A Tale of Four Fridays

Well, for four Fridays in a row, my presence will be required in Frederick County.  Unfortunately, the reasons for some of them aren't good

1. Last Friday (Feb. 19): I went home to pick up a book and some food, and to visit my parents.
2. This Friday (Feb. 26): This was supposed to be the trip for my sister's graduation, and it does look like the weather may cooperate.  However, a more urgent issue has arisen.  My grandmother has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  My mom didn't give a prognosis timeline, but my aunt and cousin who live in New Mexico are flying into the area in the next few days (my uncle is already in the area on business), and I was told that it would be a good idea for me to visit my grandmother soon.
3. March 5: I have to serve as the math judge for the semifinals and final of the Frederick County Academic Tournament.  It's at the Oakdale High School building if anyone is interested in attending.
4. March 12: First day of spring break (for me) = dentist appointment.

So, if I'm hanging out with any of you guys in the near future, and I get a phone call that prompts me to leave, well, it will probably have something to do with point number two.

Snowmageddon Quick Hits

Well, near-record snowfall just nailed the DC area.  In fact, I believe this storm will be the basis for a criminal on a soon-to-be-released episode of Law and Order: SVU.  Here are some of the more interesting things:

• It is much nicer to be snowed in with Internet access than without.
• My dad will never survive retirement.  Today he cleaned the snow off the satellite dish (reasonable), the roof of my parents' house (bad idea), his truck (reasonable), and shoveled the last half of somewhat lengthy driveway after plowing the first half killed his field tractor.  I have no idea how he's not going to go crazy when he's not working anymore.
• I can't believe the number of people chancing it on the road today.  I did see one guy get stuck on Adelphi Road this morning.  Sadly, most people driving had not cleaned the roofs of their cars.  I still say that in a snow emergency, you should be allowed to shoot drivers who refuse to clean their cars before they hit the road.
• I spent 90 minutes this evening digging my car out and am only halfway finished.  I am going to be sore tomorrow.
• Shuttle launch (Endeavour) at 4:39 on Sunday.  AM.  Very, very AM.  Oh, and that football game, too.  But it's not AM.
• I have easily gotten a very good return on my $10 investment in a collapsible snow shovel from Target.
• Oh, more snow is on the way.  It gets here the day we finally see temperatures above freezing.  Any rumors that I control the weather should be dispelled now.

PANIC!!!!

The prediction for this weekend's snowstorm in the DC area is for one to two feet of snowfall.  Thus, we all need to raid the grocery stores for all the eggs, milk, bread, and toilet paper we can get our hands on.  Then, we need to make a run on the gas stations and fill the tanks of all our vehicles and any gas cans we have sitting around.  Quick, the lives of your family and yourself depend on it!

Or, you can get a few extra things at the store, just in case, and settle in and enjoy the snowfall.  Besides, there is some sort of football game to watch about fourteen hours after the scheduled shuttle launch on Sunday.