Sneaky snow

I walked outside a moment ago and what should I see but this:

I had no idea that snow was predicted. Similarly, on Monday, Memphis awoke to some surprise snow that was not forecasted. It was as if the media got wrapped up in the Superbowl and missed the system that moved in.
(Today, February 14)
















(Monday, February 11)





(Saturday, January 30)
A week before that surprise, Memphis was paralyzed for about 4 days with snow, then ice, then snow. The storm was well-predicted, but we hoped that it would miss us because Madison's birthday party was scheduled for Saturday. Seize the Clay, the party venue, didn't even open that day. Memphis City Schools, University of Memphis, and L'Ecole Culinaire were all closed on Friday, January 29, so we all got to stay home.

Since rescheduling due to snow, we also had to reschedule due to illness when Maddie was sick last weekend. We're on the books for next weekend - the third date we've tried. It will be almost a month after her actual birthday, but that just means that everyone is really looking forward to it.


I thought it seemed like a lot of snow for this year as well as lots of rain during the fall. I decided to make a graph to compare the observed precipitation of the last 12 months to the average precipitation for Memphis based on data recorded from 1971 to 2000.

Check it: lots of months with above average precipitation
(snow included)


Now you know.

Assignment: self-aggrandizement

I have decided to start a blog, an act I've always considered pretty arrogant and self-centered. I used to blog a bit over on myspace, but I lost the drive for a while.

In the past, whenever I wrote anything, from a book report in elementary school to college application essays, my mom was my intended audience, mostly because she would be sincerely interested and provide constructive criticism. It didn't matter if she going to see what I'd written, I would still hold myself to that standard. Even though she's gone now, I'm still writing to my mom. I don't know if anyone else is interested, and I still appreciate constructive criticism. But I've decided that, even if no one is listening, this exercise could still be cathartic and self-reflective.

So, here I go again - no roadmap, but headed somewhere.