The Weather Outside Is [Insert Adjective Here]

    Last weekend marked the first major winter storm of the season.  I first heard inklings about this storm a week before it happened.  My mother heard about it from one of her contacts in the highway department, whom she first called years ago about one project or another that she was complaining about.  Anyway, she phoned him about another road work incident when he informed her about the upcoming storm.  The highway department gets direct information from the Jackson weather service, and they had just issued the first alert about the upcoming storm.  One early model had a foot of snow forecast for the area.  When I got home that night, the local television station's weather forecaster suggested not to take too much credence about this early model, as it was the US one which is frequently imprecise about long-range snow accumulation.  The European model had less than an inch of snow forecast for the area.  (I saw this model on The Weather Channel.). This model is usually better at predicting snow over a longer period of time. Regardless, I started to make preparations for the storm.  I usually make plans for Christmas well ahead of schedule anyway, but the forecast for snow and very low temperatures put a new wrinkle on the planning.  I made sure there was enough food to last through that Saturday, or even through Monday morning if alterations had to be made.  Two problems came up at the last minute though.  First, a part on my car started to act up.  It would not be a problem, yet, but an appointment was made for last Thursday to get it fixed, once a part came in.  Second, a final, emergency delivery of chocolate-covered cherries was being sent down from Barboursville.  They came in well before the store closed Thursday.  Too bad the part for my car didn't.  The dealership said to check Friday, and if the part and mechanics came in, they would try to get the car repaired.  That night, I was watching the weather almost non-stop.  By then, the forecast had removed almost all of the snow, leaving mostly a dusting less than an inch, but there would still be very strong gusty winds before the temps tumbled down into the single digits.  I left the heat on high until just before going to bed, in case the power went off in the night.  That was a mistake.  Even with just a single blanket on, I was burning up.  I was even sweating.  That, paired up with a neighbor who had kept their lights on and had a child yelling for awhile, prevented me from going to sleep for over thirty minutes.  When I did fall asleep, to the sound of light rain, it wasn't for long.  I woke up around 2:30 still slightly sweaty, but it had snowed some.  I woke up again about two hours later.  I was no longer sweaty, and the snow seemed to have covered the ground.  It was noticeably colder, so that was when I started to let the water run in my interior half bath.  I got up at my usual time Friday morning.  The temps had already plunged to the low teens, and the wind was gusty fierce.  However, the power was still on and people were still occasionally on the road.  I hadn't heard any scrappers go by, but there was barely a thin layer of ice under the dusting of snow.  I saw reports of road conditions online, with most suggesting it was possible to go out, but to be extra careful.  I started my regular morning routine to get to work, but stopped just short until I could contact the car dealership.  Turns out, not only was the part still not in, probably due to shipping problems and the icy conditions, but that the place would be closed until Monday for the holidays.  The earliest I could take the car in would be Tuesday.   So, I decided not to open the store Friday.  I just watched the weather, played a few computer games, and cocooned in a blanket to rest for the day.  I still had to go in Saturday though.  I had to check up on the store and, hopefully, have a few last-second shoppers for Christmas.  It took me twice as long as normal to clear the snow and ice off my car.  Including warming breaks.  I should have took more, as my face got very cold.  (I might need a balaclava one of these days.) I took the long way to the store, avoiding the most treacherous roads if they were still ice-covered, and left late to get the maximum road clearing and traffic flow.  Turns out, I probably could have taken my usual route, albeit slightly later than normal, but I still opened the store.  We did have two customers that morning, including one box of cherries, but no one that afternoon.  We closed early and went home.  No other problems the entire weekend, save that the air-conditioner cover had been blown off and lost, but someone found it and brought it back a few days later.  Just yesterday, multiple leaks erupted in the water lines, but none directly near me.  Still, the water pressure went down.  All-in-all, this first storm of the season was cold, but not really that bad for me. 

This Is the Winter of My Discord

     I was late in the whole email address thing, not getting my first one until 2016 or so.  I know, that seems unbelievable, but it is true.  That first email address wasn't even mine.  Technically, it was my store's, but I used it as my own for various purposes.  I have my own personal email address now, but I still have my store's email for the business uses.  One of the first things I used this address for was to sign up for a forum on a gaming website I liked.  I liked reading many of the ideas that were expressed on it, even though I couldn't comment or respond to anything I saw there.  Over the years, I have since commented on many topics devoted to the specific games I liked.  However, I only started a thread for the first time a few weeks ago.  I was kind of scared finally starting a thread, since I was still unsure about all of the features and rules of the forum, but I felt that the information I had needed to be brought up immediately, since it was time-sensitive.  Because of that forum, I started exploring other forms of social media.  For instance, this very blog was started about the same time as my joining the forum.  Well, that forum is slated to be taken down later this week, as a part of a much-needed update.  Certain game forums, other than my favorites, were not working correctly.  New sub-forums couldn't be added, as the basic structure wouldn't allow it.  There are other minor ticks as well, but you can see my point.  Hopefully, the forums will only be down a short time before they can be brought back better than ever.  However, there is the possibility that they cannot be updated.  In this case, the original forums might have to be returned, if able.  There is also no timetable for how long the forums will be down.  I'm worried that the forums might not return.  I admit that the chance for this is small, but it is there.  This possibility has got me thinking about looking into the company's Discord account.  Now, I have heard some bad press about Discord, but I'm not sure what to believe.  As the discussions on the site are private, I have never been able to look into them.  I've been studying the site for months, even before the news about my forums came out.  One the one hand, I like being connected and in the loop.  I love the process of finding out new information even better than learning what the new info is sometimes.  On the other hand, there is something about the private nature of the site that scares me.  I am also afraid about the high learning curve on the site.  As I mentioned, I still don't have a full working knowledge of many of the social media sites I'm on.  I worry that I'm doing something wrong or missing out, because I don't have the working knowledge.  I'll probably try joining Discord in the next few days.  I'm still unsure if joining one discussion panel will allow me full access to other panel, or if I have to join each one separately.  I'll do more studying before this happens, of course, but I'm not sure if where I'll find the exact answers I need. Wish me luck on my latest assault in my takeover of social media.

Have Yourself a Cherry Little Christmas

    My mother became somewhat obsessed with a gift she got a few years ago.  It was a chocolate-covered cherry from one of the other business owners here ate the shopping center where I have my store, BookNotes.   In the years since that first gift, the number of cherries have increased to three or four.  My mother became so infatuated with them that she started looking for the confectioner who made them so that she could get some on her own.  She started her search last year, but it wasn't until this fall that she was able to find the store in Barboursville, West Virginia.  She asked others for help, but not me for some reason.  I mean, it only took me a few seconds to pinpoint the store's location on my Mac's Maps app.  We could actually drive there if we ever go to the city again.  Well, my mother made BookNotes the confectioner's only Kentucky outlet.  Two weeks ago, the huge shipment arrived.  My mother had most of the boxes sold within the week, save one box that was held back and has yet to be picked up.  This has been followed by an even larger second shipment this Monday.  A customer from Pikeville had visited the main location and brought down the cherries to save on shipping costs.  This second shipment included boxes of cherries flavored with Crown Royal Canadian whisky.  I had trouble finding available space for all of these boxes.  I was sticking them in empty spots that didn't interfere with anything else.  Mostly, I stuck them around the decorations, although I unfortunately had to stick a few by the 'Clearance' sign for heavily discounted books.  As they sold, I have had to rearrange the boxes.  They no longer overwhelm the available sale space, but the reserved boxes are hogging up room until they can be picked up.  I can't even access the spot for book orders because of all of the boxes.  Now, my mother claims that people who hate chocolate-covered cherries, as evidenced by someone who picked up a few boxes for relatives and wound up almost eating a box by themselves.  On the other hand, someone else all but spit out the bite they took of a sample cherry my mother handed out to one of her friends.  I too don't like them.  I like chocolate.  I like cherries, although the preserved maraschino ones are a little much for me.  I like the two flavors when combined, as in Black Forest cake.  However, when mixed with a syrupy filling, I hate them. I have tried various other chocolate-covered cherries over the decades, and I haven't really liked any of them, mostly due to the filling.  Then again, I also don't like chocolate milk or chocolate ice cream either, so there is a precedent for hating them.  The closest I have ever gotten to liking such things is when I tried chocolate-covered blueberries.  Yes, they do exist, or they did at one time.  I haven't really seen them in awhile.  There were ten, maybe twelve, in a standard size box.  They could have put all of them in a much smaller box, but I guess the company felt they could charge more with the bigger box.  I ate the blueberries, but the filling still wasn't exactly to my liking.  I think I got a second box, either later that same year or maybe the next Christmas, but I'm not sure.  As I just mentioned, I haven't been looking for them, so they might not be a thing any more.  About half of this second shipment has been sold, and I am surrounded by twenty red boxes all around my store in two sizes, two gold boxes of the alcohol filled ones, and seven more big red boxes waiting to be picked up as I finish writing this post.  Two smaller boxes were sold just as I was beginning to write.  As a sideline, I'm glad the store is selling so much.  As a treat, I just can't wait until they are gone so I don't have to be reminded of how much I dislike eating them.

Just Call Me a Sneakerhead

     I am not the type of person who likes the most popular things, usually.  Oh, sometimes I take into a trend or enjoy something that is overwhelmingly popular, but many times I don't.  That's just part of my unique style.  For instance, my favorite soft drink is Dr. Pepper.  My favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry.  And, my favorite brand of sneakers is Reebok.  They have been my favorites since high school.  I just got a pair, and I have stunk with the brand ever since.  Typically, I have bought basic white or black.  Sure, I would choose a slightly different style, but for the most part, I stick with the basic classic model.  That changed about ten or so years ago, when I saw this black pair of shoes with prominent white stripes on the sides.  I technically wasn't looking that closely for a new pair of sneakers, but I got them anyway.  Maybe I did need a new pair.  Can't remember, but that part is not important.  What is important?  I had a pair of shoes that was more than one color.  That pair of shoes quickly became my favorite sneakers.  Since then, I had to buy other replacement Reeboks.  Still basic black or white.  I tried to find something different, but not many places sell Reebok sneakers.  The main stores that do that I frequent didn't have as wide a selection as they used to.  The store where I got my favorite pair closed.  Well, earlier this year, maybe last year, my favorites started to tear up.  The sole started to split away from the upper on both shoes.  The band connecting the two pieces on one simply broke in two.  I took the sneakers to a repair shop, but they shoes kept tearing apart.  Well, I started to do a greater search for a new pair of Reeboks that I would like just as much.  While I started online, I prefer to shop in a physical location.  See, I have some unusual body measurements, and I really need to try things on.  Pants especially.  I have short legs and very weak glutes.  I barely can wear jeans.  I didn't even try any until college.  Shirts are easier, but with somewhat short arms and broad shoulders, I still can have problems.  Back to the point, I found interesting possibilities online, and I began a search in earnest this past summer.  I mentioned in a post a few months ago where I had found an ivory pair of Reeboks that were just different enough to catch my eye.  Alas, they didn't have my size.  I went one another shopping trip a few weeks ago.  Couldn't find a single pair that I had found online that matched my style.  So, I finally caved in and ordered a pair online.  I went with the store as opposed to the Reebok website, because the style I wanted was only available there.  Why the style wasn't on the main Reebok site is beyond me.  Maybe it is an exclusive.  Anyway, I was confident enough with Reebok to order the right shoes in my size, 10.  I did this over the Thanksgiving holiday.  The shoes were on sale, and I saved even more on shipping by having the shoes sent to the local storefront instead of having them delivered.  In fact, I got the pickup confirmation email about a week earlier than expected.  And here are my new pair of shoes.   Yes, they are navy blue with a white stripe with a yellow highlight down the side.  The right shoe was ever so slightly narrower than the left, so it was a little tight the first time I wore them, but they fit better the second time around.  Sure, they might not go with much, but they are a new style for me, and I'm okay with that