Every once in a while, it does a body (and mind) good to just take off and realign one’s inner compass. Everyone has their own place to find solace; mine is out in the wild.

When we arrived at Beech Mountain this morning, it was seven degrees. Fahrenheit. At two p.m. — even with the sun shining brilliantly — it was still just seven degrees.

The snow was so perfect that it squeaked with each footstep. It was uncrowded (being Monday, and really cold). And, being Ladies’ Day, it was FREE. (Woot!)

Southern Star, one of my two favorite slopes there, was vacant and untracked for most of the day… open for me to unleash the inner hooligan and tear screaming down the steeps with speed-crazed fury, skidding to a hockey stop at the bottom just to see how far I could throw snow.

My treacherous right knee, undoubtedly a victim of age, genetics, and years of abuse, performed like a champion. Actually, it feels better tonight than it did when I awakened this morning.

We weren’t completely irresponsible; during the three-hour drive each way, the lappy was cranking on our to-do lists for the week: ads to design and submit, updates to her website, forms and filing and accounts to balance, how to market the various properties she has listed. On the way home, we brainstormed better ways of doing the backoffice things to make the front office work better.

I’ve never been to a better staff meeting in my life.

Now, just how many of you who celebrated the Super Bowl with us last night really believed that we’d be up, ready, and on the road by 6 a.m.?

O ye of little faith.

Yeah, we were there.

Taking the day off today.

Bill Hobbs seems to have been the first to pick up on HB0136, which would introduce a whole new (non) standard of guilt for bloggers and website owners in the area of libel.

Tennessee State Rep. Rob Briley has filed legislation that could, if it becomes law, require bloggers and other website publishers and writers to remove within two days from their website any statement that someone alleges is defamatory – and if they fail to remove the statement within two days that failure will “create a presumption of malice intent.” The contested statement does not actually have to be defamatory for the web writer to be required to remove it or face that legal presumption of guilt.

Briley filed it by mistake, but it was actually Sen. Jamie Woodson (R-Knoxville) who thought this up, asking Briley to carry it in the House.

The City Paper has a good summary this morning; Kleinheider has a wrap up as well.

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Briley and Woodson are both lawyers; in my view, they should know better than to think up something with such a flimsy standard of proof as the mere fact that someone doesn’t like what is said about them.

Briley says that he’ll withdraw as sponsor today. I’m still waiting for Woodson’s explanation.

2 C nonfat dry milk

1 C sugar (I use Splenda instead)

1/2 C cocoa, unsweetened

1/2 C non-dairy creamer

1 dash of salt

Mix together, then sift. Store in a tightly-sealed container — a 1-qt canning jar fits just right. Three level tablespoons with hot water makes a perfect mug. For myself, a dash of peppermint schnapps tops it off perfectly.

Delta woke up at 5 for her shower, asking if it snowed.  She peeked outside, and saw white.

The next step, of course, was to turn on the TV and see if Oak Ridge is included in the list of closings.  We watched the news for about 40 minutes, hearing “Oak Ridge” a couple of times before we saw it included on the scroll… but yes, school is out for today.

When I got home from Monday’s school board meeting, I remember telling Hubby that we’d just guaranteed that there would be snow this year (I don’t think we’ve had a single snow day in several years) when we shortened the school year for the high school — because we cut it close on allowable snow days.  We still have a little wiggle room — about one more day’s worth — but for today, let’s be safe and enjoy it!