"Of course it rained, I washed my car."

Except it didn't rain. And for some time it didn't really snow either. If you attribute things as in the above quotation, whether cause and effect or the coincidences of a perverse universe, then the snow held off for some time as a while back a minor repair was made to the snowblower.

Last night it did snow. Just enough that I was debating whether or not to use the snowblower. I decided to use it to exercise it and it was a good thing I did. One tire was low. Very low. I tried the bike air pump to no apparent effect. So I shovelled out part of the driveway and removed the wheel from the snowblower and took it to a gas station so I could use the air compressor. Fortunately the tire seems to be holding air.

Once back I put the wheel back on the snowblower which took a bit more force than I cared for and set about using the machine. Almost. I had just gotten it started when I noticed that a control cable had come loose from the handle-lever. So I shut down and reattached that cable - noticing a little plastic stop was missing. It's not a critical piece, but it is something to watch to make sure that the cable is still in place.

After all that fiddling around, I did use the snowblower. I'm now really glad that we didn't get 4 to 6 inches of snow that was predicted.

Current Mood: cranky

Tornadoes can happen all months of the year and in pretty much any location. They tend to happen more often in some times (Spring and Summer) and some locations (the US midwest, for one). Oklahoma has already had tornado fatalities this year.

The weather folks make a big deal of Watches and Warnings. Not just for tornadoes, but for other severe weather. And I suspect I am not alone in occasionally getting them confused. Does watch mean "Watch out, it might be happening." or "Watch out, it is happening."? Is a warning "This could be dangerous." or "This is dangerous."? Even after hearing the explanations that are supposed to clarify, the two definitions comes at about the same time and are still apt to get confused.

There is a simple way to distinguish these two things. One is grammatically incorrect, but I think that doesn't matter too much in this case.

WatCh - "C" - It could happen.

WaRning -"R" - It are happening!

ADDENDUM: Alternately, LJ:haystack suggests the more grammatically correct:

WarnIng - "I" - It is happening!

Poll #3115 Climatology
Open to: All, results viewable to: Friends

Global Warming

Anthropogenic (human-caused) Climate Change

For the last 10 years the global temperature has...

The scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change is...

Climatology is...

Current Mood: curious

The flat bicycle tire I didn't really fix has finally been replaced. I had the new inner tube, but new tires were on order. The tires arrived Monday. Naturally the last weekend was good cycling weather. And then I was out of town for a few days, so jmaynard picked up the tires.

I got home a few days ago, but didn't really have time or reasonable weather to take care of things. Today wasn't just too hot, and there was sufficient break in the rain that things dried up for a while, so I finally managed to change the flat. I'm leaving the other tire alone for now. New tube, new tire, and while the wheel was off of the bike, I drove to a gas station with an air compressor and got it properly inflated.

Once things were reassembled it was time for a ride. I didn't get just too far. Things went well with the bike, but the sky got dark and then I felt a few light drops so I turned around. Somewhat to my surprise I managed to get home without getting soaked. I got back just in time. There's plenty of rain and thunder now. I don't think I'll be going anywhere this evening.

Current Mood: frustrated

It's not the first snow of the season. There was a hint of snow a few weeks ago. A couple nights ago there was enough that a bit shoveling was called for. Today there is snow and wind, and maybe sleet and perhaps freezing rain as well. It's a good day to stay home. I'm not going to bother shoveling or trying the snowblower until after the freezing rain and such has passed. I'd rather have the ice on top of the snow than down on the concrete.

It wasn't just too bad this morning so jmaynard and I went out for breakfast. We decided after that it was a good idea to stay home the rest of the day. Someone had a van stuck for a while across the street. By the time I was dressed up enough to go and see if any help could be provided, they had gotten moving. So I just got the mail... and then watched the van come around the block again and just barely make it to the main street. Yep, I'm not going anywhere today. Staying in, maybe with some hot chocolate, is a really good idea.

* At work during the heavy rains last week, I felt the curious feeling that I normally only notice in the Winter during a storm. I can't really describe this feeling, but I recognized it right away, and it was odd to have it during a Summer storm.

* On the way to MNRF (Saturday September 18) the car passed the 90,000 mile mark on the odometer. This post shows that 80,000 miles was passed on January 5 this year. I'm putting more miles on the Corolla this year since I'm driving more than the last couple years. The last couple years, Jay drove his RX300 on most longer trips. But he's not been around for much of time I'm on going any distance this year.

* I am amused by going to a RenFest and getting offered a computer, or parts thereof. It seems a bit surreal. Not that I'm complaining, mind. I already have a use in mind, should things work out. And after seeing how things have gone with jmaynard since April, it's not all that surreal.

* Also amusing were the couple guys, in garb, who came up to me in the morning at MNRF and treated my walking stick as if it were a real horse, even being careful not approach from behind.

* Having a cooler of icewater available on the drive home helped considerably. I can drive up to Shakopee in the cool morning without needing water, but the hotter afternoon demands more hydration. I got home and felt pretty good.

* It's finally Fall, or Autumn if you prefer, and that means an end to annoyingly high temperatures. Sure, it has been a bit cooler this Summer, but the peaks were still annoying. I'm feeling more alive again. I like this season. It cools down, the humidity drops, and the bugs disappear. October is pretty much the ideal month, to me, in regards to climate.

Current Mood: chipper

I've seen this alleged message from God getting tossed around LiveJournal a bit. I don't subscribe to the supernatural explanation, however. What the image shows is not a supernatural bias against the red areas, but that those in the blue areas are such windbags and blowhards that they're diverting major weather systems.

( Preserved comment(s) )

Current Mood: mischievous

Record rainfalls.
Schools closed.
Livestock moving to the higher ground.
Some pastureland looking more like a lake.
Stocks of sandbags being depleted.
Roads closed due to flooding.
Stranded people being rescued by boat.

That's not from Ivan, or any other hurricane. That's what happened overnight and this morning in southeast Minnesota.

Fairmont was on the western edge of the affected area and, as far as I've seen and heard, managed to escape the worst of this. Austin and Albert Lea weren't so lucky and did get the worst of it.

( Preserved comment(s) )

Current Mood: Dry

This Summer is being weird. It's August. August, the month normally filled with days of oppressive heat. This August has been different. In northern Minnesota new low temperature records have been set in the last few days. It got down to 23 F in Embarrass. Yep, below freezing.

The highs have also been on the low side, for August. It was nice, last Saturday going to MnRF and not having to deal with the heat like year. But I'm wondering what the future holds. If this keeps up (down?) will I see it snow at the faire next month?

The overnight low for Shakopee is forecast to be 43 F with a high tomorrow of 75 F. And that's with a clear sky. It'll be nice, though I might need to consider a cloak in the morning.

( Preserved comment(s) )

Current Mood: chipper

Though Jay may be off to California to be on a TV show and is still getting requests for radio interviews, other things do go on. If problems come in threes, hopefully we have the set now and aren't due another installment somewhere along the line.

A week or two ago there were a couple storms. One Saturday evening pelted the are with hail. The one hailstone I measured was an inch across the major axis (it was not spherical). Sunday night there was storm with high winds. Unusually high wind, even for the Plains. There was no major damage, but there are a few spots on the roof where shingles used to be. Someone was called, but as far I know it hasn't even been looked at yet. Hopefully a quick patch job is all that will be needed. While the roof will need replacement in a couple years, I'd like to be able to wait that couple years.

Last Thursday I noticed that the tab on the mailbox felt mushy, which is not a good way for metal to feel. Sure enough, it broke off on Friday. Friday evening was spent removing the old mailbox, fixing up the post and such that it and the neighbor's boxes are mounted on, and putting the new box in place. It was a typical project: A few too many bent nails and two trips to the hardware store. One positive side effect was that I discovered a rattling in my car was probably due to the migration of tools in the trunk. After putting the toolkit back as it ought to be, things should be quiet again, but I haven't really listened hard yet. I might have caught that sooner, but it's been a few years since I've had use the toolkit I carry in the car.

This Saturday I went into the basement for something and found water on the floor. Fortunately it was not all that much water and only in the unfinished part of the basement. I followed the water to the prime suspect: the aging water heater. I just took four hours off work to be around while that was replaced and to see the inspector who signed off on the installation. To cap it all off, the installer pointed out that who ever installed that old water heater had connected it backwards, which would result in running out of hot water quickly. The new installation is much cleaner, without cross-ways piping. Whoever put in the old heater wasn't just lazy, but evidently actively stupid.

Current Mood: relieved

No big sky-sparks today, but a conversation with Ginafae last night reminded me of my one somewhat close encounter with lightning.

( A parting shot. )

Current Mood: electric

Morning drive

The drive to work was a bit more exciting than I cared for. Bixby road is patchy - some dry pavement, some packed snow or ice. That isn't bad, really. But there was a drift across an icy area and that messes things up. It had messed someone else up, as evidenced by the small red hatchback that had slid off the road and was aimed the wrong way 'round. And that wasn't visible as soon as I'd have liked so I couldn't gently lose some speed first. So I jammed the clutch down, hit and plowed through the drift, emerged and steered like mad - and managed to keep the car pointing on average in the right direction, though it was rather wobbly about it for a second or two. I think I'll take a different route home.

Friday Five?

Not doing it. But when did it become the Friday Twenty-Five?

COLT

I only have two more issues of the Looney Tunes comic to finish in order to complete 2003. And I have one of those nearly done. I expect to finish it tonight. I might just finish the 2003 issues before 2004, but I wouldn't place any bets just yet. Even if not, hey, I'm ahead of my schedule.

Current Mood: relieved

( Sleep, Ron Babb, Harvest Feast, housework )

Weather. We had snow overnight. Enough that the grass is covered or mostly so and the roads were more interesting than desired this morning. It's odd, but even machine exhaust seems a bit nice in the crispness. Perhaps it's an odor from pleasant times, or maybe just knowing how good it is to have a machine (whatever it may be) running when there's snow on the ground. There is a certain satisfaction in having something start and run in colder weather. Though today isn't all that cold (Yes, Jay, I know it's freezing out. It's November. It'll do that.) as it is still in the thirties, and that's above zero.

Current Mood: good

Last night as we were about to go into a restaurant we heard an announcement over the city public address/civil defense/storm warning system. The July 4th fireworks were being postponed. While the sky did not look promising, that was not the reason. The pyrotechnics had not yet arrived from the vendor. Whoops.

There were fireworks, though. The sky wasn't promising nice clear weather. It was was threatening a storm, and delivered. Much arcin' and a-sparkin' through the night.

Am finally finishing up the scanning of the negatives from Osceola. That's the first step. Next I get to do some graphic editing & such and see what the GIMP can do. Or rather, what I can get the GIMP to do, clunky interface and all. (Many little windows to wade through for one program.. not what I think of as a clean design.)

Did go to Sioux Falls. Picked up LT 104 (Yes, Michael, I know I haven't finished 103 yet). Had a nice lunch at Nap's. New item, blackened salmon... done just right. Yum! Also, listened to XM radio on the way there and back. It's weird to hear Jack Webb outside his Dragnet role. Why? Jack Webb.. with emotion. Jarring.

And there's this... ( You're kidding, right? )

Current Mood: surprised
Current Music: the scanner scanning

~5:20 PM Arrived home. Sky overcast. No rain.
~6:00 PM Heavy rain. Sirens sound. Sky greenish. Went to basement.
~6:10 PM Heavy rain. Sirens stop. Waited, emerged. As if nothing happened.
~6:20 PM Power goes out. UPSes kick in. Shut belgian down.
~6:25 PM Power returns. Leave belgian off, set clocks.
~6:45 PM See TV warning for points east. Claims of tornado damage in Fairmont mentioned.
~7:00 PM Jay gets back from Minneapolis. We unload the car and go eat. See some branches down. That's all.

Much later, see this: http://www.startribune.com/stories/1524/3960938.html

Not much, perhaps, but that's too close. I recall '97 when I woke up a couple times to hear places I had been weren't exactly there anymore. And when driving along had seen very low clouds moving south.. and a not much later seen other very low clouds moving north.. decided I wanted to be elsewhere - badly.

[It'd be nice if the Star-Trib would put up a story and leave it alone, aside from needed corrections, rather than change the whole story and use the same URL. The original story made much more sense as a link here. It actually mentioned Fairmont and such. Mood=annoyed. Addendum: And then the links go stale, too...]

Current Mood: anxious
Current Music: (don't confuse anxious with eager)

The tornadoes, high winds, and such were a couple hour's drive north of me. Too close all the same.

1. It would happen in Wausau. I guess he thought it was wabbit season.

2. Several nights ago RichardFox pointed out a web site of military, or perhaps ex-military, humor. One bit was about attitude to service members and such. This included a correction about the idea that some apparently have that the Coast Guard somehow isn't one of the "real" forces.

Maybe they don't go far overseas like the others, but they still have problems. Trying to stop smugglers and such means they do come under fire, and it doesn't matter if there is a defined war or not. One thing, though, really sets the Coast Guard apart, and perhaps above, the other services.

When the weather is rotten beyond belief (remember how the weather folks like to say how much energy is in a storm, equivalent to so many nukes, which is huge even if spread out), well in that miserable mess, what do the various services do? The Army can halt and dig in. The Navy can steer around a storm. The Air Force can delay flights, or maybe fly over the weather. The Marines can delay a landing or halt an advance. And what does the Coast Guard do? The Coast Guard goes out in those hellish storms and rescues people from them.

3. Some things have given names but end up being called other, less flattering, names by those who use them. A common example is Internet Explorer which has been dubbed, amongst other things, Internet Exploiter and Internet Exploder.

A few programming and debugging tools have similar fates. There was the Cosmic Compiler which was dubbed the Comic Compiler. The Nohau emulator got called the NoWay emulator. And now Code Composer seems to have been renamed Code Disposer.

4. The LJ web application's spell checker does not point out wabbit as an unknown or misspelled word.

Remember last Monday? The day getting to work meant shoveling half of the driveway, getting stuck in the parking lot, and deciding it wasn't worth going back at noon as the roads and streets were that crappy?

Today is another Monday. I didn't bother with a jacket when I left for work. Not even a windbreaker. The forecast high is 87 F, which could well be a record breaker.

Of course, it could snow later this week.

Current Mood: dreading the heat

It's snowing. That, in itself, is no big deal. That the amount is substantial and growing is a big deal. I woke up to what was probably 4 inches or so, where it wasn't drifted. Shoveling the driveway (just the half I need to get out) was nontrivial, mainly as the plow had gone by and left a couple feet of packed snow for me. Oh, joy. But work hasn't been called off, so off I went.

I got part of the driveway cleared. The streets had been plowed. The roads had been plowed. Though there was a curious "snow boulder" in the middle of the road on the way to work - for a moment I thought it might have been a stranded snowmobile or something.

The parking lot at work, however, seems not to have been touched. I went looking for a parking space I could get in to, and would have a good shot at getting out of again. In the process, I got stuck. Yes, in the damned parking lot of the place that hadn't been closed. Twice. I was seriously considering going home and calling in - saying I'd be back when they got things right. But someone pointed out one spot that had been plowed somewhat. I managed to get into that spot (with help.. nearly got stuck again in the process). If this snow keeps up and the lot is still crappy then I have a choice: Do I not go home at noon and hope things will be better by the afternoon, or do I go home at noon and not bother coming back?

If a place isn't going to close, they should have their parking lot plowed at least somewhat. This doesn't just affect those who work here. Anyone coming to drop off or pick up anything (if they are still going at all) is also at risk of getting stuck. As an example, there is gal here from a local catering service and she'll be here a while. Her van - her big commercial delivery van - is stuck in the lot at a funny angle as it can't move. This is the same outfit that supplies lunch here. I wonder if they will today. I wouldn't blame them for telling this place they won't risk another vehicle until things get put right.

Current Mood: pissed off

Hazy morning, but already nearly +40 F and might just hit +60 F today - and the weekend is supposed to get warmer still. Nice, to have fair temperatures. Of course the downside is that Summer is coming. Summer, the season of obnoxiously miserable hot weather.

Did the treadmill thing an hour earlier last night and watched New Detectives, which wasn't bad. But I can see getting tired of that in not too much time. A check of TV Guide (on the web, of course) shows that I should probably set a VCR to record an hour at 1 PM. I have a choice of Tiny Toons, Acme Hour, and Perry Mason then. Maybe I'll set that this noon. It's been some years since I saw Perry Mason (I'm hoping it's the old black and white show).

A couple nights ago Storm Stories was interesting. It was about the blizzard of January 1997 and how it affected an eastern state. What was interesting was that I can remember that one, before it went that far east. It was enough here that the town pretty much closed down, the two open 24 hour grocery stores closed, and there were warnings that said something like "If you try to leave town, we will NOT come out to rescue you. Stay home." The snow itself wasn't too bad, but there quite a bit of it - and with high winds it made for poor visibility and large drifts.

Jay has been watching Ranma quite a bit. Thankfully, with headphones if I'm around. I find the voices grating. Perhaps I shouldn't put it that way. The voices are okkay, the dialog is grating. I'm amazed he can stand it, myself.

Current Mood: good