Earlier today, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
declared a state of emergency due to a storm which could bring
more than three feet of snow to the Bay State. As of this writing,
there is a ban on vehicular traffic which is believed to be the
first of its kind since the infamous Blizzard of
‘78.
I left work at noon and have spent most of the PM watching the
Australian Baseball League championship between Perth and Canberra.
Right now, I am watching Beyond Scared Straight.
Why? I don’t know. Well, better to be here than out there or
in there.
The snow is expected to fall until early tomorrow afternoon.
UPDATE 2/9/2013 @ 4:22 p.m.: Earlier this
afternoon, my roomie Christopher and I walked down to Doyle’s
(as we
did during Hurricane Sandy). The snow buried many a car. It
didn’t help that one of the snow plow operators saw fit to dump
snow in the middle of our street. Those who weren’t shoveling snow
were on skis, snowshoes or tobaggans making the best of the
situation.
Upon our arrival at Doyle’s there were only a handful of people
at the bar. But within half an hour the front room was nearly full.
It was there we learned that Governor Patrick would lift the
driving ban at 4 p.m. The T, Amtrak and Logan International remain
shut down.
We did lose our cable for more than 12 hours but the web and the
rest of the power have stayed intact. The only major challenge we
have is how we will do our laundry which is situated in the
basement next door. The sidewalk and stairs leading to the laundry
room are covered in snow. Either I’ll borrow a shovel or go into
town to buy one tomorrow and take care of it then.
UPDATE 2/9/2013 @ 6:25 p.m.: I borrowed a
shovel from my downstairs neighbor. Beforehand I was on the phone
with my Dad who told me to be careful when shoveling and to take it
slow. When I saw the snow I had second thoughts but I would not be
deterred. It took me 45 minutes to shovel the pathway and the
stairs leading to the laundry room. Fortunately, I am in good shape
so I wasn’t too tired. Actually, I was quite proud of my work. The
laundry will keep until tomorrow. So will the snow.
kingsmill| 2.8.13 @ 6:22PM
The local media coverage will make you nuts. I turned on WCVB ch 5 at 6AM to catch the hot weather babe and the hot traffic babe. I've imposed a local coverage ban since .......ebooks, audiobooks and a diet of Anthony Mann westerns from here on in....
RCV| 2.8.13 @ 6:57PM
It's like the coverage we get of earthquakes here in California. "Did you feel that shaking? What was it like in your home? Let's go now to Burbank for a report."
Occam's Tool| 2.10.13 @ 2:53AM
Man, just a normal day in rural Minnesota: our snow plows get to work, and we're driving the next day. It's all about being manly men in the ice and snow. Boring.
I'm glad you're OK, Aaron.
Occam's Tool| 2.10.13 @ 3:27AM
Or, as we like to sing: "The Mighty Sons of Hercules were Men as Men Could Be..."
(Riff-Trax's writers were all from Minnesota)
JimH| 2.11.13 @ 7:58AM
Occam, so you do you like movies about gladiators. When I was a kid I watched the Italian muscle movies too. As an example of how a son can idealize a father, my mother tells me that at one time, seeing one of these guys I said he looks like my daddy. My father, if he resembled anyone in his younger days, it was Alan Ladd.
PCC| 2.10.13 @ 7:41PM
Update: Sunday evening, 7:30 p.m.
300,000 people still without power. Want some shovel-ready infrastructure jobs? Put your power lines underground. You know, like they do in China. It's not the 1930's anymore.
PCC| 2.12.13 @ 5:14AM
Update: Tuesday morning, 5:10 a.m.
100, 000 people still without power. Oh, well, these things happen all the time in Third World countries like Haiti. Now it's become commonplace in the US. Power outage at the Super Bowl? No big deal. People still living in tents months after Superstorm Sandy? Sure. Everyone else in the world wants to live in the US? Not anymore.