cleolinda | Snow: let me explain it

The thing you have to understand about snow panic in Alabama is that it's not about the snow. Mostly, it's about us not being prepared for snow; a meager two inches is considered an epic blizzard. It's also about the side effects of snow--I live in a heavily-wooded suburban area full of giant, beautiful, old trees. Very old trees. And they all have dead branches here and there hanging on by a shred of bark, so when you have just enough snow to weigh them down, they break off and fall onto the power lines. Or worse, the entire tree is mostly dead and it falls across the road or onto (and usually through) your house. There was one Epic Two-Inch Snow that ended up with a three-foot-thick, forty-foot-long pine lying across our street (and in what used to be someone's sun room), while live power lines were sparking in the road. In fact, my mother reported last night that, as she was driving home, she saw a number of official-looking trucks on the side of the road, presumably stationed for speedy tree removal.

It's also about the ice. None of us know how to drive on it, because we don't get it often enough to figure out how and then retain that knowledge. One time there was a Special News Report on Safe Winter Weather Driving, and I am serious, it was, in its entirety, "Drive slow." And now, over to Jim with the sports! So basically, entire schools, businesses, and highways will be shut down for safety reasons ~~while all of Chicago points and laughs~~. I am not even kidding: my sister may not be able to get to work on Friday--

Oh God. I just realized that if we are all iced in together for the next four days, a remake of The Shining is going to break out.

While we're here, a teensy bit of Twi-spam, because I am getting a lot of email about this, and also, I enjoy the progression of the headlines:

Attn. Jackson Rathbone: Missing something?

'Eclipse' Script Wasn't Leaked, Says Summit.

Nikki Finke: Yes, That Leaked Movie Script Is 'Eclipse.'

1. I don't want to read it. I'm to a point where I don't even watch clips of movies I know I want to see anymore. I get so bored in the theater if I feel like I've already seen the movie. 2. I suspect the wink emoticon in the script (as seen at the first link) is forced product-placement sarcasm from screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg. 3. My dazzle is somewhat chagrined that (people tell me) the werewolf-vampire nose-fist bump is not in this version of the script, because, quite honestly, the Edward/Seth stuff is the only thing I find remotely likeable about Book!Edward. Also: COME ON! WEREWOLF-VAMPIRE NOSE-FIST BUMP! If there is anything funnier than that, I can't think of it right now.

Meanwhile, I am trying to work--I got a good bit of novel note-sorting and categorizing done yesterday--but am having a hell of a time. Lots of interruptions, and I can't concentrate for shit. Also, my new calendars (50% off!) came in from Amazon yesterday, but without the books I had bought for research, and then I realized I had forgotten to order a couple of other researchy things anyway, fnarr. Also-also, I bought another pair of fingerless gloves because I was concerned that my homemade recycled ones were fraying a bit from being worn so much, and I am really hoping they arrive before the cold snap is over. This is Alabama, after all.

OH OH OH I ALMOST FORGOT I have two questions to ask you:

1) How do we get e-books from my stepfather's Kindle onto my parents' computer? They can't figure out how.

2) Those identity protection/theft-prevention services, are any of them actually any good?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I totally understand about the trees and ice. We have the same problems here in NC. The snow is generally not the big problem (as long as you're not driving) - it's when the snow freezes overnight and all the old trees fall down and the power goes out for days and days.

I have to admit, I followed the link to ONTD from your Twitter last night, and I got lost in the comments for a good hour or so. Wow...

The snow is generally not the big problem (as long as you're not driving) - it's when the snow freezes overnight and all the old trees fall down and the power goes out for days and days.

Here in Georgia too. That, and the house and apartment fires from people leaving their space heaters on, or the homeless setting fires in abandoned buildings, or pipes exploding from freezing. I mean, I guess these things happen in other places too, but for one, our buildings are probably not as well insulated here.

I live in an old house, and with the weather being the way it has for the past few weeks, I have been absolutely petrified of my power going out and my pipes freezing. Miraculously enough, neither of those things has happened...and I probably just jinxed myself. Great.

Hi there, fellow NC-er! I'm sure the people in the mountains are used to it, but here in the piedmont people FLIP. A. SHIT. if there's even like a 2% chance of snow. Everyone has to clean out the grocery stores and schools close because OMG YOU TOTALLY CAN'T DRIVE IF LOOKS LIKE SNOW! and crap. I've never driven in the snow, but honestly. We thoroughly salt the roads two days before the slightest chance of snow, how bad can it be? I have no idea what the percentage of us getting snow tomorrow is or how much we might get, but it's going to be ridiculous.

And I also have to admit that the ONTD comments swallowed me for a long time, much to the detriment of the progress of college application essays, heh...

Dude, I'm from the piedmont too! Small world. And I know what you mean about the shit-flipping, it's ridiculous. Honestly, driving in snow is not the worst thing in the world. I'm originally from Ohio, moved to NC when I was 12, and when I was learning to drive many many years ago, it snowed and my dad said "get in the car, you're going to learn how to drive in this." Most of the time it's just a matter of using a lower gear and going at a relatively slow speed and avoiding other cars (that's what REALLY bothers me, those assholes who act like they're invincible and tailgate you - it makes it hard to feel sorry for them when they inevitably spin out and end up in a ditch). That being said, I really hope it doesn't snow tomorrow. I'm sick of it. I was sick of it the week before Christmas.

I'll be fine if it doesn't snow in the next few days-I just want a two-hour delay or to get out of school early! I hope they don't cancel school, though. I like the exam schedule we have with two days of exams, a three-day weekend, the last two exams, and then a five-day weekend!
I'm sure dad's going to do something similar to me in the next few months before I leave the house. He hates both the idiots going 10 mph and the ones going 70 on your bumper in the snow. We were in/around Ohio for Christmas and it snowed for almost the entire trip on our way from Ann Arbor to Cinncinatti, so of course there were salt trucks out. He yelled loudly at the people going 40 mph around the salt trucks worried about their paint jobs or something. Like driving behind it will be any better?!

Snow: let me explain it

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