Well, after we had the original Snowpocalypseageddon event two years ago, I figured since that was so epic it might be a while before we have anything like that again. But I was wrong, apparently. Looks like we are in for quite a doozy tomorrow night. And to make matters worse, winds will be blowing so hard that we may actually meet the official criteria for this to be a blizzard.
Continue reading “Snowpocalypseageddon 2: Winter Strikes Back”
I worked a half shift yesterday before I went to rehearsal last night. I wasn’t really in any mood to deal with people but one of my coworkers had called out sick and another was sick and needed to go home. Word had also spread about Rerun’s passing and this particular group of people, who are ordinarily nice to me, were super sweet and supportive. I ended up with a lot of time to work in the quiet places and get some time alone. I really appreciated it.
Although we are WAY under our usual quota for snow so far this season, winter has decided to let us know that it is still here, and that all those warnings from the Starks were not for nothing.
This morning when I got up, the temperature according to the little weather tool on the kitchen computer was -3 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind chill was somewhere between -20 and -25 degrees, depending on just how hard the wind was blowing. It would be white walker weather, except for the lack of snow.
Continue reading “A gentle reminder that this is New England in winter”
Last night the temperature dropped well into the teens, and it hardly felt any warmer this morning when I got up and went to work. So it’s safe to say that winter is no longer just coming, it’s here, and we got our new hot water heater just in time. Hot water is essential for winter survival – just ask the Starks of Winterfell.
Every winter is a new adventure here in Cambridge. Not for us, really, because we have seen New England winters, but for so many of the students around here that hail from sunnier climes. Many of them tend to not know what to make of serious winter weather, especially when they are driving.
A little while back I had commented about how we were experiencing winter’s “last hurrah”.
Oh, man was I wrong.
We got a slight covering of snow today, maybe an inch or a little more. And the temperatures plummeted a good bit from the mid-50s we had the other day. Right now it is about 18 degrees Fahrenheit, and the temperature tonight will probably drop down to around 9 or 10 degrees.
So while I was doing laundry and crafting cover letters, I popped in a movie that is just about as far away from winter, cold, and reality* as I could get…
Sharknado.
A lot of people hate winter, especially after so many days and nights of snow and cold temperatures. People complain bitterly about it and pray for spring to get here faster.
I am not one of them. I like winter, and I believe in addition to the bad it has much good. Just like any other season. But here in New England it is a very distinct season, and not watered down at all. You get beautiful winter scenes like no other.
That’s one of the things I love most about New England: it has seasons. Four very different, very distinct seasons.
You may have heard that we’ve gotten some snow this winter. You may have heard that it’s been a little, um, chilly this winter. You’d be right on both counts.
This week has become one snow event after another, and we are starting to actually run out of places to put the snow when we shovel. There are really only two piles: the big one on the other side of our trash and recycling bins, between them and the neighbor’s fence; and the small one in this little corner between the steps and the house, where there is a stump I want dead anyway. So the little pile is getting close to its maximum practical size, and the other one has reached the height of the bushes. And trying to chip away all the melted, compacted snow that had refrozen as ice all over the walk and steps took almost an hour of hard work. Thirty degrees outside and I was sweating.
Continue reading “More medieval cooking on a snowy winter’s eve”
I have a doctor appointment in the morning, and then work in the afternoon and evening. I don’t know exactly what the morning rush hour will be like but I am guessing it will be a hell of a mess. Hopefully the Mini will be able to handle it. I am hoping it does not turn out to be more trouble than it is worth. I don’t consider wrecking the car and/or injuring myself to be a fair trade for trying to make my appointments and getting to work, but I will give myself extra time to dig out the car and try to beat the traffic that I know will be coming. We shall see, I suppose.
-Geoff
The Books are Taking Over... 