It doesn’t take too much to get Micah excited about ice cream, but I played it up, mostly to emphasize to him what a great dad I am.  We arrived at our local McDonalds, hopped out of the car, and headed in.  I proudly ordered, only to be told I couldn’t order an ice cream cone.  Their ice cream machine was broken, meaning no shakes, cones, McFlurries, etc.  I pointed out the disappointed toddler at my side, but was determined to get Micah what I had promised.  We got back in the car and headed down the street to the next closest McDonalds.

I was prepared to present the sob story upon ordering, thinking we’d maybe get an extra twist of that high-quality McDonalds ice cream on top of the cone.  I repeated the order at the second store … only to be told I couldn’t order ice cream.  They were all out of the ice cream mix.  I once again pointed out the disappointed toddler, and the cashier assured me their machine was working– it was just the mix they were missing.  Not helpful.  (For the record, Micah handled it like a champ.  He just wanted to know why the machine at the first store was broken.)

Wash.  Rinse.  Repeat.  We headed to the third McDonalds, and finally got that “free” ice cream cone.  Sure, we drove by multiple ice cream establishments along the way (including our favorite), but then I couldn’t have used the coupon.  Surely you understand.

While I enjoy giving the VA natives a hard time about the snow paranoia, there is one custom I have  yet to understand.  For some reason people extend the windshield wipers on their cars whenever snow is predicted.  It’s quite humorous to see commuter lots full of cars with their windshield wipers sticking straight up in the air.

I’m assuming the thought is that it will keep the wipers from being frozen to the windshield.  However, the windshield still gets frozen over and allows the wipers to become coated with snow and/or freezing rain on all sides.  Surely there’s a logical explanation.  Perhaps one day all of us MI transplants here will get to the bottom of the waving wiper strategy.

Unlike the first one in CA, I was at work in Northern VA for this one, a location where earthquakes don’t exactly happen every day. And even though it registered a whopping 1.8 on the Richter scale (Rachel wasn’t impressed), I definitely heard this one and felt a little something. I’m assuming that’s mostly due to the fact I was only 10 miles or so from the epicenter. It was loud enough that most people at work stood up, looked over the cube walls, and decided to keep doing email.

Even so, Easy Targets will be playing a couple dodgeball games tonight.

It’s comforting that the locals think this is hot weather, too, in spite of their insistence that it’s been a mild summer.

* A guy in the cube next to me parked his car over a mile away yesterday because there’s a hill on the street leading to our building. Apparently it froze during a storm several years ago and caused a traffic backup. Hearing the weather forecast, he wasn’t going to risk it this time around.

* The schools closed all day yesterday in anticipation of the storms, before it even started snowing or raining. The rain didn’t start until early evening.

* The traffic reports on the radio today are spending more time telling you how to drive than they are giving updates on the accidents. (E.g., “Speed is your enemy.” “Because the roads are covered in ice, you need to allow more time to brake.”)

Well, the status of the Federal Government is apparently the thing to watch around here. They let out early yesterday, and have a 2 hour delay today, except for “essential” employees, I believe. It’s still unclear as to how that impacts my work schedule, so I braved the elements and drove in to work this morning. Knowing the commute would be a bit longer than usual, I figured I’d stop off at Starbuck’s and get something dark, bold, and black to drink to make the trip more enjoyable. I pulled into the parking lot, and the store was completely dark. They were closed. They can close because of weather?! Surely, if anyone is considered “essential,” it should be Starbuck’s employees.

Folks back in G.R. (here, here, and here) are talking about the blizzard that’s blowing through West Michigan this weekend. Lest you think we don’t have our fair share of winter weather here, you’ll be pleased to know we had a Winter Weather Advisory earlier this week. The forecast was calling for 1 to 3 inches of snow, followed by freezing rain. Kids and teachers were making plans for a day off of school, and parents were dreading child care logistics. The end result? We got a little bit of rain the day after the advisory was cancelled. (To be fair, many a forecasted storm in Michigan never amounted to anything.) On my way to and from work during the 2 days of the advisory, huge dump truck plows loaded with salt were parked along the shoulder of the highway. The drivers of the plows were hunched over their steering wheels sleeping, waiting for the storm. They must have thought the sunshine we were experiencing at the time was the calm before the storm. I’m sure there’s a reason they wait on the highway before the inclement weather even comes, but I was amused nonetheless.

We did get a couple inches of snow on a Sunday recently, and temperatures have been dipping well below freezing at night, so I guess winter is here.

Hmmm. According to my calendar, there’s only one week left for the weather to get its act together. There’s no way Santa’s going to be able to land here if this keeps up.