Friday, February 5, 2010
SNOWPOCALYPSE NOW: Oddly, even though NYC is north of Philly and DC, it's apparently going to miss the brunt of the major storm that's hitting those two cities shortly. Given that a substantial portion of our readership is in that mid-Atlantic area, it's time for an open thread for how you're dealing with the forthcoming storm, the status of supermarket and Wawa shelves, and how this yet against proves the infallibility of Punxsutawney Phil.
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DC is in full-out freak-out mode. At 10:00 yesterday morning, the Whole Foods near my office in Silver Spring looked almost exactly like the Filene's wedding sale, which I once visited for amusement in Boston, to the extent that people were literally fighting over milk. My employer, in a first, told everyone to telework today, and so I'm waiting out Snowmagedden '10 at home with work occupying my time, but a full DVR calling my name.
ReplyDeleteThe Whole Foods in Oldtown was the same way at 1 p.m. yesterday. God forbid you can't get your Nature's Best toilet paper or whatever for two days.
ReplyDeletei live in harrisonburg, VA and when i went to the grocery store on wednesday, the dairy case was awfully bare. my school made the cancellation call at 5:58 am (definitely the last place in the surrounding area to do so). i'm enjoying the majesty of daytime tv, which will be made all the more fabulous by rupaul's drag race! i am a little sick and tired of saturdays being snowed out--how's a girl supposed to house hunt? oh yeah, the internet!
ReplyDeletestay warm everybody!
I am a sad New Englander right now, as I watch everyone else get snow as I walk across the bare grass at my apartment complex. Enjoy it, Mid-Atlantic people.
ReplyDeleteA perfect confluence of events:
ReplyDelete(1) Take the normal amount of DC freak-out over snow (which is quite considerable in its own right);
(2) Add the people who would normally tune out that noise, but are pushed over the edge because the weather forecasters have actually gotten it right for this winter's two prior snowstorms (an unheard of accomplishment around here); and
(3) The Superbowl is Sunday.
That math explains how I, an Ohio native who has lived in Boston, ended up in a grocery store yesterday fighting over the last of the chicken wings. It is snOMFG around here for sure.
W-S got about 4" overnight, which has now turned to rain - everyone is freaking out about the "freezing rain," but I was just out in it, and it's just rain. I'm using the opportunity to catch up on the online "employee training" seminars that I was apparently supposed to complete a month ago.
ReplyDeleteI demand snow!!!
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
KR
I'm sitting in my office in D.C. at the moment, waiting for my bosses to tell me when I can leave. Stopped by the grocery store near my house last night, and it was madness. I'm all stocked with booze and TV to catch up on.
ReplyDeleteTips on surviving the storm (I know, I'm the last person to see it, but still.)
Here in Northern NJ we are only expecting 4 inches or so. Hoping we get enough or some sled riding.
ReplyDeleteI live about 20-30 minutes north of D.C. and it's snowing very lightly at the moment - but I hit the grocery store around 9am and the only thing left on the shelf in the meat section was, I kid you not, liver mush in vacuum packaging. I got my diced tomatoes, my loaf of bread and didn't look back.
ReplyDeleteA friend's in-laws in Richmond VA already have a foot of snow. I'm still in my DC office and will likely stay the full day (even though we will inevitably close early), since I live where the metro will still run regardless of snow. Two grocery stores near my house were Lord of the Flies-like last night with minimal amounts of meat, milk, and bread, abandoned shopping carts and total anarchy in the parking lots and checkout lines.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm within walking distance of almost everything I'd need and don't have to worry about being cooped up in my house with kids or pets, I'm not at all in panic mode. In fact, I'm ridiculously excited. I have a DVR backlog of Dollhouse, Wed./Thurs. comedies, BSG season 4.5 DVDs and Season 2 of The Wire. I'm planning on baking bread, homemade soft pretzels and some desserts for a "Big Game" party. I probably won't get out of my pajamas until said Big Game party on Sunday night.
Heh, Raje. I'm telecommuting today. The Whole Foods in Logan Circle was pretty nuts last night---they actually had to close off the store to new entrants for a while for fear of violating the fire code.
ReplyDeleteThe WaPo labeled the snowstorm in December as Snowpocalypse. When they were voting for a name for this one, Snowmageddon won. But personally? I voted for Snowpocalypse II: Electric Boogaloo.
Anyway, the snow has started here, and I am preventing myself from freaking out, but it's a close thing. My years in the South have taught me: Snow? It is evil.
I'm in Suburban Philly and stopped by Target first thing this morning for diapers and a few groceries and they were busier than they usually are that early in the morning (usually there's next to no one) but not incredibly so. Seemed to have all the fresh stuff in. I guess that gets refilled over night.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping the state store is not as crowded as the grocery stores are reported to be. I need wine far more than I need french toast fixings.
ReplyDeleteAt work in Center City Philly.
I am dealing with it, natch, by spending the weekend in Pittsburgh. Which will effing have effing snow. Yup.
ReplyDeleteI hear that it's called Snowpocalypse II: the Squeakquel.
ReplyDeleteI'm still in desperate need of snow in NY. I've been making this plea for days...if we're going to have cold, I want snow.
First flakes started about an hour ago here in Bethesda, MD, and it's beginning to come down harder now. The forecast is now 20-28 inches. The University of Maryland announced at 5:38 this morning it was closing for the day, resulting in the cancellation of a major conference the History Graduate Student Association had planned. I had planned to work at home anyway on revising a dissertation chapter since I teach no classes on Fridays.
ReplyDeleteMy wife's law firm in Dupont Circle just announced they are closing at 1:00, but she is tele-working today anyway.
I went grocery shopping around 3:30 yesterday at the Harris Teeter in Rockville and while it was extremely busy, with a full parking lot, crowded aisles, and long checkout lines, everyone seemed to be reasonably polite. I bet it was rougher after 5:00 when the shelves were undoubtedly emptier. I heard employees say it was the busiest day in the store's history (it's only been open a little over a year, I think).
I was at Wegmans in Fairfax at 11 last night and it was insane. A woman in line stopped me as I was walking toward the aisles I needed and told me "Go home, it's not worth it -- they have nothing and I've been on this line for 45 mintues already." But I was only batting clean-up, and just needed a few items (seltzer and tp), so I soldiered on and took advantage of the much smaller line in the express lane. But craziness.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm just trying to remember that it's a work day. That's very hard.
My DVD list for the weekend (I won't watch all of these, but they're the options on the table): Princess Mononoke, City of God, A Simple Plan, Wonderland, The Hurt Locker, The Shield (seasons 1 and 2).
It's coming down nice and steady in Northern Virginia now. The grocery store wasn't bad, but it's clear everyone in the Mid-Atlantic is making chili this weekend. We have ingredients for a few Pioneer Woman dishes (French dip sandwiches, meatloaf) and fixings for Crazy Taco Night, crab dip, and a few batches of cookies.
ReplyDeleteMy 9 year old and I went to buy a saucer or sled today, but everyone's sold out. We're now planning on sliding down the hill on cardboard boxes (memories of college).
We'll watch some Netflix movies through the Xbox and, most importantly, we have a new keg. All is well.
I am the Cookie Mom for my daughter's Brownie troop and yesterday was cookie pick-up day. We will be snowed in with over a hundred cases of Girl Scout cookies. Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing but we will not starve if the power goes out.
ReplyDeleteSnow is falling rather steadily but no winds yet here in Southern Maryland. <span>
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I helped a very short woman at Wegmans this morning who couldn't reach the top shelf, which held the last two cans of Chef Boyardee pizza sauce. You should have seen the gratitude in her eyes!
ReplyDeleteBackwards, weather, backwards! More snow in upstate NY and NE (where they both know how to deal with it and have mountains to make it more useful) and less in NYC and south (where it's either messy and slushy to walk around in, or causes entire cities to shut down and panic).
ReplyDeleteWhole Foods last night had a crazy long line for the regular registers, but the express checkout line was about normal length, which was good for us. The bread was almost entirely gone (we went for challah but came back with a baguette), the pastries were all gone, and almost all dips were gone (Super Bowl party prep?): no guac, salsa, artichoke dip, or hummos, all of which I would've liked. There were chips, but no shredded mozz for nachos. People were polite, and the cashiers politely but firmly moved us on when we weren't quick enough at getting our bag and cart out of the way, which I appreciated b/c it must be what kept the line flowing.
ReplyDeleteI'm here w/o husband and not able to do the cooking (still recovering from injuries), but we've got takeout for lunch and leftovers for dinner, and frozens after that. Plus plenty to snack on. And neighbor kids hired in advance to do the shoveling. We'll be watching A Night at the Opera, Finding Buck McHenry (old baseball movie), some Doctor Who and some Sports Night (and I'll be burning up the TiVo backlog while the kiddo is out in the snow); playing Bananagrams, Wii, Blokus, and TCM Screen-It; and reading Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, Return to Sender (the Pura Belpre winner), and others.
good, i just added up even more different emo backgrounds in my blog
ReplyDeletehttp://www.emo-backgrounds.info
My dad used to be the cookie mom. This same thing happened to us when I was about 10- I hope you are better than us at avoiding temptation.
ReplyDelete"Weird, it looks like this case of Thin Mints has already been opened!"
"Really? How strange..."
<span>I'm in Central NJ and so far have heard predictions of 1 to 2 inches, 3 inches, or 6 to 12 inches. Three different predictions from three different stations. This is why people pay attention when groundhogs predict the weather.
ReplyDeleteI stocked up on a few essentials just in case. Can't have a snowstorm without the ingredients for some sort of baked good like chocolate chip cookies or brownies.
Kind of looking forward to seeing snow falling and not hearing traffic, but not excited about shoveling or cleaning off my car.
I also have a new book to read: Paranoia by Joseph Finder. It's my book club's next selection and not the type of book I'd normally read but I'm looking forward to it. This seems like a good weekend to start it.
Am I the only one who wishes snow days meant the same thing as an adult as they did when we were kids? Technology and the ability to work from home is great, but a good old snow day of sleeping in, watching game shows, and then heading out for some sledding and snow angels would be really nice!</span>
As a very short woman (well, a short woman) who had someone help her to jam from the top shelf yesterday, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI too wish that snow days were as much fun as an adult as they were as a kid. Now that I bill by the hour, an unexpected day off is just a day you have to make up for.
ReplyDeleteHere on Long Island I think we're only supposed to get around four inches. My parents in the DC burbs are preparing for the snowpocalypse.
As an aside, I propose that the Washington DC area may be the best place in the country for a kid to have snow days. It's far enough south that they freak out and close school for a few inches, but it's far enough north that they usually get at least a few snow days a year. I still fondly recall the Blizzard of '96 when tenth grade was cancelled for 2 whole weeks.
Jealous. I'm just plain jealous. Here in Central Texas it's currently 48 degrees and supposed to get up to the 50's today. Keep posting - I'm living vicariously!
ReplyDeleteYou may or may not be short, but you're definitely not "very short."
ReplyDelete<span><span><span>All I can contribute as a spoiled California girl who has only been in snow once is that </span></span></span>it's raining in L.A. (STORMWATCH!) and that I've been following the snowpacalypse via twitter and here and the best hashtag name I've seen for it so far is: <span><span><span>#snowtoriousBIG.
ReplyDelete</span></span></span>
Laura Diaz: This is STORMWATCH! Let's cut to Kathy Vara at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Laurel Canyon.
ReplyDeleteKV: LAURA IT IS RAINING! You can see GIANT PUDDLES! Back to you!
LD: Here's Glen Walker at Fifth and Hope. Glen, tell us about the scene!
GW: CARS ARE MOVING SLOWLY! EVERYTHING IS WET! I CAN'T ...
LD: Hold on, Glen, we're cutting to Kent Shocknek at Wilshire and Santa Monica!
KS: Laura, THERE IS RAIN AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE! The cars have their WIPERS on HIGH so that they can SEE THE ROAD.
LD: And what about the pedestrians, Kent?
KS: The what?
My favorite is the topical "Tai Shan's Big Dump" in honor of our resident "baby" panda being returned to China this week.
ReplyDeleteI'm 4'10" and at least once per grocery trip I stare mournfully at something on the top shelf. A friend got me one of those grabber thingies, but I'm a bit embarrassed to carry it at age 34. lisased, I echo Genevieve's thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt's 36 degrees and pouring rain here in Georgia. My backyard is completely underwater, as is half of the front yard. I wish we had snow. It's at least prettier.
ReplyDeleteMaret, my DC twitter friend is using #snOWMG on her weather tweets today.
My mom was also a cookie mom, not just for our troop for for the whole city. One of my favorite days ever was when a SEMI-TRUCK pulled up to our house and unloaded enough boxes of cookies to fill our garage and driveway. I really should find those pictures...
ReplyDeleteNo problem. I figure it's the best way to thank the universe for making me an Amazon.
ReplyDeleteAnother advantage of the Snowpocalypse? No need to ice down the drinks -- just stick them in the snowbank!
I want to SEE those pictures.
ReplyDeleteACF- where are you on LI? I'm on the North Shore in Nassau and we're not expecting much. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteWatts, I'm also in Georgia and I have to say, I would prefer the snow too. It's not only prettier, but I would also not be forced to be moving around, going about my daily life in snow (my company's DC office closed an hour and a half ago). I can continue living my life and everything in this cold rain, but I really don't want to. It just makes everything that isn't a couch, a book and a nap miserable. (I won't be able to have any of those for many more hours. Not that I'm bitter or anything.) Bleh.
ReplyDeleteMy DC office let us go at 2. A bunch of us looked out the window, poo-poo ed the measly precipitation and stayed to finish up some stuff. I left at 3, and in NoVA it was quickly getting really dicey.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite WaPo storm nickname? Keyser Snowze.
I'm in Brooklyn, and with those other NYers who are expecting this storm to be a big let down up here. The streets will be plowed, the subway will run, I'll still spend hours at the library, and be expected at work tomorrow. I'm wearing snow boots in preparation, so that's something, I guess.
ReplyDeleteLactose-intolerants FTW!
ReplyDeleteThe w is at the store now. All I really know is that they weren't out of wine (that would have been distressing news!), but she wasn't openly weeping, so I'm guessing the experience was less than apocalyptic.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin is getting married in Philly this Sunday (I KNOW). Apparently, it was the only day the temple had open until April. No shit. Anyway, my brother and sister-in-law are supposed to fly up from Florida for the wedding, but they're debating, because they don't want to get trapped for days. I'm pretty sure my brother doesn't even own a coat, so that should be pretty comical.
ReplyDeleteI wish it were snowing in Charlotte. We'd be shut down for the next week, elongating my maternity leave through President's Day. Alas, all it's doing is raining and flooding the streets, which will not keep me from returning to work on Monday.
ReplyDeleteEnvious of the snow. The winter of 1994 looms large in my memory for repeated Princess Bride viewing while sipping hot cocoa.
Tons of wet, heavy snow in centraol Ohio and it's still coming down. We've got maybe 5-6 inches on the ground. PERFECT snowman-building quality.
ReplyDeleteMan, it isn't even cloudy here. WTH NH? We had an agreement. SNOWY WINTERS. This was my only demand.
ReplyDeleteFor people looking for things to do, I just (like 5 minutes ago) finished Under the Dome. For 1100 pages, it's an amazingly quick read. The end is bizarre (it's Stephen King after all), but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Added bonus- for my field mapping summer course in college, I spent 3.5 weeks in Maine, in the unorganized territory near Millinocket. Probably close to where this book takes place. Kinda creepy.
I am, too, from Dallas. Sorry, Jenn. I was born in Chicago; I love snow!
ReplyDelete*love* the Keyser Snowse!
ReplyDeleteI lived in Chicago for five years, without my belief that snow is evil ever being truly shaken. That said, watching Daley's snow removal team in action when we got 2 feet of snow over New Year's Eve the month before a mayoral election was priceless.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a flake here on the North Shore of LI. I am so bummed.
ReplyDeleteEnvious. We haven't had a big snow here in Denver in ages ....
ReplyDeleteAs a 5'1" shopper, I have gotten really good at jumping up to get things. I'm also really good at finding the most attractive taller man in the store and getting an assist.
ReplyDeleteBut, I'm sorry, neither are worth getting Chef Boyardee pizza sauce....
On a side note, how much of the shopping was also for the Super Bowl?
5'1" guest was me.
ReplyDeleteThere was barely a dusting on my street this morning. Bummed here, too.
ReplyDeleteYou are all welcome to bring a truck and some shovels down to NC, pack up all the snow you like, and take it wherever you like. I just got an interview in Charleston, and I'm really hoping it comes through, because I would be perfectly happy to never see snow again. Thirty years of that was quite enough, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI've been in Ann Arbor all weekend, having missed the onset of the storm back home in Philadelphia by a few hours. Now I'm just trying to get home before the Super Bowl.
ReplyDeleteMy original flight home from Detroit today was supposed to leave at 11:55 am, but was cancelled. I switched to an earlier flight scheduled for 7:05 am (4:30 am wake-up call! Yay!), figuring that would account for any delays -- my only other alternatives on USAirways were evening/nighttime flights, and I assumed that any hiccup or wrinkle during the day would probably lead to cancellation of those. Sure enough, departure is currently delayed until 10:15 AM. At home, my wife has barely been able to make a dent in the waist-deep wall of snow at the top of our driveway, so it looks like I'll be cabbing from the train station and then tunneling through the yard to the front door. Harumph. At least I have internet access in the Detroit airport for the low low price of $7.95.
That Guest was me.
ReplyDeleteBest name I've heard yet for the storm:
ReplyDeleteSnowtorious B.I.G.
This storm has had one bad consequence for me. My satellite dish is covered with snow that probably won't melt anytime soon. Last time this happened, I went on the roof and cleaned it off, but my wife really doesn't want me to do it again. It's a flat roof on top of our screened porch, and is probably not the most structually sound, especially with God-knows-how-many pounds of snow on top of it. So I have no TV, and thanks, NFL, for forcing your best fans to subscribe to DirecTV in order to get NFL Sunday Ticket, thereby ensuring that many of those fans in storm areas will miss the Super Bowl.
ReplyDeleteI actually dug out an old 2-inch portable TV, scoured the house to find batteries for it, and turned it on before remembering that with the digital conversion, you can't get over-the-air TV signals anymore. I'm screwed. Unless I can find a solution, it will be the first SB I've missed in well over 30 years and it will probably be a great one.
That gave me the best belly laugh I've had all week. I gotta go check the rest of them out...
ReplyDeleteThe blizzard knocked down a bunch of trees in our backyard, including a pretty big Cyprus that is now leaning against our basketball hoop (which looks like it's about to fall over). But on the plus side, Montgomery County just canceled school for Monday and Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteWe just dug out the front walk to the cars. The yardstick says 28 inches, and the first six are nice and feathery. The rest is packed firmer than anything I've ever skied on.
ReplyDeleteWe are planning on trudging to the neighbors' house for football. Not sure how we're going to carry the beer, the Cuban sandwiches, and the chips and dip, but we'll figure it out.
So far, the highlight has been watching the nine year old and the six year old wade into the snow, try to walk, switch to tunneling with arms, attempt to swim, then collapse in an exhausted heap, all before they reach the mailbox.
Ah, This is perfect! Clarifies
ReplyDeletesome misnomers I've seen
Ah, This is perfect! Clarifies
ReplyDeletesome contradictions I've heard
Ah, This is spot on! Clears up
ReplyDeletemany misnomers I've seen
Ah, This is exactly what I was looking for! Clears up
ReplyDeletemany contradictions I've heard
Ah, This is awesome! Puts to bed
ReplyDeletemany contradictions I've been hearing.