The Weather Jester

We're in the throes of yet another weather-related media blitz.  In one of my announcer-type voices: "Winter Storm 2012".  It's a big storm--no doubt about that.  The storm? Immense.  The hype?  Even more immense!  I just looked at a weather Doppler of the storm, and it is literally covering the whole western half of Washington State.  Whether or not their predictions of how deep the snow will be remain to be seen.  We are supposed to get somewhere in the 6 or seven inches range here, and some areas are in for over a foot.  As usual, the media underlines, italicizes, and emphasizes the extreme, and after a while the extreme is the only thing sticking in people's heads.  I just looked outside at 4:30am and see about an inch and a half.  And it's not snowing.

We have gotten some snow off and on all week.  I think I saw the first last Saturday morning when I got up. There have been several flurries, but nothing unusual.  Actually, what's unusual is that this week was the first snow we've had this winter.  Usually it seems like there's something in late November or early December.

I would like to stay home from work.  Who wouldn't?  I've yet to spend any fun time on the little Honda 3-wheeler I bought for such occasions yet this year.  I'm sure I will though.  The fact is, I've got obligations to my family and to my job so I go to work if I can.  If I have to turn around and come back in two hours that's fine.  Then I can say I've done what I should have done at both ends of the deal.

My poor little car has fallen victim to the some sort of glitch.  It stopped on the way home from work on Tuesday of last week, acting like someone had just pulled a plug off of the engine to make it stop.  Denny towed me the last few miles home and I've been driving my truck ever since.  It's nice to drive it (it gets neglected), but I miss 30+ mpg.  The truck gets about half that.  Lucky I don't work a long ways away.  Still... I wish I could figure out what's ailing the car.  Sensors, computer, and all sorts of mysterious electronics that all work together in harmony, and all it takes is one thing to break a link in the chain.

Well, today should be interesting.  Like I said on my Facebook page the other day,

You know how jesters supposedly existed to mix things
up a little? They were like the "anti-normal" person. They
kept the mundane from killing you. They kept one from
feeling jaded.
I think snow is the weather jester.