I arrived in Chicago in mid-2001, a few months after the city got socked by a nasty, snowy winter. What followed were three straight mild winters. For example, the winter of 2001-02 didn't see a Chicago snowstorm until mid-January. Last winter featured a few small snowstorms and a couple nasty cold snaps, but nothing major. This year was destined to be different, and your Reverend knew it, predicting a nasty winter as early as August. Sure, we didn't get a major snowstorm right after Election Day as I predicted, but then Chicago was so depressed over the election that we wouldn't have noticed an alien invasion, let alone a blizzard, so it may very well have occurred right under our noses.
Let me repeat this: I *told* you folks we were going to get socked with an ugly winter. I warned you. You could be in Hawaii right now with the intelligent people, but NOOOOO! All those excuses about jobs, kids, house repair et al, seem mighty flimsy now that you're up to your armpits in snowdrifts. I think Chicago owes me an apology for ignoring my warnings.
Dude, the weather so sucks completely, but i don't think Chicago owes you and apology. In fact I think you may owe the city an apology. You went on vacation and caused biblical flooding in Phoenix, and Las Vegas, although the "weather" in sin city might have been brought about by all the gambling and legalized prostitution, but now you are back less than a week and the heavens open up and pour snow out like it was shaking salt on movie popcorn.
Posted by: EIGHMIE | 23 January 2005 at 04:22 PM
Oh, waaa waaa. We've got eighteen inches of snow here in my town in Connecticut. (So they tell me; I haven't been out of my house since Saturday morning.) It ain't just Chicago and it ain't just you. Things are tough all over.
Posted by: Laura | 24 January 2005 at 06:19 AM
we got 38" (yes, over three feet) where we are and snow drifts up to 8'and it is still below zero with wind chill and more snow is forecast for Wednesday.. so there!
Posted by: Lori | 24 January 2005 at 07:58 AM
Actually, so far this winter isn't that bad. People *always* say we're having a bad winter whether we are or are not.
I mean, which would you rather have? A metric ton of snow like we've had lately or windchill so bitterly cold it hurts to breathe and your eyeballs freeze? Those are mutually exclusive since at a certain temperature it's too cold to snow, so take your pick.
Personally I'm just glad the last ice storm passed us by. Those are SO much worse, IMO. And don't make me break out stories of the blizzard of '79 or the year the temperature was -20 deg F and the windchill was -80 deg F.
Negative. Eighty.
It was Reagan's inauguration day, btw.
Posted by: AmyWOMAN | 24 January 2005 at 03:03 PM
Oh, pfft to the lot of yas. But you're right, Amy: I much prefer the snow to ice storms. I remember the last ice storm I witnessed; some kid got electrocuted and Christina Ricci was cuddling with a 12-year old. Not a pretty sight.
As for breaking out stories about bad Chi-town weather, feel free to do so, but make sure you use a grizzled oldster voice. "You call this cold? I remember back in '81, whats-her-name, Byrne was the mayor, and it was Reagan's inauguration day, I recall, it was ninety below zero, and frozen pigeons fell from the sky, we set Indiana on fire justa keep warm, and ya couldn't go to the bathroom without the toilet seat freezin' to yer... hey! Come back here!"
Posted by: Reverend H.L. Spork | 25 January 2005 at 02:08 AM
Didn't Byrne get elected in part because of the snow?
And as Dan noted while watching the Blue Brothers, "This movie never could have been made except while Jane Byrne was mayor."
So we have snow to thank for one of the greatest movies ever. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to meditate on this the next time one feels inclined to criticize winter.
Posted by: Myke | 25 January 2005 at 09:21 AM
Greetings from NC. First of all, I'd like to say that I feel terrible for all of you guys up North. I remember vividly how much it sucks, trust me.
Meanwhile in other parts, it's 50 degrees and sunny here today. Our "cold snap" (temp. in the thirties during the day) has apparently finally passed and people have stopped complaining to one another about how horribly cold it is. Makes you guys want to smack the hell outta someone, doesn't it?
It ain't Hawaii, but Charlotte's probably looking pretty good right about now, isn't it R. Spork?
Posted by: sister of lovely woman | 25 January 2005 at 11:21 AM
Didn't Byrne get elected in part because of the snow?
And as Dan noted while watching the Blue Brothers, "This movie never could have been made except while Jane Byrne was mayor."
True on both counts. Mild-mannered Mayor Bilandic couldn't handle the incredible amount of snow and ice and it definitely cost him the election. To be fair, at first it snowed 20 inches on top of the 10 inches already on the ground, then a total of 7 feet of snow fell from November to February, it got too cold to melt any of it, and he was just an interim mayor in the first place. And yes, only Jane Byrne would have allowed such rampant destruction of so many cop cars.
Posted by: AmyWOMAN | 25 January 2005 at 01:01 PM
Charlotte looking good? Yeah, until June, when it turns into a humid swamp. Get rid of the humidity and the pink building, and I'll consider moving there.
How funny: I post about my vacation, politics, Willy Wonka, 9/11, even throw in stuff about marital aids, and this post gets the most replies of all of them. It just goes to show ya, what folks really like to talk about is the weather. It's the ultimate conversation starter.
Posted by: Reverend H.L. Spork | 25 January 2005 at 11:50 PM