Snow day

I feel like a wuss.

But that would be a wuss sitting at home, not a work.

I have taken the day off. Simply did not want to deal with the weather. Oh, that would be the blizzard we are going through in Milwaukee. They say around 4-5 inches of snow fell over night and we can expect anywhere from 6-8 more. The radio advised staying in and not driving if you don't have to. I shrugged it off at first. Pfft! I can get through this no problem. I proceeded to take a shower and get dressed. As I did, I put the TV on to get a different opinion.

That is when I saw the traffic report. The "freeways" weren't flowing freely. It was 3xs the amount of time for me to get halfway to work. My 20 minute drive looked to be well over an hour. That would be if I made it. Lots of accidents because of the blizzard conditions. Winds are going 30-40 miles per hour just blowing the snow all over the place.

So I decided to get undressed, make some coffee and take the day off. Here is the view from my front porch. I guess you can't see wind. In fact, if anyone watches Most Haunted or Ghost Hunters, it would appear that I have a bunch of orbs outside the premises. Maybe my yard is haunted?

So I called and emailed my boss out in California to let her know I won't be in. She will be cool about it. I just feel that I should have still gone in. That is my nature. It is the way I was brought up. But dealing with slow moving traffic and blinding snow isn't my idea of a fun way to start the day. In one week I won't have to worry about that. I guess that is the good thing. There better not be any weather disturbance next week. I gots to get me to Vegas!

Wait, one other picture to show. Guess what this is....

That is the tracks left by my cat as I yanked him back inside. As I was taking some pictures, my cat just sauntered out the door. I was surprised that he did this. So without really thinking, I grabbed his tail and pulled him back inside. I then thought it wasn't the nicest way to get him back inside. He will get a good petting later. Probably some brushing. He is looking pretty damn grumpy right now.

I think I will kick back, play some poker, and then go shovel. It will most likely require two runs. I just need the wind to die down a bit before I tackle the elements.

8:45 Update
I tried to do my good deed for the day. Tried. I saw my tenant go outside and begin to brush his car off. I watched from inside as he attempted to free his vehicle from the snow drift. I was playing some Omaha Hi Lo on Full Tilt and would watch in between hands. After watching his futile attempts for 10 minutes I got dressed, grabbed the shovel and went to help. As I got outside, he got free and took off down the street. At least I was going out to help.

Looks like my reward will be digging out. There is at least 7 inches of snow out there on the sidewalks. I will wait another hour before I get out there and begin moving piles of snow.

9:31
I am going out! Time to shovel. I am in the middle of a freeroll too. Have 6500. I wonder how much I will have when I get back in?

10:10
Doing good deeds pays off! I had just gotten started on the big dig, when I noticed my neighbor was in the alley (end of my sidewalk) with the snowblower. I began hoping that maybe he will get my sidewalk cleaned up for me. But then he turned and went back down the alley to his garage. I heard the thrower kick off and resigned myself back to shoveling. 5 minutes later he had fired it up and was coming back. It then dawn on me. He cannot clean his sidewalk without going through mine! Sure enough he was soon blowing the sidewalk clean, saving me at least 20 minutes of work.

So to keep the good karma going, I shoveled my tenants car out more than I usually would and cleaned up some more in front of my neighbors house. Then in the process of cleaning up the porch I discovered I had a newspaper. Double score!

I am glad that I did the shoveling. I had read online that it is expected to get wet and heavy. Though that is good in some aspects of life, in snow it is not. I could tell the snow on the sidewalk was getting there so having it gone is good.

I can now kick back and relax with a beer as I finish the freeroll. I have 6080 left. I will be drinking the Miller Christmas beer I got last night. I will try its chocolatey goodness and report back. Unlike others, I do not wait until it is noon.

10:48
Boss just called. Of course she called just as I got finished heating up my breakfast so it was cold by the time I got done. The Miller Chistmas beer is quite interesting. A wheat beer with chocolate malt. I like it. Not something one would probably drink a lot of but not a bad beer to end the day or kickstart the night.

One thing to note. This is a snow day, not a day off. I spent 40 minutes shoveling snow. Doesn't sound like a party. I will be back out there in a couple of hours finishing the job. Then I may walk on down to Bert's to replenish the beer supply. Great to have a liquor store in walking distance. Plus Hector's is now open so if I want a burrito for lunch I can get one with my beer.

1:35
I took some time to watch the Da Vinci Code. I had enjoyed the book years ago and was looking forward to seeing the movie. The movie was pretty good as well.

It looks like the snow has stopped and the sun is out. I should go shovel the rest of what has fallen. I drank two of the Christmas beers. Mueller_time was right about the smell. As you lift the glass (don't be heathen and drink it out of the bottle!), you will catch a wonderful, rich aroma of chocolate. As the beer goes over the taste buds, the chocolate is immediately noted. It drifts away as you swallow leaving a clean taste. Kind of like a porter. Quite good I must say.

2:04
I am done shoveling for the day. Ok, that isn't reality because the plows will be coming by some time and a shitload of snow will be put into my drive. I will need to move that so I can get to the bar tonight. I have worked hard and deserve reward, damnit! Plus, I will have to go shovel my mother's house tomorrow. She is further north and hopefully didn't get as much snow as I did.

Right now I feel like sitting back and doing nothing. As I was shoveling, I envied the kids next door who were out playing in the snow. What a better perspective. Oh to be a kid again.

3:46
The plows have come by. It appears all they did was expose the ice under the snow. Then they got stuck themselves. Two trucks stopped on street. One driver got out to speak to another. 5 minutes later, neither truck was moving as they spun their wheels. Other cars have tried to navigate the street with slow success. They really need to get the salt down on the side streets.