Aberzombie |
SNOW!
It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!
December 9
We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had!
Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!
December 12
The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry- we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.
December 14
Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.
December 15
20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.
December 16
Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.
December 17
Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.
December 20
Electricity is back on, but had another 14 inches of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling! Took all day. The damn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying.
Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.
December 22
Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white s%*# fell today, and it's so cold, it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the a~!!#@% is lying.
December 23
Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts?!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.
December 24
6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a b@&#@ who drives that snow plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the damn snowplow.
December 25
Merry f---ing Christmas! 20 more inches of the damn slop tonight - Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God, I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking idiot. If I have to watch 'It's A Wonderful Life' one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.
December 26
Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.
December 27
Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.
December 28
Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The b@&#@ is driving me crazy!!!
December 29
10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?
December 30
Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not only for the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his ass. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches predicted.
December 31
I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.
January 8
Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?
Celestial Healer |
Freehold DM wrote:After awhile you get used to it.;)lynora wrote:I'm just glad you're home safe. I know I'm biased due to the accident I got into, but sliding on the snow and realizing you are not in control of your vehicle is one of the most frightening experiences I have ever had.Totally bombed my math final, but the grade is figured by an average, so I should still be okay. First time this year I had to do all of my work on white paper and the dyscalculia was really bad. I did my best considering I couldn't see the problems.
And then aced my last chem test. Bio grades should be posted tonight too so I'll get to see tomorrow how that one went. And right now I'm just grateful to have made it home in one piece. My poor little corolla was slipping and sliding all over the roads. Kidlet loves it though cause no school for him today and he is currently outside making a snowman. :)
This. Although it never stops being dangerous.
Celestial Healer |
Meh. Stupid work cafeteria.
They were making me a chicken tender wrap, and the guy pulled the chicken tenders out of the fryer and started cutting them, and I said, "Those don't look cooked." And he looked at them and said, "You're right, they're not," and threw them away and cooked me some new ones, which he checked for doneness before serving them to me. So even though I know the ones I ate were not the ones that were undercooked, a "close call" like that just freaks me out.
Justin Franklin |
Justin Franklin wrote:This. Although it never stops being dangerous.Freehold DM wrote:After awhile you get used to it.;)lynora wrote:I'm just glad you're home safe. I know I'm biased due to the accident I got into, but sliding on the snow and realizing you are not in control of your vehicle is one of the most frightening experiences I have ever had.Totally bombed my math final, but the grade is figured by an average, so I should still be okay. First time this year I had to do all of my work on white paper and the dyscalculia was really bad. I did my best considering I couldn't see the problems.
And then aced my last chem test. Bio grades should be posted tonight too so I'll get to see tomorrow how that one went. And right now I'm just grateful to have made it home in one piece. My poor little corolla was slipping and sliding all over the roads. Kidlet loves it though cause no school for him today and he is currently outside making a snowman. :)
Oh agreed, it always dangerous. The mind numbing fear goes away.:)
Jess Door |
Justin Franklin wrote:This. Although it never stops being dangerous.Freehold DM wrote:After awhile you get used to it.;)lynora wrote:I'm just glad you're home safe. I know I'm biased due to the accident I got into, but sliding on the snow and realizing you are not in control of your vehicle is one of the most frightening experiences I have ever had.Totally bombed my math final, but the grade is figured by an average, so I should still be okay. First time this year I had to do all of my work on white paper and the dyscalculia was really bad. I did my best considering I couldn't see the problems.
And then aced my last chem test. Bio grades should be posted tonight too so I'll get to see tomorrow how that one went. And right now I'm just grateful to have made it home in one piece. My poor little corolla was slipping and sliding all over the roads. Kidlet loves it though cause no school for him today and he is currently outside making a snowman. :)
Pretty much. I realized after a few months in Houston why Houston drivers bug me so much - they slam on the brakes and slam on the gas like maniacs. Then I realized...these people have never driven on sheet ice! They haven't learned that attempting to make sudden changes to the direction and magnitude of their car's momentum can have dire consequences, such as spinning through three lanes of traffic wildly without any control over where you go or where you end up.
YOu know you're used to driving in the weather when you can see three blocks away that some idiot is about to punch the gas to turn onto the busy road you're on, and you move over onto the shoulder on the opposite side just in time to avoid the 10 car pileup he causes, and when you are sanguine with the fact that if you are stopped at a red light, you cannot go until you KNOW the people who had the green light are able to stop...and when you are driving, you may end up running a red light simply through an inability to stop.
Seriously, in winter yellow lights should be 30 seconds long. There's nothing I hate more than seeing the light turn yellow and trying, though you know it's useless, to stop while laying on the horn to warn everyon going the other way that there's no way in hell you'll be able to stop in time.
(this is much worse when every time you drive through a puddle or liquidy slush, the water goes up under the hood and shorts out your battery, robbing you of lights and power steering...glad I got rid of that car!)
Freehold DM |
Celestial Healer wrote:Justin Franklin wrote:This. Although it never stops being dangerous.Freehold DM wrote:After awhile you get used to it.;)lynora wrote:I'm just glad you're home safe. I know I'm biased due to the accident I got into, but sliding on the snow and realizing you are not in control of your vehicle is one of the most frightening experiences I have ever had.Totally bombed my math final, but the grade is figured by an average, so I should still be okay. First time this year I had to do all of my work on white paper and the dyscalculia was really bad. I did my best considering I couldn't see the problems.
And then aced my last chem test. Bio grades should be posted tonight too so I'll get to see tomorrow how that one went. And right now I'm just grateful to have made it home in one piece. My poor little corolla was slipping and sliding all over the roads. Kidlet loves it though cause no school for him today and he is currently outside making a snowman. :)Pretty much. I realized after a few months in Houston why Houston drivers bug me so much - they slam on the brakes and slam on the gas like maniacs. Then I realized...these people have never driven on sheet ice! They haven't learned that attempting to make sudden changes to the direction and magnitude of their car's momentum can have dire consequences, such as spinning through three lanes of traffic wildly without any control over where you go or where you end up.
YOu know you're used to driving in the weather when you can see three blocks away that some idiot is about to punch the gas to turn onto the busy road you're on, and you move over onto the shoulder on the opposite side just in time to avoid the 10 car pileup he causes, and when you are sanguine with the fact that if you are stopped at a red light, you cannot go until you KNOW the people who had the green light are able to stop...and when you are driving, you may end up running a red light simply through an inability...
This basically describes driving in NY in winter. Essentially when it's a REALLY bad storm, we all treat traffic lights like stop signs and are VERY cautious with one another.
Celestial Healer |
My craziest winter driving experience was when I was in college. I was headed home (for Christmas or a weekend or something) and was driving on the expressway, came around a bend where I could see, and the cars ahead of me were stopped. (Must have been an accident up ahead or something.) There was no way I could stop without rear-ending the car in front of me. I steered onto the shoulder (which was about 7 feet wide between the lane and a concrete barrier) and skidded past about 8 cars before coming to a stop without hitting a thing. That's when you know you've been doing it for a while.
(Plus, in a place like Rochester where everyone is used to driving in snow, you see things that warm your heart, like the alternating-sides lineup at a red light. Seriously, when a row of traffic is approaching a red light here, you see one car glue to the left of the lane, the next drift right, the next left, etc, to give a little extra distance so they don't rear-end one another. They really do that.)
Jess Door |
This basically describes driving in NY in winter. Essentially when it's a REALLY bad storm, we all treat traffic lights like stop signs and are VERY cautious with one another.
West Michigan in my case. When it snows in houston I stay off the roads completely. People do NOT know what they are doing - even rain driving is hazardous when everyone drives like a Houstonian - and I will not be on the road at the same time as these crazy people!
Freehold DM |
My craziest winter driving experience was when I was in college. I was headed home (for Christmas or a weekend or something) and was driving on the expressway, came around a bend where I could see, and the cars ahead of me were stopped. (Must have been an accident up ahead or something.) There was no way I could stop without rear-ending the car in front of me. I steered onto the shoulder (which was about 7 feet wide between the lane and a concrete barrier) and skidded past about 8 cars before coming to a stop without hitting a thing. That's when you know you've been doing it for a while.
You've got several ranks in drive then, friend. The worst thing about my accident is that I honestly felt anyone else could have avoided it. But it was a one way street with cars parked nose to ass on either side....*sigh*
(Plus, in a place like Rochester where everyone is used to driving in snow, you see things that warm your heart, like the alternating-sides lineup at a red light. Seriously, when a row of traffic is approaching a red light here, you see one car glue to the left of the lane, the next drift right, the next left, etc, to give a little extra distance so they don't rear-end one another. They really do that.)
That is nice.
Freehold DM |
Freehold DM wrote:This basically describes driving in NY in winter. Essentially when it's a REALLY bad storm, we all treat traffic lights like stop signs and are VERY cautious with one another.West Michigan in my case. When it snows in houston I stay off the roads completely. People do NOT know what they are doing - even rain driving is hazardous when everyone drives like a Houstonian - and I will not be on the road at the same time as these crazy people!
Do you work from home or something? I wish I could do that on those days.
Justin Franklin |
Freehold DM wrote:This basically describes driving in NY in winter. Essentially when it's a REALLY bad storm, we all treat traffic lights like stop signs and are VERY cautious with one another.West Michigan in my case. When it snows in houston I stay off the roads completely. People do NOT know what they are doing - even rain driving is hazardous when everyone drives like a Houstonian - and I will not be on the road at the same time as these crazy people!
I lived in Tallahassee for a year, same problem. When it rains the roads down there gets really slick, but no one understands they might need to drive differently. And there was a chance of a dusting of snow one day, and work told me if it does don't come in.
Bitter Thorn |
People wonder how I was able to get over my ex-wife leaving me so quickly back in the day. This is how
LOL!
Jess Door |
Jess Door wrote:Do you work from home or something? I wish I could do that on those days.Freehold DM wrote:This basically describes driving in NY in winter. Essentially when it's a REALLY bad storm, we all treat traffic lights like stop signs and are VERY cautious with one another.West Michigan in my case. When it snows in houston I stay off the roads completely. People do NOT know what they are doing - even rain driving is hazardous when everyone drives like a Houstonian - and I will not be on the road at the same time as these crazy people!
Heh, no, I should reword that. I stay off the roads as much as possible, avoid high traffic times and go waaaaaay out of my way to avoid high traffic areas.
Freehold DM |
Jess Door wrote:I lived in Tallahassee for a year, same problem. When it rains the roads down there gets really slick, but no one understands they might need to drive differently. And there was a chance of a dusting of snow one day, and work told me if it does don't come in.Freehold DM wrote:This basically describes driving in NY in winter. Essentially when it's a REALLY bad storm, we all treat traffic lights like stop signs and are VERY cautious with one another.West Michigan in my case. When it snows in houston I stay off the roads completely. People do NOT know what they are doing - even rain driving is hazardous when everyone drives like a Houstonian - and I will not be on the road at the same time as these crazy people!
That must be nice. Provided you have food in the house and electricity, that is.
Bitter Thorn |
Freehold DM wrote:This basically describes driving in NY in winter. Essentially when it's a REALLY bad storm, we all treat traffic lights like stop signs and are VERY cautious with one another.West Michigan in my case. When it snows in houston I stay off the roads completely. People do NOT know what they are doing - even rain driving is hazardous when everyone drives like a Houstonian - and I will not be on the road at the same time as these crazy people!
I vaguely remember being in a cab on I35 after bar hopping 6th street when the rain froze in Austin. I don't think it took thirty minutes for both directions of I35 to turn into parking lots because of the wrecks.
Bitter Thorn |
Ashe Ravenheart wrote:As I posted on Facebook, I'll probably miss the snow (I love the stuff), but the -18 nights I won't be missing.
As for driving in the stuff, I got my start working at a ski resort in High School. We "practiced" drifting on the snow and ice in an empty parking lot in my VW Rabbit. But I agree with Lynora, once I can get rid of my Civic, I'm going to get a Jeep. Always wanted a Jeep...
Naturally, I hate the snow, but love the cold. Which isn't true, actually, as I love the snow, but I hate riding my bike through it or relying on public transportation to get around on snow days. So we are still opposites on this, if only on a technicality.
I'm considering practicing drifting myself, but there are no parking lots with which to do that around here. Even the parking lot by the semi-new Gateway Mall is patrolled by police and private security at night- my friend and his wife were almost given a ticket or arrested or something because they thought that they were using the car for another type of practice.
[EDIT]HA!!!! Nekkid telling embarrasing stories about friends for TOP!!!!
[DOUBLE EDIT] I'm #500!!!! My new posting technique is unstoppable!!
Your Kung Fu is strong!
Ashe Ravenheart |
Ahh... driving in the snow stories.
Let's see. My first experience with snow-driving was scary, to say the least. That first time you feel the wheels slip and realize that momentum is propelling you forward and not your engine and that brakes don't mean anything...
Anyway, There's been a more than a couple of accidents: First one was when I drove my friends and I to the resort for work in my Mom's Jetta. Made it up the mountain and down, only to skid through a stop sign at a T intersection after dropping my friends off. In my defense, it was slick, the stop sign was at the bottom of a steep hill and it was foggy like crazy, causing me not to even see the stop sign until I was 20 feet from it.
The second accident was on my way to work at the toll bridge after an ice storm. I got on the highway and stayed 50+ feet back from the car in front of me as we were driving 25 mph. Turns out that still wasn't enough distance as I just kept sliding. On the bright side, my brother slid into a guardrail too and there were a dozen other non-injury accidents that morning, so I didn't feel like too much of an ass. On the dark side, my brother and I were still on my parent's insurance then...
The third one I still don't know how I survived. I had worked the night before at the ski resort and accidentally overslept for my morning job at the gas station in town (nothing wakes you up like your boss calling when you and the other two guys are supposed to be there while he made it in early to plow out the pumps). Of course, this got my adrenaline pumping (not good) and made me risk driving faster than I should. There was a hairpin turn about a mile from my house and, sure enough, I fishtailed it. Missed the telephone pole, but the car wound up 15 feet off the road in the middle of a farmer's field. Broke the axle and cracked the engine block. Considering the field had boulders on the edge as guardrails, I realized I had to have either flown or rolled over them before coming to a stop (not sure which since it's all a dark blur when it happened).
Of course these all instilled in me the dangers of winter driving and also provided me with the limits of my abilities, so I know when and how to do what I need.
Freehold DM |
Ahh... driving in the snow stories.
Let's see. My first experience with snow-driving was scary, to say the least. That first time you feel the wheels slip and realize that momentum is propelling you forward and not your engine and that brakes don't mean anything...
Dude, you just stopped my heart. That was what got to me in that accident....it was truly horrifying, even in memory.
I've been in 4 accidents in my whole life. The first one was a classic new driver accident, at least in brooklyn- a guy double parked badly and I scraped him while going past. I FREAKED OUT over this one, although I was later proud to see that there was little to no damage on my mom's car.
The second accident was, as I realized afterwards, a swoop-and-scoot. The guy in front of me was moving forward erratically, and I wanted to go into the left hand lane to go around him, but the guy that was behind me on the left decided to speed up and bam- driver's side scratches and damage. I was horribly embarrased at first, but then I was enraged when I realized what had happened.
Third one was not my fault, and I still have arguments with my mother to this day over it. I was going straight, a guy coming opposite me decided to hang a hard left in front of me because he thought he could beat the light. Ruined the grill of my mom's car, and he had rear passenger's side door damage. The guy made some accusations to me at the crash site, but I kept a cool head(or tried to) and called the cops and made him wait. We gave our statements, and I found out from the insurance company that they wanted to split the liability because the guy had a witness in the car(read: his girlfriend). I was enraged and demanded that any split would have to be in their favor, I think I said it would 70% their fault or 30% my fault, but I was ready to take on even the insurance company because I thought I was being taken advantage of. My mom folded faster than superman on laundry day on me on this and took the insurance company's side; and bringing this accident up is a great way to start arguments between us.
Fourth one was the icy conditions one. Can't discuss it as I am at work, but it was terrifying.
Lilith |
Normally winter driving does not bug me too much as long as I have good tires and a reasonably in-shape vehicle. But Mother Nature has a way of letting you know that she's in charge.
Last winter, I was driving from Bend to Tigard in January, which means driving over the mountains (no matter which way I went). Option 1: Santiam Pass. Lots of switchbacks and blind curves. Option 2: Mt. Hood/Government Camp. Not as windy, but not a lot of people around in case there's trouble. Option 3: Go way the hell south and take Willamette Pass. I've driven it twice in good weather and during summer. Not optimal.
I go for option 1. I'm pretty dang familiar with Santiam, and the drive over wasn't bad. The drive back...oof. A really bad rainstorm had come in, and it was POURING in the Valley. Of course, that means snowing like no tomorrow in the passes. Full-on blizzard, whiteout conditions, and the gravel trucks hadn't been through yet.
Somewhat predictably, I spun out at the top of the pass. I ended up pointing the opposite direction, cuddled up next to a snow bank between two of those big metal stakes they use to measure the snow depth. After a minute or two to breathe, I happily spent the next hour and a half behind a gravel truck up the grade and down back to Bend.
Mind you, the harrowing part was not spinning out. No, that I could handle (after all, that's how I learned to drive on snow and ice - big empty parking lot covered in the stuff). It was realizing that if I had spun out in the opposite direction, it would have been guard rail, then steep mountainside. *shudders*
My normal "Travel as little as possible in snowy and icy conditions" rule was well-reinforced that day.
Ashe Ravenheart |
Mind you, the harrowing part was not spinning out. No, that I could handle (after all, that's how I learned to drive on snow and ice - big empty parking lot covered in the stuff). It was realizing that if I had spun out in the opposite direction, it would have been guard rail, then steep mountainside. *shudders*
I had that happen once with some black ice on the road to my parents house. I don't really consider it an accident since I didn't hit anything and the car only slid a little, but I am grateful that it slid to the uphill side...
lynora |
so....cold.....brrrr.
took a nap in my room which is the coldest one in the house. I think it's because two of the walls in here are outside walls and I have the least amount of floorboard heaters of any room in the apartment. Anyways, I definitely need to get out the space heater.
It's interesting reading all the bad weather driving stories. And definitely confirms my feelings on driving in bad weather. As much as I love Michigan I do hate driving in the snow.
Paris Crenshaw Contributor |
Happy Page 500, FAWTlies!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful December 13th. I'm looking forward to getting back home in a few more days and starting to enjoy some time off. I get to take some leave after Christmas!
And my local gaming group will be starting up again. We'll begin Kingmaker on the 26th!
Woohoo!
Ashe Ravenheart |
Happy Page 500, FAWTlies!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful December 13th. I'm looking forward to getting back home in a few more days and starting to enjoy some time off. I get to take some leave after Christmas!
And my local gaming group will be starting up again. We'll begin Kingmaker on the 26th!
Woohoo!
As Steve McQueen once said, "So far, so good."
As for this week: Packing, packing and more packing. Saturday my brother's flying into MSP to help me load the U-Haul, drive back to PA and unload it into storage until I get my place lined up.
Next best thing to being home for the holidays? My friends have already set it up so I'm joining their Rise of the Runelords game. :D
lynora |
lynora wrote:Man, we're the ones that are supposed to have all the snow and we've got nothing. Supposed to be around 65 degrees today. We really need the moisture.so....cold.....brrrr.
o.O 65?? Normally I wouldn't say this since there really should be snow in December, but...jealous.
Justin Franklin |
No more snow! Or else I shall start duel wielding hair dryers, and my aim shall be deadly! (At least to the snow it will be.)
Good thing you are leaving on Thursday then.
Bitter Thorn |
Freehold DM wrote:Big Tex wrote:[heavy breathing]I do so love their women....[/heavy breathing]Crimson Jester wrote:We have a lot of Texan Fawtls.YEE-HAW!!!I'm warning you, stay away from my sister and her three daughters.
Are they armed?;)
EDIT: naked armed Texas women dance for TotP?
I'm not sure Diane would approve.