5.6.09

5.6.09
Originally uploaded by bonjourpeewee

All kinds of blue today.

Blackout!

So much for Spring.

We had another freaking 'blizzard':



But this time, since it was a heavy, wet storm, conditions weren't bad [for the most part].

But when I got home, the power was out!

There were spotty outages all over the city.

Thank god I buy candles on a pretty regular basis.

It's always eerie how quiet things are when the power is out.

Little things like the sound of the refrigerator make you forget how electric-dependant we are.

Oh and get this....

The elevator was down, though I rarely use it [it's uber-slow], and had to use the stairs.

Which wouldn't be a problem, but there's no emergency lighting in the stairwell.

Design flaw!

What if there was a fire and the power was out?

I had to use the light from my phone to get up the stairs and it totally make me think of Cloverfield when they were in the subway tunnels.

I half expected a mutant parasite to drop from the ceiling and bite me.

Anywho, my old phone would have been better than my current phone for that purpose.

It had the brightest screen I have ever seen.

I had to wear shades when I first got it because it was like looking at a supernova.

So, with no teevee or radio to entertain me, I had to figure out how to kill time.

The remaining sunlight was fading so I had to come up with something that can be done by candlelight and electric torch.

Initally, I thought, 'hey, I'll clean, since I have been putting it off'.

Well, trying to clean mirrors and dust in candlelight didn't turn out so well.

So I decided to change my bed linens, and soon discovered trying to change a duvet cover by torch is not a task one should try.

I moved on to getting laundry ready for later this weekend and sorting bits and bobs around the house.

This managed to kill, oh, I'd say, about 30 minutes.

Still no power.

Decision time:

Do I [gasp!] read a book, or the magazines that I am about 8 months behind on?

Do I tweet?

Or, as a last resort, break out the netbook and use the final two hours on it's battery?

Whilst trying to decide, I decided the smart thing to do was to have a cocktail, because I need to use the ice before it all melts!

Just as I pour a nice chubby [not stiff] one, I see flashing lights coming through the window.

It was the Power Peeps!



I didn't know how long it would take them to restore power, so I decided to login the netbook.

About five minutes later, I see one of the Power Peeps banging the electric poles with a big stick, knocking off the snow and ice.

I was afraid he was going to have to attempt to climb the icy, slippery rungs on the pole and try and replace a transformer.

Turns out, nope.

Primitive banging the shite off, worked!

I totally have gained a new repect for the field power workers.

Last place I would want to be right now is outside in the snow playing with gigawatts of live electricity.

Bad Day

Vail Chairlift Accident Leaves Man Dangling Pantless

Link slightly NSFW

Effects Of The Economic Downturn

Down economy means more business for some

KUSA - While business is down in some areas in Colorado, it is up in others.

'At liquor stores, consumers facing tough economic times are not passing up on all the good times. Alcohol sales are up 20 percent in Colorado over the past year, but there are fewer wine snobs in the aisles.

"Instead of a $25 bottle of wine, two bottles for $10 each," said Ron Vaughn with Argonaut Wine & Liquor.

It is the same with beer. Nationally, sales of some pricier brews are down, while brands like Keystone and Miller are seeing sales surge.

Grocery store shoppers are also buying more soup. Campbell sells a meal in a can for as little as 60 cents and the company's sales were up 12 percent last quarter.

On its Web site, Malt-O-Meal says it's having a hard time keeping up with demand. Its hot cereal costs less than other brands.

Cashiers are also ringing up more SPAM. Sales of the cheap canned ham are up by double digits and the company had to increase production.

It might be the cheap food or just the stress that comes with a bad economy, but for some reason laxatives sell well in recessions. This year, sales are up by 7 percent.

Discount stores like Wal-Mart and thrift stores are also performing well in this economy. So are bankruptcy lawyers.'

Red Rocks Tilt-Shifted!

Originally uploaded by spmedic

What A Difference Two Days Make

Two days ago it was 70 with not a cloud in the sky.

Today, it's 19 and snow is expected all day.

Blegh.

High country recovering from major storm

First snow of the season.

Wasn't too bad though and the sun is already coming out.

What sucked though was this morning whilst watching the news, I felt like Summer didn't even happen.

The P-Dawgs are fat.

I hope that doesn't mean we're going to have a hellish winter.

Kinda Harsh

'Meantime, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee lead the nation in obesity. More than 30 percent of adults in each of the states tipped the scales enough to ensure the South remains the nation's fattest region.'

Colorado remains least obese state, CDC reports

Is it just a Denver thing?

80% of my department, and I would say about 35% of the office as a whole goes on walks during their breaks.

I know Colorado is the fittest state, but I ask you guys, do your fellow co-workers go on strolls as well?

Beeyootiful Day Today

Nary a cloud in the sky.

Tornado!

Tornado reports in Colorado

Update:



More pics here.

And there was snow in the mountains[!].

You know you're in suburbia when.....

the local Chinese restaurants don't have a website, and don't deliver[!].

Thorntanistan sucks.

Robbed!

Daytime burglars caught on tape, but still at large

You know how I know you're over 30?

You can listen to KBCO and not hate it as much as you used to.

For Non-Colorado peeps, KBCO is a station for Argyle sweater-leather on the elbows sport jacket-mountain climbing-granola eating-intellectual Caucasian Planet Boulder types.

See below:

Crazy

Snow piling up in near-record amounts

'SUMMIT COUNTY - If the daily buzz from snow removal trucks, or the tall piles of snow one can find all around Copper Mountain don't seem to demonstrate how much snow has fallen this year around the resort, then Copper Mountains Public Relations Director Lauren Pelletreau's number crunching shows it all in black and white.

"It's always fun to crunch it when it ends up on that side," said Pelletreau.

So far this year, more than 200 inches of snow has come down at Copper Mountain, making this one of the best snow years in the ski area's 35-year history.

"At the end of February we were at 240 inches of snowfall and that was our fifth best season to date," said Pelletreau.

A few miles away in the town of Breckenridge, weather watcher Rick Bly, is also recording big snow totals this year.

"Right now we're at about 140 inches," said Bly.

He says in the 130 years of National Weather Service records, this year ranks in the top 10 thanks to steady snowfall and cool temperatures.

"As of February 1, this is the eight snowiest winter we have had here in Breckenridge," said Bly.

The biggest winter of snow was the winter of 1888-1889, when more than 20 feet of the white stuff fell, forcing Breckenridge residents to dig tunnels around town just to get around.

"The big winter of 1888-1889 we got 257 inches by March 1," said Bly.

Big snow years can also be found in recent years. Bly's records show the third snowiest winter was in 1996 when 222 inches fell by March 1. Turns out, that happens to be Copper Mountain's snowiest year in its three-decade history.

"We got 391 inches for the season snowfall total," said Pelletreau.

It's not likely that this year will surpass that 1995-1996 snow season. Copper Mountain would have to still receive more that 10 feet of snow in the next month to do that.

However, after the snow year Colorado has seen, skiers will tell you anything can happen.

"Especially with the snow we have gotten this year, folks are excited about skiing," said Pelletreau.'

Is it Spring yet?

I love me some hot italian sausage.....

especially if it's from Boulder Sausage.

Yums!

It's a beautiful day out [finally].