Conference back40::soapbox

    
    going to be 28 today, and 46 by Saturday. time to get the truck
    washed.

    My, you age fast!  Must be the Blazer.

    In the 50's here.

    
    1997 here.
    

    Well, that's a good rejoinder. 
    
    
    The lessons have obviously been learnt well, oh young grasshopper.

How's the driving in the vicinity of ZKO now?

Probably not very good. It's snowing rather hard now.

    
    .394
    
    gee, gerald. i know zko is big, but didn't know you could drive in it.

The lady with the electric mail cart drives in it every weekday.

I just got in. Traffic is lite, roads are wet.

Doug.

    I give... I give!!!!   The snowbanks on either side of my driveway are
    now officially higher than I can throw the snow.  Guess I'll have to
    climb up and toss some of it into the yard.

    repy to .399 and just where r u that the snow banks r that high?????
    we have nothing here in MA.......NOTHING!!!!!    8(
    
    i miss the snow.......

    Chris, you'll have to start using those snow bags now, that's what
    they were designed for.

    <---- the oversize models have been out of stock for months and the
    regular ones just won't do!

The lack of snow in central Massachusetts is my fault. I installed
reflective driveway markers for the first time in 20 years.

I will let you all know when I am going to wash my car so that you can
bring umbrellas to work.

Pete

There haven't been nearly enough snow days this winter in New England.

    
    Peet, I'm to blame too.  I contracted with a guy to plow my driveway
    this winter for the first time.
    
    8^)
    

  .405 per storm or flat rate?

    Yes, most likely.  

	Deb, did I ever tell you I love you!!!???  Thanks for keeping the snow
away!

    
    Ahem.
    
    I guess that I'm also to blame for the lack of snow in MA.
    
    After the largish dump in mid December, I went out and bought a pair of
    boots. Since then, all the snowfall has been insignificant.
    
    POL

| <<< Note 792.409 by NPSS::MCSKEANE "Whoa, Frak!!!!" >>>


| I guess that I'm also to blame for the lack of snow in MA.

	Oh... then I guess I love you too! :-)

    
    well, it's 50 today in Chicago, albeit a little windy. I'm ready for
    spring.

  it's a dud

  bb

    until tonight. Mostly up North in Maine/NH/Vermont. That's OK. I'm
    heading to Bretton Woods for some X-C skiing on Friday. Yahooooo. A 4
    day weekend.
    
    Bright Blessings,
    
    PJ

    This winter (in New England) really blows.  I want snow.
    
    I was leaving school last night, making small talk with someone as I
    walked out of the building, and made a comment as how I'd like it to
    snow.  She uttered a few obscenities to me, predictably, whereupon I
    responded that I actually like snow.
    
    She said she did, too, but this wasn't the time of year when it was
    supposed to snow.
    
    Am I trapped inside a Steve Wright skit or something?

    After helping Syd dig out six inches of snow from the driveway and
    sitting in the car for an hour afterward, I now know how out of shape I
    am.
    If you like I will ask Mother Nature to move south and dump the
    rest of the snow we are supposed to get to-day down your way.
    
    :-)
    
    
    joan

    dawn, if you want snow, go north. 
    
    hope this helps.
    
    %^>
    

    Yeah.  I thought I did already.
    
    Truth be told, I'd be happier living in Canada, except for a few basic
    stumbling blocks:
    
    1) They wouldn't have me
    2) They tax the living **** out of anything I'd ever want to buy
    3) There's no work for psychologists
    4) They haven't got rid of those french speaking people yet
    5) There's no work in the Maritime provinces, which is where I'd want
    to live.
    
    Other than that, I still get a lump in my throat whenever I see that
    maple leaf flag (or whenever I try to swallow a loonie (some would say
    canabalism))

    re: .417
    
    My cousin, a producer, just moved from Toronto to Nova Scotia
    at the end of last year. Seems that there's more TV and movie 
    work going on there now than in Toronto. 

Any work outside of TV and Movies?  I'd be interested...

(FWIW, my string of Bankses comes from NS, although I personally prefer
Newfie-land and Labrador.)

    Don't know, haven't had a chance to talk to Tom yet, but
    I will find out (my mom is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
    by way of Edinburgh).

Much thanks!

    
    not that y'all asked, but my string of morris' come somewhere from
    northern new brunswick.  chatam, i believe.  :>
    
    

  the radio folks were in a tizzy this a.m. "Your New England Storm Center
 channel..."  "All the latest in cancellations and traffic reports..."

  it must be tough to have a job reporting snow emergencies in a mild
 winter like this - they go nuts over a few inches

  bb

 I was thinking the same thing this morning..they probably had to blow the
 dust off the "storm center" intro tapes.  WRKO with their "The second you
 see snow turn to AM 680" ads earlier this winter probably didn't get a lot
 of folks tuning in this winter.



 Jim

 I am not looking forward to the homeward journey this evening.



 Jim

    It's snowing like a bastard out there.

    Yeah, ain't it great?
    
    Bright Blessings,
    
    PJ

    
    How does a bastard snow?  I've always wondered.
    

    Without a proper name and inheritance.

    Send it my Way!
    
    I want snow, snow and more snow!  The prediction is only for a couple
    inches, if that, and high 40's to 50's tomorrow.  Bleah!!!!

    Actually, Meg, that's the same for the GMA, except we're expecting this
    to change to sleet, ice, and freezing rain before it's done. Then I
    heard 40's to 50's tomorrow and followed by a hard freeze. Get your
    walks and driveways cleared before Sunday folks.
    
    Bright Blessings,
    
    PJ(who really doesn't look forward to the drive home either, Jim)

    I would nominate this mornings commute as the worst drive of the year. 
    The on-off ramps were a mess and cars were stuck all over the place. 
    My boss says I can go home anytime, but since I just got here, I think
    I'll stick around until some of the other loonies get to where they're
    going.

 It now appears to be sleet here in DAS..

    It's a mix here at LKG. It had been snowing, then it changed to
    freezing rain, and now it's a mixture of sleet and snow. I'm bolting
    early. THWTS. No point in spending rush hour in this.

 Yep, I'll be out of here early myself.  I have to pick up my son and
 a friend at his mom's, and I know if I wait too long I'll be lucky
 to get there before midnight in this stuff.



 Jim

<-      <<< Note 792.432 by TROOA::BUTKOVICH "turn and face the strange" >>>

  Chris, end all the loonies down here.  For that matter, send all the 
 twonies down here too.  If I get enough of them, I may be able to buy a
 cup of coffee or something :-)
kb

    http://www.intellicast.com/weather/bos/radar/

    Latest forecast:  Snow  at least that is waht it looks like at ZKO.  It
    was Sleet for a bit but now it's back to all snow...
    
    --Geoff

    
    	Geoff, is that a forecast or an observation?
    

    An observation.  In New England it is very hard to forecast accurately
    for anything over 12 hours.
    
    --Geoff

    It's 45 here in Dallas.  Brrrr.
    
    8P

    April,
    you mean hell may freeze over?
    
    

    Dallas = Hell ??
    
    Hey, be nice!

    I am being nice!
    
    The annual influx of tourists from Texas should be starting in about 10
    weeks.  
    
    meg

    Dallas is not Hell. Texas is not Hell. Hell is in 3 locations in the
    USofA. Buffalo, Cleveland, and New Jersey. :-)
    
    Bright Blessings,
    
    PJ

    PJ,
    
    Most of the tourist dollars coming into souther Colorado come from
    Texas.  all I can figure is if the state isn't hell, then why are
    people so anxious to get the hell out of it for the summer?  
    
    Meg, who has been in Colorado Campgrounds with the only green license
    plate.  The rst were black and white.
    
    

    I must admit, I am dreading this coming summer.  No central a/c.
    
    Just a couple of window units which may or may not work.

    I need to make a summer prediction....I predicted that we wouldn't have
    a bad winter this year...because of all the rain during the summer. so
    far, you must admit, it hasn't been all that bad. I can even handle the
    snow out there now. 
    
    so I predict this summer to be beautiful. Not to hot, but not rainy and
    cold like last summer. We won't have much humidity and the sun will
    shine mostly every weekend. We will have a great summer this year. 
    
    lets see if I'm right again. My bones are kinda like weather tellers. 
    
    lets see. 
    

    Meg, I understand that you don't want a lot of tourists. However, they
    are spending Texas money in Coolrado. That's always nice. OTOH, like
    NH, Colorado must have it's share of tourists who aren't "Green
    Concious", at least for another state. I'm still trying to figure out
    why I see cigarette butts (not necessarily from out-of-staters, I know)
    on steep trails and verticle climbs, (The hard route up to Aresthusa
    Falls), when it's all this ex-smoker (8 years now) can do to get up
    these trails without a collapsed lung. (Yeah, I know, I'm an old fat
    man, but some reward should be given to me for quitting smoking and
    climbing steep trails.) So, no, Texas ain't Hell, but I'd still want to
    leave, when the Cowboys ain't playin'. :-) Not a Rangers fan.
    
    Bright Blessings,
    
    PJ 

>    Dallas is not Hell. Texas is not Hell. 

Same zip code, though....        (from a Roseanne TV episode.

    Just been to Manchester and back - It's wicket out there.
    Go home all ye who haveth a long commute.
       

 Thanks!

    Yoda speaking
    
    Muppet man made me say that. He's got his hand up my..arrrrrgh.

 well, I'm outta here..let's see how long it takes to make a trip that
 usually should take about 45 mins.



 Jim

    I can't believe it's after 3 already... I was going to leave early but
    it doesn't feel like I've accomplished one thing today!

    >Yoda speaking
    
    >Muppet man made me say that. He's got his hand up my..arrrrrgh.
    
     <Counting down to Glen's arrival...>

Ahem..

	Doc... for someone who doesn't want it brought up, you certainly have a
way to keep it quiet, eh? So while I hadn't planned on saying anything, I now
will. 

	Colin, I didn't know you were into...'that'!

    How else would he work my moving parts?

   .459  <bad thoughts>

    
    
    	Ahem.  Isn't the first day of spring supposed to be on Friday?
    	So why did it feel like it was January over the weekend and why
    	are going to get dumped with more snow on Wednesday??!  harumph.
    

	Blizzard warning for tonight!

 LOOKOUT!!

    
    	I'm really hoping this is some sort of April Fool's joke.
    	
    	You know, a mass conspiracy from the weather reporters ?
    
    	Please ???
    
    

Snowing hard here in Nashua at 10AM.

 just started here at DAS..



 (wonder what the grocery stores will be like today)

    
    	Still raining at MRO as far as I can tell.
    

    
    	Now it's snowing at MRO.
    

	gee, you'd think this was New England or something.

    I hate to say it but I predicted we would have 15" inches before the
    end of March.  It's not over by a long shot.  I also predict this will
    accelerate and move through faster than they think by as much as 12
    hours.  Keep an eye on your drive time predictions.  You may want to
    reschedule your departure. 
    
    

    OK!!! Which little Easter bunny removed his snow sticks before 
    Memorial Day and brought all this snow down on us.
    
    :^o
    

    
    	re .469
    
    	I wouldn't mind if I'd been conditioned to expect snow
    	this year, but with low snowfall, I'd set my expectations
    	on an early spring.  Yesterday's short sleeves and balmy
    	temperatures only added to my (soon-to-be-dashed) hopes.
    
    

  .472  weather "expectations" in NE?  aagagagag.

    hehehehehehehe It's all my fault and I love it. I get to x-c ski in
    Nashua tomorrow. Again at Bretton Woods on Thursday. hehehehehehe.
    
    I love it I love it I love it. BBBBBWWWWWWHHHHHHAAAAHHHAAAAHHHAAAA!!!!!
    
    Seriously, I hope no one gets hurt in accidents and no one has property
    damage from from falling trees this time. We (me and mom) were real
    lucky last time. An extremely large shade maple, one of only three that
    we have left (now two) fell during the earlier storm this season and
    fell perfectly. Never touched the house, but if it had, it would have
    demolished the whole NW side of the place.
    
    Bright Blessings,
    
    PJ

    We just had a meeting here and they are looking for volunteers to stay
    at the Boxboro Host tonight.  
    
    8 AM to 8 PM....without fail!!!

 I'll stay there!

    
    i love the atrium in the lobby area there....
    
    

 It's snowing here at DAS, btw..

    
    	re .473
    
    	Well, you know what they say.
    
    	"Dreamin' is free."
    
    

    I'll admit that I put my snow totem away yesterday.  It had done
    yeoman's duty warding off the snow spirits but alas it is now hanging
    in its summer residence.  A little premature to put the shovel away I
    think.  

    
    	RE: .469
    
    	Please don't interrupt us while we're sulking.  Thank you.
    

    70's today,
    
    front moving in tomorrow and snow expected by evening.  Figures, since
    I have meetings to go to and the snow car is STILL in the shop.  I
    visit it and bring it flowers weekly.  
    
    meg

    
    Having just watched the weather report, I can tell you that the snow
    line is now inside rt 128 and moving south. 10" to 20" predicted.
    
    Snow to begin to tapper off around 10AM tomorrow.
    
    Roads in Pelham at this time are snow covered and are soon to be iced
    up.
    
    The wind is growing strong while frequently changing direction adn
    pushing the treetops all over the place.
    
    Enjoy the commute home  :-)
    
    Doug
    
    

 Tapper off?

    
    Don't you have anything better to do?  :-)
    
    BTW:  Lots of cars off the road on routes 495, 93, 3 and 2 ...
    
    Doug. 

 Yeah..I'm about ready to hit the road up 93 :-/

   <<< Note 792.484 by CSLALL::HENDERSON "Give the world a smile each day" >>>



> Tapper off?

Apparently the keg is empty.

    How are you the roads? 8}

What's this about snow? Y'know, I just pulled up my driveway markers 
yesterday and put STABIL in the 'blower and the 'blower in the barn.

Is something happening outside?

Peet

    be afraid... very afraid

Weather Conditions at 3 PM EST on 31 MAR 97 for Boston, MA.
Temp(F)    Humidity(%)    Wind(mph)    Pressure(in)    Weather
========================================================================
   34          100%           NE at 31       29.47      light rain

EASTERN NORFOLK-EASTERN PLYMOUTH-SUFFOLK-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BOSTON...QUINCY...COHASSET...PLYMOUTH
321 PM EST MON MAR 31 1997

 ..BLIZZARD WARNING TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING...
 ..COASTAL FLOOD WARNING LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY...
 TONIGHT...WET SNOW AND VERY WINDY.  ACCUMULATION BY MORNING 6 TO
12 INCHES.  COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE NEAR HIGH TIDE AROUND 5 AM.
LOW AROUND 30.  NORTHEAST WIND INCREASING TO 40 TO 50 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS.
 TUESDAY...SNOW...TAPERING OFF BY AFTERNOON.  TOTAL ACCUMULATION 8
TO 15 INCHES.  VERY WINDY WITH COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE NEAR HIGH
TIDE AROUND 530 PM.  HIGH AROUND 30.  NORTH WIND 35 TO 45 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS.
 TUESDAY NIGHT...CLEARING AND CONTINUED VERY WINDY.  LOW 25 TO 30.
 WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY AND CONTINUED WINDY.  HIGH 40 TO 45.



                 ************************

                 Severe weather statement

                 ************************

 
WINTER STORM WARNING AND BLIZZARD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
210 pM EST MON MAR 31 1997

 ..HEAVY SNOW AND HIGH WINDS WILL BELT MUCH OF SOUTHERN AND
CENTRAL NEW ENGLAND LATE TODAY INTO TUESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONTINUED A BLIZZARD WARNING FOR
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY IN SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AS WELL AS MIDDLESEX
AND ESSEX COUNTY OF MASSACHUSETTS.  THE BLIZZARD WARNING MAY NEED
TO BE EXPANDED LATER TO INCLUDE MORE OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL
MASSACHUSETTS AS WELL AS NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND.  

A WINTER STORM WARNING PRESENTLY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CHESHIRE
COUNTY OF SOUTHWESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE...AS WELL AS NORTHERN
CONNECTICUT...ALL OF MASSACHUSETTS EXCEPT CAPE COD THE ISLANDS AND
SOUTH COASTAL AREAS...AND ALL OF RHODE ISLAND EXCEPT SOUTH COASTAL
AREAS.  

THE BLIZZARD WARNING INCLUDES MANCHESTER AND NASHUA IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE AND LAWRENCE AND LOWELL IN MASSACHUSETTS.  THE WINTER
STORM WARNING INCLUDES BOSTON...WORCESTER...SPRINGFIELD...
PROVIDENCE AND HARTFORD.
 
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS BY TUESDAY MORNING WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE 10
TO 20 INCH RANGE INLAND...WITH 6 TO 12 INCHES EXPECTED IN BOSTON 
AND SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS NORTH OF THE CAPE COD CANAL.  THREE
TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTH COASTAL RHODE ISLAND
WITH LESSER AMOUNTS OVER CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS. 

NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 30 TO 50 MPH TONIGHT WITH GUSTS
OVER 70 MPH ALONG THE COAST AND AT LEAST 60 MPH OVER INLAND HIGHER
ELEVATIONS.  THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY WET SNOW AND STRONG WINDS
WILL LIKELY BRING DOWN BRANCHES AND POWER LINES AND SET THE STAGE
FOR WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES. 

THE SNOW AND WIND WILL MAKE TRAVEL EXTREMELY DIFFICULT THIS
EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.  COMMUTERS TRAVELING TO THE NORTH
AND WEST OF BOSTON...PROVIDENCE AND HARTFORD SHOULD CONSIDER
LEAVING EARLY FOR HOME.

THIS VERY POWERFUL EARLY SPRING STORM WILL INTENSIFY JUST SOUTH OF
NEW ENGLAND OVERNIGHT AND SLOWLY MOVE OUT TO SEA TUESDAY
AFTERNOON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
STATION FOR LATER INFORMATION.  

THOMPSON




                 ***********************

                 State extended forecast

                 ***********************

 EXTENDED FORECAST...
 WEDNESDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY AND BRISK.  LOWS 25 TO 35. 
HIGHS 45 TO 55.
 THURSDAY...FAIR.  LOWS IN THE 30S.  HIGHS IN THE 50S.
 FRIDAY...FAIR.  LOWS IN THE 30S.  HIGHS 55 TO 65.
   The National Weather Service data is provided by the University of Michigan
Weather Underground project, National Science Foundation-funded Unidata project,
and Alden Electronics, Inc., and is for non-commercial use only.

Weather Conditions at 3 PM EST on 31 MAR 97 for Manchester, NH.
Temp(F)    Humidity(%)    Wind(mph)    Pressure(in)    Weather
========================================================================
   34          85%           NE at 10       N/A      light snow

HILLSBOROUGH-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MANCHESTER...NASHUA
323 PM EST MON MAR 31 1997

 ..BLIZZARD WARNING TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING...
 TONIGHT...SNOW AND VERY WINDY.  ACCUMULATION BY MORNING 10 TO 20
INCHES.  LOW 25 TO 30.  NORTHEAST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH INCREASING TO
40 TO 50 MPH.
 TUESDAY...SNOW...TAPERING OFF AROUND MIDDAY.  TOTAL ACCUMULATION
OF 1 TO 2 FEET.  VERY WINDY.  HIGH AROUND 30.  NORTH WIND 35 TO 45
MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
 TUESDAY NIGHT...CLEARING AND CONTINUED VERY WINDY.  LOW IN THE
MID 20S.
 WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY AND CONTINUED WINDY.  HIGH AROUND 40.



                 ***********************

                 State extended forecast

                 ***********************

 EXTENDED FORECAST
 WEDNESDAY...SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS.  LOWS FROM THE LOWER 20S
NORTH TO UPPER 20S SOUTH.  HIGHS IN THE 40S.
 THURSDAY...CHANCE OF RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS NORTH.  FAIR SOUTH.  LOWS
FROM THE MID 20S NORTH TO LOWER 30S SOUTH.  HIGHS FROM THE LOWER 40S
NORTH TO LOWER 50S SOUTH.
 FRIDAY...FAIR.  LOWS FROM THE MID 20S NORTH TO MID 30S SOUTH.  HIGHS
FROM THE UPPER 40S NORTH TO UPPER 50S SOUTH.

JENSENIUS



   The National Weather Service data is provided by the University of Michigan
Weather Underground project, National Science Foundation-funded Unidata project,
and Alden Electronics, Inc., and is for non-commercial use only.

.491 is out of date; the blizzard warning has now been expanded to include
almost all of Eastern Massachusetts including the city of Boston and Quincy.

/john

	My parents are taking their first vacation since their vacation in
Hawaii back in 73. They have gone to see my brothers and sister, but have never
gone off on their own, out of New England. So of course we are getting a
blizzard. :-( They drove into Boston today and are staying at the airport.
Their flight leaves tomorrow. I bet it doesn't leave until Wednesday. :-(

    
    the wind is whipping thru the trees outside my apartment.  the windows
    are rattling.  it's all but frozen out there.  this stuff was a pain in
    the back to shovel at 5:00, i can just imagine how much fun it's going
    to be tomorrow.  this might call for a vacation day....
    
    

    My sympathies to y'all up north.

    
    The drive home tonight was pretty icky.  Luckily most of the rest of
    the world had already gone home by the time I got out there.
    
    
    

 I left about 3:45 or so...slow going, but better than I thought it
 was going to be, though I cancelled other plans I had for tonight..
 I'm surprised we still have electricity..

	GAK.

	The sound of tree limbs breaking all around.

	And this storm hasn't really gotten going good here yet.

	Only about 4 inches on the ground so far, and the forecast
	for this zone is 10-20" by morning and 12-24" by noon.

	I expect to wake up without power.

    
    	1.5 hours to get home ... about twice as long as usual.
    
    	The worst part was Forest St. and Rte. 20 in Marlboro.
    

At quarter of six, fourteen inches of wet, heavy snow in my driveway, town
plows not yet seen or heard, and heavy snow still falling.

Governor has declared a state of emergency; all non-essential Massachusetts
state employees get the day off.
     
/john

All MBTA bus service shut down for the morning.

All above-ground green line service shut down.

Commuter rail service delayed at least one hour.

Digital Hudson site: delayed opening, 12 noon today.

No other Digital closings or delayed openings announced yet.

/john

ZKO security says that the site is open.

No N. E. Tel phone service between Sudbury and Maynard.

Cable TV went out about 8pm last night; now it's so unterminated that the
local stations are ingressing and can be listened to and partially seen.

/john

We just tried to call our plowing contractor; found out that his plow is
stuck in a snowbank.

/john

  .507  aagagag.  um, i mean... bummer.

Can someone explain to me why WBZ announces

	"If it's not an emergency situation you shouldn't be on
	 the roads at all,"

but Digital has only closed Hudson and no other facility?

/john

500,000 people without power in Massachusetts.

   .509  Digital laughs in the face of the blizzard.  Ha!

Mayor of Woburn declares full emergency.

Woburn police ask people to stay inside their homes.

Dangerous power lines down everywhere.

/john

 I'm about to leave my apt and head down 93 from Derry, NH.



 

They finally announced it:

	All DIGITAL facilities in Eastern Massachusetts: delayed
	opening: 12 noon.

    
    Yeah, nice of them to announce it AFTER I'd already left home for work. 
    And I had Ms. MSO Site Security with me, too, who had been told that we
    were, indeed, open.
    
    I may get quite a lot of work done this morning, since I appear to be
    the only one here.
    

    Of course I didn't hear anything about any closures, so here I am all
    by my lonesome. There are 9 cars in the LKG parking lot right now. The
    drive in was much better than expected. The roads are in marginal shape
    but the lack of traffic made it not so bad.
    
    Unfortunately one of the servers is down, crippling my efforts to be
    productive (of course).

    
    
    	I'm here with ya peeps. It's real quiet here in HLO....
    
    

    
    I certainly hope there are no environment, health, or safety type
    incidents that need attention any time soon, cuz I am IT 8^).
    

 I made it without too much problem...93 south to the Mass line was fine.  Of
 course, once crossing into Mass it was a mess.  Not many cars in the lot
 here (and I didn't hear the delayed openings).  And I fear I may have 
 a tough time getting out of the parking spot I wound up in :-/


 Jim

    60 degrees the predicted high today.  However there is wind, rain and
    possibly snow on the way.  Salt Lake City had 80 MPH winds last night. 
    they will probalby reach here sometime around noon if the front hasn't
    disdipated enough to avoid chinooks.  Oh well at least the trees
    haven't really begun to leaf out yet.  We may not lose too many if we
    get a heavy spring snow now.
    
    meg

Plowing contractor sez he's finally gotten his truck unstuck and we'll see
him before the evening.  (We have symphony tix.)

/john

This storm has already made this April the snowiest April ever in Boston.
Third largest snowfall in Boston since they've been keeping records.

Symphony tonight is postponed until tomorrow.

But we have another commitment for tomorrow.

    
    	We got our power back around noon ... making an even twelve hours
    	without.
    
    	We just got the cars dug out at 3:00, so I didn't even bother try-
    	ing to go in.  Tomorrow's another day.
    
    	I think we got about 30" total.
    
    	My Supra is probably going to be buried until July.
    

    6.5 hours of shovelling/snowblowing.  We take care of our driveway plus
    two of our neighbors. They are elderly widows so we do the charitable
    thing. Boy am I wiped out.
    
    I measured 34" in a protected (i.e. no drifting) area. Our next door
    neighbor's driveway had about 45" because of drifting, it was almost
    double the height of the snowblower mouth.

    
    Is this the biggest snow storm in last ten years?

No.  Just the biggest in April.

    
    didn't even bother getting up to be in time for work.  i was the first
    car in the driveway, with 3 others behind mine, i wasn't going
    anywhere. besides, when they plow my street, i think they use a spoon. 
    so even if i was the last car in the driveway, i don't know if i would
    have even made it out of my neighborhood.  debra, had i known you and
    madam security were gonna venture in, i woulda invited myseelf ovah for
    a pajama party.  %^>
    
    shoveling out started around 11 when it appeared that it
    wasn't going to be snowing anymore.  an hour later, my car is back in
    the driveway, and i can actually see pavement, on the street even...
    
    but i am still alone...
    
    

	I'm giving it until Friday, before I go out and dig my car out. And if
my friend digs his car out on Thursday as he has planned, AND he isn't going to
NY until Saturday, then i won't dig my car out until Sunday afternoon. It
should be very easy by then. :-) Temps are supposed to get in the 50's and 60's
as the week goes on. With rain on one of those days. 

	Although I will have to clear away my parking sticker so I don't get a
ticket. :-)



Glen

Plow finally arrived a little while ago.

/john

    .525 you got more "official" inches than that! the correct process is
         to measure the snow every hour, sweep the snow away and measure
         again (process goes on hourly). this technique eliminates false
         readings due to settling.

    
    	As if he had nothing better to do.
    
    	Geez, Chip, maybe YOU could measure his snowfall next time.
    

    i don't measure ANY snow fall for anybody (including my own).
    personally, i would consider that an invasion of my privacy.
    
    why? okay, because you're interested i'll tell you. i simply
    don't GAS. :-)

    
    	It would be an invasion of your privacy for you to measure your
    	own snowfall?
    
    	Have you been eating yellow snow again?
    

    i meant someone else's snow fall, but you're not fooling anyone. i know
    you knew that.

    re; the yellow snow. nope, i've moved on to the green snow that sits
        under automobiles.

    >                    <<< Note 792.531 by WMOIS::GIROUARD_C >>>    .525
    >you got more "official" inches than that! the correct process is        
    >to measure the snow every hour, sweep the snow away and measure        
    >again (process goes on hourly). this technique eliminates false        
    >readings due to settling.
    
    Gee, I knew there was a reason I was supposed to stay up all night,
    however, at the time I couldn't remember why and I went to bed:-)
    
    I'll leave official totals to others who have nothing better to do. 
    All I know is that it was heavy wet snow and my arms and legs are BEAT
    today.
    
    

    
    66 here in Chicago today. mid 60's rest of the week. told you
    Chicago was the place to be.

    Not if it turns people into MP fans, it isn't.
    
    Even 40 below is preferable to watching MP.

    John?  What's the status of your snow removal contractor now?  

    
    	I guess I'm unclear on the concept of a "State of Emergency".
    
    	Newsman said "Only Emergency Vehicles should be out on
    	the roads".  At 8:00 a.m., my husband informs me that
    	Digital is opening at noon.  Duh.
    
    	We shoveled out, but it didn't do us much good, considering
    	that our road was not plowed.  The few cars that did actually
    	try to pass on our road ended up stuck in snow banks.
    
    	
    	

    
    	RE: .540
    
    	Probably got stuck in the driveway at 22:58 last night and is
    	still there.
    

    isn't it a riot how some people handle stress?

  .543  yes indeedy.

    Maybe better for the TTLT:
    
    Traction control.  What a hoot!  No more having to dig my car out: Just
    get in, and burn off a thousand miles worth of clutch lining and brake
    shoes.
    
    Kind of like Positraction on rear-wheel drive vehicles with a few major
    exceptions:
    
    1) It burns out two limited life commodities instead of one (meaning
    that it adds wear to the brakes where limited slip diffs don't)
    
    2) It lets me get into a heck of a lot more trouble than I could get
    into without it.
    
    A limited slip diff on a RWD car takes an already nicely handling car
    and gives it an edge in adverse traction conditions, allowing it to get
    going when it otherwise might not.
    
    Traction control on a FWD car takes an already unbalanced, hurtling
    mass, intent on going in whatever direction it decides (independent of
    user input), and allows it to hurtle even faster.
    
    This is sporting!

    It's sunny and 60 today in cincy... mid-60's tomorrow, and prolly 70ish
    by the weekend.  

Gotta love it... all the morons panicking and stomping the brakes when they
saw ice on the road this morning. Thanks, I wasn't sliding until I had to try
to avoid you. It was sheer luck that noone was coming the other way at that
moment.

In a rare lucid moment, I parked our cars at the street end of our 150 foot
driveway Monday night. A fairly easy digout, considering.

    For the third worst storm on record things seemed to get cleaned up
    pretty fast.  Anything less than 6 inches left in the parking lots
    melted or turned to slush readily once the sun came out.  For the most
    part, we were pretty lucky that the winds were strong enough to knock
    most of the snow off the trees which kept limb damage down as compared
    to the December storm.  Fitchburg faired well in that the loss of power
    was minimal despite having some of the largest depths reported.  I
    stayed in for most of the day because I simply was not motivated to be
    out on the roads with the amateurs.  When I finally ventured out, I was
    pretty underwhelmed by the amount of snow left over on the roads. 
    Nope, all in all it was pretty much a non-event as far as I was
    concerned.  Pity the fools that were trying to fly anywhere though. 
    What a mess that is still.  That would have been a bummer to have
    gotten stranded in the airport somewhere.  

    they say worcester got 33 inches.  i think they're
    exaggerating.  i swear we only got 30.

    >Pity the fools that were trying to fly anywhere though.  What a mess
    >that is still.  That would have been a bummer to have gotten stranded
    >in the airport somewhere.  
    
     My brother was supposed to fly to Vegas monday evening for a trade
    show, then leave thursday am for a vacation in FL. He called Logan and
    they said they were still open. He got down there and waited around for
    awhile before they cancelled the flight. So he drove home. My wife
    dropped him off in Manchester yesterday afternoon (fortunately he
    changed his itinerary to skip Vegas; Logan didn't open until late last
    night.)
    
     Bad news is that the hotel in Vegas won't refund his money.

The sun is high in the sky which will facilitate a quick melting of the
snow we just received. I expect to see grass by Saturday ....

    
    sunny and 66 right now in chicago. did I mention that already? If
    you all had SUVs you would be laughing at the snow.

    And when New England was basking in 65 degree sunshine this last
    Sunday (that's a day off for most of us), what was Chicago's weather?
    ;-)

>What's the status of a state of emergency

All that means is that gummint agencies are authorized to spend unallocated
money, and the legislature will have to deal with it later.

>newsman said only emergency vehicles should be on the roads

A newsman doesn't have the right to make such a proclamation.

The state police were _asking_ people to stay off the roads except in an
emergency, and the DPW was complaining that traffic was making their job
of cleaning up the roads more difficult and were asking people to stay
off the roads if they did not have to travel, but there was never any
formal announcement that the roads were closed to non-emergency traffic.

Some companies complied voluntarily with the requests to have people
stay off the roads.  Digital was not one of those companies.

/john

    Digital was one of those companies though to what extent and who was
    affected is still in question.

    
    	re .554
    
    	I did not assume the newsman was "making such a proclamation".
    
    	I assumed he was defining the term "State of Emergency".
    
    	At noon, the Governor was on TV specifically requesting
    	us to stay off the roads.  It seems ridiculous to me
    	that Digital was opening the site when 50% of the side roads
    	were still unplowed.  
    
    	At 12:10, my husband got a call from a co-worker telling him
    	that she had been in contact with their supervisor, and the
    	word was not to come in.  HLO2 still had 6 inches of snow in
    	the parking lot, and people were getting stuck.  
    
    	Yesterday afternoon at 3:30, the cost center manager sent
    	out a note stating that anyone who had "chosen" not to come
    	in (it ain't much of a choice when your street is unplowed)
    	had to submit a timecard for four hours of vacation, citing
    	"SWM snow policy".  SWM snow policy states "assume the plant
    	is open, unless a state of emergency has been declared".
    
    	Karen
    

    
    	The hardest part of dealing with the blizzard of '97
    	was trying to fit two people into one pair of ski pants.
    
    	I was fine, as long as I didn't try to breathe.
    
    

Idjit cost center manager.

A state of emergency _was_ declared.

/john

    
    
    	Yeesh.  Fortunately my manager is a nice guy and is not
    	making me claim sick or vacation time for not being here.
    

	Walking to the gym today.... amazing.... all the side streets weren't
plowed. Some had trees on top of cars. But the gym was open! :-)

    that's because only real men and women are allowed to operate gyms.

    
    "Swm snow policy"?  Snowy wet manager?
    It sounds like you have some idjit management out east. Not that
    I'm surprised, it's one of our core competencies, afterall.

    <-- Single white male
    
    
    Mike
    

Apparently corporate has overruled the silly wanking manager, and has
announced that full pay for the day is due to all employees whether
they made it in or not.

/john

I heard on the radio this morning that the Mass. state of emergency wasn't
lifted until noon

..today!  Does that mean no one in Mass. was supposed to go to work until
noon today?

    "State of emergency" has lost quite a bit of meaning for me.

    
    	RE: .564
    
    	"wanking"?
    
    	John, is that you?
    

    
    
    	re: .565
    
    	That's probably because so many streets in Boston still 
    	weren't plowed!  I was actually surprised at the number of
    	schools outside of Boston that weren't having classes today.
    

re .568:

yabut according to the definition given earlier only "emergency" travel was
authorized - in the whole state!  I feel bad for those in Boston with unplowed
streets but my whole way into work was clear and dry, other than the Eternal
Puddle.

    
    	re .564
    
    	Yup, saw that.  
    
    

>yabut according to the definition given earlier only "emergency" travel was
>authorized - in the whole state!

What definition?

Has this not been stated clearly enough?

The "State of Emergency" was to allow money to be spent without prior
legislative approval and to allow the National Guard to help with the
cleanup.

Although the Governor and the Police on Tuesday afternoon _asked_ people
to stay off the roads except for emergency travel, at no time was any
sort of formal ban on travel issued by anyone.

/john

    
    	So maybe what we need is an "Active State of Emergency" and an
    	"Administrative State of Emergency" to avoid future confusion.
    

    
    	Or maybe what we need is companies who say "Hey, there's
    	three feet of snow that just arrived overnight, most people
    	can't get out of their own driveways, the parking lots here
    	aren't plowed yet ... SNOW DAY !!!"
    
    

  Slab, I'm convinced you've missed your calling...

  bb

    "Thank you for calling Digital.  Due to inclement weather, our building
    will be closed for the day.  Please try back tomorrow."
    
    That was all I needed to hear!  If they screwed up, that's their prob.
    
    -Jack

| <<< Note 792.561 by WMOIS::GIROUARD_C >>>

| that's because only real men and women are allowed to operate gyms.

	That's cool... the owner is a gay male. 

    
    	Is he there to "pump ... you ... up"?
    

    i still consider a male homosexual to be a man. i believe that this can
    be verfied medically.

Chip.... usually the statement, "real men" doesn't include homosexuals. It was
a play on words, mon.

    -1 yup, i knew that. thanks for helping. :-)

    >streets but my whole way into work was clear and dry, other than the
    >EternalPuddle.
    
    That EternalPuddle Separated my center tail pipe from my header pipe on
    the way home yesterday.  The rest of the ride home I sounded like I was
    driving a sick Harley. Luckily I already had an appointment for another
    repair today and they will push the pipes back together and spot-weld
    them for me.
    
    --Geoff 

    It's going to be in the 70's today in cincinnati... picture perfect,
    it is.  Of course, it is going to rain tomorrow, to insure that I won't
    be able to enjoy the day to its fullest.  8^/

    It has been a wonderful week here in TO, lots of sunshine and warm
    temperatures and yes it's going to rain this week-end.
    
    
    Maybe I changed my P name too soon.
    
    
    joan
    
    

    
    
    	Would that be the EternalPuddle on Ridge Road, near all thos 
    	new housing developments?
    
    	Wasn't too bad this morning.  
    

    That is the EternalPuddle (tm)
    
    

	Is the "EternalPuddle" that stupid thing on Ridge Road?

	Does the City of Nashua ever plan to fix the problem?

--------------------

	Some idjit in the DIGITAL conference continues to spout
	off the nonsense that the state of emergency closed the
	roads.  So I called the Governor's office.  The roads
	were at no time closed.  There may have been individual
	roads briefly closed, but none of the major roads were
	ever closed.  Non-emergency travel was never illegal,
	just discouraged.

/john

    
    
    	Thought so.  I hadn't seen the original note you quoted from.  =)
    

    
    	RE: .586
    
    	Yeah, don't you hate it when people insist on lying like that?
    

    Anybody notice that, for some reason, there haven't been any of
    those "Why-living-in-Boston-is-better-than-the-suburbs" commercials
    running over the last few days?
    ;-)
    K

re several recent:

Yes that is the "Eternal Puddle" I mentioned.

>        Thought so.  I hadn't seen the original note you quoted from.  =)

.569.

    
    
    	Ah.  Thanks for the pointer.  Yeah, that road can get nasty in
    	spots during the winter.