New England weather gets X-TREME

This post is inspired by Dexy's Midnight Runner. And climate change.

COME ON IRENE. COME ON.

The week started out with the famed Virginia earthquake that caused the entire eastern seaboard to freak the hell out. Meanwhile, California pointed and laughed at how the northeast completely peed its pants over the 5.8 magnitude shimmy. I did not feel it.

According to weather.com, Hurricane Irene should hit Connecticut/Massachusetts this coming Sunday. I'll be moving back on campus on Saturday, so I really, really hope that this is one of those odd times when the forecasters aren't just taking a stab in the dark. Living in New England, I've become pretty accustomed to omg-we're-all-going-to-die-severe weather warnings that turn out to be small rainstorms or light snowfalls. However, the blonde blondie on the television says that Irene "could be the most dangerous hurricane of our lifetime (!!11!!111!)." We even made it to the extreme level.

At least it's not catastrophic?
Source

So does this mean that I should be afeared? The weatherman has gotten me excited with krazy forecasts so many times before, but more often than not, I'm sorely disappointed. Granted, Irene had better not come to say hello until all of my belongings are moved from the mini van to my dorm. I don't really care to move in amidst pouring rain and gale force winds. I'd also like for my amigos to be able to get to campus without having flights canceled and rerouted all over the place. If I have to wait until the middle of next week to reunite with my peeps from across the country, I'm going to get all angsty and annoyed.

But I could use some adventure. As long as I can watch the torrents safely from behind a thick window (perhaps with a cup of tea), I'm all for the big scary insanity of Irene. There's no cable on campus, so I'll take whatever entertainment I can get.

People are already starting to get their panties all twisted over Irene. Grocery store shelves are devoid of bread and bottled water. Five states have declared proactive states of emergency. Several large cities and counties have issued mandatory evacuations. I'm not entirely sure if we're awaiting a storm or an extraterrestrial invasion. That said, if my basement floods and the windows of my house are blown out, I'm totally going to regret having written this.

Blame it on global warming/climate change, fate, or the impending rapture, the end of the world is coming in the form of wind and rain for some reason or another. But I'm from New England. I've dealt with rain, blizzards, and even (small) hail. So Irene, bring it. I'm waiting.

Spring Break Hurts (Literally)

Apparently, this spring break is all about self-inflicted wounds. In the last four days, I have

1. Scraped up my knuckles until they bled. **Note: I may or may not have cut myself while punching a box-spring.
2. Sprained my wrist (minimally, but still).
3. Hit myself in the nose (where I broke it so many years ago) with an iron rod from a table saw.
4. Contracted several splinters from boxes made of very old wood that's been treated with godknowswhat.
5. Watched Inception for the first time (aka, put my mind into a blender and pushed the "frappe" button).

Racial band-aids? 

I wouldn't suggest engaging in any of these activities. Because they all suck. And what do I have to show for my pains? A scarred left hand and an unsightly discoloration on the bridge of my nose. COOL. Apparently, I'm an extremely successful spring-breaker. Not. 

Oh, and the weather has been looking something like this:

Awesome.

That is to say, grey and miserable. Which just psychologically painful. Spring break is supposed to be about beaches and sand and tans and warm weather. It is not supposed to be all about grey skies, uncomfortably chilly temperatures, and frigid precipitation. But wait, here's tomorrow's forecast:

	Wed 9am	10am	11am	Noon	1pm	2pm	3pm	Wed 4pm
Forecast	Rain	Rain	Rain	Rain	Cloudy	Rain	Rain	Rain
Temp (°F)	40°	41°	44°	47°	48°	49°	50°	52°
RealFeel®	37°	38°	40°	43°	44°	45°	46°	47°
Wind (mph)	7 ESE	8 ESE	9 ESE	9 SE	9 S	9 SSW	9 SW	9 WSW
Humidity	87%	85%	82%	80%	78%	75%	73%	72%
Dewpoint	36	37	39	41	41	41	42	43

Dear Mother Nature,

I just want to go outside without a coat, kay? I want the sky to not look like it's trapping me in a steel case (of emotion). My daffodils are not happy. The crocuses have croaked, but they refuse to bloom. I cannot take Vitamin D pills forever. I WANT SUN.

Self reflection: My mind hurts and my body hurts. I want to curl up under a blanket and watch hours and hours of television. I need Reeses cups to soothe my woes.

Or this. This could perhaps be the most welcoming sight on planet Earth.

MORE SNOWPLOW

I love the snow, I really do. I love snow angels and snowball fights and snow forts. I wouldn't say that I've really been suffering per se, this winter. I am, however, seriously disappointed in Harvard's reaction to the recent snow-pocalypse. Over the past few days, Harvard's been working diligently to clear the roads everywhere BUT in front of Winthrop house. Mill Street, Holyoke Street, and Dunster Street (read: the roads to my home) are still hidden beneath several inches of ice and slush. My question is, why hasn't this been remedied yet? One plow and 30 minutes could make the Winthrop-Eliot-Kirkland area a whole lot safer. One plow and 30 minutes could allow me to wear something other than my thigh-high Wellies every time I step out the door. One plow and 30 minutes would make it look like the University has actually tried to clear a path or two around the river houses.

This is not a joke.

But let's move on. Once I make it into my building's courtyard, I get to dodge one more bullet before actually reaching my entryway and room. And by bullet, I mean waterfall. My particular entryway doesn't happen to have an awning covering its door. It does, however, happen to be located beneath a large gutter and several ferocious looking icicles. To date, I haven't been impaled on my own doorstep yet, but these watery stalactites pose other dangers. During the day, they drip and drip, creating a perpetual waterfall right in front of the door and in front of the ID sensor.

SO not what I want to deal with when I'm thisclose to being inside and safe.

 Dodging droplets is bad enough (**Note: this is not a sparse drip or two. It's actually a steady stream of water that blocks the entire doorway area), but it's even more dangerous at night. Once the sun dips below the horizon, all of the water that has melted onto my doorstep during the day freezes and turns into black ice. Great. Now the walkway and steps are an ice rink, and my rubber Wellies just aren't going to provide me any sort of traction. Tread carefully.

Let's not do this on my doorstep, kay?

I demand salt and sand. I demand plow trucks. It's dangerous out there. If Harvard's not going to give us a snow day in light of the wintery perils, the administration needs to at least deal with the mess. Seriously. It's been days and it's only a matter of time before I take a digger and break something. And if I end up having to deal with this mess on crutches, heads.will.roll.

MOAR.

Is This in the Almanac?

Hey Mother Nature,

You think you're funny, right? Ready to drop another 5-8 inches on us, right? BRING IT ON. All day, errry day. Okay, just for the next few days. But it'll still be all day.

Tue
Feb 1

11 am

21° F

Precip:
70%

12 pm

23° F

Precip:
80%

1 pm

25° F

Precip:
90%

2 pm

26° F

Precip:
90%

3 pm

27° F

Precip:
90%

4 pm

27° F

Precip:
90%

5 pm

26° F

Precip:
90%

6 pm

26° F

Precip:
80%

It seems that these babies avoid Harvard's
 campus like the plague.

The 2010-2011 winter season is seriously one for the record books in terms of snowfall. It's bad enough at home, where roads aren't properly plowed and my dog has to bound through drifts twice her height just to find someplace to pee. But here in Cambridge, there's no place to put the snow, so the piles that have been so graciously dumped in the middle of the quad are about 15 feet high and probably won't melt until mid-April. Seriously.

The streets are already treacherous here, and it's about to get a lot worse. Combine zero traction, uneven brickwork, and inches of slushy mess. Welcome to the streets of Cambridge. Oh, now add puddles that are as deep as small lakes and city drivers who don't care that driving through said lakes puddles will soak everyone standing on the sidewalk. It's slippery, and it's slushy, and taking a digger on the streets will inevitably lead to dampness, discomfort, and being mocked for the rest of the day.

Nothing keeps out snow like...rubber.

Here's a look at the upcoming week. I spy two full days of snow and wintery mix. You think you're bad, Mother Nature? Again,  bring it on. I've got a pair of Wellies that come up to my knees and I'm not afraid to wear them several days in a row. I'm willing to create outfits based around my foot wear. I'm armed with enough hats, mittens, and scarves to get to class and back without turning into an icicle. Mother Nature, I get that you're testing us, but prepare to be shown up. Harvard is above snow days (read: too cheap to give us a day off) and we're going to power through this.


North America is the new Antarctica. NBD.

Today Feb 1

Wed 2

Thu 3

Fri 4

Sat 5

Snow	Snow to Wintry Mix / Wind	AM Clouds / PM Sun	Sunny	Snow Shower
29°F	32°	29°	32°	34°