Stormy.

Last night I was watching the Boston Bruins dismantle the Vancouver Canucks in the game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and I noticed a severe thunderstorm warning report banner across the bottom of my t.v. screen. Mother Nature had the decency to wait until after the game before unleasing strong winds and dumping lots of water on the Boro. The water is needed, as the Boro has been quite dry over the past month or so. The wind? Not so much. Anyway, I've posted some weather music in Blues, Country, Classic Rock and Hip-Hop. Surely there's something to like in there, no?

Spring, Spring, Already!

I'm tired of winter. Punxatawney Phil apparently told us February 2nd- on Groundhog Day- that we'd have an early Spring. I found that using Wikipedia, of course, but in checking, I was dismayed to discover that there are lots of different_groundhogs, that play this shadow game, and a lot of 'em thought we'd have six more weeks of Winter. Great. It appears this Groundhog Day stuff might be kind of arbitrary. Next thing you know, they'll be telling me professional Wrestling's fixed!

Give Me Monet (That's What I Want)...

This morning, as I looked vaguely out of my back window at the icestorm beyond, I was struck by a "life imitates art, imitates life" moment. I've been out of the U.S. of A. only three times in my life. In one of those visits my buddy, Dirk, took me to the Vincent Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. He left an impression on me (or, I should say, a "post-impressionist" impression). See how that view out of the window is reminiscent of the blurred quasi-reality in Van Gogh's paintings? No? Maybe I'm crazy. Wait, that's what HE said!

Well, maybe Claude Monet is more like it.

Yeah, give me Monet; that's what I want!

Roadtrip: Myrtle Beach 2010

After working our tails off for the past couple of months, Harris and I needed a break. The annual Public Defender's Conference in Myrtle Beach sounded like just the ticket. Pancake houses, cheap T-Shirt shops and Calabash shrimp galore. The weather as Lady Di and I left the Boro was abysmal. Naturally, the Horry County Chamber of Commerce would make sure we wouldn't encounter anything like that up the coast, right? This was what it looked and sounded like:




Diane and I dealt with the weather the way one is supposed to deal with such things: we went to a Mexican Restaurant. She got a margarita. I opted for something a bit more adventurous. The waitress told me that many Mexican men drank a combination of tomato juice, lime, spices and beer called a michelada. Fizzy tomato juice. Ugh! I didn't order a second one (My fish tacos were pretty good, though).

The next day I set out for the Public Defender's Conference. We weren't the only game in town. There were bunches of groups about. Various nurses and police squads mingled with "The Southern Society of Electroneurodiagnostic Technicians". Hey, I'd've joined; I just forgot to get my paperwork out... Oops! Don't want to go in here. Not after the michelada incident the night before.

Cash bar for the perinatal crowd? Does your doctor know about this? Waddya mean that IS your doctor? Better not let those Church Ladies find out!

That rain was awful. The tennis courts didn't get much action...

...but at least the tennis courts were open. How bad does a storm have to be to close down an indoor pool?

Lady Di figured out the best use of our time there.

On Tuesday afternoon, we had a few gorgeous minutes at Sunset, before the rain started up again.

Not a lot of toys this year. Usually the conventions are filled with vendors selling services and books. One book vendor and the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers was it. I went to Myrtle Beach, and all I got was this crummy squeeze ball.

Winter Wonderland.

It snowed last night in the Boro. It snowed really, rather a lot. Over the years we've gotten a dusting of snow. Last year we got there was enough snow to make itty, bitty car snowmen, but in the 22 years I've lived in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, I've not seen the likes of this.

Let's get a reaction from an area woman:

Chilly Outside; Chili Inside.

It's 22 degrees outside. We had a little respite on Friday. Got up to, like, 45 or so. Now, it's just cold. Time for something hardy to eat. Chilly weather is chili weather.

Rain, Rain, Go Away.

Good for the grass. Blah, blah. It's a Rainy Day, AND a Monday. Oughta be double indemnity.

Winter Wonderland.

Tuesday we had snow in the Boro. First time it's happened in the two and a half years I've been here. Taylor took advantage of it by building a car-snowman. Neighbor John-originally from Maine so he knows from snowmen- added the arms.

Hail to the Boro.

The region has been getting some bad weather the past few days. Maybe not as bad as Atlanta, but not nice. Last night we had a hail storm. My covered front porch was, well, covered in it. Seemed like there ought to be some use for it.


Here we go. My "dogs playing pool" needed a new cueball, applied by My Friend Amy. What? You don't have a black velvet "dogs playing pool" in your home? I'll interpret your condescending tone as jealousy, thank you very much.


Hail is ice, which is just what I needed for my, er, applejuice. We need another hailstorm. I'm thirsty.