I’ve started like five different posts and lost interest about 1/3 of the way through each so clearly I don’t have anything to say but feel the need to say something.
This snowstorm better not bypass me this week. I could use a blizzard.
Open Thread
by John Cole| 61 Comments
This post is in: John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House"
War for Ukraine Day 292: A Very Quick Update
prostratedragon
Maybe some Angelo Badalamenti?
Old School
Good luck with the snowstorm. I’m fine with it missing me.
HeleninEire
Here’s what I have to say. I have a closing date for my new apartment. YAY me. It took me forever to find a place because I need to be close to my dad. January 4th I am once again an owner.
About snowstorms. I’m in NYC. Snowstorms don’t scare us at all. In fact I love the snow. As long as I don’t have to dig my car out of Queens Blvd; I’m grand. The subway, which is 90% underground will get you home. All the time.
It snowed 2 inches in Dublin today. All my friends lost their shit 😆 😆 😆
gratuitous
Be easy on yourself. It’s still early. Just putter around if nothing else sounds good. Doing nothing is doing something.
Chetan Murthy
@HeleninEire: click thru, it’s worth it!
Ohio Mom
@HeleninEire: Congrats on your new apartment.
I had a molar pulled today. So far the recovery has been bearable enough. The periodontist said he wants snow but according to the weather site, we will only have lots of rain here in southwest Ohio.
Sister Golden Bear
I’m being bougie this holiday season. My allergist recommended I no longer do live trees (wah!).
Fortunately, Balsam Hill, a high-end Christmas tree retailer has its warehouse/outlet store nearby. Scored a very realistic-looking pre-lit fir tree for half off. Apparently it had just been on the sales floor that morning
One cool feature is that they ran the electrical inside the pole, so there’s no cords running up the tree — when you join the sections together you automatically get power.
Cost $250 but given tree prices in the Bay Area I’ll break even in three years. Only down side is that it’s 6-1/2-feet tall, and I’d prefer a 7-foot. But with 8-foot ceilings it’s fine.
UncleEbeneezer
About to go pick up my wife at the airport. If she somehow avoided Covid, despite visiting her Mom in a Covid ward in Texas (plus flying etc.) I will be amazed (and thrilled).
It’s 40 degrees here in SoCal but after 20 years living here, I swear it feels like it’s in the teens, to me. I don’t know how I handled cold so easily, for so many years back when I lived in Boston/Philly. My blood/bones have really thinned since then.
Geoduck
The storm already passed me by here in WA state. It’s mildly amusing to read east-coasters writers announcing things like “West Coast Slammed By Storm!” ..by which they mean “parts of California.”
piratedan
best thing about blizzards is that its an awesome excuse to eat soup or stew and read books and listen to music you own. Cats and dogs and blankets are the usual accessories.
Chetan Murthy
@UncleEbeneezer:
IKR? I’ve lived in SF 15yr, and until this year, I never wore my thick winter coat (from living in Boston): just a fleece *or* a raincoat (never both). But last week, I wore the winter coat *and* a fleece. Sheesh, gettin’ old and weak!
Barbara
@Chetan Murthy: I once visited Rome in early April and it was a bit chilly but a lot of people were wearing down parkas, while I got by with a hoodie. I realized they must really hate cold in Italy.
Kelly
@Geoduck: It left a nice layer of new snow on the Cascades while staying out of the populated lowlands. The perfect PNW snowstorm.
Poptartacus
My raid group mentioned my name twice tonight And not in a good way. Sadness abounds
justawriter
Had a conversation today with someone who said it looks like we will be on the edge of the Colorado Low that will be roaring through the area Tuesday to Thursday. I reluctantly had to point out that the “edge” he was looking at was the edge of high probability of six inches of snow or more and 12 inches of snow or more.
Mike in NC
I survived the Great Blizzard of ’78 which shut down Boston for several days.
Brachiator
I am in the Los Angeles area. We got a ton of rain over the weekend and this morning. And it has been damn chilly. I got a delivery of some bottled water from Amazon around midday, but left it on my enclosed porch. This evening I pulled a bottle out of the box and it was nicely chilled and ready to drink.
mvr
@HeleninEire: I remember a rental car in NYC at Christmas in the early 80s in the snow. Bouncing off of manhole covers on occasion which seemed to stick out of the road surface at random. Very cheap rental car rented in Boston.
Chetan Murthy
@Mike in NC: When I moved to Ithaca, NY in 1986 for grad school, people told me about the bitter winters: how I’d need Sorel boots and shit. In the end, I barely used ’em; sure, it got somewhat cold, but nothing really serious. I mean …. people told me stories of snow piled so high you had to tunnel out from your front door to the street. Nothing like that ever happened. And I’m sure in the intervening 40yr it’s only gotten balmier.
Redshift
@UncleEbeneezer: Ms. Redshift caught covid a week ago, after avoiding it since the beginning. Probably at an in person faculty meeting, but who knows.
She got paxlovid, which helped. I managed to avoid it, yay! I had one scare, a noticable fever on Friday night, but I got a professional test in Saturday and apparently have one of the other viruses that’s circulating. (Despite wearing a mask even more than usual.)
Benno
I posted about my male cat and recently reintroduced female pair (they all grew up together but we’re separated for the last four years) not getting along at all a couple months back. Fighting, hissing, angry misery for us all. I got some advice from BJ, but you’ll never guess what seems to have fixed it.
The male was in a horrific accident 7 weeks ago. We don’t know what happened, but we found him outside the gate limping and with a bloody mouth. We found out over the next week various injuries as swelling went down and daily vet visits for checkups, subcu, etc. He broke his jaw, vertically between the lower canines (are they still called that in cats?) and was otherwise generally wrecked. Drooled blood and other gross fluids for three weeks, hand fed, all that jazz.
But he’s recovering now, eating solid food as opposed to slurry for the last couple of weeks. Jumping on the bed and only missing about half the time. Of course, the last few days he will look us dead in the eye and pee on something dear to us, but the girls are no longer fighting with him and they’re even sleeping in the same bed…as long as they arrive at different times.
Anyway, thank you to anyone who offered advice. None of it’s what seems to have fixed the problem, but it’s very much appreciated. For the record, if anybody else is struggling with similar pet issues, I would not recommend our methods.
Chetan Murthy
@Redshift:
Cheers for both of you! And thank you for letting us know that Paxlovid helped!
cain
@HeleninEire:
Will it be hard to leave Dublin?
Redshift
@Sister Golden Bear: i admit to being tempted by the Balsam Hill ads. Is it as nice as they make it look?
Anotherlurker
@Chetan Murthy: On the other hand, I would hitch hike from Binghamton to Oswego to visit my cousin and other friends. You have not lived until you experience an Oswego winter. Brrrrrr.
I’ve been living in the Bay Area for 3+years now and have yet to feel the need to use my old Eddie Bauer down parka. It’s 39 here, now and perfectly comfortable in a bulky, insulated hoodie.
piratedan
@Redshift: we have a Balsam Hill tree (after a Hallmark movie marathon overdose) and it is indeed of good quality and construction… more than what you would find elsewhere….I am unsure… it is a GOOD tree though.
Redshift
@Chetan Murthy:
It knocked down the fever within a day. The other lingering symptoms were still no fun, but that was a big help.
A coworker of mine took it this summer, and she said she felt amazing. Her symptoms disappeared so fast she thought her test might have been a false positive. (She’s also at least 20 years younger, which may be part of the difference.)
UncleEbeneezer
@Chetan Murthy: We go up to Mammoth in winter and sometimes Denver, so I still get exposed to some pretty cold weather here and there. One year my dad and I had to fix a flat tire in 19 degrees in Denver!! But I swear I’m colder now! Probably doesn’t help that we live in a tiny orange-picker cottage that has zero insulation. Still…as A kid in Boston I’d be out playing basketball in 40 degrees.
Fraud Guy
A good storm is a salve for the soul.
Eric S.
@Sister Golden Bear: I’m not a huge Christmas guy. But my dad is and I moved him into my in-law unit this year. We put up a (fake) tree this weekend. It’s nothing special but I find it very pleasing after not having a tree my whole adult life (I am 51 now).
Sister Golden Bear
@Geoduck:
CNN: CALIFORNIA UNDER STOOOOORRRM WWWAAATCH!!!
OUTSIDE: There’s some mild drizzle in Malibu.
CaseyL
Hang in there, John!
I admit I feel a little cheated that “all” we got in Seattle was colder-than-usual temperatures, though paired with rain that made for some really miserable weather. Now the cold snap seems to have passed, and the temps are back in the upper 30s to low 40s during the day.
My house leaks heat through every opening it has, and my winter electric bills give me agita. After years of trying many DIYs that don’t work, I finally broke down and bought some thermal drapes, to hang in front of the vertical blinds. I had to get enormous ones, since my house doesn’t have just windows, it has 6′ tall windows, and sliding glass doors off nearly every room (with balconies). I am not the handiest person in the world, so putting the drapes up should be a real treat.
(Yes, I did want a heat pump. But I’d have to replace the whole electrical panel, since there are no whatchamacallits left to wire a heat pump to. That brought the estimate to something like $15K. Forget it!)
Chetan Murthy
stay safe out there, kids
Hoppie
@Mike in NC: Wow! Flew into Boston the night before (from Milan) and took the bus to Providence. The snow started Monday noonish — the nor’easter had held off 12 hours — and lasted three days. Over 50 inches on the golf course next door in East Providence. Memories….
(Actually had an inch of rain in San Diego today, whoopee!)
rikyrah
Thinking of you, Cole🙏🏾
PBK
@Benno: I’m so glad he’s recovering well. Hope the reconciliation continues and strengthens also.
mrmoshpotato
I hope you get your blizzard. And I hope you have a snowblower and plenty of gas for it.
SectionH
@UncleEb: IKR. Went back east to the place we lived for 30 yrs, nearly froze to death. Yeah, the “blood gets thin” is shorthand for that adaptation thing. I meeeeaannn, I survived winters in fucking Minnesota, ffs. Went to Fargo when it was -40F (my roommate was from there).
And yeah, damn, 42F tonight in San Diego. Bugger. We’re blowing some $$$$ getting some heat.
sab
@Redshift: Yikes. Hope you all are okay.
Stupid comment, but can I say your nym always makes me think you are a woman. The “shift” part. And then I am surprised that you aren’t. I like these gender surprises, but I do get surprised by them every time. Prooves how old I am.
I am in my late sixties and am finally dealing with being actually old by anyone’s definition.
Body tells us that, ignoring network twerps.
I am “well preserved ” by anyone’s definition. Didn’t smoke. Avoided the sun. Watched my weight, preCovid. Have always looked years or decades younger than I am. Exrecise a lot. But me and my favorite dog are just tired.
SectionH
@Sister Golden Bear: Perfect.
MomSense
I’ve been falling asleep early only to be wide awake for hours in the middle of the night. I used to be such a good sleeper and I really miss that.
I stopped at my kid’s place to see the grand kitty after work today. Trouble is doing so well and roommate’s cat seems to be much more accepting. I’m thinking of knitting a cat cocoon for him.
eddie blake
@Anotherlurker: HA! i went to school there. though it snowed the big, fat lake-effect flakes from pretty much october till april, the water helped mollify the cold.
Ruckus
@sab:
“I am in my late sixties and am finally dealing with being actually old by anyone’s definition.”
Late sixties? You’ve still got a few years by my definition. Kids today….
frosty
@Redshift: Our whole household came down with it. Younger son came back home from the dorm last weekend , tested positive, we got him a Pax scrip. Then I tested + then Ms F did. We’re all pretty much recovered now after a week. I had Pax, Ms F didn’t but the outcomes were similar.
It fucked up our Xmas plans with my older son who could only get off work to come home this week. We’re bummed.
opiejeanne
@CaseyL: Don’t feel cheated, Weather Underground is predicting quite a bit of snow, close to 9 inches, beginning on Saturday and continuing through Tuesday. We may have a white Christmas.
I do live on a hill though, and an extra couple hundred feet of elevation makes a difference, so Seattle might not get as much.
Yutsano
@opiejeanne: We just had a series of some white stuff this weekend. It’s now melted just enough that the roads get a bit icy in the morning but nothing too terrible. But we’re also under some huge fog right now. I literally couldn’t see the freeway signs until I was under them last night! Y’all stay safe! Oh and meet-up opportunity happening late January. Details to come soon!
lowtechcyclist
@mrmoshpotato:
My guess is that if he gets his blizzard, Cole will be quite happy to not have to explain to anyone why he’s holed up like a hermit. Snowblower? He’ll just wait for it to melt.
I’m not like that myself, but as I get older, I can relate to that attitude more and more.
Steeplejack
@Yutsano:
Where are you now?
Paul in KY
@Mike in NC: Me too! Was at UK in residence hall. Some asshole pulled the fire alarm 3 nights in a row. They finally caught him on 3rd night and he fell down some stairs before he was handed over to campus cops.
Paul in KY
@Benno: Glad to hear he is recovering. I had to put down my beloved Mongo yesterday. He had a bad cancer.
Josie
@sab: I hate to tell you this, but you are not really old yet. I’m 79 and just started to face the reality of old age a few years ago. It’s kind of a shock after being very healthy and active all my life. I’m fighting it with every trick I can think of.
Steeplejack
@Paul in KY:
Condolences for Mongo. 🌈 🐾
Paul in KY
@Steeplejack: Thank you. Appreciate that. He went very peacefully. In no pain now.
Paul in KY
@Josie: Rock on, Josie!
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Josie: A friend of mine recently said “The 80s are not the 70s,” which I found both funny and dismaying
Josie
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
What can you do but laugh and keep on trucking?
Old School
@Paul in KY: My condolences. I’m sure Mongo was a good boy.
Paul in KY
@Old School: Thank you. He was a very loving cat. A lap cat & a wonderful companion for 12 years
Also a beautiful animal.
Benno
@Paul in KY: My condolences, Paul.
opiejeanne
@Steeplejack: He’s in the Tri-Cities, east of the Cascades. They and Walla Walla had a big winter storm that skipped western Washington last week.
Paul in KY
@Benno: Thank you. Appreciate the kind thoughts.