Snowpocalypse

So Seattle's been experiencing a bit of a weather anomaly the past week or so. It's been snowing here. A lot. And the snow has stuck around. This effectively has shut the city down. Buses either run really truncated routes or just stop running altogether. People either leave their snowed-in cars alone and walk, or they take their cars out and drive, for the most part, stupidly and carelessly. The city of Seattle, of course, refuses to take any responsibility for the fact that its snow response is woefully inadequate. That's actually boring to me at this point. It's snowed, I think, every winter here for the past 4 years. Even if it's a little bit of snow that only sticks for an hour, it wreaks havoc here. Different degrees of havoc, sure, but havoc nonetheless.

Currently, the falling snow is turning to rain and everything's becoming slushy and sloshy. I was joking with someone earlier today that the Snowpocalypse, as some have been calling it here, will soon be turning into a Slushpocalypse, then a Floodpocalypse. I wanted to get outside and take pictures of all the snowmen people have built in my neighborhood, but I stupidly walked to and from work on Monday and re-injured my sprained foot and have been housebound all day. But it would have been an awesome post. There were amazing snowmen all around, from the little guys my 6-year old next door neighbors made (twins, like them, and about the same height as them) to the terrifying, 7-foot snowman just down the street. The snowman grimaced, as though he were in terrible pain. And across his chest was scrawled "Merry Christmas Everyone!". I think they used red food coloring, but really? It looked like blood. I am pretty sure the people who built the snowman didn't mean for him to be so horrifying, but the thing is close enough to the sidewalk that I've noticed people give it a twice-over and then alter their path to give the snowman a wider berth.

So in lieu of the sweet documentation of now-melting snowmen (I wonder if the scary one is melting red? Creepy!) I offer you a link to this excellent website. Coldtastrophe, indeed.

Merry Christmas!

Headed Home

Tomorrow morning we head home to Illinois for a little more than a week. Nearly all of that time will be spent in central IL, seeing Aa's family (especially his grandparents). It's always fun to go home, and this year I've been home way more than usual (a partial explanation of why most of my friends and family will be getting not a gee dee thing from me this Christmas - because I'm broke. Um, happy holidays!! If you live in Seattle I'll probably end up baking you some cookies anydamnway). But I must admit I feel a little tingle of excitement to be headed back to the state that gave us this: "I've got this thing," ... "and it's [expletive] golden. And I'm just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing. I'm not going to do it." Oh, Rod, Rod, Rod. I actually meant to print out the full 74-page affadavit so I could read it on the plane, but our printer sucks so I'm not going to.

I kind of can't believe this story just broke yesterday. It feels like it happened so much longer ago! This could, of course, be because I have been following this story obsessively since it broke. I can't help it! It's like they added another season of The Wire, only IT'S HAPPENING IN MY HOME STATE. I mean, yes, it's definitely awful and god, what a fucking idiot to have a CONFERENCE CALL about trying to sell Obama's old Senate seat. And, boy, what a great example of Democratic corruption Republicans now have to point at. I know all of these things. Deeply ugly. But, I'm sorry, it's really entertaining too. Would I feel different if I lived in Illinois? I don't think so. I think when someone falls as hard and as stupidly as Blagojevich is falling, you kind of can't help but laugh, even if you feel bad. It's like watching someone take a bad spill on the street. It hurts, for sure. But later, when you're home and you're thinking about that crazy slapstick-looking fall you saw that poor sap take? You're gonna laugh.

zackmas time

and he's watching you.

No, I don't just look for videos of dogs doing funny things all day.

But I can understand why you'd think that.

(wait until around 29 seconds in!!)




Via Dooce.