Scenes from a Snowy Day

At the Gym...

-- Had anyone asked me before today what I thought of the Bravo TV shows The Millionaire Matchmaker and Shahs of Sunset I would not have known what to say, beyond wondering if I was being kidded by savvy young folks who knew these were Onion-style parodies and wanted to watch the middle-aged grump talk about how much more dignified television was when Phil Donahue was on it. But thanks to the woman who had hold of the remote control when I arrived, I now know these shows are real. And awful. So much for a network that once aired Jazz Counterpoint and its own sponsored production of Romeo and Juliet.

At the Store...

-- Nothing's as empty as the shelves that held the cans of window de-icer two days after the storm hits.

-- The fellow in front of me was in serious danger of not being able to double the "20 items or less" limit with the 30-plus items he pulled from his cart. Fortunately, his shopping companion came with an armload of condensed milk cans just before he finished checking out and he waited until after everything was totaled to add two packs of cigarettes to his order. Which meant the mathematical magic trick of making 20 equal to 40 -- performed only by self-absorbed folks in checkout lines -- came off without a hitch. Except for the Hispanic gentleman behind me, whom I overheard whisper "¿Cuarenta?" to his wife.

On the Street...

-- Several city employees giving up their Sunday off to run road graders and front end loaders over the streets as the ice finally slushed up enough for them to remove it. Thanks, guys.