outskirts: life and times in charlottesville

I don’t know how many more of these 60+ degree winter days I can handle. It has snowed twice this year. Twice. A total of 4.5 inches. They claim our average is 24 inches. There is no snow in the forecast for the next 15 days. I’m willing to bet we won’t see another flake. We only got flakes for about 5 hours this year. Will I ever get to wear my winter coat here in Virginia? It is time to market this area as a dry brown area that lives in a state of permanent decay, and not a four season paradise.

Maybe the heat is due to all the smokers around here. Since the authorities love smoking (and will NEVER ban smoking at restaurants/bars), and promote death to children, I guess there is not much to do. Maybe I should go buy a pack and puff away the rest of the evening. Like the rest of the refuse in this state (remember…NOVA is not part of VA).

The big topic of discussion amongst the locals was the guy who went ballistic in the midwest. Do you think he felt inferior to the Virginia shooter just before he offed himself? Do you think all student shooters will feel inferior compared to Cho? There just aren’t enough statistics to analyze this issue. Such is life.

Go CHO. [Note: This is the slogan for the Charlottesville airport.]

I say this every single time the weather predicts a breeze over 5mph. Wind blows, power goes.

It has gone for more than 30% of the village, since the gusts are over 20mph. I have a feeling it may be days before it comes back…so say goodbye to outskirts…it may be gone for awhile.

F*cking village. Modernize..or buy a new mule. Time to go buy some ice so my food doesn’t all spoil.

Update 2: The storm died out by 11am. Ho hum. 2.5 inches in an hour…and the melting then kicked in. But a lot of restaurants sure are closing up shop. Five Guys shut down earlier. Maybe they didn’t buy enough bread and milk.

Update: Cancellations are rolling in as the snow started to pour down in the village. More photos on Flickr in this album.

It has started. I’ll be providing live coverage throughout this storm…which has the chance to be the worst in the two decades here in the village. I’ll be sure to get shots of the crowds running through the streets looking for the last loaf of bread and jug of milk (or moonshine).

Snow begins to pile up. Run for your life - buy bread.

So a Winter Storm Warning has been issued for the village.

Precipitation is expected to remain snow through much of this
event. Total snowfall of 4 up to 8 inches may occur… with the
highest snowfall in the higher terrain. As the precipitation
tapers off… a light freezing drizzle will be possible. Temperatures
are expected to remain below freezing Thursday night so hazardous
driving conditions could persist after the precipitation ends.

A Winter Storm Warning means significant amounts of snow…
and ice are expected or occurring. This will make travel very
hazardous or impossible.

Is there any chance at all we actually get snow? I predict a flurry. Nothing more. Nothing less.

But if anything does happen…I’ll be sure to get some pictures posted of the chaos that we’d get with more than a flurry.

Will it really get down to 13 tonight? Will I have to turn my heat on? I’m sure this will end up being the coldest night of the wintertime. Mid 60’s will be back by the weekend…so much closer to normal.

A typical winter day in C-Ville…forecast is for chance of sleet, snow, and rain. Primarily rain. And since it will be in the 40’s and 50’s I just don’t see much of the s items. Of course that never stops the local panic. Do you have your milk, bread, and salt?

The dangerous part of the forecast is that the wind may blow. Charlottesville: When the wind blows, the power goes. Is lack of power good for all of our citizens?

In other news…Kikis is once again open for lunch. It is has a bit of a Mediterranean flair.

And last but not least here is a question for the legal eagles out there. If you own a high end hair cutting establishment can you a) bring dogs to work, b) allow them to run around loose in the establishment, and c) let them hump for hours on end in the middle of the place? Just curious…since it was witnessed by many on Friday on the downtown mall.

Storm update: Sunday morning…it sprinkled for about four hours. It is now sunny and 50. Feels like May.

Update 2: Sunday afternoon. Wind is blowing. Power is going (on and off). Sirens have been heard throughout the downtown area. My guess is locals can’t drive in wind.

Panic has set in. Schools are closing. At least three flakes hit my face while I walked to work. Local authorities are begging locals to stay off the roads (oh…wait…that is every single day). Supermarket lines are out of control. Riot prevention squads are out in force.

See it all for yourself over at The U Hoo (not the drink) or on the historic downtown mall (where salt trucks are already busy).

Are you ready for disastrous weather on Wednesday? Panic has already begun at the stores. Bread and milk are almost gone.

Forecast: 1 to 2 inches of snow. My prediction: 5 minutes of flurries.

I’ll be sure to keep you up to date on the tragedy that is sure to ensue. It has been eons since we’ve had such extreme weather. Remember Ernesto destroying the mall? The damage from that storm can still be seen all over the mall.

Yet another day where we set a record high. There is a rumor that Thursday might finally cool off. 95 in October is just not fun. Neither is 90…for the past three weeks. And we are still waiting for our first raindrop since July. Not looking good.

The heat clearly brings out the entertainment in the local community. One local decided to go on the run (not good in this heat) to avoid getting arrested for a bit of sodomy. Another took a more relaxing approach of sitting inside with air conditioning while downloading pics of some kiddies.

There is a rumor going around that someone drove right through the Mono Loco patio on Saturday morning during that pointless city market thing the other day. Can anyone confirm that? There seem to be no news postings related to it. Perhaps it was a former UVA football coach out driving around a bit after a bit of the schnapps and the news story was just scrubbed away to nothing.

Yet another week with nothing but hot dry weather. My yard looks like a desert. It isn’t pretty. Nothing like 90 degrees in October. Forecast for the next 10 days…ditto.