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Sunday Afternoon Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 03:19:42 PM EST
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How are those of you on the East Coast holding up with the weather? Is it as bad as they say?

It's a balmy, 51 degrees here in Denver but the mountains have plenty of snow.

I'm boxing closed files and trying to make space for new 2011 files. Discovery in wiretap cases has gotten so massive we now get it on external 500 GB hard drives instead of dvd's. Each drive seems to be made by a different manufacuturer or is a different model with its own cords, so they can't all be stored in one box. And while the drives with 3.0 USB are supposed to be backwards compatible with USB 2.0, my XP desktop doesn't recognize them (the Vista laptop does.) Little problems in the grand scheme of things, I know, but still very time-consuming to deal with.

What's on your agenda or mind today? Did you get anything fun for Christmas? This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    Sunday Afternoon Open Thread | 34 comments (34 topical)

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    My great grandmother (5.00 / 3) (#2)
    by andgarden on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 03:53:50 PM EST
    Turns 100 next month. Here is a fabulous photo from her today.

    great photo (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:23:19 PM EST
    she doesn't look a day over 90!

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    heh (none / 0) (#7)
    by andgarden on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:29:00 PM EST
    Until being hit by a van in Manhattan ~10 years ago or so (really), she used to say that she could tell which of her friends had cut back on their makeup routines. ("They say they can get out of the house in ten minutes; you can tell.")

    She doesn't really know who anyone is anymore, but she still knows how to apply her lipstick. So this is a perfect photo for her. She used to know Ed Rendell when he was a little boy on Atlantic Beach. Somewhere there is a photo of her with him (when he was mayor of Philadelphia), my mom, and my aunt. We even had a framed letter to give to her from him today. It was a very nice little event.

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    She looks great, andgarden! (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by Anne on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:30:34 PM EST
    And I bet she would rather be staked out on an anthill than be caught without her lipstick!

    All the best to her for a splendid and festive birthday and continued good health and happiness; I bet she could tell us some stories, eh?

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    Exactly! (none / 0) (#11)
    by andgarden on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:33:12 PM EST
    she has been known to judge her living conditions based on whether or not she has access to lipstick.

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    I'll bet she holds a wonderful (none / 0) (#14)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:40:12 PM EST
    conversation, also!

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    Not anymore, I'm afraid (none / 0) (#15)
    by andgarden on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:40:46 PM EST
    But she is very sweet.

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    Beautiful. her face has a lot of (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by observed on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 05:00:35 PM EST
    character.

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    She looks wonderful. (none / 0) (#21)
    by byteb on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 06:19:09 PM EST
    Happy Birthday!

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    That's awesome... (none / 0) (#33)
    by kdog on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 04:10:35 PM EST
    I bet she was beating the boys off with sticks 80 years ago:)

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    Watching it snow in Central Alabama. (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:29:48 PM EST
    I can't go home yet, because there's more than two inches in the northern part of the state. Might not sound like much to folks in snowy areas, but this is enough to close down state highways.

    And since I live 50 miles or so from the nearest interstate...

    I guess I'll just spend time with the elderly parents!

    Tonight I'm going to a get-together for folks that graduated from my high school and are in town for the holidays. At least 30-35 years will be represented.

    How's your tooth?? (none / 0) (#1)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 03:39:04 PM EST
    Not on the East Coast, near the western border of mid-VT, but not so far inland that we aren't going to get at least brushed by this storm, but nobody seems to know how badly.  Apparently, a little as a mile east or west on this storm track makes the difference between a few inches of snow and a really nasty blizzard.

    Sure am glad I'm not trying to travel anywhere!

    still hurts (none / 0) (#3)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:22:21 PM EST
    not as bad as before of course, and antibiotics and pain meds are helping, but that side of my jaw and the gums still ache and I still can't eat much besides yogurt, guacamole(no chips), scrambled eggs and soup. (I'm going to try some mac and cheese later.) Thanks for asking!

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    Sorry about the tooth? I missed reading (none / 0) (#5)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:26:23 PM EST
    about it. If it's broken in some way, oil of clove really does deaden the pain, just like the movie Marathon Man showed.

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    I think Jeralyn had emergency (none / 0) (#22)
    by byteb on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 06:21:09 PM EST
    root canal.

    I hate, hate, hate root canals.

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    my sympathy, empathy, and condolences! (none / 0) (#24)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 06:36:47 PM EST


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    Light snow so far here in northern MD (none / 0) (#6)
    by Anne on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:27:32 PM EST
    and it looks like we will avoid the heaviest snow - but it is cold-cold-cold and getting windier; reports are that we will get increasingly higher winds through the night and into tomorrow - so, fingers crossed the power holds!  As well as the trees that sway and bend and always make me worry...

    aa low-energy day, just kinda doing a whole lot of nothing.  Christmas Eve was a busy day that went into the night with hours of wrapping and food prep.

    We had a busy - and long day - yesterday, with Christmas dinner moving from my brother's to my house because of a septic system issue.  So, we had Christmas with the kids in the morning, then older daughter and her husband moved on to his parents' house for Christmas with them.  Then, once we got our act together, we moseyed on over there, too, for a couple hours of good company and good food.  Then back to my house where the rest of the family descended on us for dinner and more presents.  I think by the time everyone left, I got the dishwasher started and some things put away, it was close to 9:30.  

    Watched a movie with younger daughter and her boyfriend - kept nodding off, so eventually toddled off to bed, where I slept like a dead person until almost 10:00 this morning!  It felt great and I refused to feel the least bit guilty about it.

    Football and the paper and a little tidying up - that's about all I've had the energy for...and I have the next two days off, so looking forward to that, as well.

    Hope everyone who's in the path of the storm is holding up well!

    Folks here go a little crazy when there's (none / 0) (#16)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:54:12 PM EST
    a few flakes, and we had a dusting, enough to cover the grass. Also frozen streets with very few people who can drive on them.

    If the university had been in session, we'd have seen people being pulled behind trucks skiing, and so forth.

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    For my own part, I was happy (none / 0) (#10)
    by andgarden on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:32:28 PM EST
    to escape the snow in NYC for Miami yesterday. It's chilly here though!

    It's a true blizzard in NYC (none / 0) (#23)
    by byteb on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 06:22:22 PM EST
    and environs...plus, the Giants are getting killed. :(

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    I'll take chillyish over blizzards! (none / 0) (#26)
    by nycstray on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 08:07:15 PM EST
    Glad to be watching this one from mild northern California!

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    Is The portal to the political (none / 0) (#17)
    by observed on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 04:58:08 PM EST
    blogosphere narrow? I find it amazing that the blogrolls today are hardly different from 6 years ago? Market externalities?

    I update every six months or so (none / 0) (#19)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 05:35:18 PM EST
    I've added new ones and dropped those who haven't updated their blogs in months, but the medium is changing and I don't think as many people start general political blogs nowadays. What really surprises me is how many blogs that started when I did, in 2002, are still going.

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    Yes,that's interesting, becausee (none / 0) (#20)
    by observed on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 05:51:04 PM EST
    blogging must take a lot of time and energy.  

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    Last I examined wiretap evidence (1978) (none / 0) (#25)
    by Ben Masel on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 08:06:52 PM EST
    it was still on reel to reel. I spent 3 days as Bill Kunstler's investigator listening to a room full at the Omaha DEA office.

    The snow is as bad as they say in NJ (none / 0) (#27)
    by scribe on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 09:18:34 PM EST
    In NJ, the snow's going sideways and has been for a good 10 hours so far.  The folks who propped their windshield wipers in the "up" position (off the windshield) can come out and find that the wipers are wholly buried in snow.  As are the cars.  

    WNBC reported Acting NJ Governor Sweeney has declared a state of emergency for the whole state.  It seems Governor Chris Christie is vacationing in Florida.  The same report stated he says he's wearing a winter coat in soldiarity.

    Enjoyed "The King's Speech," although (none / 0) (#28)
    by oculus on Sun Dec 26, 2010 at 10:52:37 PM EST
    San Diego Reader reviewer gave it a black spot--lowest rating.  Colin Firth and Geoffery Rush.  Tomorrow, "The Black Swan."

    You must write your memoirs sometime (none / 0) (#29)
    by Harry Saxon on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 08:45:35 AM EST
    many of us would like to know what it's like to stand still and have the whole universe revolve about one.  

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    Your comment does not reflect the holiday (none / 0) (#31)
    by oculus on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 10:49:46 AM EST
    spirit!

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    On the contrary (none / 0) (#32)
    by Harry Saxon on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 03:13:49 PM EST
    tis the season to be giving, and I've never been miserly with my opinions here anyway.  

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    Well, I suppose we are all here to give (none / 0) (#35)
    by oculus on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 08:43:23 PM EST
    our opinions.  I do!  

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    "I gotta crow (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by Harry Saxon on Tue Dec 28, 2010 at 08:19:35 AM EST

    I'm just the cleverest fellow
    'Twas ever my fortune to know;
    I taught a trick to my shadow
    To stick to the tip of my toe
    I've gotta crow!

    I've gotta brag!
    I think it's sweet
    I have fingers and feet I can wiggle and wag.
    I can climb trees and play tag with the breeze
    In the meadows below
    I've gotta crow!

    If I were a very ordinary
    Ev'ry day thing,
    I'd never be heard cock-a-doodling
    'Round like a bird!

    So Naturally
    When I discover the cleverness of a remarkable me,
    How can I hide it
    When deep down inside it just tickles me so
    That I've gotta let go and crow!"

    From the musical Peter Pan

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    I am one of 10 (none / 0) (#30)
    by CST on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 09:43:51 AM EST
    people who came to work today.  And based on the number of people seen on the train, we are the only people in the city working :)

    No, but there is a ton of snow on the ground.  Still coming down.  It was never really terrible (at least not while I was awake), but steady, cold, and a bit windy dumping probably over a foot.

    Add that to the fact that a lot of people aren't working today and no one has shoveled yet, makes walking a bit treacherous.  But the roads are worse and the trains are running.

    My boss... (none / 0) (#34)
    by kdog on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 04:17:53 PM EST
    had the sense not to open, not that I was going in, hell no...I just had a rough 16 hours of blizzard hell, one of approx. 8k in my county with no power/no heat, from midnight till an hour ago...woke up in a 50 degree house and dropping, had to rescue my mid-80's great uncle from his heatless abode a few towns over early am, drop him at my sister's who had heat, slippin' and a slidin' all over the roads with one very near-hit...back to my place to hold the fort, now at 40 degrees...finally LIPA got us going around 4 pm (suburban ghettos served last), thermostat moving in the right direction.

    Oh well, back in business now, thermostat rising, coffee brewed, budleys roasting in the bingo...the things you take for granted.

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    Sunday Afternoon Open Thread | 34 comments (34 topical)

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