Fun and weird stuff...

[Racket_Man]

with all of the cold and snow and ice and rain of recent I was reminded of several things that I have done during said "nasty weather" periods

The Fun project

I lived in Chicago during the 1990's. somewhere around 1994 we experienced a really bad cold snap in the month of Feb. The average daily high temps were like -5F and at night -15F without the windchill factor.

One windless night I got the bright idea of seeing if soap bubbles would instantly freeze if blown in such cold temps. my daughter and I got bundled up and went outside. we blew bubbles and watched them literally freeze in the air, slowly drift to the ground, sit there for a moment, and then drift off when blown by a slight breeze. the bubbles stayed more or less intact most of the way down the block until they hit something and shattered.

we then batted some frozen bubbles in the air and watched soap bubble "snow" gently drift to the ground.

The Practical Project

during the same period I worked at a mortgage company. the building I worked in was one story with mutipule securecard access doors. because the temps were still so low during the day and night I took to taking out the battery in my car so I could at least start my car at the beginning and end of the day.

I got some really strange looks as I carried my battery to my cubicle (wrapped in a towel with the terminals covered). people asked me what the heck I was doing. I owned a rather simple and basic car at the time (a 1984 Toyoda Tercel no electronic this or that). I explained the car starting thing and still got weird looks UNTIL a couple of days into the cold snap they had loads of trouble starting their cars whilst walkede outside, installed my battery turned the key and VROOOMMMMM mine stated right up.



where I am going with this is what strange or fun or practial (read unusual) things have you done while the winter weather swirls around. I am not talking about going out and making snow angels or writing your name in the snow type things

Oh and Jester is not allowed to post on this thead cause he is in shorts and Tee-shirt optional land

[terakhan]

Curses. It never gets cold enough here to do the bubble thing.

[Mikkel]

I think I'll go buy some bubbles now in the hope we will get a cold spell here. I guess less than -15F will do the trick, -5F isn't unusual here, with no wind and a thin walled bubble it may be enough.
I suppose the bubble will stay up until the air inside it is close to the temperature outside.

[AdminAssistant]

-9 here, I wish I had some bubbles so I could try it.

[Treasure]

wow, i think i'm gonna have to try the bubble thing - and we have "evil" bubbles that don't pop already - this could be verrry inter-esting......
(giggles like a school girl with a crush!)

[Rapscallion]

Most of the bubble mixtures are chemically the same as washing up liquid (dish soap?). A bit of thin wire twisted into a reasonable hoop should be all you need.

Rapscallion

[AccountingDrone]

I used to carry my windshield brush in with me, and got lots of strange looks [CT was in a warm phase and it rarely actually snowed in the winter] Until one winter when it snowed pretty heavily while we were all in at work ...

I had more people asking if they could borrow it when they saw me brushing the car off and not opening the door to have a snowbank fall off the roof and onto the drivers seat

I also used to have a Dodge Caravan, and I carried a small push broom to sweep the snow off, way faster than the tiny little brushes you can buy

[protege]

I also used to have a Dodge Caravan, and I carried a small push broom to sweep the snow off, way faster than the tiny little brushes you can buy

I too use a push broom to remove snow from the car. Easier and faster to knock it off the Corolla's hood and roof that way. So far, it hasn't been cold enough to prevent my car from starting. It's been pretty cold in the past--when I still had my Tempo, that thing wouldn't start one morning. A simple piece of cardboard tied across the grille made a crude 'blind' that allowed the car to start even on the coldest mornings.

[Mishi]

I wish we could try the bubbles thing! I live in a sub-tropical area though, so it'll have to wait until the kids are older and we take them down to the snowfields.

We went rollerblading during Red Alerts when my siblings and I were kids, but that was 'normal'. Most kids in the town played in the rain and wind (during the daytime) until the cyclone was just about to cross the coast.

[JustaCashier]

Back in late December of Nineteen Aught Ninety Six we had (for us) a significant snow that was followed by a (for us) significant deep freeze. I think we even had more snow, a few days after the initial. This was when I still worked Downtown, in the parking garage, and I lived in a part of the City, which is over a bridge, about 7 miles from my job location.

It had started on a Monday, and by Friday I was sick of it. This was a few years after my one and only car died, so I was relying on the bus. The bus drivers and the bus system were doing their best, I felt, but I was just sick of not knowing how long it would be until the bus came, would there even be standing room on it, whether we'd get stuck/breakdown on the way home, or whatever.

So, on Friday, I decided instead of going to the regular bus stop to catch my regular bus route, I'd go even further, in a different direction, to where I'd have a choice of catching that route, another that would take me to the same bus stop about a block from home as my usual one (the alternate route was a "milk run" that takes local streets all the way, instead of hopping onto a section of highway for a couple miles or so, in between Downtown, and my part of town), another that would get me about 3/4 of a mile from home, or yet another route that would get me within a half mile of home from a different direction. I figured as log as I got that close, I could walk the rest of the way, or maybe even transfer to another bus that didn't come out of Downtown, but went within a block of my house.

As soon as I get to one of the streets my normal bus ran on, I started looking back to see if I could see it, or one of the alternates (the one that would get me about 3/4 of a mile from home) were coming along, while still trudging my way over to the street that all of the routes ran on.

Well, at one point I turn my head, and see a bus on a route I didn't even consider. It goes over the bridge into my part of town, but runs along the east edge of the community, whereas I lived over toward the west edge. I quickly debated in my mind, figuring it would at least get me over the bridge, and then I could best case scenario transfer to one of the others, or if none showed after waiting a bit, walk the rest of the way home, probably about three miles, with some nasty up-hills. At least I'd be on "my" side of the bridge.

What I forgot, was that this route didn't stop at the stop common to the others on my side of the bridge, but at a stop maybe the equivalent of a couple blocks away, but backtracking a bit, and waiting for (I think) at least two "WALK" lights at a crazy intersection.

So, I decide to hoof it home from right there. Hike for maybe a half mile or so before reaching the real nasty hill, get up that, across a main arterial with no traffic/pedestrian light, up another significant hill, over what is basically a freeway pedestrian bridge, and just beyond that, by a few blocks, is a buddy's place. It also happens to probably be about the halfway point of my arctic trek. I'll stop by, see if he's home, and if so, hang for awhile and rest before continuing on!

He was home, so I went in, sat down, and told him what was going on. He apologized that he couldn't drive me home, as his early-mid '80's Camaro wouldn't be worth a shit in the snow. That was cool, I didn't expect a ride, and would feel bad if something happened to the car.

He asked me if I wanted hot buttered rum. Of course I said yes, and he proceeded to fix me a rather potent one! We sat and BS'ed for awhile, probably at least an hour, as I enjoyed maybe a couple more hot buttered rums. Finally decided it was time to head the rest of the way home, and my buddy asked if I wanted to stay for one more hot buttered rum. I replied "No, I really need to get going, however...." and I whipped out my large commuter cup, that I used for my coffee at work, from my backpack. ".....I will take one for the road!" (I'm sure I pointed out the fact that it was a large mug, probably nearly double a regular cup/mug, and he should take that into consideration when mixing the drink, to ensure consistent potency in comparison to the previous ones.)

So, already sporting a decent buzz, with my tasty hot buttered rum safely ensconced in my large, sip-lidded commuter mug, I head back out. A few blocks up, I get to a point of where instead continuing southbound along the street I'm on, I choose to divert a few blocks west to a business district, then continuing south and on home.

So, here I am, well buzzed but not falling down drunk, walking down this business district, hot buttered rum in hand, taking sips here and there, and there, and.... having a good ol' time and actually enjoying the snow, and all of the still up Christmas decorations!

Headed on home from there, but not before stopping by the little corner store about a block from my house, and stopping in for a chat with the guy who ran it!

Mike

[Bella_Vixen]

opening the door to have a snowbank fall off the roof and onto the drivers seat

Which is why I keep all my brushes and scrapers on the passenger side AND open the passenger side door to retrieve said brushes and scrapers.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Most of the bubble mixtures are chemically the same as washing up liquid (dish soap?). A bit of thin wire twisted into a reasonable hoop should be all you need.

Rapscallion

Dish soap by itself is probably too thick, but there's lots of recipes online for making bubbles. For example. (At the bottom is a basic recipe that's just 1:1 soap and water.) That sounds like sooo much fun (and I don't even have a kid), but it doesn't get cold enough here, probably (34 right now).

There is a giant snowman that I pass on my way to work. He's probably got a diameter of at least 4 feet and has to be at least 6 feet tall. (He looks even taller because he is sitting on top of a couple feet of snow; he comes to probably about a foot below the roof of the house's porch.) I noticed yesterday that his buttons are either beer or soda cans (the opening looks pretty wide so I'm thinking beer). I tried to get a picture but the traffic didn't stop long enough.

Which is why I keep all my brushes and scrapers on the passenger side AND open the passenger side door to retrieve said brushes and scrapers.

I keep mine in the back seat. No one ever sits back there. Once the weather warms up I just throw everything in the trunk. Then when winter rolls around again I don't have to worry about forgetting to put them back in the car.