OT: The OT Thread: Breaking: it snows in WNY in February (Warning in post 368)

[Chainshot]

got caught in a complete white out yesterday and wrapped my truck around a telephone pole with my 1 year old in tow. Air bag got me good. trying to deal with all the insurance etc with a concussion is a real interesting issue to have.. FML

That sucks man. Hope the small one is okay too.

 

[Chainshot]

Yeah thank God. The only reason I was out and about was because driving is the only way I can get her to sleep. She was fine. I have like a 4 hour gap where I don't remember anything which probably isn't good but such is life.

I had some advice after my last bad one - keep track of how you feel. Log when you wake up and go to sleep - how much you are getting. And do a check in throughout your day, jot down how you feel at regular intervals OR if you notice something, anything, odd. I suggest the regular intervals thing - it's amazing how often someone with a concussion will be feeling like crap and then not have the recent memory of it to accurately report it to medical professionals or those around them. You might not even know you felt not yourself without keeping records for yourself. It was useful so that at the end of a day when someone would say "how was your day" I could pull up how I felt checking in on my own log instead of relying on a recently wonky memory system.

 

[Jim Bob]

My wife hates driving in snowy weather. She dislikes driving in general and can get overly anxious.

Nate has a game on Long Island in 2 1/2 weeks. I am planning on getting up early and driving down to the game. It is the Saturday ahead of their spring break and their coach has talked about giving the guys a few days off if they want to go home after the game. So, I really feel like I have to make the drive and bring Nate, and maybe one or two teammates from Rochester, back home.

My wife freaked out about it the other day because she was worried that I would die in a car wreck making that drive.

So, yeah....

She also flipped out on Monday over my youngest not having a great shovel at his mom's house to clean her driveway. I was fine with loaning a shovel to my kid and getting it back yesterday. My wife scoffed at the idea that I would get it back. Update: I got it back yesterday morning.

 

[TehDoak]

My wife hates driving in snowy weather. She dislikes driving in general and can get overly anxious.

Nate has a game on Long Island in 2 1/2 weeks. I am planning on getting up early and driving down to the game. It is the Saturday ahead of their spring break and their coach has talked about giving the guys a few days off if they want to go home after the game. So, I really feel like I have to make the drive and bring Nate, and maybe one or two teammates from Rochester, back home.

My wife freaked out about it the other day because she was worried that I would die in a car wreck making that drive.

So, yeah....

She also flipped out on Monday over my youngest not having a great shovel at his mom's house to clean her driveway. I was fine with loaning a shovel to my kid and getting it back yesterday. My wife scoffed at the idea that I would get it back. Update: I got it back yesterday morning.

Since I've switched to working 100% remote, it's rare I will go out in snowy weather unless its an absolute need. Its not even that I'm not comfortable driving in snow, I've got a truck that seems to handle snow fine from my limited use with it. It's that I don't trust other people in the snow. It's probably always been this way, but even living in an area where the people should have a base level of competency in bad weather, I see enough dumb driving during good weather, thinking of these same people in the snow is terrifying.

Thankfully the school district has a pretty quick trigger on two hour delays/snow days since its a gigantic district that reaches up into the higher elevation areas here. So I don't have to worry about that. My big concern is my wife, who has to go to work even in bad weather. Thankfully its on a limited days a week and typically only on weekends.

 

[oldgoalie]

Since I've switched to working 100% remote, it's rare I will go out in snowy weather unless its an absolute need. Its not even that I'm not comfortable driving in snow, I've got a truck that seems to handle snow fine from my limited use with it. It's that I don't trust other people in the snow. It's probably always been this way, but even living in an area where the people should have a base level of competency in bad weather, I see enough dumb driving during good weather, thinking of these same people in the snow is terrifying.

Thankfully the school district has a pretty quick trigger on two hour delays/snow days since its a gigantic district that reaches up into the higher elevation areas here. So I don't have to worry about that. My big concern is my wife, who has to go to work even in bad weather. Thankfully its on a limited days a week and typically only on weekends.

Living in an area where people drive like idiots in good weather, and then adding snow or ice? Yeah, we stay off the road.

 

[Chainshot]

Speaking of bad drivers in all weather:

Last night I was driving on one of the local arterial roads that branches from Interstate 75, and one of the county ambulances raced by on the other side. I file that away, make a stop and then about 15 minutes later I'm sitting at a traffic light right under the overpass. The light is for the northbound exit, it's two lanes in either direction with a turning lane for the highway. And the ambulance is hauling ass back toward us which I know means they are heading to the local hospital. I can see it in my rearview. I can hear it off in the distance. So... I have seen this shit sandwich at traffic lights around here before so I move over to the side of the road onto the shoulder with my indicator on (shocking for Florida, almost no one uses their f***ing turn signals) as it approaches.

And then the woman behind me not only cuts into the space I was in, but also cuts in front of the ambulance who is in the left lane trying to get through because of course they want to get whoever they are transporting to emergency care as fast as safely possible. She's on her phone. My window is down and so I pop off and being loud when I want to, she can clearly hear that I yelled "Ambulance you stupid c-bomb, get off your f***ing phone! Get out of the f***ing way!" which gets her attention. The siren didn't. But the insult did.

The ambulance thankfully just missed her little RAV4 or CRV or whatever crossover she was driving and zipped on their way. I usually just chalk bad driving up to distraction, foolishness, or idiocy but that one I just couldn't shake. Woke up thinking about it still and it's still with me hours later. So in turn, I'm venting about it here.

 

[TehDoak]

Speaking of bad drivers in all weather:

Last night I was driving on one of the local arterial roads that branches from Interstate 75, and one of the county ambulances raced by on the other side. I file that away, make a stop and then about 15 minutes later I'm sitting at a traffic light right under the overpass. The light is for the northbound exit, it's two lanes in either direction with a turning lane for the highway. And the ambulance is hauling ass back toward us which I know means they are heading to the local hospital. I can see it in my rearview. I can hear it off in the distance. So... I have seen this shit sandwich at traffic lights around here before so I move over to the side of the road onto the shoulder with my indicator on (shocking for Florida, almost no one uses their f***ing turn signals) as it approaches.

And then the woman behind me not only cuts into the space I was in, but also cuts in front of the ambulance who is in the left lane trying to get through because of course they want to get whoever they are transporting to emergency care as fast as safely possible. She's on her phone. My window is down and so I pop off and being loud when I want to, she can clearly hear that I yelled "Ambulance you stupid c-bomb, get off your f***ing phone! Get out of the f***ing way!" which gets her attention. The siren didn't. But the insult did.

The ambulance thankfully just missed her little RAV4 or CRV or whatever crossover she was driving and zipped on their way. I usually just chalk bad driving up to distraction, foolishness, or idiocy but that one I just couldn't shake. Woke up thinking about it still and it's still with me hours later. So in turn, I'm venting about it here.

I don't miss the florida drivers. It's such a weird mix. In the winters, it's half senior citizens whose licenses probably aren't up to date, late at night it's people drag racing down I-4. Also, trucks raised 2 feet in the air with Neons in their wheel wells. Combine that with the country folk from Polk county who have evidently never seen traffic before in their entire lives

PA, of course, has its own brand of idiots, especially being this close to NJ where the aggression just ratchets up quite a bit. But Florida really is a special level of hell when it comes to driving.

 

[Chainshot]

I don't miss the florida drivers. It's such a weird mix. In the winters, it's half senior citizens whose licenses probably aren't up to date, late at night it's people drag racing down I-4. Also, trucks raised 2 feet in the air with Neons in their wheel wells. Combine that with the country folk from Polk county who have evidently never seen traffic before in their entire lives

PA, of course, has its own brand of idiots, especially being this close to NJ where the aggression just ratchets up quite a bit. But Florida really is a special level of hell when it comes to driving.

The shift to LED lights in new vehicles also means that lifted vehicles are blinding oncoming traffic. So that's also fun.

 

[Jim Bob]

Boston has been the place where I have driven where the drivers around me were the craziest.

My experience there was fun like someone triple parked on a one-way street throwing it in reverse and heading right for me. But, that was topped by how it was consistent that if you were the first person stopped at a red light and it turned green, it did NOT mean go. It meant wait for 2 or 3 people to run the red light and then go.

 

[oldgoalie]

Speaking of bad drivers in all weather:

Last night I was driving on one of the local arterial roads that branches from Interstate 75, and one of the county ambulances raced by on the other side. I file that away, make a stop and then about 15 minutes later I'm sitting at a traffic light right under the overpass. The light is for the northbound exit, it's two lanes in either direction with a turning lane for the highway. And the ambulance is hauling ass back toward us which I know means they are heading to the local hospital. I can see it in my rearview. I can hear it off in the distance. So... I have seen this shit sandwich at traffic lights around here before so I move over to the side of the road onto the shoulder with my indicator on (shocking for Florida, almost no one uses their f***ing turn signals) as it approaches.

And then the woman behind me not only cuts into the space I was in, but also cuts in front of the ambulance who is in the left lane trying to get through because of course they want to get whoever they are transporting to emergency care as fast as safely possible. She's on her phone. My window is down and so I pop off and being loud when I want to, she can clearly hear that I yelled "Ambulance you stupid c-bomb, get off your f***ing phone! Get out of the f***ing way!" which gets her attention. The siren didn't. But the insult did.

The ambulance thankfully just missed her little RAV4 or CRV or whatever crossover she was driving and zipped on their way. I usually just chalk bad driving up to distraction, foolishness, or idiocy but that one I just couldn't shake. Woke up thinking about it still and it's still with me hours later. So in turn, I'm venting about it here.

with all the new tech in cars, having a f***ing phone in your hand, in front of your face, is inexcusable. some people should not be allowed to breed.

 

[Chainshot]

Boston has been the place where I have driven where the drivers around me were the craziest.

My experience there was fun like someone triple parked on a one-way street throwing it in reverse and heading right for me. But, that was topped by how it was consistent that if you were the first person stopped at a red light and it turned green, it did NOT mean go. It meant wait for 2 or 3 people to run the red light and then go.

There are a number of roundabouts where I live now and I have had the experience of someone turning counterclockwise into them. Nothing like having someone coming right at you in a single lane circle.

Twice at the same one, just a few blocks from where my kids went to middle school.

 

[Chainshot]

Speaking of vehicle issues -

 

[KiwiGriff]

Speaking of bad drivers in all weather:

Last night I was driving on one of the local arterial roads that branches from Interstate 75, and one of the county ambulances raced by on the other side. I file that away, make a stop and then about 15 minutes later I'm sitting at a traffic light right under the overpass. The light is for the northbound exit, it's two lanes in either direction with a turning lane for the highway. And the ambulance is hauling ass back toward us which I know means they are heading to the local hospital. I can see it in my rearview. I can hear it off in the distance. So... I have seen this shit sandwich at traffic lights around here before so I move over to the side of the road onto the shoulder with my indicator on (shocking for Florida, almost no one uses their f***ing turn signals) as it approaches.

And then the woman behind me not only cuts into the space I was in, but also cuts in front of the ambulance who is in the left lane trying to get through because of course they want to get whoever they are transporting to emergency care as fast as safely possible. She's on her phone. My window is down and so I pop off and being loud when I want to, she can clearly hear that I yelled "Ambulance you stupid c-bomb, get off your f***ing phone! Get out of the f***ing way!" which gets her attention. The siren didn't. But the insult did.

The ambulance thankfully just missed her little RAV4 or CRV or whatever crossover she was driving and zipped on their way. I usually just chalk bad driving up to distraction, foolishness, or idiocy but that one I just couldn't shake. Woke up thinking about it still and it's still with me hours later. So in turn, I'm venting about it here.

Good use of the C-Bomb. It's like a little pinch of salt you can sprinkle onto life to make it more flavourful ...

It amazes me how some people are either oblivious to ambulances or panic when they see them

 

[Gras]

Boston has been the place where I have driven where the drivers around me were the craziest.

My experience there was fun like someone triple parked on a one-way street throwing it in reverse and heading right for me. But, that was topped by how it was consistent that if you were the first person stopped at a red light and it turned green, it did NOT mean go. It meant wait for 2 or 3 people to run the red light and then go.

Have you ever exprienced the Pittsburgh Left

 

[TheMistyStranger]

Speaking of vehicle issues -

Christ, another one?!

 

[Chainshot]

Christ, another one?!

There are a lot of small planes that crash. There are very, very few airline crashes. There was a skydiving plane that went down here in North Florida a few days ago that required a helicopter search to find its wreckage due to the dense forest where it went down. Stuff happens.

 

[Dex]

Have you ever exprienced the Pittsburgh Left

I was once first in line at a signal on a four lane highway with a median between each side (McKinley Pkwy for locals). I'm not the kind of driver who sits at the red light and checks his phone, so when the light turns green, I go.

On the opposite side of the intersection was someone making a left hand turn. As I started through the intersection, I had to slow down to avoid being hit by the driver on the other side of the intersection, who was in the process of executing a Pittsburgh left - which is illegal here in the Buffalo area. Suddenly, I could see the lights of the flashing lights of a police car come on in my rear view mirror and asked my self what the hell did I do wrong. It turns out that right behind me was a local police car, that apparently went unnoticed by both the driver making the left and me. So while I proceed through the intersection with the intention of pulling over, I could see the police car pulling over the Pittsburgh left guy and have to say that I shouted out (in my head) a very loud YES!

 

[HOOats]

I know people are tired of weather talk, but can anyone else in WNY remember when the last time we had such a consistently wintery winter? I saw that we had 40 something consecutive days with at least trace snowfall at the airport. Roads in Allentown and the Fruit Belt are solid ice. And another 2-4" tonight.

I'm 38 and I've been calling this an old-school winter, reminiscent of my school days 90s and early 00s when short of "the January thaw," things stayed cold and snow-packed. It doesn't bug me, I'm from here and of here, but it really has been remarkable in comparison to some of the mild El Niño years in recent memory.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

I know people are tired of weather talk, but can anyone else in WNY remember when the last time we had such a consistently wintery winter? I saw that we had 40 something consecutive days with at least trace snowfall at the airport. Roads in Allentown and the Fruit Belt are solid ice. And another 2-4" tonight.

I'm 38 and I've been calling this an old-school winter, reminiscent of my school days 90s and early 00s when short of "the January thaw," things stayed cold and snow-packed. It doesn't bug me, I'm from here and of here, but it really has been remarkable in comparison to some of the mild El Niño years in recent memory.

This year we’ve had 12 feet of snow fall. Last winter, we had like 7 days where there was snow on the ground.

 

[Chainshot]

I know people are tired of weather talk, but can anyone else in WNY remember when the last time we had such a consistently wintery winter? I saw that we had 40 something consecutive days with at least trace snowfall at the airport. Roads in Allentown and the Fruit Belt are solid ice. And another 2-4" tonight.

I'm 38 and I've been calling this an old-school winter, reminiscent of my school days 90s and early 00s when short of "the January thaw," things stayed cold and snow-packed. It doesn't bug me, I'm from here and of here, but it really has been remarkable in comparison to some of the mild El Niño years in recent memory.

Late 1980's we had one where we had snow for something like 28 straight days out in Boston. My grandfather would take a temperature, barometric pressure and precipitation reading every morning and we had one day without and then like another 15 days of snow. I seem to recall the first day of deer season, wading through waist deep snow in the fields of that grandfather's farm.

Having a few snowier and colder days down here in Florida has been funny. There are locals of my age who are basically telling people to toughen the f*** up, we're supposed to have 30-ish days at or below freezing on average per year and we aren't even at half of that. But it's still snowed just a half hour to the north and that's weirded out some of the younger locals.

 

[yahhockey]

Yesterday I returned to my vehicle after work to find a 16 inch scratch & dent in the rear driver side door and the rear tire flat with a puncture in the sidewall. I knocked on a couple doors and one kind soul said she heard noise outside, looked out the window, saw my vehicle shake and a plow continue backing up so she took a couple photos. A connection with the city gave me what should be the vehicle number of the plow so I'm hoping there is enough information for the city to admit fault but we'll see how it goes.

Apparently insurance adjusting is a 9-5 job, lol. I was on hold for over two hours last night before speaking to an agent who could only open a claim and provide no information. Of course an adjustor called this morning at the most inopportune time at work so that was another hour on hold returning their call however once I spoke to someone they were helpful. After reporting the incident to the police this afternoon it was easy to drop off the vehicle at the body shop and pick up a rental vehicle. The three hours on hold is making me reconsider the insurance provider however if the rest of the process goes smoothly I may be willing to forget the initial frustrations since my yearly mileage is low and their rates are about half of other companies as long as I use a tracking device.

 

[Beerz]

I know people are tired of weather talk, but can anyone else in WNY remember when the last time we had such a consistently wintery winter? I saw that we had 40 something consecutive days with at least trace snowfall at the airport. Roads in Allentown and the Fruit Belt are solid ice. And another 2-4" tonight.

I'm 38 and I've been calling this an old-school winter, reminiscent of my school days 90s and early 00s when short of "the January thaw," things stayed cold and snow-packed. It doesn't bug me, I'm from here and of here, but it really has been remarkable in comparison to some of the mild El Niño years in recent memory.

We had same conversation at work today... calling it a "true winter".

The snow from November is still buried on the bottom of all this new snow.

 

[Ehran]

Low tonight in Texas is going to be 18° with a wind chill of 4°.

It's brutal out there!

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Low tonight in Texas is going to be 18° with a wind chill of 4°.

It's brutal out there!

That’s shorts weather

 

[Chainshot]

As a matter of northern pride, I do wear shorts to our bar trivia on Monday nights. It's been in the 40's a couple of times and I'm getting sideways looks.