It's finally snowing here

[VirusType2]

Actually, I had to put a knee down and navigate my upper body between the narrow shelves and reach and shit. I was swinging my arms in the darkness, trying to latch on to a corner of the shinny bread bag I saw glimmering in the void.

It made me feel humble and less of a man, like a lowly beggar, crawling around on my knees in desperation. But then, eyes like starving vultures, as the crowd of people stood there, immobilized by disbelief. I could see their hearts sinking - they were dumbstruck by the cold realization of what they had witnessed.

The bread isle was now an utter wasteland.

Maybe they were too proud to scrounge - maybe they were hardly physically capable of doing such a feat in their old age. Maybe my long arms through generations of breeding decided the victor here. The most clever and fit - maybe it was truly survival of the fittest as much as it can be in these modern times.

The End


Actually, there was plenty of expensive bread left, but I missed my chance to get my paycheck and won't be able to get it for a while. So I had to work with $40 - and that included a 30 pack of the cheapest beer.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Well the 18-20 has started already, it's piling on top of the piles!

Spoiler

Yeah that image + 10x whiter (cell phone).

edit: yay photoshop! 95% realistic now. Left old one up to show difference because I'm proud.

 

[Tyguy]

i'm waiting patiently for my night class to get canceled, although it's taught by the guy who was in charge of the team who worked on the hubble telescope...how ****ing cool is that?

 

[CyberPitz]

NYC schools are closed.

Work has been pretty dead as a result.

woooooooo!

 

[Acepilotf14]

It rained yesterday.
But it was still fifty degrees.

 

[FrostedxB]

School was canceled as well as work for me (I'm in New Jersey) Went out at 9 this morning to shovel. Shoveled till 11 in the morning. The snow is back, though not quite as high...yet. Gonna have to go back out in an hour or so.

God I hate snow.

 

[theotherguy]

3rd day in a row the city of Pittsburgh recommended we cancel classes. This is the only time I've ever had more than one snow day in a year. The snow is slightly above my knees.

 

[dfc05]

I bet they regret canceling today since it's barely snowed any. I did end up walking home through the snow last night though, since the bus service is a little messed up. Sidewalks were pretty bad, especially where you have to cross a street and step in muddy slushy water, or when you have to walk right by where someone pissed in the snow.

I kinda wish they'd cancel the rest of the week, but mostly because I have to give a presentation Friday, and meet with somebody who just sent me a really rude email. I feel like some people are getting increasingly more psychotic. Profs sending out really frustrated sounding emails, undergrads started whining about one of my labmates (their TA) for accidentally switching a couple of groups' data, aforementioned labmate started cursing liberally about the undergrads. Just found out one of my old friends is seeing a shrink and got put on depression meds and is apparently getting advice like "stop sleeping with your support network" even though he was a perfectly fine, happy person last year. So yeah, I'd rather just stay home and sleep in the rest of the week.

Basically, this week sucks.

 

[The Monkey]

You Americans seems to cancel classes for a few snowflakes. They never cancelled classes for us, even it had come one metre of snow during the night.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Few snowflakes? You must be insane, my window is frozen in and there's a sandstorm of ice outside.

 

[Hazard.Squared]

F*ckingsnowmakingmegooutsidetoshovelgoddamnfrostysonsabitchesIusedtolovesnowsonuvabitchtakingmeawayfromMassEffect2.

/Grumble

I used to love snow

 

[The Monkey]

A sandstorm of ice? :O

 

[DEATHMASTER]

I'm not kidding, if my camera phone could capture the tiny bastards I'd upload that.

 

[VirusType2]

I just got through shoveling for an hour or two. The gusts are ****ing nasty. At the bottom of the snow in the driveway is pure ice, up to an inch thick. This is why things are canceled.

My car is buried up to the windows, and then there is a few feet on top as well. It's like my car is part of some ancient buried civilization to be discovered a million years in the future.

 

[Warped]

wimps! here in Buffalo we get shit like that about once a month. last few winters weren't that bad but i laugh when cities close after a few inches/feet of snow. go snowboarding and enjoy the weather if permissible

 

[VirusType2]

Easy for you to deal with:

 

[Raziaar]

Snowing again here in Dallas.

It's actually sticking to the street this time! Amazing!


Already an inch out there.

 

[TimoJay]

Snowing again here in Dallas.

It's actually sticking to the street this time! Amazing!


Already an inch out there.

bastards.

whenever they say it's going to snow in Austin it just rains down here and you guys get all the snow.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Hah well I don't care about fridays (no classes for me anyways) but I got the whole week off. Tried to go home, got 75% of the car shoveled and gave up (mostly due to frozen ears). Yesterday's blizzard melted faster than shit though. I suppose that's a good thing since the weekend is about here.

 

[Krynn72]

Snowing again here in Dallas.

It's actually sticking to the street this time! Amazing!


Already an inch out there.

Yeah, its snowing here in Louisiana too. People are freaking out. Our bosses, who are from here, let us go home at 1pm today because they're scared we'll get in crashes on the way home. Im betting they'll close down for tomorrow as well, since its supposed to continue snowing through the afternoon tomorrow. Im surprised its actually sticking to the ground though. I was expecting it to just melt, but its only been like 2 hours since it really started with the heavy flurrying, but theres already a dusting of snow on the grass.

 

[CyberPitz]

It's not doing anything but being cloudy for us. Nothing in the next couple of days for snow either.

 

[Vegeta897]

Don't you have a sled to pull, Krynn?

 

[Warped]

I actually really enjoy shoveling you guys it's p. great

good for your health at least! unless you suck at shoveling and your back gets hurt. i prefer less than a foot of the semi wet snow. powder snow just keeps blowing around and its hard to get rid of. also the snow that gets ice on top of it right away is a bitch. its like you can stand on it and its nearly impossible to get rid of

 

[xombine]

Warped you're from WNY right? Remember that October storm? Funnnnnn times.

 

[theotherguy]

God damnit. While crossing the street, I just stepped up to my knees in a puddle of brown slush that I thought was only a couple of inches high. The only thing worse than several feet of snow is several feet of melting snow.

 

[Raziaar]

God damnit. While crossing the street, I just stepped up to my knees in a puddle of brown slush that I thought was only a couple of inches high. The only thing worse than several feet of snow is several feet of melting snow.

Oh yeah.... damn. That sucks dude.

IT's all slushed to shit right now. Still ****ing snowing though... all day long. It's ****ing bizarre.

 

[The Monkey]

There are icicles hanging from every ****ing building around the city. Half the sidewalks are closed off, and as soon as the authorities have cleared some roofs, some new icicles reappears the day after. It talks much longer to walk through the streets now as you constantly have to make sure that you aren't in danger of getting your skull pierced.

 

[Warped]

Warped you're from WNY right? Remember that October storm? Funnnnnn times.

heres a video for those who haven't lived through an ice storm when all the leaves are on the trees
it was pure garbage, i had to help all my siblings clean up their yards of trees and branches, help suck out massive amount of water from basements, and scrape countless driveways and cars. it was the worst storm i've lived through

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5126128954548830481&ei=uY90S_vUJs-7lQfnndWsCA&q=october+surprise+buffalo&hl=en&view=3&emb=1&client=firefox-a#
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w__rGeLpeMQ

 

[Raziaar]

heres a video for those who haven't lived through an ice storm when all the leaves are on the trees
it was pure garbage, i had to help all my siblings clean up their yards of trees and branches, help suck out massive amount of water from basements, and scrape countless driveways and cars. it was the worst storm i've lived through

The absolute best wintertime pasttime when I was in alaska... was to kick the coniferous trees and the huge avalanche of snow would just... WHOOMPF... come down and billow out like a collapsed building.

 

[Raziaar]

bastards.

whenever they say it's going to snow in Austin it just rains down here and you guys get all the snow.

We haven't gotten snow in a long time... from what I remember. If we did it snowed for like 1 hour and was all melting as it fell.

This past Christmas and this February are different... lots of snow... all things considered.

 

[Vegeta897]

I put on some old barely-fitting snow pants and a big leather jacket and went out and just laid in the snow (at night). It was so peaceful, I laid there for about 10 minutes. It was the best 10 minutes of my day. I could have fallen asleep there.

 

[VirusType2]

I put on some old barely-fitting snow pants and a big leather

Ha, ha. I thought you were going to say football helmet, for some reason.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGMF.,NGMDKCHS.LA FN, ITS SNOWING ITS BEEN SNOWI NG SINCE LATE LAST NIGHT THERE IS SO MUCH SNOW OMG SO MUCH SNOW I STEPPED OUTSIDE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH WHITE IT WAS LIKE A KKK CONVENTION JESUS CHRIST MY EYES WERE BURNING BUT I DGAF THERE IS SO MUCH SNOW I AM GOING TO MAKE A SNOWMAN

 

[Raziaar]

I put on some old barely-fitting snow pants and a big leather jacket and went out and just laid in the snow (at night). It was so peaceful, I laid there for about 10 minutes. It was the best 10 minutes of my day. I could have fallen asleep there.

You stole my idea, you dick. I GAVE YOU THAT IDEA AND YOU STOLE IT.

 

[VirusType2]

Just shoveled snow for another two hours, and it looks like I won't be able to get my car unearthed for a ****ing week at this rate. Then I came inside and ate about 8 tacos.

I'm going to look like Lou Ferrigno when this is done.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Supposed to snow again on monday...

 

[repiV]

Ive never understood the concept of using a bike every day for commuting etc.

The idea of wearing a helmet, even if its tailored to fit snuggly but properly, youd come in looking like youve just spent a night on the streets when you take your helmet off and your hair's all over the place. Plus you'd have to get changed at work, talk about hassle.

It makes a hell of a lot of sense in some respects. Traffic and parking cease to be problems. You'd be a lunatic to commute into London by car, but by bike 120 mile round trip commutes in and out of central London become a possibility. It used to take me an hour or so to get from the NW London/Hertfordshire border to Southwark just south of the river in the morning, and 45-50 minutes to get home again in the evening. Slightly quicker than the tube, cheaper, and it was the best part of the day rather than a chore which becomes unbearable over time - as with the tube. Although it can't be overlooked that rush hour commuting in London by bike is incredibly dangerous. I used to get nearly knocked off at least a few times a week for the first few months I did it until I developed that "sixth sense".

You can park anywhere for free. I work just off New North Road in town and the car park there costs £6 a day. One of my colleagues who drives in from near Dartmoor parks all the way at the top of Pennsylvania Road to avoid paying, it's then a 15 minute walk. I pay zilch.

Fortunately, I don't have to worry about any of that hassle at the moment as I live walking distance from work. The bike is a toy 90% of the time, it doesn't get used for weeks on end in the winter now (other than occasional 2 mile journeys across town or whatever) - I just walk everywhere!

It can be a real drag, especially when the weather is shit or cold as it makes it so much more hassle. Getting kitted up in the winter becomes something of a ritual - it's not just the temperature you're defending against, it's primarily the windchill. And any little gap which lets the air in will chill you to the core within minutes. After long motorway journeys you can still be freezing cold several hours after arriving. The only way I've found to stay warm on a bike in winter is with electrically heated clothing - which, I tell you, is the best invention known to man! Last winter when I lived in Thorverton I had to ride in the snow and ice (and fog - bloody River Exe) a lot. It's worse when you're making trips around places, or going out socially - wearing bike gear to the pub for example, or carting that shit around with you everywhere...it became such a pain in the arse that it was one of the major reasons I moved into Exeter. In the winter sometimes I was getting fully changed six times a day if I went to work, out with friends, and then home.

It just depends what you're using it for. If I had to commute from Torquay to Exeter, I'd take the bike - every single time. The traffic along the A380 is ridiculous. For that matter, before the recession really bit, it used to take over half an hour just to get out of Marsh Barton by car. I'd be home in Thorverton long before my colleague got to his house near Sidwell Street - every night.

But yeah...it can be a right pain in the arse. In a car you're a slave to traffic and parking...on a bike, to weather. I rode a mere two miles back from jiu jitsu on Monday night and I'd forgotten to bring my neck tube as I was in a rush. Felt like I was being stabbed in the neck by icy needles, just from the cold wind. Inappropriately dressed over any sort of distance and you'd get seriously ill.

He doesnt mind riding alone, but he has more fun riding with 1 other person. My cousin's husband bought a GSXR 750 and they rode around together, often just playing around while overtaking etc. Not like a bunch of teenagers or anything, I mean theyre both in their mid 30s.

2-4 people is good. I don't get much out of the big groups thing, but it's nice to have company.

From what Ive heard, it certainly is easy to strike up a conversation with someone random if they have a bike as well, which is almost unheard of these days.

Yeah, although a lot of the time idiots come up to you and say stupid things. "I used to have one like that, got 210mph out of it!"

Of course you did.

Its something Ive always wanted to get into, I love the freedom and speeds, but at the same time knowing a single stone can be either the death of you or come seriously close to it is seriously off-putting. Almost all of my family members who have died in a crash have been on bikes, so I would probably get disowned if I bought one.

A single stone is somewhat over the top. A bike at speed is a lot more stable than you might expect. There are risks involved, but then car travel is incredibly safe - and there are ways to mitigate all of those risks. You would more readily compare motorcycling to skateboarding, surfing, mountain biking etc...and you're many times more likely to get hurt or killed riding a horse than a bike. The problem, I think, is that you can be as careful as you like and still kill yourself because the correct techniques are not taught to learners and they are often counter-intuitive. Also, cars these days practically drive themselves - whereas bikes are almost as difficult to control as they were fifty years ago.

Most people die on bikes because they panic and do the opposite of what they should do eg. hit the brakes if they go into a corner too fast - if it doesn't break traction and chuck you off, hard braking into a bend will cause the bike to sit bolt upright and run right off the road straight into the nearest hedge/tree/ditch. What you need to do in that situation is lean the bike much farther over and even accelerate - which can be very difficult to actually do in the heat of the moment even for a very experienced rider, and that's assuming you actually understood that that was the correct course of action in the first place. It's all down to instinctive survival reactions which are not designed for our modern lives and are quite literally deadly in the context of riding a bike!

All I'd say is on the matter is...do what your heart says. Which is good advice for pretty much everything in life, for that matter. The fact that the risks concern you in the first place is a sign in itself that you're the sort of person who should be trusted with a bike. My injury causes me constant issues to this day and I will never fully recover from it, but I never even considered giving it up. And I don't know anyone who's been injured anywhere near as badly as I have from biking anyway. Only you can decide if it's worth it, in any case.

Dont think it was the Paignton bike night, as it happens during the day. Maybe Im completely oblivious as to the times because Ive never been to it so you could be right.

I'm not really sure of any others.

Riding around in groups, I agree, does scream mid-life-crisis, but at the same time its surely alot more sociable than being a lone rider. It depends on the person I guess. I think its not really that much different from people who own Ferraris or MGs getting together on weekends. Its just driving in a group, showing everyone you belong to a certain motoring culture. In SA its different to here though. They would drive cross-country, from city to city over a weekend, then ride all the way back. We're talking kidney pads, the works, for hours of riding. Theyd park up outside stadiums with kiosks and gazeebos and tents etc. Its like riding to a Glastonbury for bikes. So you get to meet different people every time, then you form biker groups/gangs/clans of mates. Theres no fights or anything that pathetic, just biker crests etc.
Not as severe as the US though, Hells Angels etc.

I don't get the whole "clique" thing. I find that bikers tend to share similar attitudes to life philosophically and so on so always a good outlet for ranting about the government. Personally though, I just enjoy riding bikes.

Good to hear every biker nods at each other, even if bike riding is more of a hobby or pastime these days. Im surprised about London though, I mean, do scooters count or something? Im talking about proper road bikes, not those 50cc chave-tastic-mobiles.

Scooters are on a par with cyclists in the pecking order. That is, below "cagers".

They don't get nods. There are a lot of motorbikes in London, it's not like down here at all. It's not unusual in the warmer months especially to pull up at the lights on the morning commute and be sitting in the stupid cyclist box thing with 15 other motorbikes. They're everywhere.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

So apparently another THURSDAY NIGHT with snow starting. Just 5" this time but it's been a pattern that it must snow when I have no school the next 3 days. I like the stuff but the slickness just becomes annoying when I have places to go. Though I think the enjoyability of it outweigh my inconvenience, at least this time around, mostly. Damn I wish I had my good camera on campus!

 

[TimoJay]

snowed here earlier this week. it was about an inch. of course it all melted the next day when it was 60F and sunny.

*shakes fist at unrelenting perfect weather*

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Heh, ended up hardly being an inch on campus. The suckers who have Friday classes still got to go