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How much does a hurricane weigh?
Sep. 29th, 2010 09:28 amNPR has a fun little animated answer that may surprise you. I'll certainly see a lot more blue whales in the sky now!
How much does a hurricane weigh?
Sep. 29th, 2010 09:28 amNPR has a fun little animated answer that may surprise you. I'll certainly see a lot more blue whales in the sky now!
I pretty much hate it when people bitch about the weather in New England. Yep, winters are cold, summers are hot and sometimes it rains. There are lots of places with better weather for pretty much however you describe "better". And there are other reasons to choose a place to live than weather. I understand that talking about the weather gives us something to talk about that we all have in common, but it's not a very interesting thing. "Gee, water's been falling on your head all day? Me, too! What are the odds?!"
All winter long and, usually, all through the spring, I listen to people complain that it's cold, it's snowing, it's raining, that they can't wait until summer comes. I try not to crow too loudly, because I do realize that I'm relatively spoiled because I'm not a commuter. I don't have to shovel myself out in the dark--I sit in my cozy home and wait for nice men to come do it for me and there's almost nothing that I have to do that requires me to leave if it's not convenient. I don't deal with hazardous road conditions at rush hour, or sit in traffic behind the inevitable accidents. I don't sit at cold bus stops or trudge to the T only to find it delayed by ice on the tracks. There's no one to be mad at me if I'm late to work for reasons entirely out of my control.
And I do notice the emotional effects on people. Reading LiveJournal in February can get pretty grim.
But then summer arrives. Often, as this year, like a ton of bricks. One day it's a perfectly pleasant high of 62F with occasional showers, and the next day it's 90F and 90% humidity and you can't sit quietly out of doors without sweating. I run from air conditioned house to air conditioned car and I pay a fortune in electrical bills. And sometimes there are things that force me to un-conditioned exertion and I suck it up and do what has to be done--last weekend, with temperatures approaching 100F, I drove an un-conditioned truck to move a load of flats, congratulating myself on being under orders not to do any heavy lifting. And I try to respond to people crowing about how great it is with a mild "I'm glad you're enjoying it."
Not that there aren't other people who complain. After all, it's weather, it's apparently been given to us for the express purpose of having something to moan about when everything else in our lives is going well. Heaven forfend we should be content with our lot.
But the funny thing that I notice on LJ (and elsewhere) is that everyone is cranky. Half of my friends-page is rants on one topic or another, about politics and relationships and bad service experiences and stupid people. Even people that I know are fond of this weather have been cranky at some point over the past couple of weeks. Fortunately, some of them are excellent writers and can make me laugh at their anger, and I wouldn't wish them back to the whining winter doldrums.
But geez, it's summer, people. You've been bitching all year. This is what you've been waiting for and you've got it now. Enjoy!
And that's my contribution to the Annual Summer Rant-a-thon. :)
All winter long and, usually, all through the spring, I listen to people complain that it's cold, it's snowing, it's raining, that they can't wait until summer comes. I try not to crow too loudly, because I do realize that I'm relatively spoiled because I'm not a commuter. I don't have to shovel myself out in the dark--I sit in my cozy home and wait for nice men to come do it for me and there's almost nothing that I have to do that requires me to leave if it's not convenient. I don't deal with hazardous road conditions at rush hour, or sit in traffic behind the inevitable accidents. I don't sit at cold bus stops or trudge to the T only to find it delayed by ice on the tracks. There's no one to be mad at me if I'm late to work for reasons entirely out of my control.
And I do notice the emotional effects on people. Reading LiveJournal in February can get pretty grim.
But then summer arrives. Often, as this year, like a ton of bricks. One day it's a perfectly pleasant high of 62F with occasional showers, and the next day it's 90F and 90% humidity and you can't sit quietly out of doors without sweating. I run from air conditioned house to air conditioned car and I pay a fortune in electrical bills. And sometimes there are things that force me to un-conditioned exertion and I suck it up and do what has to be done--last weekend, with temperatures approaching 100F, I drove an un-conditioned truck to move a load of flats, congratulating myself on being under orders not to do any heavy lifting. And I try to respond to people crowing about how great it is with a mild "I'm glad you're enjoying it."
Not that there aren't other people who complain. After all, it's weather, it's apparently been given to us for the express purpose of having something to moan about when everything else in our lives is going well. Heaven forfend we should be content with our lot.
But the funny thing that I notice on LJ (and elsewhere) is that everyone is cranky. Half of my friends-page is rants on one topic or another, about politics and relationships and bad service experiences and stupid people. Even people that I know are fond of this weather have been cranky at some point over the past couple of weeks. Fortunately, some of them are excellent writers and can make me laugh at their anger, and I wouldn't wish them back to the whining winter doldrums.
But geez, it's summer, people. You've been bitching all year. This is what you've been waiting for and you've got it now. Enjoy!
And that's my contribution to the Annual Summer Rant-a-thon. :)
I pretty much hate it when people bitch about the weather in New England. Yep, winters are cold, summers are hot and sometimes it rains. There are lots of places with better weather for pretty much however you describe "better". And there are other reasons to choose a place to live than weather. I understand that talking about the weather gives us something to talk about that we all have in common, but it's not a very interesting thing. "Gee, water's been falling on your head all day? Me, too! What are the odds?!"
All winter long and, usually, all through the spring, I listen to people complain that it's cold, it's snowing, it's raining, that they can't wait until summer comes. I try not to crow too loudly, because I do realize that I'm relatively spoiled because I'm not a commuter. I don't have to shovel myself out in the dark--I sit in my cozy home and wait for nice men to come do it for me and there's almost nothing that I have to do that requires me to leave if it's not convenient. I don't deal with hazardous road conditions at rush hour, or sit in traffic behind the inevitable accidents. I don't sit at cold bus stops or trudge to the T only to find it delayed by ice on the tracks. There's no one to be mad at me if I'm late to work for reasons entirely out of my control.
And I do notice the emotional effects on people. Reading LiveJournal in February can get pretty grim.
But then summer arrives. Often, as this year, like a ton of bricks. One day it's a perfectly pleasant high of 62F with occasional showers, and the next day it's 90F and 90% humidity and you can't sit quietly out of doors without sweating. I run from air conditioned house to air conditioned car and I pay a fortune in electrical bills. And sometimes there are things that force me to un-conditioned exertion and I suck it up and do what has to be done--last weekend, with temperatures approaching 100F, I drove an un-conditioned truck to move a load of flats, congratulating myself on being under orders not to do any heavy lifting. And I try to respond to people crowing about how great it is with a mild "I'm glad you're enjoying it."
Not that there aren't other people who complain. After all, it's weather, it's apparently been given to us for the express purpose of having something to moan about when everything else in our lives is going well. Heaven forfend we should be content with our lot.
But the funny thing that I notice on LJ (and elsewhere) is that everyone is cranky. Half of my friends-page is rants on one topic or another, about politics and relationships and bad service experiences and stupid people. Even people that I know are fond of this weather have been cranky at some point over the past couple of weeks. Fortunately, some of them are excellent writers and can make me laugh at their anger, and I wouldn't wish them back to the whining winter doldrums.
But geez, it's summer, people. You've been bitching all year. This is what you've been waiting for and you've got it now. Enjoy!
And that's my contribution to the Annual Summer Rant-a-thon. :)
All winter long and, usually, all through the spring, I listen to people complain that it's cold, it's snowing, it's raining, that they can't wait until summer comes. I try not to crow too loudly, because I do realize that I'm relatively spoiled because I'm not a commuter. I don't have to shovel myself out in the dark--I sit in my cozy home and wait for nice men to come do it for me and there's almost nothing that I have to do that requires me to leave if it's not convenient. I don't deal with hazardous road conditions at rush hour, or sit in traffic behind the inevitable accidents. I don't sit at cold bus stops or trudge to the T only to find it delayed by ice on the tracks. There's no one to be mad at me if I'm late to work for reasons entirely out of my control.
And I do notice the emotional effects on people. Reading LiveJournal in February can get pretty grim.
But then summer arrives. Often, as this year, like a ton of bricks. One day it's a perfectly pleasant high of 62F with occasional showers, and the next day it's 90F and 90% humidity and you can't sit quietly out of doors without sweating. I run from air conditioned house to air conditioned car and I pay a fortune in electrical bills. And sometimes there are things that force me to un-conditioned exertion and I suck it up and do what has to be done--last weekend, with temperatures approaching 100F, I drove an un-conditioned truck to move a load of flats, congratulating myself on being under orders not to do any heavy lifting. And I try to respond to people crowing about how great it is with a mild "I'm glad you're enjoying it."
Not that there aren't other people who complain. After all, it's weather, it's apparently been given to us for the express purpose of having something to moan about when everything else in our lives is going well. Heaven forfend we should be content with our lot.
But the funny thing that I notice on LJ (and elsewhere) is that everyone is cranky. Half of my friends-page is rants on one topic or another, about politics and relationships and bad service experiences and stupid people. Even people that I know are fond of this weather have been cranky at some point over the past couple of weeks. Fortunately, some of them are excellent writers and can make me laugh at their anger, and I wouldn't wish them back to the whining winter doldrums.
But geez, it's summer, people. You've been bitching all year. This is what you've been waiting for and you've got it now. Enjoy!
And that's my contribution to the Annual Summer Rant-a-thon. :)
A song for the season
May. 26th, 2005 02:29 amWhen that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came to man’s estate,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
‘Gainst knaves and thieves men shut the gate,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came, alas! to wive,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
By swaggering could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came unto my beds,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
With toss-pots still had drunken heads,
For the rain it raineth every day.
A great while ago the world begun,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
But that’s all one, our play is done,
And we’ll strive to please you every day.
--Wm. Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came to man’s estate,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
‘Gainst knaves and thieves men shut the gate,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came, alas! to wive,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
By swaggering could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came unto my beds,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
With toss-pots still had drunken heads,
For the rain it raineth every day.
A great while ago the world begun,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
But that’s all one, our play is done,
And we’ll strive to please you every day.
--Wm. Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
A song for the season
May. 26th, 2005 02:29 amWhen that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came to man’s estate,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
‘Gainst knaves and thieves men shut the gate,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came, alas! to wive,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
By swaggering could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came unto my beds,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
With toss-pots still had drunken heads,
For the rain it raineth every day.
A great while ago the world begun,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
But that’s all one, our play is done,
And we’ll strive to please you every day.
--Wm. Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came to man’s estate,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
‘Gainst knaves and thieves men shut the gate,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came, alas! to wive,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
By swaggering could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.
But when I came unto my beds,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
With toss-pots still had drunken heads,
For the rain it raineth every day.
A great while ago the world begun,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
But that’s all one, our play is done,
And we’ll strive to please you every day.
--Wm. Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
Little Things
Dec. 15th, 2003 12:52 amThe stuff on the ground is really icky. It snowed a few inches and then turned to rain, which has saturated the snow. So when you step in what looks like snow, it's actually a ~4" deep puddle.
( Despite that, I had a really great day. )
( Despite that, I had a really great day. )
Little Things
Dec. 15th, 2003 12:52 amThe stuff on the ground is really icky. It snowed a few inches and then turned to rain, which has saturated the snow. So when you step in what looks like snow, it's actually a ~4" deep puddle.
( Despite that, I had a really great day. )
( Despite that, I had a really great day. )
Sure is white out there
Dec. 6th, 2003 05:04 pmJason valiantly dug out his ski pants and trudged out to do a first round of shovelling. One of the good things about our house is that we're right around the corner from the public works' garage, so plows go by every ten minutes or so. I made a big batch of turkey noodle soup and watched the mens' long program from Eastern Sectionals--yay Mauro Bruni!
We're both feeling a lot better today and plan to venture out to a party later. Fortunately it's pretty much all major roads--first big snow of the season is always fun to drive in. Just hope we don't get plowed in too deeply parked on the street. It'll be an interesting gathering--usually it's a very crowded shindig, so it will be fascinating to see who actually makes it.
We're both feeling a lot better today and plan to venture out to a party later. Fortunately it's pretty much all major roads--first big snow of the season is always fun to drive in. Just hope we don't get plowed in too deeply parked on the street. It'll be an interesting gathering--usually it's a very crowded shindig, so it will be fascinating to see who actually makes it.
Sure is white out there
Dec. 6th, 2003 05:04 pmJason valiantly dug out his ski pants and trudged out to do a first round of shovelling. One of the good things about our house is that we're right around the corner from the public works' garage, so plows go by every ten minutes or so. I made a big batch of turkey noodle soup and watched the mens' long program from Eastern Sectionals--yay Mauro Bruni!
We're both feeling a lot better today and plan to venture out to a party later. Fortunately it's pretty much all major roads--first big snow of the season is always fun to drive in. Just hope we don't get plowed in too deeply parked on the street. It'll be an interesting gathering--usually it's a very crowded shindig, so it will be fascinating to see who actually makes it.
We're both feeling a lot better today and plan to venture out to a party later. Fortunately it's pretty much all major roads--first big snow of the season is always fun to drive in. Just hope we don't get plowed in too deeply parked on the street. It'll be an interesting gathering--usually it's a very crowded shindig, so it will be fascinating to see who actually makes it.
