There’s my car!

Just for the sake of clarity here’s my car minus the bizarre cloak of wind-driven snow.

What has that snow done to my car?

Apparently, it’s mutated it into some sort of abominable snow wagon.

I could go outside and get a better shot, but I’m not going to. Looks like I “picked” a good weekend to be off work.

Like I Needed Another Reason To Hate Winter

So, I’m driving home from work today, and as I come across one of the speed-bumps by the park, the whole goddamned exhaust falls off of my beloved Maxima. Well, not off exactly, but down, as in ’suddenly my car sounds like my idiot neighbor’s far-too-loud-to-be-legal-jackass-mobile’ and I can hear shit dragging the ground.

Crawling under the car upon arriving home, I discover that that the intermediate pipe has rusted completely through (thanks, road salt!) and the resonator is now dragging the ground. At a minimum, everything downstream from the catalytic converter will have to be replaced. Oh, joy! Looks like the new bike will have to wait. Thankfully the money that I had saved up for the new bike should just about cover it. Let me just say:

Snow

Thankfully, the foreboding forecast was a bit off, we only got an inch or two, it scarcely stuck to the roads and sidewalks at all, and it had all melted by Wednesday.

For those commentators (Hi Jon, hi Fishy!!) and others also battling the evil white scourge, let me remind you of my favorite snowy day marching riding cadence:

I do not like it when it snows
I do not like it no, no, no!

If that’s a bit too ‘Dr. Seuss’ and not enough ‘boot camp’ for you, you can also spice it up with curse-words. Sometimes I do!

Yet Another Post Whining About Weather

So, today is the first day of Spring and tomorrow we’re under a winter storm warning. Sleet, freezing rain, and snow with an accumulation of 3-5 inches.

I shouldn’t complain, we’ve had much less snow than “average” this year, but… I’m going to anyway. Bitterly.

It Didn’t Work

So, despite my concentrated efforts, it snowed. We got about six inches of the dreaded white stuff… it’s like a freaking winter wonderland (of horrors). Bah! Humbug!

Stay Away, Evil Snow!

So, I’ve been concentrating really hard in an attempt to will away the impending snowstorm.

So far, it’s working! Notice the bubble of good will over my immediate area (right around the “o” in Dayton).
(map courtesy of The Weather Channel)

More of that horrible white stuff

So, we got a little snow today (an inch or two, barely more than a dusting). The thing that gets my goat is this; “They”* promptly hit the streets with the snow-plow/salt-spreaders.

Even as the snow on the street melted of its own volition, they were spreading salt on my street. That’s all fine and well, but where were they when we got all that snow at Christmas-time?

I’ll tell you where they weren’t - spreading salt on my street!

They came once and esentially levelled the snow off, leaving behind a very well packed 8-10″ base, and not so much as one grain of salt was put on my street, ever. Not once during the entire almost two weeks that it stuck around.

*They: You know, the ubiquitous “them”.

Riddle me this, Batman

Why is it that every week the Sunday paper comes in a bright blue plastic bag, except for this week; with snow piled everywhere it’s in a white bag? Oh sure, the bag says “Happy Holidays” in green script, but I think there are nefarious forces at work here.

Crazy from the snow!

So, last night I shoveled, and I shoveled and I shoveled. A few hours later, looking out the window, it was like I had never shoveled at all. I sit up, drinking coffee, and relaxing until I decide to hit the hay around 2-3AM. I sleep the sleep of the dead (shoveling tons of wet heavy snow then taking a muscle relaxer will do that to you). When I awake I’m shocked by the realization that I’ve overslept terribly and it’s almost 7PM! Ahhhhh!

The snow is piled up on my front porch so high that the storm door (which is up a step from the porch) won’t open. We got some sleet so it’s extra-crusty super-hateful snow. First off, I’m annoyed that I didn’t get any mail, and by the terrible condition of the streets (the ones I can see, anyway). I shovel my way out to my car, come in to warm up and get to thinking; “Even with all the snow cover, it’s awfully light for 8 at night.” Rushing to the computer to check SNTP; “God’s own time” I have a revelation.

It’s 8am! And I’m an idiot!

Have I mentioned, I hate Winter!?

It’s been snowing all day today, sure it’s pretty and all, but there’s already a good 8-10″ on the ground and they’re now saying that by tomorrow evening we may have 15-23″. That’s just too damned much snow! Thank goodness I’m done with my Christmas shopping and don’t have to be anyplace until work Friday night (when they’re calling for overnight lows of -13F… is there no end to the torture?)

I wimped out!

So, Sunday night was even colder than the original forecast. The temp as I prepared to leave for work was 2! Two freaking degrees Farhenheit! And still windy! Thus I was reduced to driving the metal box to work, like some common sissy.

I went out to start my car, and was greatly relieved when the door opened right up for me (there’s a long history of the doors freezing shut, the locks freezing, and the entire inner workings of the doors freezing solid… as a consequence of past instances of this and my trying to overcome this phenomenon by brute force, my front passenger’s side door will only open from the outside and my rear passenger’s side door won’t open at all… but anyway, I digress).

I start the car, relieved again that it started rather easily (my car and I both only operate properly at 60 degrees and above). When I go to get out… the door won’t open! After a few moments of cursing I decide to roll the window down and try it from the outside. Bingo! It pops open easily.

The truly awful part is that Winter is only just beginning (technically). Have I mentioned that I hate Winter?