AntiBVBL

I was in Key West Fl. six days ago. This is not fun. I wasn’t dreaming of a white Christmas. At least I have all my shopping done.

Can’t wait for the snow, great excuse to stay home and do nothing for a change.

Also, if it weren’t for global warming would we be getting 50 inches? Shouldn’t we all be out getting a tan right now?

Why does everyone run out for bread and toilet paper. Just how long do they think they are going to be stuck in the house anyway?

I just spent the last hour planning a fishing trip to the Bahamas in April. Nothing like this kinda weather to motivate you. I’ll get my tan in April. Let the experts worry about global warming.

I didn’t run out for bread and toilet paper; I ran out for shrimp and Corona. We’ll party no matter what falls from the sky this weekend.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Love it! Be safe & Enjoy!

Moon, Ready, ready, ready! Need a ride? Pot roast is in store for us too this snow event! Bring it! Hi Emma! Enjoy the Corona & shrimp!

@hello

>>> Can’t wait for the snow, great excuse to stay home and do nothing for a change.

You’re always home!

Who is predicting 20-25+ inches of snow?

From the City of Manassas Web site – ATTENTION – A snow emergency has been declared effective 12:01 AM, Saturday, Dec 19, 2009. All vehicles parked on designated Snow Emergency Routes after 12-midnight will be towed. Councilmember Randolph says this includes Snow Push zones in Georgetown South.

From City of Manassas Park Web site – THE CITY OF MANASSAS PARK HAS DECLARED A SNOW EMERGENCY EFFECTIVE FRIDAY, DEC. 18, 2009 at 7:00pm AND ENDING
MONDAY DEC. 21, 2009 at 7:00am ANY VEHICLES PARKED ALONG THE FOLLOWING DESIGNATED SNOW EMERGENCY ROUTES WILL BE TOWED:
(1) Manassas Dr. from Baker St. to Golf Ct.
(2) Denver Dr. from Manassas Dr. to Rugby Rd.
(3) Digital Dr. from Manassas Dr. to W. Carondelet
FOR MORE SNOW EMERGENCY INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL (703) 335-8040

From Prince William County Web site: no information yet, but here’s the VDOT brochure about snow removal
http://www.pwcgov.org/docLibrary/PDF/002920.pdf

@Moon-howler

>>> I don’t know why bread and toilet paper are the hot items of a snow storm but the shelves with those 2 items always empty first.

Probably since they’re the most used items in an average household, also milk. Just a guess.

This weather pattern has been with us for a month or so. Low pressure systems have been coming up from the gulf and riding up the east coast for several weeks. Anyone notice the weekly rains we’ve been getting recently? We’ve been getting rain around Sun-Tue each week, like clockwork.

We just haven’t had the cold air coming down from Canada to give us snow yet. Now we do. It only takes an inch of rain to make 10 to 12 inches of snow.

Snapshot (hope it works):
http://www.intellicast.com/national/radar/current.aspx?region=default&animate=true

This ‘pattern’ could last for weeks (I’d say until the end of January). Hopefully not, but they usually do. Mother Nature takes her time.

I’ve just got back from my rounds around town. I hit Best Buy, AC Moore, Aldi, The Package Store and Giant. My husband said I sounded like a true Virginia saying package store. Hopefully they don’t become privatized.

I plan do rest of my decorating, make two wreaths for outside, and cooking!! I was planning on have a Christmas party tomorrow night. I guess the only guests I’ll be getting will be walking.

Let it SNOW!!! I’m ready for it. Unfortunately my stepdaughters are due to fly in from Columbia,SC Sunday. They were out of school today and SHOULD have been put on flight TODAY!

I still make paper snow flakes. When we were kids we made ice cream from snow. Did anyone else do that? String some popcorn for Christmas tree would be fun too. It can last several years if stored properly. Our kids and I strung some up for our first Christmas as a family and they had a ton of fun.

In a few hours family and friends will all have arrived safely from up and down the coast. The snow will be a perfect welcoming. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone and thanks for a great year of community updates and community dialogue.

@Lafayette
>>> When we were kids we made ice cream from snow. Did anyone else do that?

We’d mix snow with cream and vanilla. Not exactly icecream, but it sure was good!

Sledding down the gianormous hill by Bull Run Library!

I have laid in 3 extra bottles of Cabernet. I didn’t know I was supposed to get milk and toilet paper–I was just going for the essentials.

Just need to get a path out Sunday to take a relative to the airport. It will all be good.

Two feet of snow? ^&#@ Global Warming!!

Nothing says Christmas like Irish Cream!

@A PW County Resident

>>> I have laid in 3 extra bottles of Cabernet.

Wuss. Can’t run a generator with that stuff.

Interesting article about Eggnog (with recipe to make your own)….

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,580555,00.html?test=faces

Lafayette,

Did you say last year that people may or may not use sleds at the Battlefield? The hill behind the stone house. I guess it could seem insensitive to sled where men lay dying, but I wasn’t sure if it’s allowed or not. That hill next to (library Cindy mentioned will definitely be packed. My plan is to make Toll House, oatmeal and pecan sandie cookies.

Can anyone else relate to this? I went to Hollister at fair oaks yesterday bc my nephew wanted a pair of pants. I’m 43 and walked out of there feeling like an old bitty! The music is SO LOUD! I actually liked the music, but it was cranked up so loud I could not WAIT to pay for those stupid pants and get out of there! I was going insane! And then it’s really dark in there and I couldn’t read the freakin size on the tags bc my eyes are already in the crapper! That is the oldest I have ever felt in my life. Guess I’m not their target customer! Lol.

@Twinad
Hi Twin!! Nice to see pay us visit here on anti. Yes you can still sled out at the Stonehouse. Back in the day there’d be bonfires at the top of the hill to keep you warm while waiting to sled or to take a break from good snowball fight. In fact many of friends from school that now live in Fla. are all wishing the were here to see the snow and longing sledding at Stonehouse. It’s been a “hot topic”.
BTW-how was turn out of trick or treaters? A friend of mine that lives in your neck of the woods say they got none.

I know exactly what you mean about walking out of some of these stores and feeling like an old bitty. I’m on a couple of years younger, and I never thought I would feel that way until I was much older.

@RingDangDoo
No, it wasn’t exactly ice cream, but to kids it’s ice cream. My mom said it grossed her out when we’d make “ice cream”.

Lafayette,

Thanks for the sledding intelligence! We got a ton of trick or treaters…maybe 75 or so.

I also have to bitch about the overpowering cologne smell at Abercrombie! I was about to pass out. After yesterday I now consider myself officially a geezer. Bah Humbug!

Use to sled with my then young children at the Stone House over twenty years
ago and we all have great memories of the experience, but it was sobering to
see that same Stone House in a Civil War era picture that showed a yard full
of wounded men awaiting medical care (sometimes amputation). Doubt if
any of those young soldiers, Blue or Grey, who fought and suffered in the
summer heat and frantic battle, could imagine one unintended result of their
struggles would be to save a great snow sled hill from developers so that
people often near their age could use it for simple fun and joy.

Hilarious. I just scanned this thread, and at least two people tried to argue against global warming by pointing out that winter still occurs every year. The four seasons are determined by the angle of the earth’s axis to the sun, not by the build-up of green house gases. Nice try though!

Are we rooting for the Redskins on Monday night or thinking about draft picks? Me, I want the Giants and Cowboys both to miss the playoffs, and for that we need the Redskins to beat them both. Don’t laugh. This is very possible with everyone doubly motivated to impress the new GM, and, we need San Francisco or Atlanta to win. One thing we should be able to count on is the Cowboys will do their December tradition and lose in December.

Zorn goes, Campbell stays.

Moon-howler :
Justin, I hope you get your wish.
I did notice that little deflection from the 4 seasons to global warning. It was a nice try. No one bit.

Hard to bite with no teeth!

JustinT :
Hilarious. I just scanned this thread, and at least two people tried to argue against global warming by pointing out that winter still occurs every year. The four seasons are determined by the angle of the earth’s axis to the sun, not by the build-up of green house gases. Nice try though!

Come on, dude, you have to admit that it’s AWESOME that Obama goes to Copenhagen during a snowstorm to fight global warming, then has to cut his trip short to come back to a friggin’ blizzard!! God, he’s soooooo cool!!

Seriously though, this looks to be a real hum-dinger! they’re actually getting more dire about this storm as it gets going! Usually by now they’re saying “man, we really dodged a bullet this time!” Haven’t seen anything like this in years!

And the booger of it is…..I ran outta milk tonight. Curses!

Winter happens every year, that’s the point. If you are going to hoot and holler every time December comes around, be my guest. Santa Claus doesn’t disprove global warming either just so ya know.

America is the only country in the world where there is enough idiot propaganda to create significant confusion about established scientific facts. Willful ignorance is nothing to celebrate, but progress on a global solution to climate change is.

Twin, I feel your pain. I was at Old Navy last night to buy PJs for young relatives, and I could hear my mom’s voice saying “these are just not well made. They aren’t going to last two months! I can sew them better…” I also got stuck in the pre-snow, workweek-end, holiday shopping gridlock – what was I thinking?

Husband has been ferrying railroad crews through the night. He said its perfect whether if you have a sleigh. Dr. Zhivago!

“weather”. Gotta remember to drink coffee before I post in the a.m.

I guess it’s just too early to break out the Baileys. Wait, I can put it in my coffee for BREAKFAST!

WestGate is a Winter Wonderland with 6 inches of snow!! My little pug leaped on the back deck and quickly stopped in her tracks. Pug Angel is sporting her pink camo hoodie, thanks to Moon. Camo is a favorite fashion statement of sorts with some in WG/Sudley.

I just need to figure what sweet treat to make first to make the house smell even more like Christmas.

My son just took a yard stick out in the middle of the back yard. He said the prediction was four inches by this morning. The total: nine inches. I’m close to Mathis Ave shopping center in the City of Manassas.

National Airport has 6 inches of snow. Their snow totals are usually much lower than the the burbs. I did hear earlier the first flight to land early this morning at Dulles was from South Africa. Imagine what they must have thought to land in this weather.

With this kind of snow coming to our region I sure am glad I’m not managing the front desk at the Hyatt Dulles like I was for the Blizzard of ‘96. Many employees lived at the hotel for weeks. It was quite an experience to share a room with three of your co-workers, and get that knock on the door or call that you are needed to work ASAP. There were employees from the airport, our employes and hundreds of distressed airline passengers. It was an experience of a lifetime to say the least.

Well if they prance their tracks will be there in the snow.

I still laugh at the look on Mr. Lafayette’s face the first time he saw the unofficial uniform of the “hood”. He’s usually not caught off guard, but he sure was one night.

Moon-howler :Chris, I have 8 inches on the side deck. 8 real ones, not guy inches.
Howling over cami as a fashion statement in Sudley/Westgate.
Hoooowwwwl
It does make people prance, doesn’t it?

Well, M-H, I must have 30 guy inches over here then

Haha Moon. That one gets my mom.

@A PW County Resident
At this rate it will be four feet before you know it.

I’ve noticed a pattern here but I’m a bit confused. Can anyone explain the connection between snow and alcohol? You can’t drive anyway so may as well indulge? Just my guess.

Weather and road conditions statewide at http://www.511virginia.org

@Moon-howler
…going to the ABC store? Feel free to drop a bottle of Baileys on my front porch on your way home!

JustinT :
America is the only country in the world where there is enough idiot propaganda to create significant confusion about established scientific facts.

There are plenty of reputable climate scientists who disagree with your statement about ‘established scientific facts.’ Even if the majority agrees that the basic science of anthropogenic climate change is valid, there is still substantial disagreement regarding the sign and magnitude of feedbacks. The dominant feedbacks have to be large and positive for anthropogenic climate change to be significant enough to matter. Given that natural climate variability has trumped anthropogenic climate change over the last 10 years (i.e. it has been getting colder), it is getting harder to argue that the feedbacks are behaving as expected.

@kelly3406
You know, I’m one of those folks who believe we are at the beginning (or the end, depending on your point of view) of the Sixth Extinction.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/25/090525fa_fact_kolbert

The who, why, or how really doesn’t matter… and an extra generation or two is a “rounding error” in the context of the Universe… so simply enjoying “being” while you can (The zen buddhists understand these things).

11:35 in Manassas City – Snow and wind – a real “white out”. Use great
care if you must drive.

In our final chapters – we all die. Everyone of us.

The great question is what do we leave behind for future generations?

@Moon-howler
That’s pretty much it, M-h.

@Poor Richard
I highly recommend the “simply enjoy being” philosophy. If you wonder what that is, just sit back and watch your dogs for a while. Dogs are the ultimate zen creature (which is why I love dogs).

Episcopalians are a hearty lot. Trinity Episcopal Manassas will have only 1 abbreviated service at 11AM tomorrow. No Sunday School or Adult Forum. Stay safe & warm @ home.

Check out the live Web cam in Old Town Manassas. http://www.visitmanassas.org/camera/

And I’m glad I have a brown dog in this stuff! (Oscar, my avatar)

JustinT :
America is the only country in the world where there is enough idiot propaganda to create significant confusion about established scientific facts. Willful ignorance is nothing to celebrate, but progress on a global solution to climate change is.

Established scientific facts….Yeah, I saw those emails.

@Moon-howler

If we were talking about pollutants, then I would agree with you. CFCs, PM-10 particulates, NO2, tropospheric ozone, etc. are substances that should be regulated and controlled for the sake of human health. But carbon dioxide occurs naturally and has been present naturally in much greater concentrations on Earth than present. No one is predicting CO2 concentrations to rise to a level that is harmful on an individual basis.

I thought I got enough beer. I’m almost all out now.

I have two favorite expressions. One is an obscene two word, two syllable expletive that I often (actually, more often as I get older) repeat under my breath towards disagreeable people (that sort of looks like “**** ***”, and the other is the reflective thought when I get cut off in traffic, someone cuts in line, or something that would have set me off in my youth occurs, “…it just doesn’t matter.” I know this sounds like a contradiction, but it works for me.

Regarding global warming and who is right or who is wrong… it just doesn’t matter. None of us are getting out of here alive.

I suggest that all deniers of climate change science write letters to your grandchildren, right now, today, and explain that you spent the critical years in the struggle against global warming slurping up and regurgitating conspiracy theories from TV propagandists. Explain that you rejected 97 percent of all scientific studies, except for those bought and paid for by the oil industry.

Write that letter, and brag that you embraced partisanship with such religious fanaticism that you were willing to accept as fact anything said by right wing demigods. Write that you were among the sheep that helped to delay action. They’ll lament your ignorance, whether or not we find a solution in the mean time, they’ll wonder how they could have descended from such irresponsible fools, who while not owning an oil company, were all too willing to be duped by them.

@JustinT
You know, over the course of history men and women could have written thousands of letters apologizing for man’s inhumanity to man. We have a history of killing each other and a general disregard for the larger context within which we live. The problem is… well… the earth is populated with people… and we are a really flawed evolutionary prototype. Natural selection is taking its course… and we are taking our perhaps rightful place in the evolutionary process. I wonder what will be next?

In the end… it just doesn’t matter. Good topic for a snowy day.

Opinion, as you know I’m sure, severe weather during all seasons is in store for us if we don’t get green house gases under control. But you know I never thought about it quite like what you wrote there. It’s kinda eerie, but it’s kinda true. First we developed the technology to create green house gases, then, came the mega-corporations and mega-media empires with political agendas that involved blunting the discoveries of science when they threatened profit margins. Makes me think of Terminator, only it’s not machines that does in humanity, it’s greed.

Off topic, but todays’s WaPo Real Estate section(E5) has PWC trends
from January to June.
– Almost the same number of home sold but the average price dropped
$65,000 county wide.
– Zip 22193 saw sales increase by over sixty units, but the average
price dropped $110,000.
– Zip 22191 had sales stay almost even, but the average price went
down over $70,000.

@JustinT
JustinT… I think you’ve got it! …now… just “be”.

You guys have hit upon the best thing about global warming. EVERYTHING under the sun can be caused by it! Higher seas/lower seas, higher temps/lower temps, more hurricanes/less hurricanes, more snow/less snow! It’s the perfect goof!

While the weather outside is frightful, inside it’s so delightful….

Yes, let’s all be thankful we have roofs over our heads, no matter what those may be. What are the homeless doing right now when the shelters are overfilled?

17 inches at the house (Moon-howler, real inches not man inches) so global warming must not exist. For the first time in years we actually have a second season. Bought my milk, beer, and diet coke yesterday so we can survive for weeks.

We went out to a Christmas Party last evening and the local 7-11 had run out of all regular and mid-grade gasoline, so we had to buy premium.

@Alanna
Alanna, That’s the saddest story I’ve ever heard.

Snow is finally slowing down in Manassas. Hopefully, now snow plows can
begin to get ahead of the curve.

Alanna, happened to me in reverse – all the beer the local store had left
was Keystone and people give you the evil eye when you bring that to a
party.

@Poor Richard
Tough luck Poor Richard, I have not had Keystone since college. I would rather run out of gas!

You are right M-H, a little break keyed wishful thinking
on my part. Alas, snow is still coming down.

We just got back from sledding at the Bull Run hill. It was fun! I don’t think I’ve been on a snow sled in about 30 years! This was our first time we’ve taken our 8 year old sledding although he’s done it before with his cousins in NY. Now he is sitting in a warm bath because his “butt is freezing”!

@JustinT

>>> I suggest that all deniers of climate change science write letters to your grandchildren, right now, today,….

Won’t work. Fortunately my progeny can think, and have the common sense to see through the bullshit your shoveling.

Is there no ‘weather event’ you won’t blame on global warming climate change?

It’s so beautiful outside!!! Spent the whole day shoveling and re-shoveling, then walking in the park as it got dark (definitely howled, MH, as I was alone). I wasn’t cold at all, as there was no wind. Hope it’s still snowing tomorrow.

Super Sky Mart had some Yueng Ling Beer. If you drink enough Ying Ling, then you won’t notice the cold in your yueng yang.

I broke down and had a beer tonight even though I don’t like beer. Must be the virtual peer pressure! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Since there is no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Snowing pretty hard again in Woodbridge.

Check out the live “snow” cam in Old Town Manassas now. Beautiful at night! http://www.visitmanassas.org/camera/

Thank God for blogs, twitter, facebook, hulu.com, etc. I would have gone stir crazy today!

Ring, what are you trying to imply, that I’m blaming the snow on global warming? No. I was reacting to a couple of yahoos who said the snow is proof that there is not global warming. You read the last of the exchange. Warning: your progeny will go to college one day and develop the capacity for free thought. It’s what college is for, so that the minds of our youth are not confined by the limits of their parents’.

Justin, methinks you have a grand sense of self. Yahoos? There are many scientists that also dispute things. Not sure your tone is capable of discussion it appears.

Still snowing in WestGate!

Snow still falling in the City. Some people in my community are having a problem with the snow plowing by our contractor in our neighborhood. I guess they think this type of storm is a regular occurance around here.

This has been so much fun! We were shoveling off our deck and the kids were laughing at me being buried in snow by their dad! We will be sledding tomorrow down our back hill. I may put GPS devices on the kids to make sure we don’t lose them in the snow

Everyone will be spending all day Sunday digging out from this snow storm.

@Moon-howler
I always thought Denier would be a great name for a car… “the 2010 Chevy Denier!”

Moon, some residents think the plow company should take the time to clean out their driveways and sidewalks. Lazy so-and so’s don’t want to get their butts out and shovel. complain, bitch and gripe, that’s all some people do. Like where is anyone going today anyway.

Ivan, you’ve got to be kidding. Does your plow company usually do the sidewalks and driveways. I can understand the sidewalks, but in a storm like this roads FIRST. I’m surprised that didn’t asked to have their cars cleaned off too. Indeed those are some “lazy so and so’s”.

No they don’t. They clear a path(one lane) to provide access to the main roads. Some people just don’t want to get out and shovel. Somehow 22inches doesn’t seem to mean that they don’t get special treatment.

Those lazies could pay some neighborhood kids to earn extra last minute Christmas ca$h. We always had our shovels ready in the winter and rakes in the fall, but the sad thing is I think kids today are lazy too. I swear my daughter is the laziest thing to walk the earth.

Everyone pace yourself and drink water. Don’t overdo. Safety tips at
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/snow.htm

Craigslist is full of people offering to shovel you out for $$$. My neighbor just plowed us out for gingerbread cookies.

This is a great time to check on your elderly and disabled neighbors and share resources!

JustinT, the ‘proof’ of global warming comes from the data models these ’scientist’ have put together. However, in the code for these data models they have hard coded in values. As a general programming 101 rule you do not hard code anything, especially when working with data models. You let the data speak for itself. If global warming was 100% true then why the need to hard code values in the logic of the data models?

The only reason one would ever hard code values in the logic of any program would be to force a result or force the code to do exactly what you want it to. As a programmer I find this to be highly questionable and even immoral.

Believe it or not the actual code is out there on-line, here is just a piece of it… enjoy.

; PLOTS ‘ALL’ REGION MXD timeseries from age banded and from hugershoff
; standardised datasets.
; Reads Harry’s regional timeseries and outputs the 1600-1992 portion
; with missing values set appropriately. Uses mxd, and just the
; “all band” timeseries
;****** APPLIES A VERY ARTIFICIAL CORRECTION FOR DECLINE*********
;
yrloc=[1400,findgen(19)*5.+1904]
valadj=[0.,0.,0.,0.,0.,-0.1,-0.25,-0.3,0.,-0.1,0.3,0.8,1.2,1.7,2.5,2.6,2.6,$
2.6,2.6,2.6]*0.75 ; fudge factor
if n_elements(yrloc) ne n_elements(valadj) then message,’Oooops!’
;

*snip*

;
; APPLY ARTIFICIAL CORRECTION
;
yearlyadj=interpol(valadj,yrloc,x)
densall=densall+yearlyadj
;
; Now plot them
;

C’mon PW grow a pair and close!! Just close for the week, and they should not have been scheduled for a couple plus hours Wednesday. Talk about yet another total waste of PWC tax dollars.

Total lack of consideration, Moon. SOP for PWCPS on snow days, geesh.
It looks like they got a pair afterall. PW schools are CLOSED Monday!!!
http://www.pwcs.edu/

Rumor has it that Mr. Owen withdrew his request Wednesday. Can anyone confirm?
Mom, come out, come out, where ever you are!!

Manassas Park schools are CLOSED Monday too!

Monday, December 21 – Wednesday, December 23, 2009
All Manassas City Public Schools will be closed.
Code Blue for employees. There will be no after school activities.

Liberal Leave for City Employees on 12/21/09

Federal Government Operating Status in the Washington, DC, Area
the following message applies only to Monday, December 21, 2009
Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are CLOSED.
This Means . . .
Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are closed. Nonemergency employees (including employees on pre-approved leave) will be granted excused absence for the number of hours they were scheduled to work. This does not apply to employees on leave without pay, leave without pay for military duty, workers’ compensation, suspension, or in another nonpay status.
Telework employees may be expected to work from their telework sites, as specified in their telework agreements.
Emergency employees are expected to report for work on time.
Employees on alternative work schedules are not entitled to another AWS day off in lieu of the workday on which the agency is closed.
Posted on December 20, 2009 at 4:35 PM