What I Did This Winter

Okay, so my last post was the least popular to date. I think I'll lighten up and stop complaining about the world, at least for a while.

So. We're into the second week of the second month. Cabin fever has set in a little too early for me this year. I'm a couple weeks ahead of schedule. Trouble is, there's no place in Michigan where I can run to get away from the ice and snow. I sure can't afford to go any further south. So here I sit, waiting for Opening Day of the Loons baseball season in April. Fortunately, I have my seats reserved. Here's hoping I can fit back into my jersey by then.

What have I accomplished so far this winter? Very, very little. We kept Christmas in the closet this year. No tree, decorations, or gifts. It was actually very relaxing and stress-free, just enjoying dinner with the family. Well, that part is never entirely stress-free. But it was tolerable. We had our own little annual New Year's Eve party for two with pigs in a blanket and sparkling grape juice at midnight. Broke my 40 day coffee fast at 12:00:30 a.m. Slept through the Super Bowl and didn't care. Let's see... I got bored and spray painted "free snow" on the 7 foot pile at the end of my driveway. So far, no takers.

And that's about it. Is it any wonder cabin fever has set in? At least when summer comes around, I can relax in the backyard swing with a cold iced tea and watch the grass grow.

That is, unless the sun burns it all away.

It's a Blizzaster!

It's days like this that I am especially glad I gave up on my radio career. Normally, I would have been in my driveway digging out at 4 a.m. from the foot-high drifts in order to drive like a maniac through the snow to tell people they need to stay off the roads. Never mind the constant ringing of the telephone from parents and kids calling in to find out if they have school at the same time I'm on the air reading the school closings.

But as I watched news coverage of the "Blizzard of Twenty Eleven" this morning, I was more than just amused at the coverage. I was appalled, even embarrassed by the sheer idiocy of the reporting. Here are just a few examples:

Reporter: "It's a blizzaster!"

Reporter: "AAA says that everyone should stay off the roads today." 15 seconds later, the camera cut to a shot of the same reporter driving down the road with someone from AAA in the passenger seat describing how bad the roads are.

Reporter to driver: "How's the roads?"
Driver to reporter: "Slippery"
Reporter: "There you have it!"

Reporter to caller: We have a Mrs. Bugg on the phone, who tried to get out this morning. Mrs. Bugg, are you there? Mrs. Bugg? (Silence) Well, Mrs. Bugg was telling me earlier that she got stuck. If Mrs. Bugg is staying home, you should too.

And my personal favorite of the day (I swear this is true). Posted as a crawl along the bottom of the screen: "This just in to the newsroom: roads are slippery!"