The DMV was slammed with a major snowstorm this weekend. We got two seasons worth of snow in two days.
100 - the amount of dollars it cost me to get the driveway shoveled. The best money I ever spent.
41 - the number of Twitter / FB posts during the storm duration. 3 were not storm-related.
36 - number of hours that it snowed, at least. From 1;15pm until 1:15am Sunday.
23 - the number of inches recorded on the table on the deck - recorded at 11:00pm on Saturday night.
17 - the number of inches recorded at National Airport, the official recording station for the DMV - the number is under scrutiny as they feel they may have not measured correctly.
8 - the number of hours I teleworked on Friday - when the government opened and then closed at noon.
8 - the number of storm-related photos that I posted, 5 from the apocalypse-emptied Shoppers on Thursday night, 1 of knee-high snow, 1 measurement, and 1 of the new deep fat fryer that was purchased to ride out the storm.
5 - the number of times LBA and SoBA went out to play in the snow.
4 - the number of shovels used in clearing the Launchpad. 2 were my own, 2 were brought by the nice folks who came to shovel me out.
4 - the number of onions used to make onion straws on Friday night in the aforementioned new deep fat fryer.
3 - and counting, the number of snow days for LBA and SoBA. They were off on Thursday after the mini-storm on Wednesday night, then Friday, and school has been canceled for tomorrow.
0 - the number of hours we lost power at the Launchpad, Thanks be to God.
Showing posts with label Weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weather. Show all posts
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Oh, Sandy
So I spent today cleaning gutters and "battening down my hatches." Yesterday after returning from a conference in Richmond, I went to the grocery store to get some provisions. Of course, there was nary a D battery to be had anywhere. I did manage to get some water - although the big bottles were being snatched up as soon as they came out of the box.
There seems to be some weird symmetry with my attending professional meetings and natural disasters - last year I was in Chicago for the DC earthquake and then came home early in advance of Hurricane Irene. Now it's Hurricane Sandy, which is evidently to be transformed into "Frankenstorm" when it combines with a front racing across from the west.
My sister now lives in southern New Jersey and is poised to get the lion's share of the storm. My other sister and father are on Long Island where there is also expected to be flooding and high winds. It has just been announced that the federal government will be closed tomorrow - so the event that I was in charge of will have to be rescheduled. Oh well.
The question is "do I have enough beer?"
There seems to be some weird symmetry with my attending professional meetings and natural disasters - last year I was in Chicago for the DC earthquake and then came home early in advance of Hurricane Irene. Now it's Hurricane Sandy, which is evidently to be transformed into "Frankenstorm" when it combines with a front racing across from the west.
My sister now lives in southern New Jersey and is poised to get the lion's share of the storm. My other sister and father are on Long Island where there is also expected to be flooding and high winds. It has just been announced that the federal government will be closed tomorrow - so the event that I was in charge of will have to be rescheduled. Oh well.
The question is "do I have enough beer?"
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Independence Day
"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever."
- John Adams to Abigail, July 3, 1776
Over the past two weeks I have become intimately familiar and learned more about two new weather terms. Microburst and Derecho. The Brave Astronaut burg was hit my a microburst on Friday June 22, bringing down power lines and trees throughout the neighborhood. The power went out all over town. A 7,000 volt power line came down between the launchpad and our neighbor's house, electrifying their fence and nearly burning their house down. You can watch this clip to see the launchpad in the background. As a result of this storm, we were without power for 40 hours (and lost the contents of the refrigerator).
Last Friday, the National Weather Service warned the region that a strong line of storms was headed for the DC area. The storms had formed near Chicago and were barreling toward the area at 70 miles an hour. The storms were known as a derecho (Spanish for straight line). The storms hit the area with fierce winds and rains, again bringing down trees and power lines. This storm affected the entire area, knocking out power to nearly 1.5 million people. Power restoration efforts were estimated to take a week. While the Brave Astronaut clan lost their power for only 28 hours this time, the OSG clan did not get their power back until yesterday afternoon.
I want to say that while our local power company gets a very bad rap (they are also trying to secure a rate increase), they really performed an outstanding job at restoring power to our town after the microburst and then again after the derecho. There are a number of people without power still and there have been calls to bury the power lines, hopefully avoiding outages in the future - but the money needed to do so is astronomical. So we will soldier on and endure the occasional outage.
I wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day. Happy Birthday America!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
First Snow of the Season
We are expecting our first "real" snow of the season tonight. It is not supposed to amount to anything, but here in the DC area, you never know how people will react. I need to go to the grocery store soon, but there isn't enough money in the world to send me there tonight.
The Brave Astronauts are heading out this weekend to get our Christmas Tree - continuing a tradition of cutting our own at a farm in Northern Maryland. We will make a day of it, joined by the OSG family, ArchivesNext and J in PA. I guess it's time to start decorating - and I guess cards will need to be addressed and sent. And a Christmas letter needs to be written, the shopping completed, plans made . . . . I truly have miles to go before I sleep.
The Brave Astronauts are heading out this weekend to get our Christmas Tree - continuing a tradition of cutting our own at a farm in Northern Maryland. We will make a day of it, joined by the OSG family, ArchivesNext and J in PA. I guess it's time to start decorating - and I guess cards will need to be addressed and sent. And a Christmas letter needs to be written, the shopping completed, plans made . . . . I truly have miles to go before I sleep.
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
- Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
- Robert Frost
Saturday, January 22, 2011
More Snow Stories
Damn it's cold. For being in the snow hole right now, it is downright frigid out tonight. I am in the camp that if we are going to have snow, it's got to be paralyzing. While there is more snow in the forecast for Tuesday into Wednesday this is also likely to be the ugly "wintry mix."
I am reminded of a story when we have a little wintry precipitation how this is really a "southern city." Two of my parent's best friends moved to the DC area from the Northeast. One morning Stu got up to go off to work and found himself behind a line of wary DC commuters unable to navigate their way up a hill. Disgusted with them, he put his car in park went up to the first car in the line, told the driver to move over - and drove the person to the top of the hill. He then walked back to the next driver and repeated this until he could get back in his car and be on his way.
Having grown up in an area that gets its fair share of snowfall (and for that matter, the NY area is getting hammered this winter) I like to think that I know what I am doing when driving in snow. My problem, like Stu, is everybody else, especially the brain dead drivers who are driving their SUVs like they're immune to the snow, or usually ice. I admit to taking a bit of perverse pleasure when I see an SUV off the road, especially if they have blown by me earlier.
On the day after Christmas, the Brave Astronaut clan saddled up for our trip to NY to visit with my father and family. The DC area was supposed to get some snow and we had decided we would wait and see what the morning brought. It turned out to be a few flurries - so we decided to go. Now we knew that NYC was in the bullseye for this storm, but I didn't expect that it would be a problem - that we could get ahead of it. I was wrong.
We made good time heading north until we reached the Delaware Memorial Bridge. That's when things went downhill fast. Conditions deteriorated and we found ourselves on snow covered roads with visibility falling fast and Mrs. BA getting increasingly anxious. I told her that I wanted to keep going as long as I felt comfortable. My comfort level bottomed out at exit 5 on the New Jersey Turnpike. We stopped at the James Fenimore Cooper rest area for a late lunch and determine our next move. You know those huge maps with phones to make hotel reservations in the rest areas? Yeah, me too, I never really looked that close at them. Well, on this day, we determined we had lots of hotel options at exit 5.
We got back in the car and head for the exit, about 10 miles up the turnpike. We walked into the Best Western in Mount Holly, NJ at about 3:15pm. We were one of the first. By about 7:00 in the evening the hotel was sold out - as were several of the others at that interchange (there were about 5 different hotels). The guy who checked us in told us of a Target up the road where we were able to get some provisions (food for dinner, some movies to amuse LBA and SoBA). The boys thought this was the best thing ever. They didn't go to sleep until almost 10:30 that night.
Meanwhile, we watched the snow pile up. And up. And up. We got back on the road about 10:30 the next morning and made it to my father's place in about 3 hours. Total trip time = about 27 hours. Total driving time = about 9 hours. What it should take? About 5 hours.
As I said when we got back home two days later . . . If I didn't have to do it, I wouldn't.
Earlier this week, the city of Pittsburgh got some icy weather and it got some drivers in trouble.
I am reminded of a story when we have a little wintry precipitation how this is really a "southern city." Two of my parent's best friends moved to the DC area from the Northeast. One morning Stu got up to go off to work and found himself behind a line of wary DC commuters unable to navigate their way up a hill. Disgusted with them, he put his car in park went up to the first car in the line, told the driver to move over - and drove the person to the top of the hill. He then walked back to the next driver and repeated this until he could get back in his car and be on his way.
Having grown up in an area that gets its fair share of snowfall (and for that matter, the NY area is getting hammered this winter) I like to think that I know what I am doing when driving in snow. My problem, like Stu, is everybody else, especially the brain dead drivers who are driving their SUVs like they're immune to the snow, or usually ice. I admit to taking a bit of perverse pleasure when I see an SUV off the road, especially if they have blown by me earlier.
On the day after Christmas, the Brave Astronaut clan saddled up for our trip to NY to visit with my father and family. The DC area was supposed to get some snow and we had decided we would wait and see what the morning brought. It turned out to be a few flurries - so we decided to go. Now we knew that NYC was in the bullseye for this storm, but I didn't expect that it would be a problem - that we could get ahead of it. I was wrong.
We made good time heading north until we reached the Delaware Memorial Bridge. That's when things went downhill fast. Conditions deteriorated and we found ourselves on snow covered roads with visibility falling fast and Mrs. BA getting increasingly anxious. I told her that I wanted to keep going as long as I felt comfortable. My comfort level bottomed out at exit 5 on the New Jersey Turnpike. We stopped at the James Fenimore Cooper rest area for a late lunch and determine our next move. You know those huge maps with phones to make hotel reservations in the rest areas? Yeah, me too, I never really looked that close at them. Well, on this day, we determined we had lots of hotel options at exit 5.
We got back in the car and head for the exit, about 10 miles up the turnpike. We walked into the Best Western in Mount Holly, NJ at about 3:15pm. We were one of the first. By about 7:00 in the evening the hotel was sold out - as were several of the others at that interchange (there were about 5 different hotels). The guy who checked us in told us of a Target up the road where we were able to get some provisions (food for dinner, some movies to amuse LBA and SoBA). The boys thought this was the best thing ever. They didn't go to sleep until almost 10:30 that night.
Meanwhile, we watched the snow pile up. And up. And up. We got back on the road about 10:30 the next morning and made it to my father's place in about 3 hours. Total trip time = about 27 hours. Total driving time = about 9 hours. What it should take? About 5 hours.
As I said when we got back home two days later . . . If I didn't have to do it, I wouldn't.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Snow Stories II
[second in a series]
Yes, I know it's winter. Last week I started a series about snow. The first post was about my public school days and how it had to be really bad before we got a snow day. The post was partly due to the incredulity on my part that LBA's school closed early before a flake had fallen from the sky. The next morning he had a two-hour delay, which I begrudgingly accepted, as I was fully expecting school to be canceled altogether.
That happened yesterday. On Monday evening, we began to get the dreaded "wintry mix," which is so much worse than snow. Snow can be plowed, shoveled, pushed aside. Wintry mix has to be treated. The wintry mix that started on Monday evening was supposed to change over to rain by mid-morning, which it did, but not before my son's school went from a two-hour delay to being closed altogether.
Now I'll grant you, even the Federal Government opened late (on a two-hour delay), and I reiterate that I understand the abundance of caution exhibited by school officials, but it would be nice if we could get a little tougher about it. There's more wintry mix expected for Thursday night into Friday, so Mrs. BA is preparing to be home if schools close again.
Our story today boys and girls is about how one can amuse themselves on a snow day. Yesterday involved movies, some games for the brain, and some Wii. And I made sugar cookies. And dinner. It was a good day.
However, years ago, my mother had organized a trip to the circus at Madison Square Garden in New York City. There were about 100 Girl Scouts expected to go. On the night before the trip, it snowed. A lot. When we got up that morning, my mother foolishly told me that surely one of the girls wouldn't show up and I could go to the circus, too. We arrived at the train station and wouldn't you know it, every. single. girl. showed. up. Parents were surely at a loss at what to do and hey, the trains were running and the [circus] show must go on. It was not a pretty scene on the platform of the train station, when I had to be left behind. That was not a good day.
There were suggestions from neighborhood parents yesterday about how to amuse cooped up children. One of the better suggestions was increased physical activity (i.e., a dance party marathon). As it was the neighbor's suggestion, I asked if I could come over instead as it was time to get out of the house.
It was partially my own fault, for did I mention the roads were fine by noontime? But we had fun anyway - and a few years later after the circus snow incident, I got to go to the circus. So it was all good.
Yes, I know it's winter. Last week I started a series about snow. The first post was about my public school days and how it had to be really bad before we got a snow day. The post was partly due to the incredulity on my part that LBA's school closed early before a flake had fallen from the sky. The next morning he had a two-hour delay, which I begrudgingly accepted, as I was fully expecting school to be canceled altogether.
That happened yesterday. On Monday evening, we began to get the dreaded "wintry mix," which is so much worse than snow. Snow can be plowed, shoveled, pushed aside. Wintry mix has to be treated. The wintry mix that started on Monday evening was supposed to change over to rain by mid-morning, which it did, but not before my son's school went from a two-hour delay to being closed altogether.
Now I'll grant you, even the Federal Government opened late (on a two-hour delay), and I reiterate that I understand the abundance of caution exhibited by school officials, but it would be nice if we could get a little tougher about it. There's more wintry mix expected for Thursday night into Friday, so Mrs. BA is preparing to be home if schools close again.
Our story today boys and girls is about how one can amuse themselves on a snow day. Yesterday involved movies, some games for the brain, and some Wii. And I made sugar cookies. And dinner. It was a good day.
However, years ago, my mother had organized a trip to the circus at Madison Square Garden in New York City. There were about 100 Girl Scouts expected to go. On the night before the trip, it snowed. A lot. When we got up that morning, my mother foolishly told me that surely one of the girls wouldn't show up and I could go to the circus, too. We arrived at the train station and wouldn't you know it, every. single. girl. showed. up. Parents were surely at a loss at what to do and hey, the trains were running and the [circus] show must go on. It was not a pretty scene on the platform of the train station, when I had to be left behind. That was not a good day.
There were suggestions from neighborhood parents yesterday about how to amuse cooped up children. One of the better suggestions was increased physical activity (i.e., a dance party marathon). As it was the neighbor's suggestion, I asked if I could come over instead as it was time to get out of the house.
It was partially my own fault, for did I mention the roads were fine by noontime? But we had fun anyway - and a few years later after the circus snow incident, I got to go to the circus. So it was all good.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Snow Stories
[first in a series]
So yesterday the DC region braced itself for impact. In the end, we got a little push from Mother Nature, but nothing like the pummeling we saw last winter. I was reminded again yesterday about how Washington DC is really a Southern city when in comes to wintry weather. Before a flake had fallen from the sky, LBA's school district (along with about half a dozen others in the region) had decided to close schools two hours early. Many of them (including LBA's) opened two hours late this morning. This of course meant I had to leave the office early yesterday and came in late this morning. Now I have a very understanding supervisor, so that wasn't an issue - but she and I had a conversation about the "freakout" that occurs every time a little snow is forecast for the area (she's from the Chicago area).
As my faithful readers know, I grew up on Long Island in New York State. For years, as a school-age child, I would go to sleep the night before school as a snow storm would bear down on the island. In most cases, I went to school the next morning - at the regular time, mind you. I didn't learn about "delayed openings" until I became a teacher. Living on the island (surrounded on three sides by water) our snow totals were almost always less than "North and West" of the [New York] city, which typically got more snow. We had to have a pretty good snowfall (in excess of 6 inches) for school to be canceled. I recall one morning that it had been announced that school had been canceled and I decided to go out and make some money shoveling. While out, the call was reversed and the buses started to roll. I hid behind a client's garage. Yes, well, that's water under the bridge. My mother didn't make me go to school when I came home.
One of the darkest days of my schooling years was when we learned we were getting a new superintendent in our school district. Dr. Philip E. Tieman was from Buffalo (specifically Tonawanda) - well North and West of the city. Students in our district bemoaned the hiring, fearing that snow days would cease to happen. Hey, if this guy could see out his second story window, surely we could get to school, right? Well, we still got snow days, but I sure there were fewer than before.
Now I understand the rationale for closing school early or calling for a delayed opening, really I do. No superintendent wants to be in charge when some high school student wraps their car around a phone pole on the way home or to school. But it would be nice if that decision were based on some tangible evidence. School did not have to close early yesterday - cancel all after school activities? sure - the difference between 1:00 and 3:00 yesterday saw nothing threatening coming from the sky. I'll even give them the delayed opening this morning. It took some time to get the roads cleared overnight - but I was convinced when I went to bed last night that school was going to be canceled this morning. I got lucky.
You may recall in 2009, President Obama called Washington out, labeling the city's residents "weather wimps" based on some ice that had closed Sidwell Friends, where his daughters go to school. Now when the President of the United States tells you to suck it up on camera, wouldn't you begin to rethink your whole closing policy? Of course, there was last year's winter - the likes of which will probably not be seen here for a long time - but we still need to adapt to the region's weather patterns.
We are only in mid-January. We have all of February left to go. And as my mother always used to say, make sure you got her gift in time for her birthday on March 22, because there would likely be snow.
So yesterday the DC region braced itself for impact. In the end, we got a little push from Mother Nature, but nothing like the pummeling we saw last winter. I was reminded again yesterday about how Washington DC is really a Southern city when in comes to wintry weather. Before a flake had fallen from the sky, LBA's school district (along with about half a dozen others in the region) had decided to close schools two hours early. Many of them (including LBA's) opened two hours late this morning. This of course meant I had to leave the office early yesterday and came in late this morning. Now I have a very understanding supervisor, so that wasn't an issue - but she and I had a conversation about the "freakout" that occurs every time a little snow is forecast for the area (she's from the Chicago area).
As my faithful readers know, I grew up on Long Island in New York State. For years, as a school-age child, I would go to sleep the night before school as a snow storm would bear down on the island. In most cases, I went to school the next morning - at the regular time, mind you. I didn't learn about "delayed openings" until I became a teacher. Living on the island (surrounded on three sides by water) our snow totals were almost always less than "North and West" of the [New York] city, which typically got more snow. We had to have a pretty good snowfall (in excess of 6 inches) for school to be canceled. I recall one morning that it had been announced that school had been canceled and I decided to go out and make some money shoveling. While out, the call was reversed and the buses started to roll. I hid behind a client's garage. Yes, well, that's water under the bridge. My mother didn't make me go to school when I came home.
One of the darkest days of my schooling years was when we learned we were getting a new superintendent in our school district. Dr. Philip E. Tieman was from Buffalo (specifically Tonawanda) - well North and West of the city. Students in our district bemoaned the hiring, fearing that snow days would cease to happen. Hey, if this guy could see out his second story window, surely we could get to school, right? Well, we still got snow days, but I sure there were fewer than before.
Now I understand the rationale for closing school early or calling for a delayed opening, really I do. No superintendent wants to be in charge when some high school student wraps their car around a phone pole on the way home or to school. But it would be nice if that decision were based on some tangible evidence. School did not have to close early yesterday - cancel all after school activities? sure - the difference between 1:00 and 3:00 yesterday saw nothing threatening coming from the sky. I'll even give them the delayed opening this morning. It took some time to get the roads cleared overnight - but I was convinced when I went to bed last night that school was going to be canceled this morning. I got lucky.
You may recall in 2009, President Obama called Washington out, labeling the city's residents "weather wimps" based on some ice that had closed Sidwell Friends, where his daughters go to school. Now when the President of the United States tells you to suck it up on camera, wouldn't you begin to rethink your whole closing policy? Of course, there was last year's winter - the likes of which will probably not be seen here for a long time - but we still need to adapt to the region's weather patterns.
We are only in mid-January. We have all of February left to go. And as my mother always used to say, make sure you got her gift in time for her birthday on March 22, because there would likely be snow.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snopocalypse / Snomageddon / Snoverkill
Has anyone noticed there's a little snow outside . . . still? The Brave Astronaut launchpad was the site of an impromptu playdate yesterday - I had managed to make it to the store on Monday to lay in some additional supplies for the next round of winter weather. So we had about sixteen people in the house, fairly evenly split between kids and adults. Mrs. BA had made white chicken chili on Sunday and I made brownies. Tonight on the menu is a hearty beef stew to combat the blowing and drifting snow outside.
In the middle of all this snow, when I first saw this, I really thought it was an Onion headline. But no. From the Hill Newspaper:
In the middle of all this snow, when I first saw this, I really thought it was an Onion headline. But no. From the Hill Newspaper:
Sen. Jim DeMint twitters: D.C. snow will continue "until Al Gore cries uncle"
So here we are. Those of us who work for the federal government are enjoying our third snow day in a row. I'm going out on a limb here and saying that I don't think we are working tomorrow either. My main contention has always been that if Metro is not running (or only running underground), the federal government really cannot open. Public schools around the area have already thrown in the towel, closing for the rest of the week. And Monday is President's Day holiday, though many have announced that students will go to class that day to make up the abundance of snow days that have been needed this season.
I'm beginning to feel a bit feral - it's getting to be a lot like Little House on the Prairie (the Blizzard episode, of course). And I've been out of the house. The children may turn on us, especially if we lose the media options.
So here we are. Those of us who work for the federal government are enjoying our third snow day in a row. I'm going out on a limb here and saying that I don't think we are working tomorrow either. My main contention has always been that if Metro is not running (or only running underground), the federal government really cannot open. Public schools around the area have already thrown in the towel, closing for the rest of the week. And Monday is President's Day holiday, though many have announced that students will go to class that day to make up the abundance of snow days that have been needed this season.
I'm beginning to feel a bit feral - it's getting to be a lot like Little House on the Prairie (the Blizzard episode, of course). And I've been out of the house. The children may turn on us, especially if we lose the media options.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
It's Snomageddon!
So here we are. Sunday night and the temperatures are down in the single digits. It likely due to the HUGE amount of snow cover out there. For those of you who may not have heard, we got a little snow over the weekend. It started on Friday afternoon and started to pile up all through Saturday. By the time it was all done there was about 24" of the white stuff on the front lawn.
I spent most of today digging out the cars from the driveway and shoveling the walk. Based on the amounts, I did not shovel off the deck or the side walk. Plus it would seem there is more snow on the way (see the prognosticators at Capital Weather Gang for more info) for Tuesday into Wednesday.
For the record, I could have gone to work tomorrow if the situation presented itself. But the Federal Government has announced that it will be closed tomorrow. This gives us another snow day (after the Snowpocalypse on December 19) for Snowmageddon in this winter of snowy weather. Remember my mother always used to say that the first time snow sticks on the street is how many storms you will have. The December storm was the first time. By my count, this storm was #4, with more this week and possibly (hey, don't kill the messenger) again next weekend.
In other news, they played the Super Bowl tonight. The ads were okay, but for once, I really enjoyed the game. Congratulations to the Saints! I am sure the French Quarter is rocking tonight.
So to all my DC federal friends, enjoy the snow day tomorrow. Let's see what the rest of the week brings.
I spent most of today digging out the cars from the driveway and shoveling the walk. Based on the amounts, I did not shovel off the deck or the side walk. Plus it would seem there is more snow on the way (see the prognosticators at Capital Weather Gang for more info) for Tuesday into Wednesday.
For the record, I could have gone to work tomorrow if the situation presented itself. But the Federal Government has announced that it will be closed tomorrow. This gives us another snow day (after the Snowpocalypse on December 19) for Snowmageddon in this winter of snowy weather. Remember my mother always used to say that the first time snow sticks on the street is how many storms you will have. The December storm was the first time. By my count, this storm was #4, with more this week and possibly (hey, don't kill the messenger) again next weekend.
In other news, they played the Super Bowl tonight. The ads were okay, but for once, I really enjoyed the game. Congratulations to the Saints! I am sure the French Quarter is rocking tonight.
So to all my DC federal friends, enjoy the snow day tomorrow. Let's see what the rest of the week brings.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
So it would seem the Snowpocalypse is coming the DC metro area. It's been snowing here for about an hour and it's definitely sticking. I grew up in New York, specifically on Long Island, and had my fair share of snowstorms growing up. I would watch and sometimes accompany my mother to the grocery store for the requisite milk, bread, and cat food. Today I ventured out at lunchtime to buy some supplies so we could hunker down and be ready for the forecasted 10"-18" of snow that are being predicted for the area. There is also the possibility for "Thundersnow" for tomorrow's storm.
It never ceases to amaze me, the level of panic the residents of our nation's capital rise to when snow is predicted. This definitely is a Southern town. For me, on what was to be a weekend of getting Christmas shopping done and a birthday lunch date and a movie with Mrs. BA, looks like it will be a weekend making cookies, chili, and keeping warm.
Bring it on! I love the snow and this looks like it will be a record breaker!
It never ceases to amaze me, the level of panic the residents of our nation's capital rise to when snow is predicted. This definitely is a Southern town. For me, on what was to be a weekend of getting Christmas shopping done and a birthday lunch date and a movie with Mrs. BA, looks like it will be a weekend making cookies, chili, and keeping warm.
Bring it on! I love the snow and this looks like it will be a record breaker!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Well there's this thing and this one, and that one
I had a lot to say. I have several posts queued up and ready to go. They need a little editing before they go out. And I'll get to them in do time. I need to feel the creative juices flow a little more before they are "perfect."
One thing I was going to report on tonight (when I learned that today was the anniversary) was the Iron Curtain speech by Winston Churchill, which took place on this date in 1946. Click here for a little .wav file from the speech. It is also the anniversary of the Boston Massacre.
Then I saw on the Interwebs that Patrick Swayze was dying of pancreatic cancer, which was soon refuted by his doctors that, while yes he did have pancreatic cancer, his death was not imminent.
Kottke.org had this YouTube link, offering up a brief history of evil, noted as "an (animated (and condensed (and brief (and truncated)))) history of evil. Almost as interesting for the comments as for the video itself." But I didn't want to just go with a link posting.
Perhaps one of the reasons my day was so disjointed was that my slumber was disturbed last night and not by my normal bouts with insomnia. The doorbell rang at 2:00am (which is in that time of night when the volume of things is increased by some exponential value). I had only been asleep for about an hour as I had been watching the returns come in from the primaries, so I was especially groggy as one gets shortly after having fallen asleep. At the door was one of my town's finest, informing me that my wife's car had been broken into and the stereo ripped out. He knew this because (Alleluia!) they had captured the cretins and the stereo will likely be returned soon. Here's a post from my neighbor about the incident.
This had occurred around midnight (when I was still up) and during a rather heavy rainstorm. But I never heard anything other than the rain. So now I am having the nice glass people come and repair both that car's window and my car's windshield, which has had a crack for some time and is on the move again.
Is there any wonder why I'm always tired?
One thing I was going to report on tonight (when I learned that today was the anniversary) was the Iron Curtain speech by Winston Churchill, which took place on this date in 1946. Click here for a little .wav file from the speech. It is also the anniversary of the Boston Massacre.
Then I saw on the Interwebs that Patrick Swayze was dying of pancreatic cancer, which was soon refuted by his doctors that, while yes he did have pancreatic cancer, his death was not imminent.
Kottke.org had this YouTube link, offering up a brief history of evil, noted as "an (animated (and condensed (and brief (and truncated)))) history of evil. Almost as interesting for the comments as for the video itself." But I didn't want to just go with a link posting.
Perhaps one of the reasons my day was so disjointed was that my slumber was disturbed last night and not by my normal bouts with insomnia. The doorbell rang at 2:00am (which is in that time of night when the volume of things is increased by some exponential value). I had only been asleep for about an hour as I had been watching the returns come in from the primaries, so I was especially groggy as one gets shortly after having fallen asleep. At the door was one of my town's finest, informing me that my wife's car had been broken into and the stereo ripped out. He knew this because (Alleluia!) they had captured the cretins and the stereo will likely be returned soon. Here's a post from my neighbor about the incident.
This had occurred around midnight (when I was still up) and during a rather heavy rainstorm. But I never heard anything other than the rain. So now I am having the nice glass people come and repair both that car's window and my car's windshield, which has had a crack for some time and is on the move again.
Is there any wonder why I'm always tired?
Monday, June 18, 2007
It's Too Hot for Hot Food
It is days like this that my mother would declare we were having a "cold supper." Deviled eggs (really good), cold cuts for sandwiches, maybe some cole slaw, chips. The heat is causing a fair amount of lethargy about here, so I am copping out on the recipe of the week. Here is one lifted from the epicurious website. It is one that is sure to catch the eye of Mrs. Brave Astronaut. She's got a thing for bleu cheese.
GRILLED STEAK SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS AND BLUE CHEESE
When buying green beans, look for the skinniest ones—they have the best texture. Offer plenty of crusty bread, and open a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to go with this hearty main-course salad.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Combine beans, arugula, tomatoes, and olives in large bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup oil and vinegar in small bowl.
Brush steaks with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Cut steaks crosswise into strips.
Toss salad with enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 6 plates. Top with steak strips. Sprinkle cheese over.
GRILLED STEAK SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS AND BLUE CHEESE
When buying green beans, look for the skinniest ones—they have the best texture. Offer plenty of crusty bread, and open a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to go with this hearty main-course salad.
- 1 pound slender green beans, trimmed
- 6 cups arugula (about 6 ounces)
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 1/4 cups pitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, halved
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 8- to 9-ounce New York steaks
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Combine beans, arugula, tomatoes, and olives in large bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup oil and vinegar in small bowl.
Brush steaks with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Cut steaks crosswise into strips.
Toss salad with enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 6 plates. Top with steak strips. Sprinkle cheese over.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
So Long, Farewell, and Good Night
Another hopping Saturday night here in Brave Astronaut land. My wife and I are babysitting my sister-in-law's daughter and she and my son are fast asleep in his room. We have been reduced (though by choice) The Sound of Music, which is being played on TV, sadly with commercials. I recall growing up that the Sound of Music was often on TV at Easter and it felt right to stop and watch Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews go to the hills.
And here is your archival content for the evening. The records of the Von Trapp family's immigration into the United States are held at the National Archives, here in Washington, DC. I am assuming that cannot be said for the other big Easter flick, being played over on the ABC network, The Ten Commandments.
I spent a very lazy Saturday watching the Masters on television. It is the one golf tournament that I try not to miss. Today is traditionally referred to as "Moving Day" and today everybody took a few steps backwards. There is no player in the field that is above par. The scoring average for today hovered nearly 4 over par (72). I hope that the "Archival Trash" talker bundled up for his excursion to Augusta for it has been mighty cold there in Georgia. But then again, it snowed here this morning.
As I long for the return of warm weather, I have turned to another archival colleague, who has headed to Florida for a family vacation. I highly recommend reading his virtual postcards on his "Mission to the Dry Tortugas." We can all live vicariously through him.
And here is your archival content for the evening. The records of the Von Trapp family's immigration into the United States are held at the National Archives, here in Washington, DC. I am assuming that cannot be said for the other big Easter flick, being played over on the ABC network, The Ten Commandments.
I spent a very lazy Saturday watching the Masters on television. It is the one golf tournament that I try not to miss. Today is traditionally referred to as "Moving Day" and today everybody took a few steps backwards. There is no player in the field that is above par. The scoring average for today hovered nearly 4 over par (72). I hope that the "Archival Trash" talker bundled up for his excursion to Augusta for it has been mighty cold there in Georgia. But then again, it snowed here this morning.
As I long for the return of warm weather, I have turned to another archival colleague, who has headed to Florida for a family vacation. I highly recommend reading his virtual postcards on his "Mission to the Dry Tortugas." We can all live vicariously through him.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Why I'm Not Surprised It Snowed Today
Last night, upon going to bed, I was prepared to wake up this morning to sleet and freezing rain, similar to the type of weather that afflicted the DC area about two weeks ago. And yet, when I awoke this morning and looked out the front door, I noticed that the precipitation was changing primarily to snow after a slight coating of sleet.
The weather forecasters had spoken of snow but only for a brief time, and yet by late morning, more than four inches of fluffy white snow had come down. Now as to why I am not surprised.
My mother loved snow. She was known to do secret snow dances in the basement to try and get larger snow totals. Her birthday was March 22 and she always reminded people to get her presents early for she always asked for snow for her birthday. Growing up, we learned to watch out the window to see if the snow was "coming the right way." A good snowstorm on Long Island brings flakes from north to south.
I had plans today to go to church. Yes it is the first Sunday of Lent, but it is also the first anniversary of my mother's passing. I felt it only fitting that I slogged out to church in six inches of "freezing rain." I just wish my mother had waited to dance until tomorrow morning. Now I'll have to go to work.
The weather forecasters had spoken of snow but only for a brief time, and yet by late morning, more than four inches of fluffy white snow had come down. Now as to why I am not surprised.
My mother loved snow. She was known to do secret snow dances in the basement to try and get larger snow totals. Her birthday was March 22 and she always reminded people to get her presents early for she always asked for snow for her birthday. Growing up, we learned to watch out the window to see if the snow was "coming the right way." A good snowstorm on Long Island brings flakes from north to south.
I had plans today to go to church. Yes it is the first Sunday of Lent, but it is also the first anniversary of my mother's passing. I felt it only fitting that I slogged out to church in six inches of "freezing rain." I just wish my mother had waited to dance until tomorrow morning. Now I'll have to go to work.
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