The first real blizzard of 2005 might as well have been Armageddon. At least that's what it looked like at a local supermarket and Home Depot.
Judging by weekend shopping sprees, nobody along the eastern seaboard owns a shovel, or rock salt (which is somewhat understandable), or an ice scraper for their cars.
Snow blowers blew out of Home Depot faster than the store could say "25 percent off."
And the grocery store was 100 times worse.
What is it about snow that compels people to stock up on gallons and gallons of bottled water, milk and dozens of eggs? Do they think the grocery store is going to be closed for a month after the snow is cleared? Is this the first time they've ever seen snow in their area?
Do they not know what to expect?
Look folks, unless you live in an extremely rural area where the concept of a snowplow has yet to reach you -- you need only stock up for one day, max. Come on people! Suburbia is not going to end as you know it after a foot of snow.
Click Here For Toby Dial's Strip On The Subject
4x4 Grrrs
Here's just a friendly reminder to all the four-wheel drive SUV owners blazing through the snow: Your big tires and awesome hazardous-condition handling will not prevent your vehicle from skidding in the snow or ice after you hit the brakes.
Sure, your wheels don't spin in the snow. Sure, you can blow by any rear-wheel drive sports car. Sure, you can get out of your driveway without shoveling. But you still have to stop after you get to where you're going, or at those pesky red lights, where a lot of you (and I'm included in the 4x4 crowd) skid into the rear ends of those stopped in front of you.
Please be more considerate of your fellow "snow-mobilers" and slow down.
Weather Reports ... Grrr!
So, it seems that when snow blankets a television station's market, the news directors send out their reporters to blanket the area with weather-related news coverage. That's all well and good, but wouldn't it be nice if the reporters actually talked to one another before filing their reports?
I saw several back-to-back reports from different towns -- and they were all exactly the same -- just different names and different people. Each reporter stood in the driving snow, cowering under his or her hood. Each reporter asked a motorist: "How is it getting around in the snow?" Each reporter asked the sanitation worker in the plow truck: "How much snow have you plowed?" Each reporter went to a supermarket and asked: "What did you stock up with?"
Same questions. Same answers. Different people. Thank goodness for football.
Stupid Lit'l Dreamers
This week's SLD mention goes to every sanitation worker out there who worked 48 hours straight plowing snow this weekend. People take what you do for granted, but here at the Grrr! we wanted you to know that your efforts are sincerely appreciated.
So thanks for plowing our city streets (even when you plow in my freshly shoveled driveway), and by design, keeping us safe.
Sincerely, The Grrr!Guy.
Now for Your Grrrs ....
Ken From Long Island, N.Y.: As most know, most of the Northeast was buried under 1' to 2' of snow Saturday into Sunday. On Monday, many trains were running late (if at all) and were overcrowded. As all the seats filled, riders were forced to stand in the aisle. Most were considerate, by moving into the back of the train so that new riders (the ones that were standing on the sub-freezing platforms) could get in easily. However, when one group of five riders got on, they stood right in front of the door so that it became difficult for new riders to get into the comfortably heated train. All was not lost as one passenger kindly asked them to move so that new riders could enter the train. He was ignored. He then volunteered to give up his seat to one of them if they would move back so that people outside the train could get in, he was ignored again. Finally, other considerate riders joined the call. The Inconsideratazzi relented and moved deeper into the train. I felt relieved and thought for a second that we might have snapped one or more Oblivions out of their narrow focus until one asked another just why they had to move and the other one replied, "I don't know."
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Until next week ... Grrr!
Mike Straka is the director of operations and special projects for FOXNews.com, and contributes as a features reporter on "FOX Magazine," and as a news cut-ins anchor on FOX News Channel. Mike also appeared in Analyze This. Read Mike's Bio.
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