Glad I wasn't a Freeway Icicle

 

It happened in my backyard- a 24-hour backup in fairly mid-weathered Virginia. Interstate 95 between Washington, DC and Richmond, VA is fragile at the best of times. It serves as a long-distance route connecting the Northeast to Florida, a commuter route to Washington DC and the inner suburbs, and local traffic within the suburbs of Prince William and Stafford counties.  Add some weather, and it becomes a parking lot. Despite ample public warnings and morning snow, the road was carrying near normal weekday afternoon traffic load. The snow came fast in the afternoon, slushing the highway, stalling cars and jack-knifed trucks. Once the lanes were blocked, cars stopped and were frozen in like ice cubes.

Why was everyone out of the road? First, there were lots of trucks delivering cargo. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Other essential workers were on the road, including nurses and firefighters headed to their shifts. Many others were told by their employer to be at work- not considering stay-at-home warnings. I guess these were not the same employers who offered special time off during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. There were those who were making a quick grocery run that turned into a brutal night; and there were travelers conquering distance, or so they hoped. GPS blindness put those cars on the road– many long-distance drivers paid excessive attention to their electronic navigation aids and the often-optimistic Estimated Times of Arrival (ETA). Those ETAs are estimates, and drivers, like air pilots and mariners, need to look outside the window for a reality check.    

What were the human factors? Why ignore the warnings? Some never received them. While tornadoes and hurricanes call for Emergency Alerts broadcasted to every cellphone, mass notification about this storm did not reach atomized groups. Complacency in one’s rolling fortress: exhibiting style over substance, not all large vehicles today are designed for heavy weather driving.

And, for the past two years, propensity to ignore public health and safety warnings. I guess that once you decide that legitimate coronavirus information is “fake news”, blizzards are the next threat to ignore.

 

All Are Welcome, Really

One article headline caught my attention several months ago in the Christian Science Monitor: "Church revival? More liberals are filling Protestant pews". It was a jarring headline because it countered what everyone knew: Mainline Protestant Churches like the Episcopal and the Presbyterians were once associated with the Protestant Work Ethic, the Republican Party at Prayer, and the WASP establishment. After the 1970's, those churches took a leftward turn in theology and outreach, religious non-affiliation increased, and church membership declined.

Coincidentally, church-goers were returning to tradition: Jews turning to orthodoxy, Evangelicals embracing sacraments, and Catholics saying old prayers. Church attendance has become correlated with conservative views, a Pew Research poll will tell you. This may be a result of decades of culture wars, with Evangelicalism as the loudspeaker and Catholicism as the library; the pastoral aspects of Christian life, though always present, falling to the background. Talk Radio and ballot boxes made being a "good" Christian easy; Pope Francis made a few Catholics uncomfortable when he reminded us about the importance of charitable work. It was not specifically a call to increase the 2.5% quarter-tithe American citizens give to charity, on average; but a call to open one's heart, showing a bit more compassion in the ruthless world.

So what is the appeal of a progressive, liberal church to the "Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving"(1)  demographic? You may have heard of the "Third Place" idea; a place you spend time away from home and work. Starbucks wants you to make their stores your "Third Place" and many people do.
But people need a sense of community in addition to a sense of belonging in a "Third Place", and this community is what draws some people to those churches that hang rainbow flags and "Black Lives Matter" signs.

While traditional churches tended to focus on spiritual matters over earthly ones; progressive churches talk to issues that matter to progressives. With the new administration in the White House, some fear a return to the politically alienating days of corporate welfare and moral Pharisees. There is a bit of racial strife, and this year there are geopolitical crises that force people out of effete complacency. North Korea's nuclear missile program. Human rights violations in Syria.
Inclement weather from fires in the Western States to hurricane flooding in the tax havens of Texas and Florida. The need for a feeling of togetherness in these times might compel some progressives to take their Sunday morning coffee in the parish hall instead of Starbucks.


(1) Credits to Geoffrey Nunberg

First Snow

As my classmaate across the table was working away on math, I kept my joy to myself. When I got up to go outside before the flurries stopped, J. wanted to know what I was doing. "Catching some flakes", I explained. He put his work down and stared intently out the window. Sorry, J., for distracting you. Outside, I let youthful enthusiasm get the best of me as I lallied around on the path to the upper building. An exchange student from China asked, "what's that?". Snow. He was gone before I could find out if he got snow frequently at home.

Then I saw in the tabloid paper; "snow showers", forecasted for Monday (tomorrow). I can remember the joy that a fresh snowfall would bring as I woke up at 6am, as if there was to be school. Snow settled overnight, as the yellow of the streetlight reflected on the thin layer of white on the road in the pre-dawn sky.
Actually, back to reality, snow during an exam period isn't too desireable; you've got to take the tests sometime.Thus, it is bittersweetness I feel as the forecast dissipates.

Months Change and Laws Change

Yesterday, a tropical storm made a lake of the soccer field.
Today, a crisp autumn day replaced the summer heat. These pleasant days should become more frequent in the closing days of "the year of the weather".

But more importantly, a new law may change some bad habits. Repeatedly on this blog I declare texting while driving a really bad idea. While I'm not a fan of legislation, there's a change I'd like to inform everyone about and it may actually apply to you.

Marylanders seem to have an affection for talking( and texting) while driving. A law went into effect today banning use of handheld cellular communications devices by all classes of drivers, except for emergency calls. Car phone use seems to be the cause of most bad driving in the DC area. Don't expect Maryland drivers to "get better" overnight. According to a Wiki chart, MD is the only state with a lenient ban on adult/experienced drivers; it's (only) a secondary offense. In the other 6 no-phone states and DC you can be pulled over solely for using a phone.

Did you read this post on a mobile device?
Are you also trying to drive?
Then pull over so you can spend undivided attention on my blog!

Salt and Sand

Ha! WOuld I believe it! Our third Saturday snowstorm of the season! This one's a little different from earlier ones- it's the powdery stuff that you get when it's really cold. Not that 33 degree barely snow material. I wonder if it's any good for skiing: we sent a brigade and are awaiting news. For the matter, the DC area has surpassed the average seasonal snowfall with this storm. Bring the powder on!

NOAA's Arc

I knew it was supposed to come, either this winter season or the next. By the past predictaments, it was bound to happen. But in December for Christmas? Nor after exams? This predictament of a storm is unprecedented. Take, for example, the foretaste of a storm on Dec. 5. It was a Saturday. This time too, the storm blows an a Saturday. What a fine coincidence. Now with a snowy December, does this imply more big storms THis snow's a 7-year event. No future storm this season will match this one's greatness nor impact(wink).

Equinox

The stars must have been in alignment.
Or, maybe just day and night.

I suspected it first at 10am, when I was sorting through my "clientes", a latin word. Or, the people who owed me greenback. What I realized was that half of them weren't in class. So before I ruled on hookey, or write a thesis about the relationship between borrowing money from friends and sickness, I knew there was a wider trend. Sadly, I had to leave last period early for a soccer match. "Where's P.?", one asked. "Thought Alexandria was too far for a game." "Where's K.?" "Sick." Well, there goes some great players. Early in the game, our enduring goalie was injured in a successful attempt to apprehend a rougue ball heading for the rwrong net. Pretty bad, it seemed. Limped off the field with assistance, nurse on the go was radioed, ice bag given. Prognosis: A few days off.

A newbie goalie was put in. The alternative, K., as I said above, was sick. The fresh blood made 3 great saves. Final score 2-0 panther victory. A logjam over the 14 st bridge, home.

Happy equinox and a beginning of autumn.

Neo-Luddites

That article. It's been on the wall for over a week, and I'm speechless (in a bad way) over it. Protesters, strange bedfellows and Sysmantec. A measly but important post : Somebody write something.

A luddite is one against technology, especially cotton mills.
So I'll think about it next time I see it.

Nevertheless, it was hot,hot,hot. Almost makes one believe in global warning. When was the last time we've had a record cold day? So It was so hot hot hot that in 10 minutes my chocolate melted.

WAMUNC XI: I

WAMUNC is the great apex of the year. Unlike CUMUNC, this event is in the supposedly nice days of spring, with the smell of flowers and bustle of tourists and feeling of the end of the school year. That's a particularly April feeling. And that was last year, after the mental barrier of Easter break.

Nevertheless, I have been so tied up in school, schoolwork, and school peripherals that I forgot that there were only a few weeks left before the egg drop (Apr. 14) and exams (May)!

After school Thursday, we did the familiar drill of shuttling to Fort Totten, ride the red in a semi-private car, and have our leaders hide at the other end of the car. Quick to supper at Chipotle's- a whopping $9 for dish and drink, after the decent intro at Lisner (Obama would speak there tomorrow...). Comittee Session 1 at Gov't Hall. Plenty of competent OPEC players who knew their thing... not that easy to take all. But form your position, get up and at it, and do well.

"National Weather Service has issued a Dense Fog Advisory for the District of Columbia and surrounding Area until 9AM. Visibilities may be reduced to a quarter mile. Area of Fog is expected to develop overnight into the early morning."
That was today, just like yesterday. But cloudy skies don't dampen me.

After 3 classes (excluding gym), we were back down at GW. Now I (like that as I was the sole Panther at the OPEC party) had the opportunity to have an indoctrination session at the API's 12th floor HQ at 1220 L st.

If the event was placed the week after Easter, well, that would get in the way of my pending DMV adventure (My right birthday is April 17, a Friday, and I expect to use the time after school and before the place closes to take care of business). But saving the world is more important than self satisfaction.

A Rock and a Hard Place

I woke up this morning feeling somewhat not so bad at 6am. Maybe it was those extra 20 minutes (Which, for once, let me sleep over the 7-hour mark last night). Getting out of bed was not such a headache, and getting out of the shower wasn't such a miserable cod experience (even though I had my water set for the usual temperature) Plus, I wasn't burning so many tissues.

It was a windy day, and, just a few degrees cooler with precipitation, then it would be blizzard-time. Nevertheless, there's a 3-day weekend.

Which leads to my hard place- getting in papers before Tuesday. Religion, Physics, get it all in. I better zoot off!

Cautiously Pessimistic

The Denny's disaster of a nationwide dusting of snow, significant enough to close school, but not enough to scare drivers from driving, did not happen. And a snow day for the central DC region tomorrow, according to my books, may not happen tomorrow. Let me tell you- a lot of the weather tonight will be what a lot of kids call dismal- the weatherman(or woman)predicted wrong about a major snowfall.

So then, my forecast for tonight is wishy-washy. According to the national data, a significant snow is falling from Minneapolis south to Raleigh east to Boston, and north into Canada. Somehow, all this snow is to dodge the Chesapeake? The local meteorologists are calling a snow tonight, although a brief one. However, NOAA is differing. Or maybe there'll be the yink of an hour delay. After all, I do want to see little brother off.

360 Around HOT

It was hot I was in short I felt like I was melting I turned on a fan when I did tennis I was loose like a heated piece of taffy

Weather it matters

It's finally getting a little chilly, for good, I think. No more chilly morning/hot afternoon combos. Those really get annoying, after a while. And this year is the first fall to have a later DST-end date. Boy, will it be dark in the mornings. Yes, I got that take-home test done. Awesome, but it was matched up to our advantage- it still took 45min to an hour. And I'm off to bed.

DEAR

FYI, the orthodontist removed the top row of braces with a nifty little plier-jigger, and cosmetically improved the appearance of my teeth, with filing and polishing, and took a mold for a retainer. Additional work and final adjustment of the retainer will follow, 3pm, tomorrow.
Drop Everything And Read. Heeheehee.

Because I was close to burning my eyes out on the new computer screen (which I probably used for 2 hours, cumulatively today), and the TV was off-colored by the storm, I had no choice at 8pm than to cuddle up with a quality book.

The lightening really was lighting up the sky. Based on CGI's by WUSA9, two or three waves of storms have passed, and, if the other storm pocket follows the same route, another will be arriving shortly after I succumb to slumber. Just as long as I'm not waken up by it, it's fine with me. I was actually free-reading (hm. that was so last millenium.) John Hersey's Hiroshima, another intriguing war-novel that was well-written. Shame on Uglies for turning off my interest in reading.

KA-BOOM!

You wonder why I didn't blog last night. Well, the computer crashed. Not an electronic crash, but a physical crash. The table, which held the monitor, fell and broke, taking the input/output functions to the ground. That was late on Friday night. The next morning, I had to go to orchestra. Daddy, while I was out, reset the computer, albeit with a new, lighter, wide-screen monitor, which he bought at Best Buy along with a vacuum-cleaner. By 2pm in PG county, it was pouring and thundering at an unprecedented rate. That was when we had a bowling party a short 2-block drive to Parkland Bowl. Retro, let's say. We, however, completed only one game. I scored an 88, with a great spare+9 tenth frame.

Ice Storm

Valentines' Day has been tentatively chosen as Post 100 day.
But about the ice storm...
Yesterday as I was coming home, I took a crash-slide on the ice covered brick. That was with my about-40 pound backpack. As a result of the fall, my left arm was paralyzed for about 2 minutes, and later I deduced that my left wrist was strained. As I said yesterday, I had forgotten my keys at home but I got in eventually. However, that was just the start of the ice storm. After I had finished blogging, our DSL internet went down. (Not the phone, not the power.) It didn't restart until this afternoon. Because of the ice, we got an extra hour at home, and shortened classes across the board. On the con side, I could not take a quick candy reload mission because it was too icy. Now on the way home today, not to sound too much like Patrick Wilmore, I did make it onto the second shuttle. I would not have minded the third for today, as we would have been on the same boat. "Mom, I'm on the second shuttle." I did the mission today in 9 minutes.

Much nicer than running to the station! PS I think my wrist will be alright for tommorow.

Snow Hour

I wish I could have blogged this morning at 6:30, when I first found out about the delayed school opening. That was, of course, after I showered and started to eat breakfast. That delay was about the "torrential" rain, perhaps. Rain that kept my socks wet all day, and carved a gully in the soil. So for that we got some extra time at home. Intramurals, EVERY player made a shot on a frequent basis. Whazup widdem? Orchestra, shuttle metro, home.

I'm sorry about having to say this, but I have to show some emotion. I was happy this afternoon, because I totally aced that history quiz! (mine was graded on the spot) Then I sort of lost that glow when Main lost to Austin.

Artic Blast

I am typing this entry with half frozen hands. The temperature is currently 26F outside at this time, but it felt much, much colder outside. In the car it never got warm enough to take my outside jacket off, nor my gloves. In fact, water bottles which were in the car overnight actually froze over, so basically it was below freezing when I got in.

Now here is an outline of my day:
Went to church, of the 1 hour variety, and a calm Sunday School session. Walking to church it wasn't so cold, but on the way back I was chilled to the skin within half a block. Then there was Target Greatland. FYI I typically go to the one near seven corners, probably just because it's just down the street, namely across the river on Rt. 50 and 6 more miles. Not too far at all. Picked up some stuff at discount price. Oral-B Orthodontic floss, 2 packs of 50 at 2.50 each, half the price of the local CVS. Laundry detergent was an amazing $3 for 120 oz, but unfortunately, this Target Greatland does not sell music stands. So amazingly, it was only a 2 mile drive to a local music store for one of those heavy duty Manhasset music stands that require assembly. On the same road I accessed the Kam Sam Oriental Supermarket. Bought some Chinese food. Just out of curiosity, I checked and found that most of the foods at the markets were actually made in the USA. (Is it really cost-effective to send a can of soybean drink across the ocean?) It kept on getting colder outside, which I noticed when filling the gas tank. By the time I de-staticed and flip the pump on, my hands were chilled. Wicked cold. On the Henry G Shirley Memorial highway home, state troopers were handing out $1000 tickets to lots of people. Not us, and if we got one, we'd have to only pay like $100, because the law applies only to Virginia people. I did read that some cities like Front Royal will pardon anyone who got one. So I got home and moved all the plunder from the car into my residence. Hands cold within a few seconds. Now I'm inside and don't plan to go out until it gets warmer, or Tuesday when I have to go to school.