What Made you Smile/What Ticked you off Today?

[AppleQueso]

oh what the fuck you make Seattle sound like magic paradise

Notice he didn't mention the incessant rain.

I love rain

plus an excuse for cute umbrellas

[Luke]

:x : The way that people freak the fuck out over snow...

If there is even a chance of snow schools shut down in Eastern NC. It is ridiculous.


Smile: Great weekend. Yesterday I held a game of 16" softball which was a hit (ho ho) with my friends who have never played it before. I usually keep the ball in my office as it's somewhat of a conversation piece. I'm surprised so many people have never seen one before.

And when you make strong contact with it, it resonates through your entire body. I mean you have to give that ball a slobberknock to get it to stay ten feet in the air.

Last night friends and I had oysters and fish tacos. Great food, great laughs...okay wine. And to each his/her own, but I'm an oyster purist. Raw oyster on the half shell. My pals like them steamed, with trimmings. Ritz crackers, lemon juice, tobasco, remoulade, cocktail sauce, etc.

Lots of rock band on Saturday night at a friend's condo. I honestly have no idea how their neighbors put up with them. We're playing on a LOUD stereo system, at 1am, and the "tap tap tap tap" of the drums was already starting to drive me nuts. And I believe we left close to 2am.

Shocked that the neighbors didn't complain.

Smiles: One of my best friends is having a Birthday this weekend, and after that will be more than likely proposing to his girl, as they are going on a Valentine's Day cruise. Plus his girl and my wife will be out of town visiting some friends this weekend. All of this together totally says "throw the guy a pre-bachelor party, party".

I've got some legwork to do, but I already have a limo lined up and know of an, ahem, dancing studio to attend. My cronies are also working on this party as well.

Should be fun.

[Luke]

I love rain

plus an excuse for cute umbrellas

Naps during a rainy day are some of the best naps you'll ever take.

Also provides an excuse to sit around and watch old movies. Or new movies.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Colorado's winter weather is particularly fun.

Last Wednesday got 6" of snow and never went above 30.

Today it's 70 with a slight warm breeze and crystal clear skies. Supposed to be this way till Saturday when it's going to dump snow all over again.

Dat high altitude desert living.

And I agree with Luke. I'm not a napping person but on a rainy day I will make an exception. I also usually if I can, pair it with hot soups and video games and pajamas.

Don't get many rainy days here though.

[mjmjr25]

The school cancellations is not as simple as some might think.

There are mass notifications that need to be sent so sometimes you have to make that decision BEFORE it hits to ensure you get word to everybody. You have parents calling the superintendents at home the night before asking, is there going to be school? I need to make arrangements if there isn't. (This is fact, MIL is a SI in Southern MN)

Ultimately safety is the primary concern, but also huge fear by school boards of litigation. You knew the storm was coming, we all knew it was coming, you didn't cancel and THIS (insert tragedy, bus crash, frostbite, etc) happened. There is zero fear of litigation for canceling. We are in a play-it-safe society; in regard to school cancellations that-is.

[dsheinem]

The school cancellations is not as simple as some might think.

There are mass notifications that need to be sent so sometimes you have to make that decision BEFORE it hits to ensure you get word to everybody. You have parents calling the superintendents at home the night before asking, is there going to be school? I need to make arrangements if there isn't. (This is fact, MIL is a SI in Southern MN)

Ultimately safety is the primary concern, but also huge fear by school boards of litigation. You knew the storm was coming, we all knew it was coming, you didn't cancel and THIS (insert tragedy, bus crash, frostbite, etc) happened. There is zero fear of litigation for canceling. We are in a play-it-safe society; in regard to school cancellations that-is.

Oh I get all this, but the "better safe than sued" mentality is just bullshit. It isn't really the school's fault that they feel forced to close/postpone for any minimal risk...but on the other hand them doing so again and again just reinforces that it is OK to do so. Vicious circle.

[Luke]

Oh I get all this, but the "better safe than sued" mentality is just bullshit. It isn't really the school's fault that they feel forced to close/postpone for any minimal risk...but on the other hand them doing so again and again just reinforces that it is OK to do so. Vicious circle.

You basically took the words right out of my wife's mouth.

Just last week our schools had a two hour delay for freezing rain when every forecast led to "won't be cold enough for freezing rain". It was the "possibility" of freezing rain. It's possible a frog's ass isn't water tight.

[MrPopo]

oh what the fuck you make Seattle sound like magic paradise

Notice he didn't mention the incessant rain.

The rain in Seattle is weird. June-August it's bone dry. During the winter months it's pretty rainy, but it's always a light rain. In terms of annual inches Seattle is pretty far behind a lot of other major cities. But we do have more overcast days than non-overcast days during the year.

[dsheinem]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/nyc-ma ... or-a,37850

[Blu]

I've seen all of these perspectives.

Indiana -- Elementary School, -30F wind chills, still went to school, inside recess.

I remember laughing in middle school in Havelock, NC -- forecast for snow and/or freezing temps and we canceled that day.

A freak snowstorm hit the Metro DC area in 2003 -- base was closed down and no school.

Upper Peninsula -- 48 inches of snow in three days, two days of which we were closed as a university. You had to walk across campus with snow goggles to even remotely see, with the wind kicking it up and all. Plows worked overtime.

I think some of it comes down to risk management, some of it depends on the municipal capabilities for snow removal, etc. Preparedness! That's what it really boils down to.

---

Usually there's at least a front that travels west to east and meets with one that rolls off the Atlantic and creates some substantial nor'easter. Given, when I lived in the UP, a storm that we'd get would usually blast Buffalo and Rochester on its eastward advance. From what I'm reading, you all are getting this organic storm mainly from the Atlantic, meshing with some cold air. The more disastrous storms though have been from a combined two separate fronts. I'm no weatherman, is it really that bad that shit like this is happening?