Actually, I was just thinking how well this winter is going. I’m not really minding it at all. Last winter, I was seriously counting down the days until spring, it was so horrible. In comparison, this is fine.
Also, I am going on vacation to South America at the end of February, so I have some warm weather to look forward to. Can’t wait!
Wait, 14th snowiest December? This was our most snowy, with some 40 inches. The apparent average for an entire winter - until last year - is something like 45. What part of MN are you in, and what is your average for December? You guys always get more snow than we do. I thought.
I’m in the Twin Cities. From the Strib: “Barring any snow today the Twin Cities will end December with 17.4 inches of snow, making 2008 the 14th snowiest December on record.”
You’ve had 40 inches so far? Yikes! Have you been getting hit with more starting last night? The snow that looked like it was heading for us stayed north of the Twin Cities last night. We haven’t had any yet today so far, although they say it’s coming. I guess I shouldn’t be complaining, compared to what’s happening in your area!
Anyway, I found this site that says the average winter snowfall here is 45.6 inches, so we’re basically the same as you folks. Looks like our average December is 8.9. It’s considerably more snowy in other parts of Minnesota, I believe.
I keep trying to see all of this as water, anyway. Water that we very much need. What has been grating on a lot of folks is the ice. We had a bizarre day right before Christmas, I think, where it got into the upper 30s and rained. Then it went sub-zero overnight. My front sidewalk had 4" of standing water that is now ice that will remain the rest of the winter. I’ve realized it’s better to let snow build on top of that–sand just slides around, and there’s no way salt is clearing ice that thick. Definitely not with the temps we’ve had.
I’m still waiting on winter to get here.
I’m currently wearing shorts and a tank top with all the windows open in my house. I live in Dallas. Our winters are mostly mild here but this is ridiculous!
Yeah, well, I was just in Dallas a couple of weeks ago. It was frickin’ 27 with a winter storm advisory. I’m still ticked about it.
Yes I’m sick of the cold weather.
Do you realise it was -2 in some parts of England the other day.
What?
I’m with you Lavender Falcon on hating the ice and snow, but I prefer the cooler weather. I hate the hot July/August time frame. If I could, I would have it Autumn all year around.
Yes. Almost as much as our average for the winter, and it is flipping wearing on everyone. Sources say that January is supposed to be milder. Thankfully, we have missed the icy weather. It is supposed to be just over freezing today with rain later, which is predicted to freeze on the roads, which are still below freezing. The salt trucks should be diligent though, so I am going out shopping with a friend here soon and taking my chances.
From every single weather-related post on the Dope, it seems at least the U.S. is having some really strange weather. After last winter, we had a mucho rainy spring, but an absolutely GORGEOUS summer. I ran the air conditioning for only a total of a week - a day here, two days there. It was beautiful. I keep that weather in the back of my brain.
fisha, maybe we should turn on those secret giant fans they keep in Bemidji and blow all the cold air down to Dallas for SHAKES?
chowder, that kind of cold is much harder when you’re not accustomed to it. Hope you stay warm!
Khadaji, I hear you. Heat is hard on me as well. If it stayed between 65 and 75 during the day year round, I’d love it. Well, maybe with a little winter and a little summer thrown in for variety. I don’t actually hate winter–just how long it gets.
Yeah, that could make anyone go postal. I hope the sources are right that January will be milder. And then there’s February thaw to look forward to. Usually it’s late January when I think I can’t stand any more winter, and then February arrives, and I’m happier again.
That’s what it was like here, too. I’d love more of that this year. I keep thinking about the black raspberries I want to plant in the spring, and the big ol’ compost pile I put in last fall that will decompose nicely with all this moisture.
Hope you have a good time with your friend.
Snowing again. About 30ºF outside. sigh I was going to take a little walk (it’s about 1.8 miles 'around the block). But with my bad knees it’s looking a little slippery out there. 
Yeah, that’s when stir crazy sets in, isn’t it? Sometimes I walk circles inside the house, and I also have some yoga that I like to do. I’ve also just finished a quilt top that I could work on binding, or writing, or if I were really desperate, I could do some cleaning.
And speaking of, maybe I should pick something and do it before the whole day goes by and I’ve done nothing but surf. Hang in there, Johnny!
I could work on my script, but I’m crap at writing. I have the characters, I have the story, I have the opening scene written, I can easily write the ending scenes… but the middle and the character development is where I always have trouble.
Maybe take some time to brainstorm and research, then? Brainstorming and researching count as writing.
Sounds like maybe it would be helpful to think about who the characters are, what they want, and what brings them into conflict with each other as they try to get what they want. If there isn’t a source of conflict between them, then the middle is going to bog down. What carries the middle are the obstacles you throw at them as they try to reach their goals, and the various ways the characters interfere with each other–intentionally, or unintentionally.
One of the things that really helped me with the novel I just finished was to have my characters argue with each other in my mind. None of those scenes actually ended up in the novel. It was just an exercise to tease out who they were and how they differed. I just hope I didn’t make weird faces or talk out loud as I was doing this, because my characters often fought with each other while I did other things like take walks through the neighborhood. But that’s ok. The neighbors already think I’m nuts!
Research really helps, too. The more you learn about whatever topic you’re writing on, the more you uncover disagreements and sources of conflict on that topic in the real world. That helps shape plot, character, and conflict. Plus, it’s a really good excuse to hang out on the internet reading a bunch of stuff you find fascinating. Or to head to the library or bookstore and leave with an armful of books.
I just finshed doing some cleaning. I think I’m procrastinating on figuring out my next novel as well. The house always gets a lot cleaner when that happens! I did order a laser printer this week, though. Will be much faster and cheaper than my color inkjet, and the ink won’t run if a drop of water hits the paper. Plus, my purchase will help stimulate the economy, right?
The hell of it is, this is for a short film. I only need about ten pages. This guy sees a woman and loses sight of her before he can talk to her. I’ve got that part written. At the end he sees her with her boyfriend, flips out, and kills them both. Then there’s a little denouement. That’s easy to write, and I think I’ll do it today. The problem is getting him from Point A to Point Z. I think visually and can’t really think of the dialogue. Also, I can’t imagine myself acting like he does, so I’m not sure how such a personality would go about it. Oh, well. I guess I’ll at least get the ending written.
But back on-topic, I went out to check the mail. Now I know why they call them ‘slippers’. I didn’t actually slip in the snow, but I did feel my feet getting ready to let go.
Don’t get me started. We’re setting records for cold spells and records for below zero spells, and it’s only the first of January. December was unusually cold and snowy, and then this huge, dense high pressure system moved in. It’s been sub-zero for weeks, with no relief in sight. I just glanced at the thermometer by the computer: it’s warmed up to -11.6F in the back yard. When I came out of the gym yesterday on the other side of town, the car registered -23F. In the interior near Fairbanks, they’re reporting readings of -55 to -60.
On the plus side, it’s very pretty, with every twig covered in hoarfrost and the sun making its brief appearance above the horizon to turn things splendiferous.
I was looking forward to enjoying global warming in my lifetime, damnit. As long as the Delta Works holds, it’s all win for the Netherlands as far as I can see.
Okay, seriously, we have had several soft winters in a row, which was just fine with me though the natives complain and mutter dark predictions about the diseases which will result in the Spring if we don’t get a good hard freeze. Since I have not yet got my Dutch driver’s license I get to bicycle everywhere in freezing weather which I am assured is very healthy but is nevertheless no fun at all.
However it will give me some motivation to actually pass the driving exam which I have to take later this month. Cross your gloved fingers for me.
Still, it hovers right at freezing here and rarely goes far below that so I cannot complain – though I would dearly like to; I just got back from Atlanta where it got high into the sixties last week. This caused me to wonder what the hell I was thinking moving to this cold grey wasteland. However, I maintain my faith that spring will eventually come and remind me.
Me too. Five-day power failure aside, I’m feeling a fragile optimism about this winter. By New Years Eve last year we’d gotten 52 inches of snow (the average for this part NH for a whole winter is 60 inches - we got 122" total last winter) and as of today we’ve “only” gotten 29 inches. I can handle 2.5’ of snow. Especially since it got warm last weekend and melted a lot of it.
It will snow for another three months, but I’m not wishing I could sleep til summer yet, so this is an improvement over last year.
It’s warming up. It was 33º for a while, and I went out for the 1.8. I took my hiking stick with me. There was ice on the roads and I slipped several times, but never went down. MSNBC says it’s 37º now, but I haven’t checked the patio thermometer.
Well it’s -40 here in Saskatchewan. It sucks. I am combating winter this year with a remote start in my car.
:eek: Look out for unlikely things to happen!