You big babies!

Ok, so it snowed last night and all morning. Depending on where you are in the Chicagoland area, you received between 8 and 12 inches altogether. It happens. It is winter in Chicago, after all.

Literally 2/3 of the office called in "snowed in." There was so much hysteria about the white stuff that management decided to let us all work from home. The thing of it is, though, they shared that information with us via office email. Which means if, like me, you don't have a Blackberry, you had to come into the office to find out it was virtually closed.

I arrived at work late of course. Not because of the snow, but because I had a hard time tearing myself away from truTV coverage of the Julie Jensen Murder Trial. So I get to work at my usual 9:45 to see my boss standing in the hall near my office, smiling. "We don't have to be here today," he said.

Because we stout-hearted marketers had the agency nearly to ourselves, we got a ton done without interruption and hassle and I left, feeling quite satisfied with myself, at about 1:15. Spent my free afternoon being oh-so productive: watching TV, watching snow, and eating Cheese Nips … and feeling proud of myself for the pioneer woman toughness it took to walk two blocks down a ploughed street, stand on a covered el platform, and board a heated train. Yep, I'm tough as they come.

And then there were two

Tonight's CNN debate was civil and focused and once again I was pleased with both my choices. I lean toward Obama because he thinks bigger -- an intellectual with a vision for his country. Hillary sounds like a talented, dedicated bureaucrat -- and after watching George W. Bush bungle Katrina, I certainly don't think a talented, dedicated bureaucrat would be a bad person to have in the White House. Still, when faced with our weakened position in the global community, an inequitable economy and healthcare system and the prospect of Supreme Court appointments that will have an impact on my civil liberties and every woman's right to choose, I think Obama is who my country needs right now. (Also, I worry about the irrational hatred many Conservatives have for Hillary, and how that might help them rally around and support a candidate they may not be enthusiasic about otherwise.)

But what I missed while watching the intellectual with vision debate the talented, dedicated bureaucrat was passion. A scrappy and uncompromising insistence on reminding that our fellow Americans are suffering, and that we as citizens we are responsible to one another. I missed John Edwards.

Friday's Feast #29

Appetizer

What is your favorite kind of cereal? Post Great Grains

Soup
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go? A really sturdy and powerful flashlight that went into the linen closet

Salad
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen? I always laugh at the Bill and Karolyn Slowski, the Comcast turtles.

Main Course
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey). Fennel Feline.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I haven’t washed my livingroom curtains since I don't know when. (Don't judge me too harshly; they're such a drag to take down and rehang.)

If you have questions, or to whip up your own feast, visit fridaysfeast.com