5.6.09

5.6.09
Originally uploaded by bonjourpeewee

All kinds of blue today.

Beautiful day out.

It'd be nicer if it wasn't windy.

The mountains look huge today with their snow-caps.

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.

Random

Ack!

How the highways look right now.

Blizzard!

Today In - 'Useless Info'

'Spring Fever is a real physical condition which commonly occurs when a sudden warm spell follows a long cold period.

When the temperature rises, the body has to get rid of heat; thus there's a dilation or expansion of the blood vessels so that blood can be carried to the body surface where heat can be lost quickly.

Some people experience an energetic feeling when this change happens due to the body's reaction to the great amount of internal work going on.'

Random

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.

Winter Weight

So last year I opined that us humans probably sub-consciously pack on extra weight for the winter due to our innate caveman instinct about sparse food sources during the winter.

Well, I have been thinking about it this week as I have noticed a definite up-tick in the amount of food I have been craving.

This weekend I had an overwhelming craving for pork chops.

I never crave those.

Well, maybe just once a year, but it hit with a vengeance.

Also, lately I have had major hankerings for veggies and grapefruit juice.

Ooh, and hot chocolate and dairy products.

Top it off with the fact that as of Saturday, it has been rather chilly and dreary out, I really think we do pack on the poundage.

And considering the post on this last year was relatively around the same time, I think there's some merit to my hypothesis.

Ike Pics

Click on images for full size.

It totally feels like it turned Fall overnight.

It's beginning to look a lot like winter… at the zoo

'DENVER – Believe it or not, on Sept. 4, 1961, Denver got 4 inches of snow. The recent cooler weather this week, 47 years later, has some wondering how far off winter really is.
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Some people went to the zoo to find out. The sea lion show at the Denver Zoo gets an audience pretty easily, but zoo workers say the sea lions' increased appetite could indicate a change in the weather.

"Marine mammals use a layer of blubber to help them keep warm in the winter. So, in the fall, they start asking for more food," said Emily Insalaco, the curator of behavior husbandry at the zoo.

With Sept. 4 marking the date of Denver's earliest snowfall ever, the sea lions' behavior isn't so abnormal.

"(When it snowed that early) the residents should have been extremely surprised," said Klaus Weickmann, a research meteorologist at NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory.

By all accounts, this year it is too early for snow in Denver, but Weickmann says the hot summer days may be behind us.

"This cool regime will continue for awhile," he said.

He says it's impossible to predict the first day of snowfall, but the polar bears at the zoo might have a clue.

"You'll see them moving around more, instead of lounging," said Insalaco.

The arctic fox is also starting to change its coat to snow white.

"They know when it's starting to get colder out," said Insalaco.

Many meteorologists say it's hard to say if it will be a snowy or dry winter at this point.

"El Nino and La Nina are tugging back and forth," said Weickmann.

Forecasting isn't as easy as the animals make it look.

"I've often thought the activity of squirrels may provide some indicator, but I don't believe that stuff," said Weickmann.

Weickmann says there is still a good chance of warmer days during the rest of 2008, but he doubts we'll reach 90 degrees again.'

Ray Of Light

I wish we could turn up the thermostat 4 degrees...

My office is like a walk-in freezer during the summer.

Mayor, governor strip down to save energy

'DENVER - The temperature is rising and Denver is dressing down in a bid to conserve energy.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Governor Bill Ritter were among the first to take part, by removing their ties and jackets Thursday in front of the Denver City County building.

The mayor, governor and local business leaders launched "Cool Biz." It is a new summer energy-saving program that aims to cut energy in the Denver government office buildings by raising thermostats four degrees.

Businesses throughout Denver and Colorado are also invited to participate in "Cool Biz," an initiative designed to help reduce the amount of energy needed to cool Denver's buildings during the summer.

At Thursday's press conference, Mayor Hickenlooper said city employees are invited to remain cool and comfortable throughout the summer by removing their ties, sweaters and suit jackets whenever possible and by wearing short-sleeved shirts and blouses and open-collared shirts instead.

Governor Ritter added, "Local and state governments must demonstrate every day that we are serious about conserving energy, saving taxpayer dollars and protecting Colorado's environment. Being more energy efficient and energy smart is something we all can do together."

Hickenlooper invited area businesses to join the "Cool Biz" movement. He noted two of the state's largest employers - Coors Brewing Co. and Qwest Communications - have already signed on. The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Denver Partnership have also encouraged their member businesses to participate in "Cool Biz" this summer.'

Beeyootiful Day Today

Nary a cloud in the sky.

Storm A-Brewin'

Unofficial Start Of Summer [For Me]

On my way home Friday night, I noticed that the live music series is back out on the Independence Plaza courtyard.

Sponsored by KBCO and The Rock Bottom Brewery, every Friday night they feature a local band.

Don't know who it was on Friday, but they were pretty funky.

They were playing 'Give It To Me' by Rick James as I walked by.

Yay!

Summer.

The other live music thing at The Pavilions should be starting soon as well.