quickie 020508
What’s going on? We had 8 inches of snow on Friday. It’s all gone thanks to 75 degree weather Monday. Work is hell. I flooded the master bathroom on Super Bowl Sunday (more on that later). I cheered on the Patriots only to see them lose in fantastic fashion to the Giants (kudos to Eli Manning and the Giants D). Work is hell. Aggravated my knee again while working in the bathroom. Collecting Pepsi bottle caps for free music. Work is hell. I don’t have any updated photos of the Tremont because of said plumbing problems; I hope to get them on Friday.
gotta love the midwest weather
Record-setting high of 71 degrees today gave way to heavy rain, hail, sleet, and snow this afternoon. Of course, I was too busy at work to notice any of this. By the time I left my office, the temperature had already plummeted 40 degrees with 45 mph winds. I was covered in snow by the time I got to my car. And to top it all off, the area was under a tornado watch. We’re currently at 16 degrees, and it’s absolutely frigid.
unseasonably warm
Windy, rainy, and warm. A stark contrast from what we experienced a year ago.
Indian summer
Yesterday the temp reached a record high of 91. That’s really hot for October. We usually average in the 70′s as fall begins to settle in. This week however has been unseasonably warm with Friday being the hottest. We went to the annual chili cook-off last night, and it cooled off a little as the sun went down. But as the night grew, so did the crowd. Eating spicy food, lots of warm bodies in a tight space, and no air flow made for a pretty uncomfortable evening. Christine and I normally hit each booth and sample every chili; we’ll skip one if we already know we don’t like it. However we couldn’t finish the final stretch after filling up very quickly on chili and soda.
heat wave
Excessive heat warning continues through Friday. What about Saturday, Sunday, and Monday?? Isn’t anything above 100 degrees “excessive”??
update 062007
Hmm… what’s going on? Busy at work, tired at home. I still have 2 days’ worth of pictures to upload from our vacation. I’m gonna have to better organize my time so I can have this done by the end of this weekend. Daniel returns home next week when my in-laws come to visit. It’s getting hotter outside now that summer’s officially here. I’m feeling the pressure and stress at work as the lab project is almost live (5 weeks away). Maybe once that’s out of the way, I can rest at ease, relax, and get back to some kind of normal in my job. I am happy to say that, today, my new manager announced to me that I would be getting a raise effective next pay period! 
long time no blog
And it will be a little while longer til I start posting better entries. I’m lacking motivation right now. Just to give a quick update – I’m stuck in all-day training the next 2 weeks (meaning I won’t get much work done). It was 10 years ago today when I first met CL in person. D has been the typical teenager, prompting his mother and I to be a little more disciplinary to get our point across. Lent is approaching, and I’m still unsure of what I will sacrifice.
Oh, and we got maybe 4 inches of snow. Seems miniscule compared to this. CL wouldn’t mind if they gave us a foot.
global warming?
Wave of arctic cold grips Midwest, Northeast (MSNBC.com)
It’s currently 13 degrees here, feels like 3, and I think it’s snowing (I don’t have a window in my office, so I don’t really know).
ice storm – 2nd wave
We survived another night of frozen precipitation; barely a trace of ice. We’re still under an ice storm warning through Monday morning. The third and final stage of this storm is to hit later today and into tonight. We’re located roughly where the freezing line is, so the outcome depends on the temperature. Right now, temps are hovering just above freezing. It’s cold, but I’ll take it.
ice storm – 1st wave
We got a little bit of ice last night, but fortunately we still have power; the area north and west of us were not so lucky. CL and I grabbed a few things from the grocery store last night in preparation. The 2nd wave begins tonight. I’ll keep you posted (unless, of course, we lose power)..
more ice? no thanks!
Aside from the ice storm we had in Nov/Dec 06, it’s been a pretty mild winter. We’ve been hovering in the 40′s and 50′s. Now this …
Ice storm warning in effect for St Louis (KSDK.com)
Ice storm threatens chaos (CNN.com)
“This is a one-in-maybe-15- to 25-year event,” CNN severe weather expert Chad Myers said Friday of the forecast freezing rain, sleet and snow.
You’ve gotta be kidding me.
Calvin’s take on the weather
Don’t think the Midwest will share Calvin’s sentiment …
Ahh, to be young again and not have a care.
ice
Just Wednesday, it was sunny and unseasonably warm (70). We knew a major winter storm would arrive on Thursday, but I didn’t think it would hit as hard as it did.
perfect storm?
Probably our first significant winter storm in 6 years is approaching today. I can do with the high snowfall amounts, but please – no ice!
rain and pain
The weather this week is just downright miserable, and I feel the same way. By all means, today was not horrible. I guess it’s just been one heck of a week at work, and my body is telling me “Knock it off!” My headache returned, and it hadn’t hurt this bad since 3 weeks ago. I may have to call the doc again next week if it doesn’t get better; I hate pumping myself full of pills.
delay
Currently, Game 4 of the World Series between the Cardinals and the Tigers is in a rain delay. I’ve got Fox on one TV (where I usually play video games) while CL and I watch our other shows Jericho and Lost on another. The rain has been pretty much non-stop all day today. It hasn’t been a downfall, but a constant drizzle. It must be exciting to go to a World Series game, but I think I’d be more comfortable at home than at Busch Stadium where it’s cold and wet.
update 081906
It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged about what’s up here in the Midwest.
It’s been hot, but not too bad.
I’ve been to Busch Stadium twice in the past 2 weeks.
- First game was on a Sunday, and CL and I stayed through the 5th inning. It was so hot that day, the sodas and lemonade weren’t enough to keep us hydrated. As we left, we missed the 3-run homer hit by Juan Encarnacion. Cards beat the Brewers, 7-1.
- Second game was last Wednesday night; coworker had a spare ticket. The Cards stunk up the joint, losing 7-2 to Cincinnati.
I will say that the new Busch Stadium is a sight to see. Once I’m done uploading vacation pics (I know, I know; it’s already been a month; I hope to be done soon), I will post our pics of Busch.
Speaking of vacation pics, I’ve decided to bring back the vacation blog (started summer of 2005, but never finished). I will continue this personal journal of our travels. I will be working on this along with uploading pics, so I hope to have it up by next weekend.
D starts school on Tuesday. He’s excited to get back to some serious stud…, er, socializing. Look up “teenager” in the dictionary, and you’ll see his picture (see also “attitude”, “crab”, and the antonym for “good listener”).
I don’t normally weigh myself, but I know I’ve gained some weight. My belly has grown, and it bothers me. My pants fit a bit more snug than usual. And I feel the extra inch(es?) when I sit at my desk. Maybe it’s time to start doing some sit-ups. “Welcome to the 30′s!”
101 degrees
Since our return from the Gulf coast, it’s been unbearably HOT. The 4th straight day of yet another heat wave has us staying inside and downstairs where it’s coolest. We hope to get a “cool” spell in the next few days with temps in the 90′s.
The heat has worn me down that I don’t have much of an appetite, and I’m tired well before bedtime. So tired that I don’t want to get up in the morning for work. Which is how it was before I went on vacation. Hopefully you’re staying cool where you’re at!
on the road again
Day 1 of my 10-day weekend…
- I absolutely hate leaving Salem at the kennel (as usual, he cried). Of course, I can’t travel if I can’t board him.
- 5 minutes into our trip, I realized I forgot the tripod. Set us back by a half hour at most.
- We changed our minds in Missouri and decided to go to Tunica, Mississippi instead of Graceland. We figured we will probably visit Memphis in the near future and will save touring the King’s home then.
- Apparently more storms hit home again around noon. Thankfully, a friend checked out the house; it has power and is fine. Unfortunately, the number of those without power climbed back to over 500,000.
- Ate at the buffet in the Gold Strike casino in Tunica. Played for about an hour. We’ll probably come back some time.
- Hit a few thundershowers near Magee.
- Arrived safely in Hattiesburg.
CL and I just love saying it: “We’re on VACATION!!”
blogdrive insanity
I’m late with this, but oh well…
Wednesday Mind Hump (Blogdrive Insanity)
1. How hot does it usually get in summer where you live?
Very. Usually 90′s, and with humidity, it feels much worse. Today it will feel like 115.
2. What’s your favorite ice cream treat (or other cold treat)?
Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream (or any brand of cookies & cream)
3. What’s your favorite cold beverage?
Lemon-flavored iced tea – Nestea, Lipton (Brisk), or Arizona will do
4. Cubed or crushed ice?
Usually cubed, but I prefer crushed
5. Do you prefer swimming in a pool, lake, river or stream?
Definitely a pool
A Storm’s Fury
450,000 Without Power, Widespread Damage Throughout Area (KSDK.com)
Dust storms. Gusty winds. Lightning. Overturned tractor trailers.
We were fortunate the storm grazed our area. The worst we got were the winds and lightning. Hardly a drop of rain. Unfortunately, today is expected to be the hottest day yet with temps reaching 101 and heat indices between 115 and 120. And there are people with no power due to the storm. If we lost power, I would probably have stayed home to keep Salem cool in this heat. Sometimes, it sucks to live in the Midwest.
A Storm's Fury
450,000 Without Power, Widespread Damage Throughout Area (KSDK.com)
Dust storms. Gusty winds. Lightning. Overturned tractor trailers.
We were fortunate the storm grazed our area. The worst we got were the winds and lightning. Hardly a drop of rain. Unfortunately, today is expected to be the hottest day yet with temps reaching 101 and heat indices between 115 and 120. And there are people with no power due to the storm. If we lost power, I would probably have stayed home to keep Salem cool in this heat. Sometimes, it sucks to live in the Midwest.
the heat is on again
The Cardinals are riding a 7-game winning streak, the longest of the season, after sweeping the Dodgers today. Prior to this streak, they had lost 13 of 16 and dropped 5 straight series. It’s certainly good to see them start the second half of the season on a surge like this.
Speaking of hot – highs in St Louis for this week will near 100, with heat indices between 105 and 115. The metro area is under an excessive heat warning through Friday. It is currently “cooler” in Fort Walton Beach, Florida (our destination next week) with temps near 90.
