Mark My Words

Well, that was fun! That being a blizzard–the first one in southern Wisconsin since 2012. Elsa, officially, because a storm isn’t a proper storm without a name these days. And it was unexpected right up until a few hours before it hit.

Last week, the weather hype machine was in overdrive, tantalizing us with talk of a weekend snowstorm whose totals would be measured in feet rather than inches. But the storm track kept shifting north; by the time Saturday night rolled around, they were predicting rain and 50s for Sunday, with a few inches of snow overnight once the colder weather moved in.

Bah, humbug. I wanted one more snowstorm before spring weather settled in. This was looking like a bust.

But then, Sunday rolled around, and it never did warm up as predicted. We maxed out at 38° and then the temperature started dropping. Rain, thunder, and lightning gave way to sleet and finally, after dark, snow. Suddenly, we had a Blizzard Warning. All because the storm system unexpectedly shifted south–only about 40 miles or so, but that was enough to change our forecast dramatically. And explains why we woke up to 8″ of this on Monday morning.

Some people get mad at meteorologists when forecasts don’t pan out. I read a comment on one Facebook post where they called the weather guy a “jackass” for screwing up the forecast. Seriously?! The atmosphere is fluid and dynamic, and even the most advanced technology in the world can’t deliver a forecast with 100% accuracy. Bottom line: weather’s gonna weather, and that has nothing to do with some meteorologist forgetting to carry a zero. Hell, a butterfly flapping its wings halfway around the world can subtly change the track of a low pressure system. Ashton Kutcher knew his shit.

Besides, five-day forecasts are 90% accurate. That’s pretty impressive! If a baseball player hits the ball four out of every 10 at-bats, he’s considered a freakin’ slugger and is rewarded with a fat contract worth millions…even though he whiffs 60% of the time. Double standard much?

Sorry, I tend to get super defensive when it comes to meteorology. I studied it myself and, if not for the math and science (my Achilles heels), I would have gone into the weather biz myself. Some people forget that it’s a forecast, not a promise. Chill out already!

Anyway. I chilled out literally by traipsing through the backyard in my brand new snowshoes. Blogger Shelly, who has way more experience with these things than I do, warned me that the snow wasn’t ideal. Very fluffy so you sink down, and heavy when you pull your shoes up for the next step, were her exact words. Having zero prior experience, I had nothing to compare my outing to, but I was able to get around easily enough. My biggest problem was inadvertently stepping out of my snowshoes a few times. I’m cutting myself some slack because I’m a newbie and these things didn’t come with an instruction manual. Next time, I’ll be sure to secure the bindings as tightly as I can before venturing out.

Probably won’t get another opportunity before November or December at the earliest, but I’m glad I got to break them in before putting them away for the season.

Zoom Zoom!

Thanks again for your votes on a name for my Mazda. The race was tight, essentially a toss-up, so I’m going to cast the deciding vote myself.

Zoey it is.

In the end, I liked the whole zoom-zoom alliteration too much not to go with that one. Now that I’ve picked a name, I have to get into the habit of actually using it.

I give myself 50-50 odds. (Way lower than a meteorologist!)

Just for fun, I looked up the listing for my Kona on the dealer’s website. Gotta admit, The Vehicle Formerly Known As The Markmobile looks pretty sharp sitting on the lot.

This made me feel a bit nostalgic. It’s an appealing listing: LOCAL TRADE, 1 OWNER INCLUDES WARRANTY, AWD, HEATED FRONT SPORT BUCKET SEATS, BLIND SPOT, LANE KEEP ASSIST AND MUCH MORE. I was half-tempted to hit the button requesting more information. Maybe even schedule a test drive. But then I remembered Zoey has all those things too, plus a nicer shade of red, and oh by the way, isn’t consuming oil like a mo-fo.

Would’ve been funny to keep trading the cars in for one another though.