stupid snow

[MrHat]

Stupid Maryland ice storm making the trains all crazy.

Leave Without Pay Makes Andy a Sad Boy. 

[Sky]

Leave with pay makes me a happy boy. Supposed to get 1-2 feet today with more lake effect on the way from the air sucked in behind this system). It's already past my knees (not snowbanks, the actual cover level). I just bought skis last week, woohoo!

My gripe is that it messed up my valentine's plans, but adaptation should be cozy and fun anyway...and that almost everything I ordered for my new pc (and games) is on the UPS truck today...

[Sky]

I'm so bored now.

Being home with nothing to do is pretty entertaining, though. There is a definite good neighbor/bad neighbor split around here.

The good neighbors (self-inclusive!) have been out since just after dawn, shovelling and snowblowing out walks and driveways, laughing about the weather. We help each other out, shovel for the older folks. The bad neighbors would probably call the cops on us for trespassing if we tried to shovel their walk. Seriously.

The bad neighbors started creeping out of their dens around noon, profanities flying. One guy across the way (who was evicted) had his kid shovelling so he could back his minivan up to the door, while he swore at him the whole time. Now he's inside while the kid is breaking up bits of drywall, I guess they're destroying the interior of the house to spite someone.

The annoying bastards next door tried to back their car out of the driveway without shovelling first. Got stuck at the end. She then rousted two more of the indigenous mouthbreathers, her sister and she shovelled half-ass (around the door, not the car for whatever reason). Swearing the entire time (in front of kids). Then some other dude pops out onto the porch and starts cussing about how he called his workplace (!) and said he couldn't make it. Well, he's going to get fired. The boss told him to call a tow truck to get him out of the driveway. He called the boss a 'know-it-all asshole motherfucker with shit for brains' and then explained how he would get arrested if he rode his snowmobile down the middle of the road (?). He then hung up and watched the two women shovel. One woman had gloves on, the other was shovelling in her pajamas and a hoody with no gloves. The guy's like a bizarro Prince Charming.

So...keeps me entertained, but I'm still bored enough to make this post.

[Yegolev]

[Daeven]

The bad neighbors started creeping out of their dens around noon, profanities flying. One guy across the way (who was evicted) had his kid shovelling so he could back his minivan up to the door, while he swore at him the whole time. Now he's inside while the kid is breaking up bits of drywall, I guess they're destroying the interior of the house to spite someone.

The annoying bastards next door tried to back their car out of the driveway without shovelling first. Got stuck at the end. She then rousted two more of the indigenous mouthbreathers, her sister and she shovelled half-ass (around the door, not the car for whatever reason). Swearing the entire time (in front of kids). Then some other dude pops out onto the porch and starts cussing about how he called his workplace (!) and said he couldn't make it. Well, he's going to get fired. The boss told him to call a tow truck to get him out of the driveway. He called the boss a 'know-it-all asshole motherfucker with shit for brains' and then explained how he would get arrested if he rode his snowmobile down the middle of the road (?). He then hung up and watched the two women shovel. One woman had gloves on, the other was shovelling in her pajamas and a hoody with no gloves. The guy's like a bizarro Prince Charming.

So...keeps me entertained, but I'm still bored enough to make this post.

So what exactly is your GPS location? I'm certain we can get the forthcoming airstrike to mostly miss you...

[Strazos]

People in southern NJ is freaking out about the snow. Whatever. I drive a fucking Mustang, and I can make it to and from work without much trouble.

It's not my car I am worried about - it's the fucking idiots I have to share the road with, who are somehow too fucking busy to slow down, just because there's snow and ice all over the roads.

[Daeven]

Ha. You want Armageddon day? Drop a couple of snowflakes in Tucson or Phoenix. It's like winning the World Series, The Martians Invading and some bum with bad BO all rolled into one city wide pile of stupid. And then all the damn grey hairs try to go for a joyride out in it. I swear they call out the National Guard to help refugees to deal with post - traumatic snow exposure stress disorder.

[CmdrSlack]

So I dig my car out of the snow in order to go to the grocery store and get a few fixins for the ultimate Valentine's Day feast for me and the Mrs.  During this 30 minute process (hey, I don't drive that much, I have a bike), several cars pass by.  One in particular catches my eye.  Why?  Because it passed me three times.  When I get back from the store, that same car is parked in the spot that I carefully excavated.  Our mayor has stated his support for the "leave an object in the space and it's like you have golden chair" theory.  Personally, I'd rather not risk my nice camp chairs for that kind of shit.  I rely on the "if you see a dude digging his car out, don't park in teh spot like an utter cockmonger" theory. 

So I am now wondering, do I spell out "fuck you" on the windshield in chocolate sauce, pour water on/into the door locks, deflate all the tires, or jsut ignore it and drink more beer?

I normally live by a strict "don't fuck with another person's car" standard, but this asshole SAW ME DIGGING and stole the spot anyway.

[Strazos]

Bury some turds under a light layer of snow on the driver's side.

[Evangolis]

I generally try to avoid getting into pissing matches with total strangers.

Here in Chicago there is no reserving parking spaces, but Streets and San forgets that rule for a few days after a big snow, then they make an announcement about cleaning trash out of the street to let folks know it's back to business as usual.

Now, we just had about 10", which is an event, but a common one.  But it's time for the Mayoral election.  Now if you know Chicago politics, you know about the storm of 79, where the city was paralyzed for days, and crippled for months, with the result that Bilandic and the last of the Machine got tossed out, and Jane Byrne got elected.  So now Richie Daly is running for the fortieth time, and his only opposition is a couple of local reformers who have pretty much no chance, and war chest even smaller than that.   Meanwhile Daly has millions in campaign money, but he is taking no chances.  So the city has hit this snow like a holy crusade.  Not only are the trucks out overtime, but there are hundreds of city workers out shoveling intersections and bus stops.  And not little piddly crews, either.  The news had video tonight, and in one shot there were like 12 guys with shovels surrounding this one little snow pile, and going at it like there was gold buried underneath.  Had to laugh at that.

[SurfD]

So I dig my car out of the snow in order to go to the grocery store and get a few fixins for the ultimate Valentine's Day feast for me and the Mrs.  During this 30 minute process (hey, I don't drive that much, I have a bike), several cars pass by.  One in particular catches my eye.  Why?  Because it passed me three times.  When I get back from the store, that same car is parked in the spot that I carefully excavated.  Our mayor has stated his support for the "leave an object in the space and it's like you have golden chair" theory.  Personally, I'd rather not risk my nice camp chairs for that kind of shit.  I rely on the "if you see a dude digging his car out, don't park in teh spot like an utter cockmonger" theory. 

So I am now wondering, do I spell out "fuck you" on the windshield in chocolate sauce, pour water on/into the door locks, deflate all the tires, or jsut ignore it and drink more beer?

I normally live by a strict "don't fuck with another person's car" standard, but this asshole SAW ME DIGGING and stole the spot anyway.

In all honesty, if I was having a bad day, i would run a garden hose out to under his hood, and that fucker would have a block of ice filling up his entire engine block the next morning.

[Zephyr]

People in southern NJ is freaking out about the snow. Whatever. I drive a fucking Mustang, and I can make it to and from work without much trouble.

It's not my car I am worried about - it's the fucking idiots I have to share the road with, who are somehow too fucking busy to slow down, just because there's snow and ice all over the roads.

We got almost no snow in Central Jersey, all freezing rain really on top of about an inch of snow.  It wouldn't be too bad if I didn't live at the bottom of a valley along the Raritan with a road at about a 10% slope out to Rt. 1.  I know its time to call out of work when I walk the dog in the morning and there is a pileup at the bottom of the hill from people stalling out about halfway up.

[Jimbo]

Just finished 4 nights in a row of charge nurse duty in the emergency department.  We ended up with about a foot of snow and about 6 inches of ice, and when I was coming in to work at 630 pm in near white out conditions, thinking damn I hope most of my crew makes it in, and hoping that people would stay the fuck home instead of coming in with a tooth ache they have had for fucking 2 months.  Of course I was proved wrong...luckily all my staff made it safe and sound to work, unfortunately we were the only unit that had all the staff that was scheduled, so we ended up taking patients and keeping them in the ER instead of sending them upstairs, so we filled up the ER, and then moved them to hallways, and people were still coming in...hell, they declared a state of emergency from 0000 to 0800 and said stay the fuck home, but people are coming in with all kinds of stupid shit.  But then again if there wasn't stupid people I wouldn't have a job.

So anyway, ended up with the small staff we had, juggling the admitted patients and all the crap they have to have done when admitted (which I don't fucking do...I'm from the EMS side then went nursing, so I've never worked the floor), plus trying to keep all the new patients checked in, worked up, treated, and released or admitted to wherever they can go...plus since they think ER doesn't need relief, so we end up working threw the night without breaks or lunch...well after 13 hours we were pretty freaking beat.  And it just wasn't us, the police, ambulance, fire dept, and highway dept were working all threw the night, but sometimes even after we think we have seen it all, something else comes along and tops it all.  I love working in emergency medicine, but it seems 95% of the time I'm just running a 24 hour doctors office and only get to shine for 5% of the time when a true emergency rolls in...

At least I have three days off and get to take my 11 year old snowboarding this weekend and get to drink some beer eventually :D

[Signe]

Our car is warm and comfy in the garage and will stay there until the roads are nice and dry.  I also get to watch the grocery delivery man slide back and forth from his truck to our door on the ice on top of the snow no one has shoveled away.  If it snows some more today, I might order pizza delivered tonight.     Sometimes even the icky bits of life have rewards.

[SnakeCharmer]

Just one of the many reasons why I love the South, although this 68 and sunny on Tuesday and 30 and dreary on Thursday is getting a bit fooking old.

[CmdrSlack]

Here in Chicago there is no reserving parking spaces

See, I also live in Chicago (and not that far from you if I recall correctly from when I filled out Raph's reader map thinger a year or so ago), and I believe what you're saying, but apparently Richie boy doesn't agree. 

Mayor Richard Daley said last winter, "If someone spends all their time digging their car out, do not drive into that spot. This is Chicago. Fair warning."

Source 

It's not the best source, but the best I could do with a few minutes of Google-fu.  I normally don't care about people taking my spot, even if I have spent time digging my car out.  This guy literally circled the block until he could get my spot.  I ended up just thinking really mean thoughts about him while working late and drinking beer.  But man did I give him a stern thinking at!

Just one of the many reasons why I love the South, although this 68 and sunny on Tuesday and 30 and dreary on Thursday is getting a bit fooking old.

Even more "getting old" is the way you guys flip out when there's supposed to be a bit of ice or snow falling.  You'd think it was armageddon.  I realize that there's no real point for a city like Birmingham to stockpile salt for years and years just in case it happens to ice over one day in January, but there's really no need to empty out the shelves at Food World or Bruno's because the roads may be a bit slippery for a day or two.  Society will not become like the Road Warrior On Ice overnight. The Canuckistanian hordes will not skate down from the frozen northern wastes and bugger your women with hockey sticks. 

The only upshot to the Southern ice freakout is that I made a ton of cash ferrying people around the one year it snowed during college and Tuscaloosa was shut down for three days.  An ice storm protip:  beer and cigarettes probably won't increase your survival rate in zomg arctic conditions. 

[HaemishM]

I'm from the South, and I love snow. I just hate the cold, or I'd be envious of some of you northern Nanook motherfuckers.

[Sky]

I love the cold. I have a slight genetic predisposition (viking blood), and a lot of environmental predisposition. Throw in a dash of preparedness (wear the proper clothes, wicking unders and wool overs ftw) and cold is no big deal. I wish I had Inuit blood mixed in, those guys are amazing in the cold.

[WayAbvPar]

I would rather live in a blizzard for 365 days a year than the South 

[SnakeCharmer]

Even more "getting old" is the way you guys flip out when there's supposed to be a bit of ice or snow falling.  You'd think it was armageddon.  I realize that there's no real point for a city like Birmingham to stockpile salt for years and years just in case it happens to ice over one day in January, but there's really no need to empty out the shelves at Food World or Bruno's because the roads may be a bit slippery for a day or two.  Society will not become like the Road Warrior On Ice overnight. The Canuckistanian hordes will not skate down from the frozen northern wastes and bugger your women with hockey sticks. 

The only upshot to the Southern ice freakout is that I made a ton of cash ferrying people around the one year it snowed during college and Tuscaloosa was shut down for three days.  An ice storm protip:  beer and cigarettes probably won't increase your survival rate in zomg arctic conditions. 

People can't drive here when it rains, you really think they can deal with snow? 

Hell, people can't drive ANYWHERE, but that's beside the point....

We don't prepare for snow/ice because it rarely happens.

The last time it really really snowed was about '93 or so, when that freakish snowstorm swept through the South in freaking April.  I think it dumped about 3-4 feet at my parents house, and everything was shutdown for a couple weeks because the utilities couldnt handle it - they just aren't designed for that sort of thing.

Yeah, the first time a weatherman says 'We're expecting some snow flurries, possibly some freezing rain, so be prepared', the doomsday people buy up all the $3000 generators, snow shovels, and empty out the nonperishables at the grocery store.  It's pretty comical.

I would rather live in a blizzard for 365 days a year than the South

I'd rather you live in a blizzard as well :D

[eldaec]

 :-D http://breckenridge.snow.com/mtn.conditions.asp :-D

Vacation minus 22 hours and counting.

Fuck yeah.

[HaemishM]

I would rather live in a blizzard for 365 days a year than the South 

You know, folks think the South is warm and shit, that they have moderate winters because our temperatures rarely dip below freezing. But that's not the case. It gets FUCKING COLD here, cold enough to break pieces off of me. And it isn't because of the temperature, oh no. It's the fucking humidity. I'm telling you, a 10 mph wind blowing at 70% humidity when the temperature is 36F is fucking brutal as any 5 degree weather with zero humidity. And we get the added bonus of slingshot temps that hit 30 one day and 70 the next, driving everyone's sinuses to shit.

Sometimes I wonder why the fuck I still live here. But then, I'm sure most you wonder that as well.

[CmdrSlack]

I'll take humid cold over dry cold though.  I prefer NOT being zapped all to shit whenever I touch anything.

[Sky]

Gotta admit cold + dry + kitty = funny. The crazy static fur, and every time they try to get some lovin' from you, they get electroshock! Poor kitties. 

[CmdrSlack]

Gotta admit cold + dry + kitty = funny. The crazy static fur, and every time they try to get some lovin' from you, they get electroshock! Poor kitties. 

Yeah, but I get shocked too.  And that's nowhere near as funny to me. 

[HaemishM]

Shit, even with the humid cold, I still get shocked by my big dog when petting her.

[WayAbvPar]

It gets FUCKING COLD here, cold enough to break pieces off of me.

You need some fat on you, boy! I can outline a plan of gorging and non-exercise that should have you comfortably over 200 pounds by the end of the year. There is one key to my program that I can share with non-subscribers- EAT WHEN YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY. Bored? Have a snack! Lonely? Order a pizza! If you can do this, coupled with intake of vast volumes of nice calorie-filled alcohol, you should have a non-shapely body in mere weeks.

[Llava]

I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT SNOW.

IT IS APPROXIMATELY 70 DEGREES WHERE I LIVE RIGHT NOW.

THIS THREAD EXLUDES ME.

AND YET, I FEEL VICTORIOUS.

CAPSLOCK MAKES THINGS FUNNY.

[Yegolev]

I'll take humid cold over dry cold though.

After spending a weekend in Chicago... uh Jan 27 I think... I agree.  In my case, though, it's because I dried out like a beached jellyfish.  Ten percent humidity just isn't right, especially if it's 8 degrees.  I spent lots of time in the shower.

About that guy who took your spot, I am very partial to water in the keyholes.  Subtle, but makes your point.

[HaemishM]

Fuck it was 21F when I woke up this morning. And no fucking snow. That just ain't right.

[CmdrSlack]

Fuck it was 21F when I woke up this morning. And no fucking snow. That just ain't right.

I fell asleep working on stuff last night, woke up at about 5AM and the early morning news was on.  I believe that the weatherman said it was -20 outside with the windchill.  I went back to bed.

ETA -- We have plenty of snow.  It does not make the arctic cold any better.

[Sky]

Still going, lake effect piling on top of the 26" we got yesterday. Got at least 6 more inches last night and still falling. Woohoo!

[CmdrSlack]

Dang man, that reminds me of when I ran a motel in Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis.  I spent the winter watching this sad little evergreen get progressively buried until it was just a tiny sprig of branch poking out of a massive snowbank.  That was when I decided it was high time to get teh hell out of Minnesota. The fact that running the motel sucked ass helped that decision along as well.

[Signe]

While it was snowing the other day, there were kids all over the place, sledding.  We live on a big hill, on a golf course, and it really did look like good fun.  It's been so cold, though, that since then everything has frozen solid.  The amount of kids around has lessened to a large degree but, now and then, some still wander up to sled down the hills.  Then they disappear.  I have a feeling they've all been impaled by huge chunks of ice and are piled up at the bottom of the hill, where I can't see anymore.  I haven't seen any kids today even though schools are closed for the most part.  Maybe this area has run out. 

[Yegolev]

We live on a big hill, on a golf course,

Hmmm.  How are your stocks of men to sit behind vodka bottles?  Also: do you pay well?