No snow

OK, still a bit hanging around, and it was snowing off and on during the drive to work.  But pretty much all the snow was melted by the warm rain last night.

Yup, there's snow

We ended up with about 7" falling over 2 days.  Due to the vagaries of weather in the Puget Sound area, other places ranged from a trace to over two feet.  Now it's just fucking cold; in the single digits overnight, in the 20s now.  But the roads are mostly clear, good thing because we're headed to Seattle in about 10th minutes.

Snow!

Once again, western Washington is in the grip of a snow emergency. Well, at least the local news broadcasters are...  We had about 4" of slushy slop yesterday and about a half-inch if snow overnight. There is up to 8" predicted for today, we'll see.

Sunny!

Bright, sunny, cold day today. The cats are loving it, but it shows how dirty the windows are.

Getting better

Slowly, my back us getting better.  Ibuprofin is a wonderful drug, it's been allowing me to function. 

Pain

My back is still really cranky. I'm fine once I get moving, but those first steps are Hell.  It sucks getting old.

Ow ow ow

I spent a couple if hours trying to fix something on my car this weekend.  All I accomplished was throwing my back out and finding a quarter on the floor.  Auto designers should be required to work as mechanics for a year, then maybe things would be easier to get to.

Noncommunication

I've been talking with a friend who is going to vacation in Japan and is looking at a temple stay.  One of the "features" of the stay is the no talking rule.  I'm thinking of not talking for a 24 hour period some weekend.  It could be interesting but I'm not sure what the reaction I'd get from Mrs. Bristol.

Feeling better

I was out of it yesterday. Now back to my normal, curmudgeonly self.

Lack of forethought

Just what did the City of Austin think would happen when they put the decision on what to rename the Solid Waste department up to an online vote?  http://bit.ly/gKtXTX 

 

The current leader?   Fred Durst Society of the Humanities and Arts with an order of magnitude lead.

Bread

I'm going to make some bread today. I haven't really done any baking in way too long; some simple white bread should be a good start back into it.

The picture didn't go through

For the cranky post. Just more to be cranky about.

I woke up cranky this morning

Normally I let her sleep.  <rimshot>

I actually woke up really ready to slap the shit out of a koala.  Shopping today, the day before Green Bay wins the Super Bowl, was a fucking madhouse.

Communal fridge

As many offices do, we have a communal fridge back in the kitchen/lunchroom.  There is a selection of shared condiments (mostly hot sauces around here), some longer-term non-communal stuff (like flax oil and cheese), and a regularly changing assortment of whatever is for lunch.  There's is also usually something that is well on the way to developing intelligence moldering away that everyone denies owning.  And there are only 5 people here...

 

The latest is a plastic bottle of OJ that expired on Halloween, turned somewhat brownish, separated, and is bulging is a way that makes me think we should call the bomb squad.  While no one would claim ownership it was removed and dumped by a braver soul than me this morning. 

 

Current problem fixed.  But it will arise again.  Part of our problem is one person here has memory problems and when asked if something belongs to him, honestly can't remember.  But he is one of the most resistant to everyone having to label their shit; and he's the boss.  So, I will continue to surreptitiously toss stuff that is at the paleolithic stage.  I don't much like being the fridge police, but I don't want to risk being subjugated by the lifeforms in there.

How to distract a male

Boobies!

Just the word will do it for many, show a nice pair and 90% of us are distracted.

Staying warm

Well, only in comparison to the Midwest.  Mom us expecting a couple of feet of snow and sub-zero temps.  So I won't whine about the sub-freezing temps here.

Unbifurcated male garment

Yes, this weekend I bought myself a Utilikilt.  And I must say, I look good wearing it.

Joe Shit the Rag Man

Why, if a male says something to the female in his life, she assumes he doesn't have the slightest idea what he's talking about.  But if a stranger (aka Joe Shit) says the same thing, it's gospel?  However, if he mentions this, he MUST be making it up.

Friday!

Another weekend is nigh.  And it's not going to be as painful as the last one.  We are going down to Seattle for some things we can't get here.  And my usual grocery shopping, though I have to find a new store.  The grocery store I've been shopping at for 15 years is closing.  Just another adventure in life.

Spring!

Even though we are only a month into winter, today has a feeling of spring.  It's nice, but when spring weather come spring allergies and grass that needs to be cut.

The Grand Canyon

I'm  reading a book about all the ways people have died in and around the Grand Canyon.  The causes can pretty much be summarized by three words: ignorance, arrogance and/or stupidity.

Productive weekend

I actually accomplished most of what I set out to do over the weekend.  Now I'm paying for it; stove up and sore.  It's Hell getting old.

Work, continued

Today I'll finish the shed work.  Six solid hours on it yesterday, 3 or 4 should finish it up.

A weekend of work around the house

Stuff that I haven't been able to accomplish, mainly because if weather. Mainly a fencepost to set and work in the shed. It's not raining and it's not blowing 30; what it also isn't is warm.

Still ugly outside

And I'm going to stay inside.  The rain gauge read about three-quarters inch in the last 24 hours.  And it's chilly out there too, mid-30s.

Sometimes I hate my job

Today isn't one of those times. It's nasty and rainy out there today, and I think I'll stay in the office where it's dry and warm.

The Golden Globes

I watched some of the show, not because I give a rat's patootie about who wins (I haven't been to a movie since the last Harry Potter flick, haven't seen the current one yet), but because of Ricky Gervaise.  My favorite line of the night was his closer, "Thank you God for making me an atheist."

Brain dead

My brain isn't functional this morning.  But I'm enjoying all the sturm und drang over the lottery winner in Idaho who never got around to divorcing her estranged, wasted food, lowlife ex.  Now he's entitled to half her $190M windfall.

Sleep

I find it amusing that the most valuable sleep time is the 7 minutes you get after hitting the snooze button. 

Pacific Northwest weather

One of the issues with living here in the upper-right corner of the country is unreliable weather forecasting.  This is because there aren't any observation stations "upstream" of us.  Weather satellites have improved that significantly, but pictures from space can't replace a web of observers.  California has similar problems, but the weather coming in off the Pacific there is much less challenging than it is up here. 

 

Take this week, we are going to get snow tonight and tomorrow.  Or not.  If we do, it will be a trace.  Or it will be 8 inches.  Then late on Wednesday or early Thursday it's going to turn to rain, probably.

 

At least in the center and eastern part of the country, you at least know what is coming up to a week in advance.