Well, it’s happening again.  Another blizzard in the Northeast.  In January of 1996, Baltimore had about 2 feet of snow dumped on it.  And, from what I understand, this year is going to be even worse.

How does Baltimore handle snow?  Well, not much better than Atlanta!  I was living in downtown Baltimore at the time.  After the worst was over, I took a walk with a camera.

Shown below, you’ll see a side street in Baltimore after the snow fall.  Yes, those lumps you see on the far side of the street are automobiles. 

Anyone who actually succeeded in uncovering their car ended up with a nice parking spot to use upon their return.  I don’t know if it’s a tradition, but during that snow storm, nice parking spots were immediately filled with lawn chairs or any other outdoor furniture that would make it tough for someone else to park there.

So, hang in there, Baltimore.  And, keep your snow lawn chairs close at hand!

I know the situation in Haiti isn’t news to anyone.  But, for me, it is the most destruction I’ve ever seen.  I just can’t imagine the pain, grief and hopelessness that must be almost palpable for those poor people.

Now, they’re talking about scammers coming out in full force to get people’s money – and NOT send it to Haiti.  I made a donation to Bill Clinton’s organization before he and the last President Bush joined forces.  The reason?  Mainly because 100% of the money collected will go directly to the Haitians.  And, it’s getting there now, not someday – see the email I received below.

Click on the email below to get to President Clinton’s donation page.  And, look in the right column of this blog for other ways to donate.

The people of Haiti will remain in my prayers.

As I’m sure you’ve heard, if not felt, a good portion of the US has been experiencing below normal temperatures.

I’m not really sure what normal temperatures are any more.  This summer, the Atlanta area experienced higher than normal temperatures – this winter, lower than normal.  So, I’m wondering if the definition of “normal” is going to change.  But, I digress.  Again.

Here in the South, 2″ of snow will close everything down.  And, it’s a good thing, too.  Many Southerners don’t know the first thing about driving in snow or ice.

Last Friday we got 2″ of snow.  Under normal conditions, everything would have closed down Friday, and then opened up when the snow melted on Saturday.  However, a bit of snow can turn into a disaster when you have an extended period of below — way below — freezing temperatures.  I didn’t venture out until Monday.  Why?  Well, silly things were happening on the roads!

On one exit ramp TWENTY SEVEN cars ran into each other sliding in snow and ice.  Drivers admitted that they were going about 40 MPH.  Any Yankee will tell you that you probably shouldn’t be going that fast on an off ramp anyway, and certainly not in icy conditions.

Other drivers who were interviewed after sliding into other cars or smashing head on into trees said pretty much the same thing: “I slammed on my brakes and the car just locked up”.   Well, yes.  That’s what happens when you slam on your brakes on an icy road.

As a Yankee myself, I don’t ever remember being taught how to drive in snow and ice.  I don’t remember that as a chapter in the driver’s education class I took.  I guess it must be knowledge that is just handed down from generation to generation.

Unfortunately, the word never seems to have drifted down very far south.  So, for anyone who is still wondering what to do, here’s the deal:

• NEVER slam on your brakes on a slippery road – pump your brakes when necessary.
• Use very small movements of the wheel to adjust your course if you’re about to run into something. 
• Otherwise, just enjoy the glide. . .  I mean ride.

If you do run into something, odds are you won’t be injured.  But, please!  Remember that the reason you’re in that mess to begin with is because the roads are slippery!  Do NOT leap out of your car to check the damage and start doing an impression of a newborn giraffe.  Ending up on your (how does one spell tookus?) isn’t going to fix anything.

For the moment, the disaster is over.  Temps tomorrow are predicted in the high 40′s, which should get rid of any last vestige of snow.  However, I’ve heard predictions of another artic blast or two happening before the winter is out.

So, please, everyone, do some studying up on winter driving before the next one hits.   Practice pumping your brakes, using a low gear (yes, even automatic transmissions have low gears, you probably just never think about them being useful for anything), and changing lanes using a series of small adjustments with the steering wheel (only on an empty road, of course).

Let’s all bone up on our winter driving skills and maybe we’ll be able to avoid disaster during the next 2″  “snow storm”!

Please Note:  Our office will be closed from Thursday, December 31 through Sunday, January 3.

It seems like just a bit ago, a famous futuristic novel was predicting dire situations in 1984, then we all wanted to party like it was 1999, then we were holding our collective breath to see if the 2000 disaster was going to strike!  And, I guess the rest of the first 9 (or 10 depending on how you count) years of the new millenium have just flashed by.

I’m sure we’ve all had triumphs and disasters, and there have been great real estate markets and really bad ones.  But, we’re all still here, and I’m wishing the best for all of us in 2010.

Remember our military at the holidays!  As you may know, there are many ways  to show support for our military folks who give so much all year around.  Here are a few – there’s still time to send an email of support!

• Send a postcard to someone in the military.  Visit Let’s Say Thanks.  Xerox Corporation has set up this website where you can select a postcard from among designs created by children all across the country, and personalize it with your own greeting.  The postcards are then printed by Xerox and mailed in care packages sent to military personnel serving overseas by a military support organization, Give2TheTroops.
• Send an e-mail.  Visit America Supports You. 

And, please join me in a prayer for peace.  And better access to affordable healthcare. 

I don’t know about you – maybe it’s my advanced age.  But, I do say some of the strangest things.  Undoubtedly phrases handed down through the years that have just gotten stuck in my brain somewhere, and come popping out at the most inopportune times.

Have you ever wondered about how these expressions got started?  How about “Oh, for the love of Mike!”.  I actually said that the other day, so I looked it up on the Internet and learned that the phrase is actually 600-800 years old.  It’s a mild curse often used by soldiers as a substitute for “Oh, for the love of God!”, which some thought was blasphemous.  Mike is short for St. Michael, the patron saint of soldiers and warriors.

I also discovered that people worked hard to find a way to use Jesus Christ in a mild oath without actually taking His name in vain.  Supposedly, Jeepers Creepers is one alternative.  And, the name Jiminy Crickett was also cited as an alternative.  Do you think Walt Disney was making a play on words when he named the famous wooden boy??

Here’s another one:  “The best thing since sliced bread”.  I wonder what they said before someone invented sliced bread?

Here’s a silly Canadian saying:  “So happy she had a grin as wide as the St. Lawrence”.  Hmmm.   And, a Canadian way of describing someone who is overly talkative: “That dude’s got more tongue than a Mountie’s boot.”  That gives me a really awful visual image.

And, good old Shakespeare gave us this one: “It’s Greek to me”.  I wonder why the Greeks?  Why not Japanese or some other language?

So, I guess it’s obvious that, for some reason, we humans tend to latch on to a phrase and stick with it for years.  Hundreds of them, in fact.

I wonder what phrases we will contribute to the world’s sayings.  Do you think 800 years from now surprised people will describe themselves as gobsmacked?  When people are in a confusing situation, will they say that something is hinky?  When they’re sure that something is wrong, will they call it jacked up?

Somehow our current slang just doesn’t have the ring of the older phrases.  But, I suppose I shouldn’t make fun of our language evolution.

My bad.