Polly wants a duvet!

Friday, January 16, 2004
4:50:00 AM EST

A refreshing change...

I know - you're bored with me kvetching about how cold it is. I am too. So here's a breath of fresh air that came to my email box this morning:

Dear List Subscriber,

During the recent change-over of our Web sites, a security breach occurred by accident. In normal operation external mail connections are prevented to the Woodtips email list. However, during the change, a mistake in firewall rules meant external mail was let in to the list.

Some external mail sent to the list contained copies of a worm virus.
During the few hours the breach occurred, our Woodtips email list was
exposed. This incident was confined to a problem with our mail list.

We have prevented the continuation of the virus by closing the security
breach and removing any further out going infected emails from our system. We advise that you do not open any emails that contain unknown attachments.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the incident.

Sincerely,
Anne Smith
Internet Marketing Manager
Shopsmith, Inc.

Way to go, Shopsmith. A mistake is made in Corporate America and they actually took responsibility, explained how it happened and apologized. Now why couldn't Worldcom, Enron, even big brother, AOL do that?

BTW, -18° at 5:00 AM. Shiver me timbers, Aargh! Polly wants a duvet!

Brrrrr.....

Thursday, January 15, 2004
7:45:00 AM EST
Feeling Chillin'
Hearing Ice Age soundtrack

Water pipes are frozen and busted, requiring the complete shut-off of water to keep cellar from becoming an indoor rink with no headroom. Feral kitties simply perch on highest objects to be found in cellar and glare. Willow the Wonder Dog minces across the icy drive way to the fecal repository, turns, raises one paw in a bid for pity from her cruel master who makes her use the outdoor facilities and then glares while she freezes her nipples off. SWMBO glares at the lack of a functional toilet & shower and supreme injustice of luring her away from Louisiana. It's cold folks, and no respite on the immediate horizon. Hope yours is a warmer, happier life today.

I awoke to the following cheery broadcast from the National Weather Bureau:

Wind chill warning through Friday morning.
Today. Mostly sunny. Highs near zero. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Wind chill readings 35 to 40 below zero.

Tonight. Mostly clear. Lows 13 to 18 below. Northwest winds 5 to 15 mph. Wind chill readings 35 to 45 below zero.

Friday. Becoming mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of light snow. Brisk. Highs 10 to 15. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Gusts up to 40 mph. Wind chill readings 35 to 40 below zero in the morning.

P.S. It was -16°F when I went out to start the car this morning.

Good God That is freakin cold!!!!! where do you live? Antacrtica? Brrrrrrrr.. Im cold just thinkin about it!!!! lol
Comment from areochic99 - 5/15/04 8:26 PM

Now THAT'S cold. The boogers in my nose are freezing just at the idea!

Comment from andreakingme - 1/15/04 3:34 PM

man, glad i live in wisconsin... compared to you, i'm in the tropics! okay,thats a definite exaggeration, but hey... your journal's fun to read and i know i like getting comments left from visitors.
Comment from brianswife7378 - 1/15/04 9:58 AM

Welcome To My Deep Freeze

Tuesday, January 13, 2004
11:54:00 PM EST

The northern third of the U.S. extending from Minnesota and the Dakotas east to little old Maine and south as far as Connecticut is in the metaphorical deep freeze. Tomorrow's forecast calls for actual temps hovering at or below 0° F. for the day's high. Add in the 35 mph wind with gusts to 50 and that gives us a wind chill forcast of -60° F, predicted to last right through Friday morning.

To put it in real terms you can get your mind around, an egg cracked onto the sidewalk will be frozen solid inside of 20 seconds under those conditions. Here at La Casa Loca, it'll take a 5 gallon can of kerosene for each of three stoves to maintain an internal temperature at or above 60° -- that's $30 per day for heat. For under 1000 sq.ft of living area - only 4 rooms including the bathroom. THAT is just one of the many downside issues of living in a pre-civil war era house.

So welcome to my deep freeze. As the temperature drops below -25° outside, so too does it drop inside - at a rate of one for one. When it's at -30° outside it'll be 55° inside. And downward it will spiral. Makes one long for the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico this time of year...

Stay warm friends. Beware of carbon monoxide poisoning and may those of you sharing this gift of coolth from Canada stay as warm as you desire.

This entry has 2 comments:

Ah yes, but I remember freezing my patooties off on Fisherman's Wharf with an air temp of 58° and a breeze off the Bay..... it's all relative. Just bit more relative in your direction at the moment ;)

Comment from olddog299 - 1/15/04 7:49 AM

now i know why i still live in california .. i cant take anything less than 72 degrees inside or 55 degrees OUTSIDE lol
its just unnatural :)
pamela
Comment from his1desire - 1/14/04 8:00 AM

Cold Feet

Saturday, January 10, 2004
10:18:00 AM EST
Hearing James Taylor - Greatest Hits (1982 version)

Mood: Foul

My feet are cold. Not a little cold but somewhere around frozen. Stove went out in the cellar this morning about 6 AM and it wasn't noted until my wife's bare feet froze to the bathroom floor after stepping out of the shower (they were dry when she went in so she didn't freeze to the floor then, silly).

I know and sympathize with all of us that are cold today but this is ridiculous in the extremities: it's -10°F with a +20 mph breeze blowing out there and the temp at floor level is an icy 23° while at waist level the room temp is 70°. I need to move to Iceland. At least there the floors are warm!

Written by olddog299 . Link to this entry | Blog about this entry | Notify AOL

This entry has 1 comments: (Add your own) Move south!!! It was about 60 today in Georgia!!!!
Comment from karensull12 - 1/12/04 8:23 PM

The Friday Five - According To Andrea

1. What's on your feet right now?

Polypro socks (black) with knit cuffs and Dr. Scholl's knockoffs of Morrell Jungle Mocs

2. What's your mood like at this moment?
Annoyed... The Friday Five is amongst the missing, it's bloody cold outside, hot water is frozen to the tub and I need to shower before going to town. No shower = no town visit as I'd be mistaken for a vagrant, arrested and shipped out on a bus (that's what we do with vagrants - make them someone else's problem).

3. Are you a Pepper?
I used to be a Pepper. Actually, I started out like most kids as a hard Kore Kool Aide Kid, then graduated to ginger ale. Later, as a nerdy teen I was a Fresca. Then came a stint where Coke was Me and I was Coke. The came my term as a Pepper. Followed quickly by a 20 year stint as a Coffee & Bourbon, depending on the time of day. I devolved into just a bourbon for a while there. After rehabbing myself I came back as a Coffee until I became a zipper-chest; then I was demoted to a Decaf, which I am as we look at each other's silliness today.

4. Do you dot your I's with smileys?
Nope. I prefer mascara....

5. What kind of a laugh do you have?
It varies a lot, depending on the situation, mood, etc. Sometimes its a big belly laugh. Very appropriate, as I have a big belly. Often it is sardonic laughter - I have little use for the other monkeys inhabiting this cage. Occasionally its only a chuckle as laughter, while the best medicine, is often viewed as inappropriate at your enemy's funeral. There's the maniacal howl emanating from my study on the night of the full moon. The jackass bray at the inanities of George W. and his handlers. The school boy snicker at a joke at another's expense and there is my favorite, that low, throaty laugh I get when making love to a woman.

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This entry has 3 comments: (Add your own)

" What's on your feet right now? " gotta tell ya, i'm glad your answer wasn't some kind of fungus lol
#4 *almost* went over my head .. almost lol so where did YOU learn about mascara anyway? hmmmm?
pamela

Comment from his1desire - 1/12/04 8:21 AM

OK I AM GONNA ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS
1 NOTHING I AM BARE FOOT.
2 MY MOOD IS QUIET. A LIL AGRAVATED BUT MAINLY I AM QUIET.
3 AM I PEPPER, UMM NO ... I DRINK PINK LEMONAID.
4 NO, I DO NOT. I USUALLY WRITE IN CAPS FOR IT EASIER ON ME TO READ.
5 LIKE YOU IT DEPENDS. MAINLY A SILLY LAUGH.
I WILL RETURN BACK TOYOUR JOURNAL ..~BERLY
Comment from wayoutdacloset - 1/12/04 3:03 AM

Oh, very well done! This is actually what the Friday Five questions are supposed to do -- to draw the journaler out, to make him talk, to make him share.

And I predict that no one's going to be able to top your answer to number 3 (Are you a Pepper). It's GREAT! I love it.

Thanks for sharing, Wil.

Comment from andreakingme - 1/9/04 4:41 PM

Belated Friday 5

What one thing are you most looking forward to . . .

1. ...today?
Bangers and mash ( that's sausages and potatoes for the illiterati)
2. ...over the next week?
Hoping it'll be slow, weatherwise. Nothing of import scheduled until baby brother's birthday on Jan 18.
3. ...this year?
I'm looking forward to ice-out so I can get back on the water in my kayak this year
4. ...over the next five years?
Just continuing to breathe will be a major accomplishment in the next 5 years. Anything else is gravy.
5. ...for the rest of your life?
See above. Long life is not anticipated.

I apologize for the delayed posting. Not for lack of trying last Friday... but new questions hadn't been posted when I checked around 3AM and haven't been online since, until now. Had to check weather as sound of sleet on the window woke me from an obviously unsound sleep. Had to be sure it 'twernt a blizzard that escaped my ken. According to the Pettybees (PTB's or Powers that Be, in bureaucrateze) we're only expecting 1 to 3 inches of sleet with a heavy icing component. Humph! I'll believe it when I see it. My back throbs at the thought of picking up a 100 lb bag of salt today.

Cheers! May all your champagne dreams come true. Here's hoping you and yours have a happy, safe and prosperous New Year!

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This entry has 5 comments: (Add your own)

A dedicated Friday Fiver! I'm impressed.

Comment from andreakingme - 1/9/04 4:43 PM

I love a good bargain, but don't know of anyone who died from imagining an aching back. You're not having any chest pains or shortness of breath, are you? Any radiating pain down the left arm? Mayhap your back wouldn't throb if you just pick up the 100 lb. bag without thinking. (I just love it when you say "'twernt' and 'escaped my ken.')
Comment from rbushu - 1/7/04 9:35 PM

True, smaller bags could be had, but at a much bigger price. I'm buying it from the wholesaler, Robin. 100 pounds costs the same there as the little 25 pound bags at the grocery or hardware store. Besides, living forever is overrated... ;)

wil

Comment from olddog299 - 1/7/04 12:46 PM

Curmudgeons that frolic and fornicate by the light of the moon are not known to have long life spans. Pack it all in while you can, Old Dog. Buy the salt in 50 pound bags. Not so hard on the throbbing back. Remember to lift from the knees.
Comment from rbushu - 1/5/04 11:19 PM

and a very happy new year to you too !! amazing, if you're breathing, it makes life just that much more enjoyable eh? lol
pamela
Comment from his1desire - 1/5/04 9:00 AM