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20 february 2003

one request for spring, please

For the past couple of weeks, the Den here has become something of a love magnet. Google requests for everything from "Valentines' Day Sunday School Projects" to "Valentines for men" have guided people to our humble corner of the 'net. Other bloggers linked up to it, and some discussed it. Many dropped me a line (getting to those, I promise...)

In response to a few questions, yes, I really do the thing with the socks. This year, I bought 50 pairs of big, comfy, cooshy-soled crew socks, some Valentines, and distributed them to the people waiting for breakfast at three local shelters. It is not scary. No one will steal your stuff. Someone might look at you funny, and say, "I don't get Valentines anymore."

That's generally what happens.

Regarding my Valentines' Day, it was wonderful. And that's all I'm saying.

Regarding the weather we've been having on the East Coast...I've never been much to complain about winter. Okay, so now I'm cashing in some points with Ma Nature. ENOUGH, already! Two major ice storms, a snow event, and relentless cold/dry/blah!

If you want to know why the central part of North Carolina (from about Statesville to Rocky Mount) gets all this ice instead of snow or rain, it lies in location, location, location. The best way to illustrate this is to look at a map of our state, look at Interstate 40 from Statesville, then up to I-85 as it snakes north of Durham. This thin geographic area is approximately where the Gulf Stream runs. Combine this movement of warm, moist air with our unique physiographic features (mountain-foothill-coastal plain), midcoast ocean fronts, and cold air over the area--and we get some of the most unstable, unpredictable winters that you can imagine. One day we're in shorts, another we're bundled up like so many Canadians.

That, and pouring hot water over our car while a friend chips away at the half-inch layer of solid ice. Nothing like a cryogenically-preserved car, no siree. Blargh. No snow for us, thanks--we'll take crippling ice and sleet. Because we like a challenge.

Alright, I'll be back again soon enough. In the meantime, are we done with the reality tv matchmaking crapola? I don't even watch these shows, so why do I still know that some lunkhead with a bad haircut and not-50-million-dollars chose Zora?

Moreover, has anyone determined what Michael Jackson does when he gets a cold? Does he blow his nose, or is it now removable like a pair of dentures? Instructions: remove nose. Soak in Nyquil/bleach solution overnight for fresh, clear feeling. Repeat as necessary. Only two operations my ass. Give him another year. Something tells me this dude's getting boobs for Christmas.