About 8 inches of snow, and the university has a delayed opening, but is still open. I just tried shoveling out the snow around my car, and there's just no way that's going to happen with just me shoveling. So, I guess I'm staying home today.

People are saying today is the worst commute here all winter.

Huh. I'm glad I didn't drive then.

Actually, I haven't driven my car in 11 days. I'm gonna need to do some digging to get it out now.

We just have rain down here in NC. And the occasional coal ash spill into our rivers, but that's not a problem for anything except people downstream who want to drink or something. (No, not the sewage spill into the drinking water supply--that was a different event.) I know water contamination is not an NC-specific problem, but the 24+ hour lag between knowing there's a problem and informing the public might be. I'm a little annoyed.

I had a tai chi class at a new location last night. It was rather fun, and a bit less "martial arts for old people" than my previous class. OK, it's still martial arts for the middle aged, but that still feels like a bit more of a workout than my previous class. And the instructor was nice.

It's rainy and warm here - "warm" being one degree above freezing - but my co-workers in NJ are getting slammed with ice and snow.

My friend A. and I have been congratulating ourselves for having predicted a bad winter Old-Farmer-style, from the extra-fuzzy caterpillars and excessive spiderwebs last summer.

No power, no heat, no hot water. All is ice and downed trees. My phone isn't even fully charged. Argh.

It is icy out there, although I guess the Bmore roads are fine, my company posted that the roads by the office are icy. I was going to go in around 10 but all of our work systems (except our government email) is down. But since govt email is up I'm still getting work questions and have to join a brain-hurtin' thinky call in 5 minutes. I know I'm lucky to have a good job with good pay and etc. but I'd really like to have a real no working snow day someday with hot chocolate and movies, etc. Oh well.

Yikes. Stay bundled Amy, and everyone.

Yikes, Amy! I really am happy that I have electricity. Even if I have to use it to answer questions about Medicare data right now instead of catching up on Downton Abbey!

Ditto Amy with the no power, heat, hot water. Also the tree that dropped a 30foot limb a foot from our bedroom during Sandy, and the city wouldn't remove because they said it was still alive? Dropped a twenty foot limb six inches from the house at 4 am and laid another across the road at 10 am.

911 was called to clear the road tree and bring caution tape, but a high testosterone bunch of bored male neighbors brought out axes and hacksaws and cleared the tree, so when the city came three minutes later, they drove on through and didn't tape off anything.

Now everyone is walking under the tree to get a look at it, because apparently that's smart. And occasionally asking us if we've called 911.

And I am cold and grumpy and this is snow day #5.

Definitely an ack! morning.