Video captures fire truck driving through deep floodwaters in Boston as a major winter storm flooded streets with icy water. https://t.co/vHCpmHVieh pic.twitter.com/jXLKQvQuAT
— ABC News (@ABC) January 4, 2018
The more I read about this week’s ‘Winter Story Grayson’, the more I realize how lightly my household got off (so far). We’re far enough away from the coastline, and elevated enough, not to worry about flooding. No limbs came down (the last couple years have done some rigorous pruning), no transformers blew out (the major one down the street was replaced just a week ago!). Our Snowplow Guy showed up in good time to prevent driveway ice berms. And a couple preliminary snowstorms convinced the Spousal Unit to replace our little electric snowblower before all the hardware stores ran out…
How much damage did Grayson wreak in your neighborhood?
West Coasters, feel free to chip in with your own tales of weather woes — firestorms and mudslides are no laughing matter. Not to mention, from the Washington Post:
… On Friday, ahead of the heat wave predicted for the weekend, police in Victoria on Australia’s southeastern coast warned drivers that a six-mile stretch of a freeway in the central part of the state has melted. A spokeswoman for VicRoads, which manages Victoria’s road systems, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that hot weather caused the asphalt to become “soft and sticky” and the road surface to bleed…
Paul Holman, an ambulance commander in Victoria, said that Saturday was “the first extreme heat day of the year.”
“This heat is a killer. It’s going to be like a blast furnace tomorrow, and you need to adjust what you do,” he told local media on Friday. “You need to take care. So put off the sporting events, put off the outside events, stay inside.”…
***********
From a different Washington Post article, “The ‘bomb cyclone’ by the numbers: Here’s how much snow, wind and flooding it unleashed”:
Wednesday and Thursday’s blockbuster ocean storm, or “bomb cyclone,” plastered the East Coast with blinding snow and stinging winds. From North Carolina to Maine, numerous locations witnessed double-digit snowfall totals while winds gusted 50 to 80 mph. The storm will also be remembered for the enormous amount of ocean water it pushed ashore, causing near-record high tides and major flooding in eastern New England.
The storm managed to generate all of these impacts because it intensified so fast. Meteorologists measure a storm’s rate of strengthening by monitoring its pressure; the faster the pressure falls and the lower it sinks, the stronger the storm becomes. A storm whose pressure falls 24 millibars in 24 hours is classified as a bomb cyclone. This storm’s pressure fell at more than twice that rate: 59 millibars in 24 hours, which put it into the upper echelon of the most explosive East Coast storms ever observed.…
The storm not only produced knee-deep snow from North Carolina to Maine, but also some historically significant amounts in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina…
As the storm rapidly strengthened Thursday, winds roared, reaching 50 to 80 mph along the coast in the Northeast, and up to 100+ mph in Nova Scotia…
Like a hurricane storm surge, the storm’s enormous circulation and winds pushed a large amount of seawater inland.
Boston set its highest water level on record, narrowly exceeding the level reached during the blizzard of 1978, the National Weather Service said…
Off the coast of Nova Scotia, all the water stirred up by the storm created waves measuring over 50 feet!…
Tied for SECOND COLDEST ON EARTH this morning! #cold #bitter #winter pic.twitter.com/5jO84WmKq9
— MWObservatory (@MWObs) January 6, 2018
(Masshole solidarity requires I point out that Mt. Washington is the most New Hamster attraction ever… it’s flinty, inaccessible, and required no initial capital outlay from the natives.)
OzarkHillbilly
Here in the hills and hollers we’re supposed to get freezing rain today. Finally made it into the 20s yesterday. 57 by Wednesday. Then winter returns next wkend.
Ruckus
How do you really feel?
Ruckus
@OzarkHillbilly:
Out here in sunny southern CA we are supposed to get rain next week. 3 days worth! With flash floods possible. High Tuesday is supposed to be 59.
OzarkHillbilly
@Ruckus: Stay away from the burned areas.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone ???
Phylllis
We missed three days of school due to about an inch and a half of snow on Wednesday. The real problem was that it had been so cold here that we didn’t have the typical southern snow storm where it snows, it’s pretty and fluffy, and ten minutes later the sun comes out and it melts. It has been so cold here the snow stuck and left us with icy roads that emergency management didn’t want us operating the buses on. Wednesday was supposed to be a make-up day for Hurricane Irma, so now we’re still three weather days in the hole. The kids have been out for 21 days straight now with the winter break.
Betty Cracker
Looks like our Iguana Monsoon will end this week. High today is only 67, but we’re back in the mid-70s starting tomorrow!
Elizabelle
Stay safe and warm, east coasters. What a beginning to 2018.
At least that nice Michael Wolff has provided you all with plenty of reading material and fireworks. Maintain your popcorn stocks.
TS
High in the Western Sydney area (NSW, Australia) was a new record high today – 47C, – 116F
Elizabelle
@Betty Cracker:
#iguanalivesmatter
Personally, I prefer sea turtles too.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@OzarkHillbilly: They’ve already got the K-rails in place.
Elizabelle
WRT iguanas: I wonder if unsuspecting Floridians are going to be exposed to some dubious forms of “chicken” dishes in the coming days.
Phylllis
@Betty Cracker: We’re expecting mid-70’s towards the end of the week, then a bit colder again. Not this deep freeze we’ve been in though. Pitchers & catchers report in 38 days, so there’s that to look forward to.
OzarkHillbilly
@Elizabelle: “First thing we do, let’s kill all the iguanas.”
Betty Cracker
@Elizabelle: From what I understand, the iguanas don’t need rescuing anyway. Once it warms up, they’ll revive. (I know this second-hand — I’m in West Central FL, and iguanas aren’t a thing here like they are in South FL.)
Elizabelle
@Betty Cracker: Yes. Wishing the iguanas soft landings.
Burmese pythons, not so much. Those suckers Do. Not. Belong. Save the mammals.
Dog Dawg Damn
Your Good Morning is my Good Evening, but wanted to repost these hilarious lyrics about our “Very Stable Genius” (set to the tune of Modern Major General):
I am the very model of a Very Stable Genius.
I have a mighty button and no problems with my penius.
I have no time for television, golf, or social media
Since my brain is way way better than the best encyclopedia.
I like to tweet the lies of racist grievances historical
When Russian ties are mentioned I deny them categorical
I do not feel the sting of words because I am avenious
I am the very model of a Very Stable Genius!
I’m cutting tax, I’ll build a wall, I’ll take away their medicare
You can trust me ‘cos I’m orange and I have the most amazing hair.
So with my total ignorance of matters heterogeneous
I am the very model of a Very Stable Genius!
Compared to other leaders, my behavior’s quite unusual
My twisted tweets and pissed-on sheets have managed to amuse you all
I have to drink two-handed ‘cause my fingers are the teeniest
I need a sippy-cup with the inscription “Stable Genius.”
Lots more where that came from over at:
https://twitter.com/huntthesnark/status/949640355615473666
OzarkHillbilly
@Elizabelle:
Neither do the iguanas. Invasive species of all types are detrimental to our natural ecosystems.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
Ironically, The Gorilla Channel just had a big segment on “Fire and Fury” (photo)
Elizabelle
@OzarkHillbilly: Very true. The iguanas have a better press agent. Cuteness helps.
ETA: yeah, I get that iguanas are “cute” in the manner of moles and groundhogs that tear through your yard …
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Elizabelle: They’re cuter than the python. It’s enough.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@TS: yikes. Aussie Open starts next Sunday – hope my home girls don’t pass out.
OzarkHillbilly
@Elizabelle: Cuteness has done more damage over the eons than ugly ever had a chance to.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@rikyrah: ? ?
Raven
Ugh, worst night so far. The expectorant didn’t do shit but keep me awake and, when I finally got to sleep, my brother butt dialed me from his Floyd concert in Pasadena!
TS
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: There is a tournament on there this week – hopefully will be cooler by next weekend.
Immanentize
I am back from a week (plus) in Texas with my grieving Father and Brother in Laws. Ugh. And the weather sucked there too. The Immp and I are back in the Boston frigid cold (-5° right now) and happy to be here. Robotics qualifier all day today. Go Brainstormers!!
gkoutnik
Upstate NY here. Three days straight with temps not rising above zero, and breezy. On the same day, roads melting in Australia. In both cases, stern warnings to stay inside. Somehow, this too is becoming normalized.
BTW – my new favorite job title: “Ambulance commander.” A magnificent professional designation that he no doubt deserves.
Elizabelle
@Immanentize: My condolences. Did your mom or stepmom pass?
Glad the Immp has robotics all day. We are going to need that kind of ingenuity.
Major Major Major Major
Beautiful day in Portugal though.
Off to London in a few for an overnight layover.
?BillinGlendaleCA
The rain here should start late Monday morning and last until Wednesday. We expect 2 to 3 inches here in Glendale, however they may get 3 to 6 inches in some of the foothills especially in Ventura and Santa Barbara where the Thomas Fire is actually still burning. The good news is that this will finally put the fire out, the bad news is if the the rain comes down at a rate of over 1/2 inch an hour the hills will flow to the coast.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Major Major Major Major: Next time you’re in London you should take the tour of the Tower Bridge, quite cool to see it’s inner workings.
Karen Potter
It is only -6 F but the wind 20 some mph gives a brisk -33 F wind chill; some time today need to get SUV dug out since have to make a bank run; this is part of winter I hate, no longer own an arctic jacket may need to think about getting another one if this is going to be winters from now on
satby
@rikyrah: Good morning ?!
It’s already at yesterday’s high temperature of 12°, and we’re on the way to finally break above freezing tomorrow. Still lots of snow on the ground and packed icy roads, with another up to 3 inches expected overnight. Having lived through multiple “big snows” in Chicago, I decided I prefer one huge storm to clean up after rather than 3 inches a day for more than a week. Though if it had ever gotten above 12° some of this might have melted instead of continuously burying things.
JMG
Here in a western suburb of Boston we got a foot or so of snow, and it’s been below zero at night so many days I’ve lost track, but we haven’t yet lost power, as far as is known the pipes are unfrozen, and the car has started each morning so far (haven’t tried yet this morning), But the same feeling I get each winter is starting to grow more powerful, to wit, I am too old for this crap.
satby
@Karen Potter: I haven’t had a arctic kind of jacket in decades. Multiple layers of microfleece (sometimes called Polar fleece) has been more than adequate in even polar vortex weather. Try a vest under your current jacket.
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
Ohio Mom
@Elizabelle: Mrs. Immanentize had f-you cancer, Mr. I and Immp Jr are still finding their footing in their new life without her.
Elizabelle
@satby: I love my lightly padded vest. Wear it constantly; it’s great for being able to get by with a lighter sweatercoat.
Of course, we are not speaking of frigid Indiana. But vests are great. And mine has pockets.
PS: a friend has been putting up photos of Lake Michigan, as seen from Holland, MI, I guess. Wow.
Elizabelle
@Ohio Mom: Thanks, I do remember Mrs. Imm (Julie)’s passing; tragically young. But was wondering if the family had suffered another loss. Enough, 2017.
magurakurin
Okay, who in the fuck is Logan Paul? I just found this shit and it is real bad. Here he is running amok in Japan taking advantage of people’s good nature and kindness to visitors. Pretty much any other country in the world he gets curb stomped for acting like this. But it turns out the dude’s trip to Japan was much, much worse. He went to the infamous Suicide Forest and made a video of poor person who had hung themselves. That video is truly foul, but this report explains the awfulness quite well. This is some fucked up shit. If he continues this medicine show globally, dude is gonna get a major beat down somewhere.
Ohio Mom
It is warming up here in southwest Ohio so I can have no weather complaints. Plenty of other complaints on a wide range of topics but I’ll manage.
satby
@Elizabelle: Yes, I believe it was young Immp’s grandmother, Julie’s mom, who recently passed away too.
@Immanentize: go Brainstormers!
Edit, hate when fixing a typo makes it worse.
satby
@Ohio Mom: how’s Ohio Dad doing?
Major Major Major Major
@magurakurin: he is a YouTube celebrity, which means he got famous for being annoying (and amusing to 14-year-old boys and their emotional equivalents). He is acting exactly as one might expect.
magurakurin
@Major Major Major Major: dude is an embarrassment.
Major Major Major Major
@magurakurin: every system gets precisely the results it is designed to; the kind of person who becomes YouTube famous is no exception.
ThresherK
@magurakurin: But is he anything near Rand Paul in the “Worst Surnamed Paul Sweepstakes”?
I will ask some of my younger friends if there are any YouTube celebrities who aren’t total jagoffs. I’ve heard of perhaps two, each when they defamed themselves.
(PS PewDeePie–and I won’t check the spelling–is the other.)
(PPS If you’re looking to buy a car, a guy named Alex on Autos is good. But I don’t think that’s what “celebrity” means in the YouTube world.)
magurakurin
@Major Major Major Major: it’s really a thing, too, isn’t it. I teach at a nursery school here once a week. The kids are 4,5, and 6 years old. The other day one of the little guys, Taiki, told me (in Japanese) he wanted to be a youtuber when he grew up. Blew me away.
Major Major Major Major
@ThresherK: even PewDiePie is making fun of this guy.
ETA there’s a German guy, I forget his name, who’s interesting. Most of the non asshole ones are interesting because of the knowledge they impart, not their personality (such as it is)
Ohio Mom
@satby: Ohio Dad’s recovery precedes apace. It’s been a month now.
He still needs an afternoon nap but is back to driving, though only for short jaunts — turning the wheel pulls on his chest incision and makes it sore. He should be back to work part-time before the end of the month.
Ohio Dad interviewed two other heart surgeons before finding the one he went with. This one specializes in minimally-invasive valve replacement. Instead of cutting the sternum, he makes a four inch incision between two ribs and somehow manages in that tight space.
The surgery itself took extra time but the recovery is so much easier than getting over a cut sternum. I don’t wish valve replacement on anyone but if you have to, this is the way to go.
File this under, things I could have done just fine without ever having to learn about.
Baud
@magurakurin: So you’re saying he could be president.
Steeplejack (phone)
Currently 6° in my corner of NoVA. HVAC whooshing away. I do not have cream for coffee. I do not drink coffee without cream. Also, I did not win the Powerball last night. The day is off to a disappointing start. I will continue to lie in bed and contemplate the situation.
magurakurin
@ThresherK: I know one cat in New Jersey, Wavy Gravy, I don’t know if he is really famous though. He’s a surfer and he takes videos of various surf trips. It’s kind of entertaining, and he is a goof, but he just goofs in the water. He’s a pretty good surfer and he’s surfed in some really strange places. But the whole thing is mostly alien to me.
Immanentize
@Elizabelle:
Oh, about a month after my wife died, my MiL died — also of stomach cancer. Dr. Obvious determined it was genetic!
My FiL is just not equipped for the double loss of his daughter, then his wife.
magurakurin
@Baud: apparently, yes, that’s where we are today. fucked country. I guess it just pissed me off because I’ve been here long enough that I could tell that even though the Japanese people didn’t really say anything, the looks on their faces showed that they were really, really offended. Faces speak volumes here.
magurakurin
and the cold back home seems just frightful. 50 degrees and partly sunny here today on my exile island.
Major Major Major Major
@magurakurin: the Wavy Gravy?
Steeplejack (phone)
Don’t make “Grayson” a thing. Stupid Weather Channel.
Baud
@magurakurin: I just learned of this Paul guy too, and it is offensive. Wouldn’t mind him seeing some Japanese prison time.
Karen Potter
@satby: I have a heavy wool sweater, thermal shirt and am seriously thinking am too old for shoveling out; I know layers; first Wisconsin and now Maine; it isn’t just the cold but the wind and having to be out when I would rather not. Friend needs money overseas and needs to get home soonest or else would send on line rather than going to bank
magurakurin
@Major Major Major Major: I don’t know. Is that a person? I only found it because the youtube algorithm puts surf videos in my feed because I watch surf videos.
Major Major Major Major
@magurakurin: he’s a famous hippie, first result when you google the name too.
magurakurin
@Baud: you know, he was lucky. The Yakuza is real. And they hate shit like that. They hate foreigners, actually. Virulent fascistic nationalism still has its proponents here. I know one Aussie bloke that was standing outside a bar late one night in a red light district here…a “nomigai” or drinking street. He popped his foot up on the hood of a car to show his friend a stretch…he’s a triathlete…he was also quite drunk. Turned out it was a gangsters car and the Yakuza guy had just come out of the bar with two underlings. The gangster was pissed, but instead of apologizing profusely and begging for mercy the Aussie bloke told the gangster to piss off. The underlings wrestled him to the ground and held him why the gangster stomped with his boots. I saw the guy about two weeks after it had happened and one eye was still black and swollen shut. They beat the ever loving crap out of him. Logan Paul should watch his step.
magurakurin
@Major Major Major Major: lol. Okay, yeah, I remember that name…I’m old, but I missed that generation by a decade. No, it’s not the Wavy Gravy.
Elizabelle
@Immanentize: I am so sorry about that. What a terrible year it was for all of you.
Immanentize
@Elizabelle: Yes, it was the year of shit. We are certainly hoping for better things this year. And on that topic, one positive about our trip to Texas (extended two days because of bombogenesis) was my son went on his first college campus visit at Rice University. What a cool school.
ThresherK
@magurakurin: But he’s a pretty good surfer, first. Surely he wouldn’t have a following if he were Captain Wipeout (All rights reserved).
PS Tangent to the things which used to seem like an avocation which people make money doing, now. Remember this Far Side cartoon? E-gaming is a real thing now, and kids (well, folks younger than me) do it and follow it and pay to see it and make money at it.
Seems more legit that Vince McMahon’s “Let’s revive the XFL” gambit.
ETA: Ben Gravy–got it. And as a native Nutmegger, I can’t imagine surfing in my state is anything except boring. Long Island Sound may have incredible hazards for ships, but it doesn’t have surf.
magurakurin
@magurakurin: okay, I’m a twit. That old hippie’s name must have been etched into my mind more than I realized. The Jersey surfer’s name is Ben Gravy…doh. an example Surfing in Conn. probably only of interest to a bored surfer.
ThresherK
@Immanentize: Our thoughts go out to you and yours.
debbie
@OzarkHillbilly:
Nothing but double-digit temperatures for the next 10 days! It’s a miracle!
debbie
@Karen Potter:
I got a coat that keeps me warm to –35 degrees a few years ago when the polar vortexes first became a thing. It’s the smartest thing I’ve done in many years.
danielx
@Dog Dawg Damn:
Most excellent.
geg6
It is currently minus five degrees with wind chill making it feel like minus twenty. This sucks after two weeks of this crap. Supposed to climb to mid-twenties this afternoon. Heat wave!
Immanentize
@ThresherK: Thanks. The Immp and I are doing OK. Especially the Immp. He has amazing smarts (his Mom’s Genetic contribution), a good if sometimes delayed work ethic, friends, and dark humor — all qualities that are helping to carry him through. And I have him. And we both have our indispensable cat. ?
Raven
@magurakurin: that “hippie” is Hugh Romney.
Spanky
Greetings from balmy Southern Maryland! The reported temps are +8, but the trusted thermometer on the protected porch tells me it’s -5. All Fahrenheit, of course. Shockingly, the Patuxent still has a channel of open water on the western (wind protected) side. Makes the ducks & geese happy.
Best wishes to you more northern jackals. We only got about 4″-5″ of very dry snow, which immediately drifted in the 30 mph wind. Our power held, which is nice when it’s below freezing and you’re on a well.
debbie
@Immanentize:
My niece is in her senior year at SMU. I think she intends to spend the rest of her life there (not studying; working, but somehow managing to live on campus into her dotage).
danielx
14 degrees here, it’s warming up…just in time for rain/snow mix this evening. Maybe the refrigerator in the garage will start working again.
Lapassionara
@Immanentize: Rice is great.
germy
Washington Post:
I read decades of Woody Allen’s private notes. He’s obsessed with teenage girls.
satby
@Karen Potter: I don’t wear wool anymore, though I used to. I have a beautiful Icelandic poncho I can’t bear to part with. For me, the microfleece just seems to keep me warmer. It’s pretty impervious to wind too.
debbie
@germy:
Considering the rigor of #MeToo, I’m surprised he hasn’t been run out of town permanently. I’m sorry I ever liked his films.
germy
@debbie:
At some point, if the criticism becomes too annoying, I suspect he’ll just leave on his own terms. Restrict himself to writing Shouts and Murmurs for the newyorker or something.
Betty Cracker
@Steeplejack (phone): Hubby and I were making fun of this new storm-naming trend the other day. I guess the Weather Channel had to find some way to expand lucrative hurricane marketing strategies to non-tropical weather systems. Too impatient to wait for climate change to expand the reach of actual hurricanes, I reckon.
debbie
@Karen Potter:
An LLBean email says they’re having a sale on winter outerwear, up to 50% off. Stock up on layers!
magurakurin
@Raven: reading that, it’s probably the ice cream that was in my head. He sounds like a stand up guy.
JPL
@Immanentize: Your strength, courage and love amaze me. Have you and little imm planned your trip yet?
Baud
@germy: I’m shocked.
HeleninEire
@Immanentize: So glad you and Immp are doing relatively well. And good on him. I lost my mother when I was 12. It’s tough. (Yeah, that’s the understatement of the world.)
Cheers to you both.
MomSense
@Immanentize:
Go Brainstormers!
Raven
I wear one of these coats, the same I had in Korea 50 years ago. https://www.flickr.com/gp/ravenillini/319bm4
Raven
@magurakurin: Yea, always trying to make things better.
chris
Yeah, we got hit pretty hard in Nova Scotia.
But we didn’t get the snow. It was interesting to watch the “eye” of the storm move up the coast. Around midnight it was just off Fundy and Maine was getting hammered by west wind and snow. On the other side of that eye the wind was southeast, the rain had stopped and I was out with Bert. The snow was all gone, the ground was soft and I was wearing a T-shirt because it was 15C!
I took this picture looking out the front door the morning after. The temperature has dropped steadily since and the snow has returned. Right now it’s -17 so we’re all huddled around the stove waiting for the heatwave to start tomorrow.
Stay warm, people, this too shall pass. If you’re in Australia, stay cool.
MomSense
@chris:
Your comment that Maine was getting hammered made me chuckle since Mariners of a certain age and drinking habit use that expression all the time.
At least I was able to open my door to get out of the house this storm. The winds didn’t do their usual trap me in my house with massive snow drifts routine. The drifts were in the yard where they should be.
I heard there were 50’ waves off the coast of Nova Scotia.
WaterGirl
@Raven: You are still feeling like crap this morning, it appears. Sorry the cough medicine didn’t help more.
WaterGirl
It’s 18 right now, and I have to say that is much better than waking up to -14! geg6, the warmth is coming, I promise! We’re supposed to get a combo of rain and snow for a couple of days, so all our beautiful snow is going to e washed away. I am really ready for it to be warmer, but I also hate cold rain, so that part sucks.
On the other hand, we don’t have icy water rushing through the streets, so I am grateful for that! Take care, everyone.
ThresherK
@chris: Some parts of Cape Cod (the bay side mostly) have had incredible tidal surges. I heard some of the Maritimes got the same; hope you’re nowhere near those.
Raven
@WaterGirl: Yea but the boss lady is sure it isn’t flu. I took my temperature with my fancy iPhone thermometer and it’s good. She wants me to leave the ticket up and see what happens so that is what I’ll do.
Matt McIrvin
Here in northern MA, far enough inland that the storm surge wasn’t a huge issue, it was basically a normal large snowstorm–we got maybe a foot of drifting snow. A very nice neighbor with a large snow thrower helped us out afterward. They sent a sand truck through pretty quickly, so the street has been passable, but my daughter was out of school for a couple of days.
It’s been unusually cold since then; I think the temperature just rose past zero Fahrenheit. But it’s going to warm up a lot over the next few days.
debbie
@Raven:
I swear by Delsym cough syrup. It even reduces the coughing from pneumonia.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Betty Cracker: It’s Twitter. They’re naming the storms to get a consistent hashtag for following amateur retorts on Twitter.
Karen Potter
@debbie: mine is rate to -30, but that wind still finds a way between; I was thinking fondly of the those old snow suits where only face is exposed but were terrible for getting anything done. At this point am thankful that don’t have animals to care for, just a dog who stays in house most of time.
Raven
@debbie: thanks
Boatboy_srq
@Elizabelle: I see a market niche: raw water, now with healthful iguana content.
Karen Potter
@Raven: I wore out the one my uncle gave me, the air force sent him north and he came back with sleeping bag and winter jacket; but they both wore out.
chris
@MomSense: Heh, I used to get hammered back in the day and thought of that when I wrote it. Glad you could get out the door.
Somewhere I read that there were unheard of 30 foot waves in the approaches to Halifax harbour. That first video in the CBC article is from the waterfront wharf in the harbour. Here there was 18 inches of water up on the wharf road. The Chinese are really good at this hoax.
Raven
@Karen Potter: The military down bags are heavy but effective. You can find the coats and liners at military surplus stores. I also have Mickey
Mouse boots and big mittens that have a trigger finger.
debbie
@Raven:
Just found your conversation from last night. You were up very late!
If it’s been more than 72 hours like it seems, get it checked out just to be safe and yeah, skip the game. Even if it isn’t outside, the thousands of people all have germs. Make your doc give you a script for Tessalon Perles. They really stop coughing. And keep drinking water, lots of it.
Boatboy_srq
NoVA got chilled and got a light dusting, so of course panic is widespread and all driving skills forgotten. I emailed the recruiter that got me here, “THIS is the winter I was promised.”
germy
chris
@ThresherK: Six miles inland so it’ll be a few years yet :-(
A friend who lives on the water near the mouth of the harbour says he lost another four feet of his property to the waves. He’s not worried, his house still a hundred feet from the edge and he figures he’ll be gone before the house goes. Yes, he’s an optimist.
Another Scott
Morning all. Here in NoVA, our outside thermometer read 1.1F when I first looked at it. (Brr.) . The birds are enjoying the heated birdbath (mostly for drinks, some crazy ones actually still take baths in it in this weather).
I refuse to call this thing a “bomb cyclone” (though apparently it wasn’t just made up for this storm). It’s a bad storm, bottoming out at a barometric pressure of 950 mbar according to Wikipedia, but nothing like the Big Wind of 1839 (918 mbar in 1839)…
Be careful, stay warm (or cool if you’re in Australia!).
Have a good Sunday, everyone.
Cheers,
Scott.
(Who remembers the ~ 1/4″ of ice on the inside of our windows in Ohio in the blizzard of ’78.)
Raven
@debbie: I got 2 hrs at best. I taped the Falcons and tried to sleep but the coughing got bad. I watched the game and sought counsel from the jackals. When I finally got to sleep my brother butt dialed me and that was that.
Karen Potter
@satby: synthetics have begun to bother me, so it is back to wool; I still make own sweaters so have long, heavy and felted one that wear under jacket; but it is that bloody wind that gets in between layers and wearing glasses doesn’t help keep wind out
debbie
@Raven:
Fucking brothers. I have three. They like texting each other in the middle of the night, and their fat fingers sometimes add me in error. I hate them all.
Raven
@debbie: He was at his Floyd Band gig in Pasadena, I could hear the hubbub but he obviously had no clue.
Karen Potter
@Raven: I didn’t think to even look since last winter I just stayed in, I would do that but for minor detail of needing things that require leaving house and driving someplace. I am going to look next summer when no one else would think of stuff for below zero; best time even in surplus stores, I found a pea coat years ago for cheap since bought when it was in 90’s F outside.
Yarrow
@Raven: Sounds like the expectorant did its job, which is to thin and loosen mucous. Expectorants aren’t designed to suppress coughs. As I mentioned last night, if it didn’t work for you go look for a cough medication with a cough suppressant in it. It’ll say on the box.
Also, debbie is right that Tessalon Perles really stop coughing. They are prescription, though.
Karen Potter
Just heard from friend who finished out his contract in UAE, after three years he is returning to Boston; what a thing to get off plane to winter at her “best”
chris
@Karen Potter: Three words: polypropylene long underwear. When I put it on I have to keep dressing until I get outside because it’s too warm for me to wear in the house. YMMV
schrodingers_cat
@Karen Potter: Silk long underwear right next to the skin is the secret of being warm in frigid temps, plus LLBean parka or a wool coat.
debbie
@schrodingers_cat:
Don’t forget flannel-lined jeans!
Elmo
@Spanky: Best wishes from Waldorf! Same here, which is why my wife is pestering me to buy a 275-gal food-safe container to store H2O in the basement. So tiresome to be waterless.
laura
@Raven: And you weren’t Comfortably Numb?
(Scuttles away….)
The Canyon Club must be a nice venue, Todd Rundgren swung through right before NYE, and he’s picky about acoustics.
different-church-lady
You use that dumb name for a snowstorm one more time and I’ll punch you in your metaphorical neck.
That being said, if you think some of us got off lightly, watch out for Friday: an inch of rain with the ground still frozen solid = flooded basements even on high ground.
Karen Potter
@schrodingers_cat: my LL Bean wool coat is great but not big enough for sweater under, I have a carhartt jacket I wear; but the wind still finds a way in.
Karen Potter
@debbie: I have good outer wear, and those sales never work for me; I am average size which means ‘the sizes run out of first’; I have an LL Bean wool parka, a carhartt jacket and bibs, flannel lined jeans from Cabela’s, two pair of high heavy winter boots (that way I keep my feet dry), heavy knit wool hats, mittens, scarves; and the wind still sneaks in. Someone told me that being 65 doesn’t help either.
Karen Potter
@schrodingers_cat: I have been thinking about spending money for silk long underwear; figure since I haven’t changed sizes in about 20 years I should be safe spending the money. It used to be only a couple of days a year that needed everything but each winter it seems to get just a little colder for a little longer.
debbie
That someone is right! I’m in your age group and am totally too tired of it. Maybe because we’ve been through it too many times. I’ve never had a garage and cleaning off my car after every damn storm has become too much.
Karen Potter
@debbie: What bothers me is that I have young people on both sides of where I am renting and they both have hired someone to do clean out, though the new crew on south side is now plowing so that end of my drive is almost clear; but I remember being young and being sent to clean out drives and walk ways for those who were older. I remember grandpa sending my father and his brothers around the neighborhood to clean out every house on both sides of street after they gave him a snow blower for Christmas. People just don’t do things like that any more, while people have more money they have less compassion.
My aunt and uncle lived to nearly 100 and they for the most part kept themselves shoveled out all winter; uncle bill split wood all summer to prepare. Well, he split wood every time he got mad at someone or over something; they always had more wood than they could use.
FlyingToaster
It was 0° at 8:30 just westa Bwahstin (Watertown) when I woke up; WarriorGirl declined to go out to breakfast with HerrDoktor and they left me alone to go back to sleep. Seeing the state of the kitchen when I came downstairs, they decided to raid the muffins.
It seems to be up to 9° at the nearest Personal Weather Station that’s still operation (Morse Park, on the line between Watertown and Newton Corner). The low was -5° at 6am.
I’ve recovered from Friday’s extra round of shovelling (damn you 45-mile gusts!) to clear the drifted in front steps, I am drinking coffee from the new coffeemaker I got for my birthday, now at the correct strength (again, RTFM first…). I believe I’m on tap for making gumbo (ingredients in the fridge) and pasta (sauce made last Wednesday) this afternoon; HerrDoktor will head to Russo’s in his loaner car because the sidewalks are NOT clear (we have a 5-6′ high plow wall along the main drag).
And honestly, I like winter. I didn’t like losing two days of school to it, but we’re not required to make it up. Heh.
pluky
@Karen Potter: Yup. When I was a kid, I knew (without being explicitly told) that I wasn’t done until I had gone across the street and shoveled out old Mrs. Kuvov too.
Aleta
@Immanentize: Go Brainstormers ! Yay Immp ! Stay warm you two !
Aleta
Late for this thread, but I’m asking for any ideas about improvising a temporary heater (for just 2-3 hours a day) outside my house; so I can put some water out for the birds that won’t freeze right away. (It’s below 0 all day today and windy; daytime w.ch supposed to go to -35).
I have an outdoor plug next to the house. Not able to go get a ready made bird bath + warmer system.
I thought maybe a small submersible thing like they use for livestock but small, easy to find? (Swapping out the holiday lights on the big orange extension cord that’s already set up.) Like the submersible coils they used to sell to boil a singe cup of water? Or some non-electric method?
All thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.
Ruckus
@ThresherK:
I know of a couple who are entertaining and informative. Not entertaining in the “Look at how much of a fucking asshole I can be!” way but in actually trying to show you something and are entertaining doing it. I find it relaxing to watch a bit every so often. I’ve found a few who are informative but not entertaining. OK but not as good. It’s the ones that try to be only entertaining by doing stupid shit or making lots of noise. Exactly like a 14 yr old. Or most HD riders, you know the ones with straight pipes and 2000 watt stereos. Who haven’t managed to make it to 14 yet.
justawriter
It was 35 below here in North Dakota last week (about 10 degrees colder about 50 miles south of me, cold spot of the world that day). It was so cold I put on a tee shirt under my regular shirt. It’s about 70 degrees warmer here today.
Ruckus
@Aleta:
A heating pad? Problem is that the control would have to be protected from any water. But that might not keep the water warm but at least not frozen. The pad itself is sealed so spillage wouldn’t/shouldn’t be an issue. The birds sitting on it might be though.
Ruckus
@Ohio Mom:
One never knows when real knowledge becomes useful.
Ruckus
@Karen Potter:
I’m wondering if there might be a direct connection. What could it possibly be?
BTW although I now live in socal I’ve lived in snow country and have ridden a motorcycle in temps as low as 19 deg. Polypropylene underwear is amazingly warm, not bulky and doesn’t cost as much as silk.
Yarrow
@Aleta: I found this link about bird bath heaters.
http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/bird-bath-heater.html
Outdoor Christmas lights themselves offer some heat. Probably not enough to keep it from freezing, but you could try to wrap them around the birdbath. You could just add hot water in the morning, although that means you have to go outside. Brrr..
Aleta
@Ruckus: Thanks. You’re right on the money it seems. Very similar to what you just said, the internet shows something for bird water, that’s made by a company that makes heating pads for animals.
Btw, the roomie/phone thing: been there. Reasonable efforts to solve such a simple thing were ridiculously ineffective and a little insane.
Aleta
@Yarrow: Ha, I just saw that too! Thanks! Just spent the last couple of hours plunging through waist deep snow with boiling water to melt the bowl of water I’d put out. (The first bowl of water I put out was metal, but I realized that was a mistake, because the freezing metal might damage their feet. Then I put out another thing that was so shallow it didn’t stay unfrozen for long.) Running low on bird food in the feeder, so I also put some seeds and berries and peanut butter on apples out, which they flocked to.
Aleta
@Yarrow: The Chr. light idea sounds good. Would look nice under the snow too. I think I’ll try it tomorrow. Thanks!
Yarrow
@Aleta: I have a string of Christmas lights I bought to keep plants warm under covers. It’s a tube style light–meaning all the lights themselves are enclosed in a clear PVC plastic tube. I don’t worry if it gets wet, although I do have to protect the plug.
Ruckus
@Aleta:
These types of things, the little things, are what bug us the most, mainly because they really are pretty simple. But it’s also that simplicity that keeps them from changing. They simply are who we are and most of us have a hell of a time changing who we are. First, we’re probably comfortable being who we are. Second, why should I change? You change! Third, and where more people go first is, we get defensive, even if we don’t mean to. See one and two. So we go round and round till we leave and find/create a new situation.
workworkwork
@ThresherK: I’ve been getting into ‘reaction videos’. For those not in the know, it’s someone watching a tv show or a movie and reacting to it. These have gotten big on YouTube in the last few years and some folks are making money off of it. They take donations and for certain levels will let donors request what series they should watch and react to.
I’m sure it’s not ‘making a living’ type of money but it still blows my mind that this is such a 21st century way to make money.
DISCLAIMER: I am a donor to a YouTube ‘reacter’. She is a single mom living in Peru, raising an autistic son. She wants to make enough so that she can work from home and give her son the care he needs. Her reactions are fun to watch, since she gets so excited about the show and she has a good instinct for analyzing the characters.
Paul T
What the hell is a “Grayson?”