on the treadmill or enjoy a fine cigar while pumping iron. I can't help but wonder what the patients at the cardiovascular rehab clinic will do without their smoke breaks between laps around the track. I guess they'll have to start handing out pieces of nicotine gum with the locker keys.

Another Icy Day

Well, I'm home again due to bad weather. This morning I got up and looked outside and saw white streets and sidewalks. So I got on the internet to see if I had school/work today. There were no indications that we would be closed so I got ready and headed out on the ice covered roads. As it turns out, nearly every school system in north Texas was closed... with the exception of the Dallas ISD. I arrived at school after a longer than usual commute and went to the cafe to get my morning cup of coffee and found out that we were not opening until 10:00. Not long after that we got the news that the campus was closed and classes were canceled. I spent the next hour hanging out in the cafe talking to Dan Wallace (who had come in for coffee) and a fellow student. Dr. Bramer (another one of my profs) joined us for a few minutes. We had a good time talking over coffee. After that I headed back home on the slushy, icy streets. When I got home the ice was caked on my car pretty thick. The ice in the fenders was touching the tires (see the picture). I'm glad I'm home instead of dreading the frozen mess this afternoon. The temps are going to stay below freezing today so the roads are not going to get much better today.

Free Long Weekend

When I went to bed last night I was fully expecting to get up and go to work this morning. Before turning in for the night, I checked the DTS web site and all indications were that we would be open. However when I woke up this morning, I could hear some kind of precipitation falling outside. It was still dark out so I couldn't really see what it looked like outside, but I did not see any white. I checked back on the DTS web site and found the message that we were indeed closed today. So here I am at home with an unexpected (but welcome) 3 day weekend. Apparently the ice is bad enough on the roads that it is better to not get out, so I appreciate being able to stay in today. Besides, it's cold out there. Right now at 11:25 AM it is 26 degrees outside.

Today I'm taking advantage of my extra time by working on my thesis work and doing some reading. I have a new goal of reading from my Greek New Testament every day. I'm working my way through Revelation right now. Hopefully I'll be able to stick to it once school starts.