BRING IT ON!
 

Today
Mostly cloudy with a chance of snow showers through early afternoon...then snow late in the day. Accumulation 1 to 3 inches. Highs in the upper 20s. Light winds. Chance of snow 80 percent.

Tonight
Snow. Accumulation 4 to 8 inches. Lows in the upper teens. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80 percent.

Saturday
Snow. Total accumulation 10 to 18 inches. Colder with highs in the lower 20s. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80 percent.

Snow fence up. Break out the skis baby!

Here in the heart of the Patapsco Drainage Basin, we've already got about 3 or 4 inches on the ground.

Schools are closed.

Morons are making the seasonal (re)discovery that owning an SUV does not exempt you from Newtonian mechanics.

There is no milk or toilet paper to be found in the stores as people prepare for the inevitable snow-induced milk famines that strike the mid-Atlantic area every winter.

The wrath of the Almighty is upon the land. Abandon your cars now.

Bah....snow sucks.

I loved snow till I had to drive in it.


But here is the catch. I personaly DO NOT MIND driving in the snow.

What I hate is the people who INSIST on driving 15mph on a CLEARED road....because it's snowing.

I used to live in Michigan where ignored the snow as they drove 80mph and guess what. It was fine!

People do the same thing in Russia.

Snow is NOT the end of the world. You can EASILY drive FAST in the snow as long as you adjust your turn preperation and braking distance.

No I do not have an SUV. I drive a giganting land yaht known as the Chrysler Concorde, it has a the nifty traction control but thats about the only "snow handling" feature it has.

I'm so pissed...took me an 1.5 hours to get to work...wtf..usualy it only takes 30 min.

I don't suppose you're in the DC area? People here stop in the middle of the road and walk if the clouds look threatening.

Suburbs outside of Philly.


You know what I really hate. Cars with warning lights on. Driving.

For example today I see this minivan in the right lane, and to me it looks like he wants to change into the left lane...ok fine...I make room...wait...wait...wtf? Oh it's his warning lights...whatever.


10 minutes later.

Guy with warning lights cuts me off..in the damn snow while we're comming up to a stop sign...gha.

Not to mention idiots who don't signal...at all.

Ted Kennedy (D,Tax.) These are the times when I thank God we have a Federal Government. A study, sure we need to fund a study, but first we must give the people relief. Noone could have expected snow in winter, noone. (top that off for me baby, thanks) I want blankets on those cows, I want the national guard activated to fly milk to the schools and cities, Hillary would you like to speak to the children?

where are you griff? I want all of that snow.....last i heard for philly area it was 2 passes of 2-6 inches fri and sat with that pink wintry mix to break it up....sloppy......snow fence? skis? can i come stay with you? i fucking love the snow.......


that only works up to 35mph, you know....it engages the abs if you spin the wheels on acceleration. Come trade that old man car in on a Jeep Grand Cherokee......Or a liberty.....I just took one of these:.....http://auto.consumerguide.com/images...1990002LRG.jpg for a demo.....i really like it

Northern Tier of PA, close to Binghamton, NY. We are on the edge between good snow and great snow... nothing yet, but they closed school early in Susquehanna and Blue Ridge Districts.

I know, but thats only when you really need it.

It helps get the whale of a car moving in the snow. I used to drive a not exactly stock Nissan Maxima (92) and that car was a nightmare in the snow because touching the gas made the wheels spin through. The only way to get it moving was to just hold down the gas as it spat out gobs of snow and wait for the wheels to grip as the car rattled somewhat sideways.

Once you're moving at 20mph or so it's only the tires that matter.

I have a brand new set of Bridgestone Touranzas and I love them. Grip way better than the shit Eagle GA.

Frankly, I think the liberty is hideous. I like the Honda CRV (don't kill me for the jap car love), it's light, awd, has a fairly quick pickup till about 45...then it's dog slow).


By the way...I LOVE the old man car look. Cops tend to ignore me...or not give me tickets...umm...probably shouldn't admit to this but I got pulled over doing 80 in a 35 last Friday...no ticket..(2am empty straight road that I've been driving on for 4 years..)

Plus in reality the Concorde isn't too bad as far as performance goes...gas usage sucks though....city rush hour = 15mpg. Gha...

right now in elverson, pa

Mmm... its gonna be pretty cold here, today. High of 76F. :D My evening swim might not happen.

Lovely home LJ.

Considering the 1.5-2 inches of snow currently on my car, who wants to bet that I won't be getting on a plane today at 4:30 to go to Atlanta?

I know the snow is supposed to stop, but it doesn't look like that ... and delays are abound at Newark and Philly ...

I bagged work today because at 1 hour into my normal 30-minute commute, I was less then halfway there (City Ave was a parking lot), and I called and determined it wasn't worth further grief.

Instead I helped rustle my kids to the dentist. Fun fun fun. (We're still trying to figure out how my son acquired 3 cavities at the age of 4. And yes, we do brush his teeth regularly.)

Does he drink juice?

HA!

Well get this! I made it down City Ave! Thats right. Springfield all the way to Bala Cynwyd, 1 block away from 76. God that sucked...

Fruit roll ups or chewy/gummy things? Chewable vitamins (especially C from ascorbic acid)? Streptococcos mutans?

Sippy cups?

Mountain Dew?


Just had to say it...

Originally posted by jinx:
How do you know so much about teeth?

I have a three and four year old and we brush their teeth every night. I noticed that you indicated that fruit rollups and chewable vitamins might be a problem - our kids eat both. Any advice is appreciated - I don't wan't our children's teeth getting drilled out at 5 years old.

Nice house and cute kids, btw.

As a child, I had candy only on holidays (fruit rollups count as candy). Almost all of my juice was from concentrate (fluoridated water). I wasn't particularly careful about brushing, and almost never flossed.

I am 27 and have never had a cavity.

Of course, once I moved out, I started eating much worse, and gained a lot of weight. So there's tradeoffs...

I have a friend who's 5 year old has lost most of his teeth and gone thru a few sets of caps, several extractions etc. He's pretty much a mess and will be missin gteeth until his adult teeth come in. She's a teeth/brushing fanatic at this point obviously (never was a slacker) - but apparently her kid's problems are from strep. mutans, a bacteria that causes carries, usually transmitted from the parents thru kissing.
You should have the kids brush after eating fruit roll ups or chewable vitamins. If you're giving them ascorbic acid you should switch to calcium or sodium ascorbate - they're better anyway.

21 and haven't had a cavity since I left Russia and started using 'real' tooth paste.

I floss when I 'have to' as in there is something stuck...

I brush twice a day but certainly not for the recomended 5 minutes or whatever it is...maybe 1.5 minutes?

My dentist always tells me that it looks like I should floss more but that my teeth are in great shape...

Back in Russia though...cavity a year.

This is the toothpaste my friend recommends after much research. Her only complaint is that it does contain fluoride, so she only uses it on the kid with the cavities. I have not tried it, my kids have only ever used Animal parade or Weleda - no cavities.

I like Listerine...but rarely use it cause it's more expensive than the Colgate...

Odd. I never knew that fluride was in fact bad for teeth after a certain point. I have 2 implants and had braces, during those periods I often was prescribed a mouthwash which was pretty much fluride...

My teeth do not have any sort of discoloration that fluride seems to cause, so I suppose it wasn't all so bad.

Did I just hijack my own thread?

What can I say? The snow is almost gone here (DC), but I'll still need to brush my teeth tonight.

Ah yes Biotene products. The mouthwash is great for dry mouth (a great help for us diabetics). ;)

how does it work on cottonmouth, syc?

The best thing for cottonmouth is lemonade.

Sorta back on topic
 

Howdy neighbor Griff...Hazelton here.

snow is piling up here, about five inches so far.

I bought my groceries and a new snowshovel...I'm ready.

My dog Junior is still hurting after his distemper and rabies shots today (should this be in the vaccines thread?) and didn't even leave my porch to do his bbusiness...grrr.
Note to self: landmine on the back porch! Remember this tomorrow morning whilst shoveling.

Fortunately, I don't haave to go anywhere until sometime next week, so I can hide in the house. I'll take a pic of the ugly aftermath if I can find my camera. Or is it still at Dagney's?

Brian

We're still waitin here... gettin impatient

"The best thing for cottonmouth is [Mike's Hard] lemonade."

Re: Sorta back on topic
 

It's still here hon, right where we left it :)

Well, lessee...today...

Got up at 10 after 7 hoping that I wouldn't have to go to work until 10:30. No luck--regular hours. Got a late start out the door (7:55) and decided to drive. Roads weren't too bad at the time...just wet. No accidents on 95 South...just a slower crawl than usual between Cottman and Girard.

Snow started getting heavy around 9ish...winds picked up. Couldn't see the skyline when I got off at Callowhill. Parked the car and walked up to the El at 2nd Street...it was quickly becoming a real mess. Got to work at 9:30...commute only took an extra half-hour or so. Asked one of my co-workers to remind me to pick up a bottle of Penn Dutch Egg Nog at the State Liquor Store during my lunch hour.

Worked really hard today, but kept looking out the window...snow didn't seem to let up until about 2ish. Company decided to let everyone go home at 3; I decided to stay. Went over to the State Liquor Store to pick up a fresh bottle of Penn Dutch Egg Nog at 3:30. (The State Liquor Store is right next door to my office...how fucking great is that?!)

Worked until 6:45...walked the one block over to the El in a fierce wind with sleet pelting me. Got back to my car...95 North wasn't too terribly bad, but a bit slick in some spots...averaged about 40 mph.

Went over to Super Fresh...dealt with a few morons there. Went out of my way to be an asshole to some dumb bitch who decided to use the self checkout to buy a ton of groceries.

If you are by yourself and have a ton of groceries to purchase, don't use the self checkout, you fucking retard.

Bought enough food for 5 days...don't know why. So much stuff looked so good.

Actually had a hard time parking my car when I got home...snow plows took away some of the spaces...hopefully my car won't get wrecked where it is.

And so, here I sit, getting ready to sip on some Penn Dutch Egg Nog at 2am Eastern Time, waiting for the next storm to come through here.

Thanks for reading. :)

No - that's the best thing to cure a lack of stomach pain.

Not as great as having a girlfriend who works at the biggest fucking liquor store in the world !

Things were a lot busier at work tonight than I would have expected given the snow. I did get the opportunity to take a few pictures, but really wanted to build a snowman ... lying down ... in four point restraints. Perhaps the next snow ...

Early in the day, view from my window at home. That is not fruit. Those are maracas.
http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images/cedarwindow.jpg

Cleaning off the car was not a big deal this time out. Only a few inches to deal with, piece of cake. Gave the car enough time to warm up nicely. http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images/wolfmobile.jpg

I have a fascination for trees in snow, particularly pines. Not just the season, but I think they really look cool.
http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images...nglottrees.jpg

When I got to work, the ambulance was already cleaned off, but had the start of a fresh coat of snow. http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images/ambulanceday.jpg

I didn't get to take any pics throughout the shift, and I discovered when I left that things don't photograph as well on snowy nights. There are times that I miss my 35mm not-at-all automatic camera. I miss available light ... http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images/ambulancenight.jpg

It must be really hard to restrain someone in the back of a vanbulance. I have only ran into a couple of feisty patients, and was extremely grateful for the ~2 feet on either side of the stretcher.

Nice pics - Syracuse has only got about 2" of accumulation right now - I envy your thick groundcover.

The hospital at night is warm and inviting. hmmm. Maybe that's why so many people get dragged in screaming and kicking...
http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images/nuthousenight.jpg

There is a line of small pines near my building. I kind of liked the flash effect on the falling snow.
http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images/hometreenight2.jpg

This one looks kind of eerie.
http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images/nighttree.jpg

Then I took flash and available light pictures of the same tree.
http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images/treeflash.jpg

http://eva.alexandersguns.com/images...lablelight.jpg

P.S. - where do they fit all the shit? (main O2, backboards stairchair, monitor, etc? I have never been in one of those things, but it seems like it would be VERY uncomfortable.

(I'm hoping the evil red glow has more to do with sodium vapor lighting in my apartment complex and less to do with the fissure leading to hell which is located near the trash bins.)

wolf, is that a banana on your windowsill, or are you just glad to see me?

Re: Re: Sorta back on topic
 

"Where *WE* left it"? Not married yet, huh. After the wedding it becomes "where *YOU* left it" sometimes with added invectives. Sory Dag, I couldn't resist a little social commentary at your expense.:D

Never mind the banana, I see Dodads. Is that a glass egg/handcooler?

The back of an ambulance is actually a very well organized space. There are bunches of little (labelled) cabinets and cubbies containing everything you might need in the course of treating victims of a variety of accidents, but not a lot of spares (you pretty much have to restock each time you use stuff). Our amblances are certified for BLS (basic life support) which means that the two crew members are EMTs. an ALS (advanced life support) ambulance has Paramedics (think Roy and Johnny), and as a consequence more stuff, including IV setup, drugs, etc.

We do mainly psychiatric pickups, but from time to time these turn into a medical emergency, or we have a medical emergency on our unit that we have to send to a local ER, so all the regular ambulance stuff is in there.

Yes, Doing a restraint in an ambulance is not the easiest thing in the world, but doing it in a relatively narrow hallway, which is my usual point of contact ain't so great either. The real tough part about an ambulance restraint is that you have only two people ... cops will sometimes help hold the patient down at the scene to get him into the leathers, but not always. It's rare that the out-of-controlness starts in the back of the ambulance, so it's not usually moving during the struggle. (This has happened. It's not supposed to. The judgment of our crews is actually pretty good about this, but sometimes people fool you.)

Unlike most squads, ours carries handcuffs, and have handcuffed people to the rails of the cot rather than taking the time to do a full restraint.

Meet me over in doodads, honey ...

Ahhh - BLS - that explains a lot. Much less crap to haul around. That is way cool that your emts get to have handcuffs - we either have to use the clunky leather buckle type deals or cling wrap. In NY (Syracuse at least) mostly only level 4's and 3's (critical care) get paid, so there aren't a whole lot of BLS rig around, mostly just BLS calls in ALS rigs.

We're the only crew in the country with actuall APPROVAL for handcuffs (We usually use the aforementioned clunky leather things). We also apparently have approval for pepper spray from Harrisburg, but the hospital risk manager won't let the crew use it (Our criminal justice/outreach guys get to use the pepperspray).

It's all because of our nature as having the only behavioral ambulance in the country with the authority to serve the mental health warrants (most involuntary psych pickups are done by police in other counties of PA/states).

Holy shit, Wolf.:eek: That sounds more dangerous than "domestics".

It can be, but that's why we take the cops (and let them "go in first to secure the scene").

Two sheriff's deputies were killed in Maryland last year serving a mental health warrant.

Our crews have bullet proof vests and know when to duck.

The temperature in my area has been hovering around 25 degrees for over 24 hours now. Shit...I'm actually going to have to go outside today too. Have to take the garbage out...of course, I don't have to, but that would be pretty ewww.

Fluffy snow
 

I love waking up to snow. We had a melt so most of our Thanksgiving snow was gone. This morning looking out the trees were freshly flocked with fluff. Yea! The walk to work was beautiful. Snow quiets everything and it's still falling. The tally is expected between 4-8inches, and perfect for skiing- fluff city.

And you're right Wolf, nothing's purtier than pines or spruce catching snow.But those bright red twig dogwoods poking out of the bank are pretty nice too.:)

You keep your Dogwoods in a Bank?:eek:

I'm heavily invested in my red dogwoods.:)

So, in this case, trees grow on money. :D