Month: March 2012

A follow-up to my earlier post on emergency planning

Now that almost everyone is back on the grid, NStar recently announced that it has no intention of reimbursing customers for any financial losses they may have suffered during the power outage this past week.  And for some of those customers, I would imagine that the loss is a bit more than pocket change, to put it mildly.  Imagine all of the restaurants that had to throw out all of their meat, seafood, produce, and dairy products.  And that is on top of the loss they suffered for having to let customers leave without paying.  Plus a couple of days where those businesses made no money.  And so the wait staff and bartenders made no tips.  It is not as bad as it could have been, but it was certainly bad enough.  And that is why I will continue to harp on this issue of planning for events like this.

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The Eatin’ of the Green

Today is St. Patrick’s Day.  As I write this thousands of Bostonians are going out to traditional Irish-like watering holes to drink themselves into oblivion on green beer and bad bar food.  Geoff and I didn’t have much to do today other than a doggie play date this morning and a few errands.  On his way home from running errands, Geoff stopped at the nearest Burger King and got us each a meal.

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All cats, all the time!

Just kidding folks, no need to stop reading the blog.  I know we’ve been talking a lot about cats lately.  I swear we’re not turning into ICHC.  That’s just the way things have worked out lately.

Geoff and I stumbled upon this today and thought that it was worth sharing.  If you can watch it without tearing up a bit you’re doing better than me.

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This is why I believe in emergency planning

The big news tonight here in Boston is a fire in the Back Bay that led to power going out in huge swaths of Boston.  Apparently the fire started in a utility building containing two large transformers.  In order to fight the fire, it was necessary to cut power to the transformers.  That has now led to a power blackout in Back Bay, Prudential Center, Copley Square, Chinatown, the Theater District, and Kenmore Square.  They are saying now on TV that they are allowing people to return to their homes but they have no idea when power will be restored to this area.

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150 years of the U.S.S. Monitor

As some of you are no doubt aware, I am fascinated with 19th century America, and one of the most significant developments in maritime history happened 150 years ago this week.  For the first time ever, a battle was fought between ironclad warships in Hampton Roads, Virginia on March 9, 1862.  The Confederates had recovered the sunken steam frigate U.S.S. Merrimack and rebuilt it, converting it to a casemate ironclad vessel that they renamed C.S.S. Virginia.  The Union’s vessel, the U.S.S. Monitor, was a technological marvel, made almost entirely of iron and containing a revolving gun turret, as well as flush toilets, a forced air ventilation system, and a couple dozen other new inventions.   I have found the ship fascinating ever since I was a kid.  Perhaps one day I will get a chance to see the recovered parts of the  ship at the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News.

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Looks like another weather record might fall today

Our bizarre winter weather continues.  Today we may just break another old record here in Boston for temperature.  It’s yet another shorts day for me.  It is so strange.  I can’t really say that this winter is over, because Boston has been known to have snow this late in the season, even as late as April.  But it is starting to feel like winter is over.  We are going to have above-average temperatures for most of this week, I think.  So although some colder weather might still be possible, it seems to be becoming a lot less likely.

ETA: Another record is broken.  The temperature hit 71 degrees Fahrenheit today, breaking the old record of 69 degrees set in 1902.

-Geoff