Attention All DC Metro Area Residents

* PANIC * PANIC * PANIC *

SNOWPACOLPYSE 2 IS COMING

THERE WILL BE NO MILK, BREAD, EGGS OR TOILET PAPER AT ANY GROCERY STORE

ALSO NO SHOVELS OR KITTY LITTER.

THAT IS ALL.

 

On the Subject of Snow

For an area that is typically unequipped and not accustomed to a substantial (subjective term, in this case, I know) amount of snowfall, we seem to be getting a lot of it. You’d think that with all the practice we’re being consistently given by the somewhat regular snowfall that we’d be able to actually deal with it, but we never are. Ever. Regarding weather in DC today, the National Weather Service says:

9:51 am EST, Tue., Feb. 2, 2010

… WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM EST WEDNESDAY…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM EST WEDNESDAY.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS… 2 TO 4 INCHES.

* TIMING… BEGINNING BETWEEN 4 PM AND 6 PM… ENDING BY DAYBREAK EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* TEMPERATURES… MID TO UPPER 30S THIS AFTERNOON… DROPPING INTO THE UPPER 20S THIS EVENING.

* WINDS… VARIABLE AROUND 5 MPH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES… AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Pux Phil, what’s wrong with you? I don’t want any more of this snow business. Seriously. I mean, unless the DC Metro Area could actually handle the snow instead of basically just shutting down, then I wouldn’t care.  But as it stands, every time it snows, we are doomed.

However, specifically for Sterling, VA specifically, the NWS increased the predicted amount of snow to 3-6 inches. Hopefully it won’t apply to NoVA.

… WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM EST WEDNESDAY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM EST WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS… 3 TO 6 INCHES.

* TIMING… BEGINNING BETWEEN 4 PM AND 6 PM… ENDING BETWEEN 4 AM AND 6 AM.

* TEMPERATURES… MID 30S THIS AFTERNOON… DROPPING BELOW FREEZING DURING THE MID EVENING.

* WINDS… EAST 5 MPH OR LESS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

UPDATE: Looks like the rest of NoVA has been upgraded to an actual warning from an advisory…ugh.

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM EST WEDNESDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM EST WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * PRECIPITATION TYPE...SNOW. * ACCUMULATIONS...3 TO 6 INCHES. * TIMING...BEGINNING BETWEEN 4 PM AND 6 PM...ENDING BETWEEN 4 AM AND 6 AM. * TEMPERATURES...MID 30S THIS AFTERNOON...DROPPING BELOW FREEZING DURING THE MID EVENING. * WINDS...EAST 5 MPH OR LESS.
Instructions:	A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.
Target Area:	Warren Clarke Rappahannock Loudoun Orange Culpeper Prince William, Manassas, Manassas Park Fairfax Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria Northern Fauquier Southern Fauquier

 

Prepared for Snow

HAHAHAHA. Yeah right.

District Team Readies for Latest Winter Storm

(Washington, D.C.) – Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, along with District Department of Transportation Director Gabe Klein and Department of Public Works Director William O. Howland, Jr., and snow team crews are prepared for the weekend snow storm in the District.

They’re never ready for snow. Ever. Even if it’s 1-3 inches.

 

Fossil Hawks?

I saw them at 11th and I St. NW, but it started in Lafayette Square, apparently. The police looked to be boxing them in on 11th, and I thought they were going to be detained/arrested/escorted away, but they turned around and went back down I St. towards McPherson Square. Also, THERE’S A HORSE. So, awesome.

The giant sign they’re carrying in front of them reads, “DOWN WITH THE FOSSIL HAWKS” and there’s a giant photo of Obama’s face – not really sure what to make of that, but the Washington Peace Center’s site has some information pertaining to the protest:

“Fossil Hawks are the war-making corporate climate criminals and the politicians who serve them.”

Without the definition, it’s a little confusing as to what they’re protesting if your viewpoint is from an office building window and you can’t really make out the sign from that far away. All you can really make out is, “FOSSIL HAWKS”, which means nothing since there’s really no context except for their location (The District) and that they’re protesting something, presumably something to do with fossil fuels and/or whatever.

Oh, DC.

 

GChat at Work

Food for thought…

Unofficial (suggested) rules of GChat for users in an office environment:

1. Unless you’re including a funny or interesting link in your status, I can assuredly inform you that no one cares.
2. Including a link to a YouTube. The whole point of using GChat at work is to remain somewhat…inconspicuous. YouTube kind of annihilates that.
3. Spellcheck your status. Seriously, it’s crucial.
4. Use a worksafe GChat picture. No one wants to mouse over your name while your boss walks by and see something totally NSFW.
5. For the love of God, don’t send NSFW links – being rickrolled is one thing; being sent something that may potentially get the other person fired is entirely different.

 

Losing an ID on a Metro Bus: The Journey of My ID Badge

Like many other Washingtonians, I have a badge reel clip and a badge holder.  It’s pretty much glued to my hip pocket but this time, it managed to wriggle itself loose from my pants and go on a little journey of its own. Now, this is not the first time this has happened – a little over two years ago,  my ID tried to escape and succeeded for a couple of stops on the red line.  Fortunately, someone nabbed it when they sat down and later contacted GMU to coordinate its return to me. After I got it back, I always took notice of the numbered rail car I was on – without that, it’s much harder to locate a lost item on the rail, apparently.

Instead of freaking out like the last time I lost it, I got it together, got in my car parked near the stop and actually caught up to the bus I left the ID on, hoping that they’d stop at GMU to change routes or something. I did catch up to the bus, right before it went out of service, but it never stopped long enough for me to get the driver’s attention. So, no such luck in getting my ID that way. It was gone for good this time; oh well. Goodbye to the $25 I loaded on the SmartTrip card *right* before boarding the bus. Goodbye, ID. Goodbye, building access card.

I called the bus division I thought mine fell under, was told to call another division by the person on the phone, and then was told to call another division once I got off the phone with that person. On the third try, I got through to a really nice man who asked me which line I was on and what time, and after that, asked me if my name was  [name listed on the ID I lost].  Score, they had found it!

So how late is the bus garage open?

1:30.

PM?

No, AM.

What?! Wow.

Yeah, it’s crazy!

The downside is that, while the West Ox Operations Center (Bus Garage Facility) is brand spanking new, that also means that it’s not listed on Google Maps or most GPS devices. And by not listed on Google Maps or GPS’s, I mean that the street name isn’t listed, so in giving directions to people, they have to tell them that there’s a giant Costco across the street. Fair enough – Costco is pretty huge. That giant lot of land you see with those huge buildings on the right when you’re headed on the Fairfax County Parkway towards Fair Lakes, right before the off ramp to I-66 East? Yeah, that’s this place.

I arrived at the WOOC and was awestruck at the sheer capacity they had in space for parking for both cars and buses – nerdy I know, but it’s really impressive. My first thought: So this is where the buses go to sleep at night. All the Fairfax Connector buses and all the Metro buses that are in this division stay here at night. Walking into the building, I tell the man at the window I’m here to pick up my ID, and here’s my other ID so he knows that I am indeed…myself. He brings it back, has me sign a form that was attached to the item indicating it had been reported as lost and that I was the one claiming it, and I left after thanking the man, ecstatic that my little ID was now in my possession – deep in the recesses of my purse, this time.

So, if you were ever curious about where the buses sleep at night…this is it:

Where the West Ox Division buses go to sleep at night.

 

Pro-Life March + Downtown = Traffic Disaster

Even at lunchtime, I don’t think I’ve EVER seen this much traffic downtown, even in Chinatown. Closing off streets will inevitably lead to it, though, what with there being a gazillion protesters.

However, on the way through Chinatown, right next to where the Trapeze School thing was, was this label on the side of a trashcan:

OK, so...what?

Anyone know what’s up with that? There’s nothing on teh interwebz about it either, short of the one Flickr photo I found.

 

Essential Washingtonian…Things

List of things that, in actuality, don’t make you look any cooler, but will probably make you blend in, especially on the Metro:

1. Any kind of badge that identifies you and/or the federal agency/company you work for. Hint: you are not any more important just because you have said badge unless you’re, like, Jack Bauer.
2. A suit.
3. Sunglasses. This is not The Matrix. And you are not Vin Diesel.
4. Lanyard allowing you to wear your badge around your neck which also tells everyone where you work. We don’t care.
5. Trendy Whole Foods reusable lunch bag. None of the things on that bag are even remotely “inspiring”.
6. Any kind of uniform, especially military. (I lied. This does make you cool.)
7. Briefcase or laptop bag denoting the federal agency you work for. Again, does not make you important.
8. BlackBerry. Is it really necessary that you talk to everyone on your contact list while going from L’Enfant to Metro Center?  It’ll be your fault if you fall down while trying to type instead of holding on to a pole.
9. An iPhone. You are not trendy or hip – you blend in with all the other people tapping away on Facebook and other useless iPhone/iTouch apps doing absolutely nothing of merit, like Tap Tap Revenge 3.
10. Bow tie. You are not unique. You are a dork. Really.

 

Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue in Haiti

The Military Times’ blog, Line of Sight, had a very interesting/relevant post today, particularly to residents of Fairfax County. The photo in the post, which shows part of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team, specifically shows the team performing a rescue operation in the Hotel Montana in Port au Prince.

Charities that you can donate money to help with the relief efforts in Haiti can be found on USAID’s site, though InterAction lists many more that you can donate through as well.

 

First-Person Tetris

The most bizarre version of Tetris I have ever played, besides the one that you could operate from FOUR DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS that I saw at Best Buy as a stand-alone unit.

The perfect start to a three day weekend. Yesss!