OK, it's not that the Cubs lost 10-7. It's not that the Brewers beat them. And it's not that it was 2°C in the park.
No, it's the combination of all of those things that made me wimp out after three innings.
Three innings. I'm so ashamed.
Yep, not flying today. Winds at 31 km/h gusting to 47 km/h.
That's what my flight instructor said when the weather looked breezy. Tomorrow's forecast calls for 52 km/h gusts, so I might stay on the ground.
Another flight scheduled, another flight cancelled. Welcome to Chicago.
Yup. That was, in fact, an earthquake this morning.
Update: Duh. Today's the anniversary of the Great San Francisco Quake 102 years ago. Holy meaningless coincidence, Batman!
I'm not usually personal in this blog, but a combination of things have occurred over the past 24 hours that feel pretty good.
First, my apartment is done. Done, done, done. The last door was hung on the last doorframe, the last stick of furniture found a good home for itself, the last drop of paint splatted on the wall. Done.
Second—and this is, I'm not kidding, front-page news in Chicago—the temperature hit 21°C today for the first time in six months (it was 27°C on October 21st).
And finally, I believe I've broken a logjam (passed a kidney stone? sailed around the Horn?) at my office.
I will celebrate with beer, a book, and fresh air this evening.
From Chicago Tribune weather forecaster Tom Skilling:
Chicago's 2007-08 snowfall tally eased above 153 cm Thursday, making it one of only seven season to reach or exceed 60 inches. ... Thursday's 4.3 cm at O'Hare became the city's 43rd day of measurable snow. No season since 1978-79 has recorded more days of measurable (2.5 mm) snow.
Skilling yesterday gave the cheery forecast that the Cubs' home opener Monday will get rained out.
Finally, did you know the U.S. government patented the atomic bomb? This suggests a tactic we can use against North Korea: sue them for infringement! Forget the 82nd Airborne, send the patent attorneys!
Snow has started falling in Chicago this morning, with predictions of 25 cm by tomorrow:
Northern Cook County and Lake County could see as much as 9 inches of it by late afternoon, according to Rich Brumer, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Chicago and the western suburbs could see 4 to 6 inches, while the south suburbs may get 2 to 3.
The worst of today's snowfall, which Brumer described as "wet and heavy," should occur between mid-morning and early afternoon.
"By the evening rush hour, things should be letting up a bit," Brumer said. "We should get a reprieve by this morning's rush; the heavier stuff shouldn't occur."
Oh, I hope it lets up by this afternoon. I really do.
For those of you who missed it last night, we had a total lunar eclipse, which the cold, clear weather in Chicago let us see perfectly:
Yes, today I had my sixth consecutive flight cancellation. The sky is clear, visibility is 80 km, but the -19°C temperatures and 60 km/h wind gusts are just too much for the ancient Piper Warrior I rent.
The City of Evanston, my birthplace, bastion of good government, where I have lived for just over three years, has run out of road salt:
[Evanston Public Works chief] David Jennings says that on Wednesday "our salt supplier notified us that they could not honor the balance of our current order, about 1,100 tons, due to difficulties in getting their supply of salt to the distribution point that serves us."
Jennings says city crews have stopped salting residential streets, but are continuing to plow. "This means that most of these streets will develop 'snowpack' which is smooth in some areas, but tends to rut and develop a washboard surface as traffic packs it down."
I can attest to the 'washboard' surface as driving Parker to day camp the last two days was like driving over two miles of railroad tracks. Oh well, snow does melt eventually, and we should have above-freezing temperatures in a month or two.