While I wouldn’t call Winter Storm Finn a bust per se, he didn’t quite live up to the hype.
Monday evening, the National Weather Service was predicting 9-14″ of snow. Schools and businesses announced closures 24 hours before the storm hit, garbage and recycling pickups were delayed, and chaos ensued in anticipation of the raging winter storm that threatened to bury us in waist-high snowdrifts.
Yeah, well. We ended up with something like 4″ when all was said and done. Not insignificant, but nothing to write home about, either.
(As somebody who never writes home, I’ve often wondered what would be deemed worthy of writing home about. And why you would even bother when you can just shoot someone a text. By the time your letter reached home, the news would be three or four days old already and you’d be out 68 cents for a stamp. Like, if I did write home about Winter Storm Finn, the mail would arrive after Winter Storm Gerri, which is still two days away yet. Maybe Gerri will be more dramatic. Maybe she’ll dump FIVE inches of snow on us. Then I’d feel pretty silly after writing home about Finn and his measly four inches. See my dilemma?)
Hey, maybe I’ll write home about my penchant for overanalyzing every damn thing!
In any case, Tara’s workplace closed all branch offices and TobacCo strongly urged all employees to avoid travel, so we both worked from home on Tuesday. This was probably the right call, because the storm peaked during evening rush hour; with snow falling sideways, gusty winds, and the temperature hovering right around 32°, roads and sidewalks were pretty slick.
When I left the office on Monday I assumed I wouldn’t be back for a week, but given Finn’s performance issues, I decided to make the trek in this morning after all. The side roads weren’t great and the TobacCo parking lot was an unplowed mess, but the highway was clear and I had no problem getting to work.
Yeah, I still backed in, even though I couldn’t see the lines, ’cause that’s how I roll. A group of coworkers were outside killing themselves with little white sticks when I pulled in. “Hey, Mark made it!” one of them announced between puffs. “I don’t know why everyone was so scared to drive this morning!”
“They’re all a bunch of wusses!” I replied with a chuckle, leaving out the part about me almost being a wuss myself because I contemplated not driving in.
Later, my boss thanked me for braving the roads to make an in-person appearance. I like having a reputation as someone not afraid to tackle challenges head-on, weather or otherwise. Plus, I picked up a latte and a chorizo/egg wrap from Dunkin’, so the unplanned commute was totally worth it.
Next up: Winter Storm Gerri arrives Friday. Is there hype building already? You betcha. Am I going to fall for it? That’s a big, fat nope.
Remember how we were looking for a new old show to binge because we screwed up the Fargo series order? Well, we found a most unlikely drama in the offices of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney, and Kuzak.
I loved L.A. Law the first time around. Which is kinda surprising, given that I was still in high school when it aired. I’m pretty sure the target demographic skewed older, but hey, the acting was great and the storylines, compelling. For a brief moment I even considered a law career myself, which would have been a horrible choice for an introvert like me. I’d have been plea-bargaining the hell out of every case to avoid having to present a case to the jury. Thank god I came to my senses.
(I was also super into ER, but never once did I fancy becoming a doctor. Have you seen a human spleen?! Ugh. Just NO.)
Tara’s never actually seen L.A. Law. Probably because she was a mere child of nine when it debuted (gulp!). I gotta say though, we are both really enjoying it. It’s a total ’80s time capsule (cocaine, AIDS, big hair, corporate greed, synthesizers galore), but I’m pretty sure that’s part of the charm.
That and Susan Dey. I forgot what a babe she was.
Mark My Words 
Leave a comment