don't bother asking because it finally doesn't matter

well done!

with a special thank you to scott brown, susan collins, olympia snow, mark kirk, lisa murkowski, george voinovich, john ensign and richard burr.

reclaimed art

more than two years ago, kristin and i took a trip to buckeystown in search of old doors (to make a bed frame that's still unfinished?@!). we came upon this fantastic old barn door and decided that it would make a great "frame" to display our photographs. we finally hung it today. let me describe before you look at the pictures. the hanging brackets and rod are all plumbing supplies - flanges, nipples, t joints and a piece of galvanized pipe.

christmas cards are the first installation.

where's the cry against obstructionist legislators?

we've heard time and time again that "activist judges" are responsible for ensuring civil rights for all people. so what does it take to ensure the ABSENCE of civil rights for all people? why, obstructionist legislators, of course.

i said where i come from ...

... it's 47 inches of snow over 97 straight hours and everything's open! (apologies to alan jackson)

LOVE pumpkins

carved these this year -

this is a great opening line!

what a way to start a campaign

of bed bugs and bronchi

story one -

kristin thought we had bed bugs. thankfully, she was wrong. the er doc explained the massive welts on her leg were caused by poison something and lady bug, the bed bug sniffing dog, confirmed that we are bed bug free. that's right - a bed bug sniffing dog came to our house and gave us the "all clear." her determination came at the perfect time because kristin was about to shell out mega-bucks to have the house heated to 140 degrees to kill the suckers.

story two -

i somehow caught a case of bronchitis. i finished my z-pak, but i still have a wicked cough, sweats and back pain, so i went back to the doctor. i saw a resident whose final diagnosis - after reading my chart that lists the ulcer i had in 2002 as a result of too much advil - was acid reflux. thank god the attending intervened and ordered a chest x-ray.

oh the times, they are a changin'

thank god for -

judges who base their decisions on findings of fact and public officials who stand up for what is right

someday we will introduce ...

a former colleague just had a baby and that got me thinking "why do people pick the names that they do." then i became inspired to create a truly unique name for our future child -

krreibsetcicna

it a nice, easy to pronounce, versatile mixture of the letters in kristin's first name and the letters in my first name. but, after thinking about it a little more i realized that someone has already thought of it because it is such a nice, easy to pronounce versatile name. i thought about adding some apostrophes, but decided that would make it even more common. that's when it hit me! commas and colons! no one ever uses commas and colons in names!

someday, we will introduce -

krreib,set:cicna

that kid is going to have such a nice life!

8 stitches and all is well

there have been a few stories here about our mishaps with hubert - there was the $160 middle-of-the-night diagnosis of ear wax and the stint in the oxygen tent - all amounting to nothing more than a few funny stories and a hit on the bank account. well this time he's finally getting well deserved sympathy. the poor guy had such a bad abscess that it required minor surgery and 8 stitches. imagine what would happen to him if he was allowed to go outside?

hmmm - burn the cheese or burn my finger?

the thought of burning a perfectly good glob of feta made me grab the white hot frying pan without even thinking that i would get second degree burns on my finger.

thanks for the lessons dad

the following is the eulogy that i gave last week at my dad's funeral -

In thinking about what I wanted to say, I spent a lot of time trying to come up with the perfect phrase or quote to capture, in famous pithy prose or verse, what my Dad – your husband, brother, cousin, Wally, Walt, Walter – meant to me and you.

I looked to Whitman and Thoreau, but it didn’t click. And I’m not quite sure my Dad was too in to either.

Maya Angelou – too lyrical

Rush Limbaugh – if you know anything about me you know that I didn’t even look there.

Honestly, the more I looked the more frustrated I became. None of these literary geniuses captured the essence of my Dad.

About to give up, it occurred to me – who better to “capture the essence of my Dad” than my Dad himself. Believe it or not – he consistently doled out words of wisdom, many of which I live by today.

I’ll give you a few –

At sixteen he taught me how to spell “car.” You’re all sitting here thinking – “isn’t this the kid that went to Harvard? She couldn’t spell “car” at 16?” Believe me – that’s EXACTLY what I thought until he explained to me that “car” was actually spelled J O B.

With those three simple letters he conveyed to me the importance of hard work and responsibility. It wasn’t his responsibility to buy me a car – it was my responsibility to work for what I wanted.

Another one of my favorites was “it’s a long way to go for a sandwich Becca.”

These were his words teaching me commitment – commitment to family, friends, the community.

He would say this when he would return from visiting his sister in Buffalo and stay only for lunch because he knew that it was important to connect with family (but still wanted to sleep in his own bed at night) and would give me these same words of wisdom after driving 30 miles without ever leaving his beloved Baldwinsville while delivering Meals on Wheels or when he would come back from shuttling seniors to and from the doctors for Baldwinsville Senior Express.

Or how about when, EVERY TIME we passed the psychic on Rte. 57 in Liverpool, he would say –

“Hey Bec! Go and knock on the door and ask her if she knew you were coming?!” And then laugh and laugh like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his entire lifetime.

Frankly, I just thought it was stupid, annoying and repetitive – WAIT! Come to think of it – it taught me PATIENCE!

And when he taught me accountability.

I was a sophomore in college and had just “earned” my third “D.”

I knew I was going to have to deal with my parents so I came up with the perfect one-liner for the conversation.

The conversation went something like this –

“Bec, one more “D” and you’re coming home.”

“Okay Dad, but you know that you can’t spell degree without a “D.”

Clever on my part, huh?

Without missing a beat, he replied –

“Yes, Rebecca, but you’re stuttering with your D…D…Degree.”

How about this as a way to learn about priorities –

I told him that I wanted to take a 2 credit course in wheel thrown pottery. He told me that he wasn’t paying $3000 for me to play with clay and that if I did, in fact, want to play with clay I could come home and take a $50 class at BOCES.

Now he wasn’t knocking the arts or BOCES. He was merely reminding me that I was studying International Affairs at a renowned school for International Affairs and I should take advantage of those opportunities while I had the chance.

Here’s one that I’m still trying to learn and embrace – living in the moment. Or, in the words of Wally – “it didn’t even enter my mind” or “I didn’t even think about it.”

As in – “Dad, did you ask the doctor about the new medicine?”

“It didn’t even enter my mind, Bec.”

Or “Dad, why didn’t you … (fill in the situation here.”)

“Becca, I didn’t even think about it.”

I want to end with my favorite Dad-ism, but before I do I point you to the words of the poet and author george elliot who famously said – “it’s never to late to be what you might have been.”

This was my Dad and the guy we all knew and loved.

A friend of Bill W. since 1979 – he knew that it wasn’t too late to get sober and start a new life with a more productive focus than the bottle and the bar.

It was never too late to live life despite significant health issues. To give you an idea, the doctor’s gave him 6 months to live – that was 18 years ago. In those 18 years he volunteered, traveled extensively – never letting anything stop him.

And it was never too late to reestablish and repair relationships – to get right with those he’d wronged, with God.

As many of you know, this last year has been rough – the stuff of soap operas really. Revelations led to renewed relationships – with people, with God, with himself.

My Dad worked through some life-long demons and came out on the other side.

While trying and sometimes downright demoralizing and overwhelming – I wouldn’t trade one day. I got to know my Dad better than ever. We shared our secrets, our hopes and dreams, fears and appreciation for one another – his last words to me were – “Thanks for caring so much about me Bec.”

Oh, and lots and lots of laughs!

Bear with me while I set this up, because it’s well worth the punchline.

While my Dad’s mental health improved tremendously over the past year (it was like having back the Dad of yore!), his physical health was in consistent decline. To give you an idea – he suffered two heart attacks in a matter of weeks.

After the second heart attack, he told me that I should just call him TAAAHHHHHDDDD. I busted out laughing!

He was referring to the Saturday Night Live skit from the ‘90s with Chris Farley that went something like this …

I leave you with the most personal of stories and the most life changing of words.

About 10 years ago I had to tell my parents something that I had been avoiding for almost my entire life. Something that I was sure that they were going to find distressing – especially my father.

I told my mom and she was “mom” telling me that it would be okay and that we would work it out. I told my Dad and he was – SILENT

The next day I met him for lunch and pretty much cried the entire time. He engaged in “Wally” conversation – the weather and SU sports.

When we were leaving I couldn’t even look him in the eye – just kept my head down and repeated “I’m sorry. I know you must be disappointed” over and over.

I stared at the ground and he said nothing.

After what seemed like hours, I felt his finger lifting up my chin as he said calmly – “Hold you head up Rebecca.”

He said nothing else before he left.

You know what – I knew that everything was going to be just fine.

When I leave here today, I’ll hold my head up and I think you all should too because that’s what Friend of Bill W., husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin, neighbor, colleague, friend, Walter, Walt, Wally would want.

He would want each of us to hold our head up and do that one thing that’s going to take each of us to the next level because it’s never too late.

Thanks for lessons Dad.

i'll keep holding my head up dad

june 11, 1940 - april 30, 2010

the first time you realize you can't talk to them anymore

in september 2009 i posted about my friend townsend who passed away. she was so important to me and i'm realizing that i never told her that enough. truth be told, i've only thought of her on occasion since the day she died. guess i was kind of numb and was moving on.

today was the first day since the minute that i found out she had died that i've had a ridiculously strong desire to pick up the phone and talk with her. i came across something online that i knew she would find amusing - in fact, she's probably the only person that would have had a big belly laugh over it. it's been all that i can do to keep my hand off the phone.

what i wouldn't give for 5 more minutes ...

my new favorite picture

darlene and her mother are back!

ever since i decided to keep fred flintstone hours (out the door when the pterodactyl crows), i've been missing out on riding the bus with darlene and her mother. but tonight i stayed until 7:15 and was rewarded with entertainment from the two of them. mom was dressed to the nines as usual, while darlene was rocking a snuggie with pearls and a belt. they were about 5 rows apart and uncharacteristically quiet until mom started to list all of the baby food she enjoys eating. you see - she only eats baby food because her stomach is bad.

i only know her stomach is bad because tonight darlene inquired - "ma? why do you think your stomach is so bad? do you think it's because that white man ran over it when you were a kid?"

the rest of the conversation went like this ...

"now darlene, you know that the white man did not roll over my stomach. it was the white man that saved me."

"i heard that! ma, when do you think it will be all over?"

"what will be over? your life? only the good lord knows that darlene. the good lord up in heaven ..."

"no ma - when do you think that you'll stop giving me money even though my check is bigger than yours."

"when you stop wasting all your money at the liquor store."

"i heard that!"

and then i got off the bus

eating ...

humble pie

the new "nucular"

harkening back to the days of making up words through mispronunciation , john boehner just urged his fellow members of the house to return to a sense of "calmity." perhaps he's referring to the state of "CALAMITY" in which he and his friends now find themselves.

I LOVE ... (part deux)

northern iowa

just what's in that tea?

i know that i'm supposed to be on hiatus, but events of the past few days are too disturbing to let pass by without reflection.

this is a big weekend of change in the district of columbia. spring has sprung - cherry blossom buds and the number of tour buses have popped over night. right now 10s of thousands of people are marching demanding immigration reform. and in a few short hours, the united states house of representatives will vote to equalize health care in this country. it is this last event that has brought about the most disturbing incidents.

i understand that health care reform is a divisive issue. and i get that people on both side feel passionate about their positions. what i don't understand is why a debate about fixing health care would lead some groups to start using racial and homophobic epithets, and even spit, to make their point more strongly.

many news outlets are widely reporting that the tea party rally at the capitol got a little out of hand yesterday. in trying to make the point that congress should not pass the current health care "overhaul" bill, some tea partyer's got down and dirty spitting on emanuel cleaver, calling barney frank a "faggot," and members of the congressional black caucus "n****rs."

really?!@?!@? how can one even be expected to engage in civil discourse with people like this? they're not even comparing apples to oranges or day to night - it's like half the group is talking about bowling balls and while the protesters talk about squirrels.

I LOVE ...

OHIO UNIVERSITY

it doesn't take a rocket scientist ...

... to know that if a magazine photographer takes suggestive pictures of a subject the magazine will then publish those suggestive photos. repulsed by the photos? she should then be repulsed that she allowed herself to be photographed in such repulsive poses.

i did it and you can do it too!

write in and be counted

oh syracuse ...

number one to number three in one week and then a crushing loss to georgetown?!@ what is happening to these boys?

not since 1990

couldn't let this one pass me by ...

SYRACUSE IS NUMBER ONE

annoyingorange.com

couldn't let this one pass me by ...

annoyingorange.com

screeeeeeecccchhhhhh ... i'm hitting the brakes on blogging

the flipflop fed is now wearing heals and is therefore taking a break from blogging. i'll catch up with you all in the middle of the summer.

until then ...

how'd i miss this one?

it appears that dick cheney is in support of gay marriage?! this one really flew under my radar! way to take a positive and progressive stand dick!

they stole my stuff!?!?!?!

yesterday i posted my rant from my community listserv. come to find out some people have been taking my ideas (snow balls on election day and others) and running with them! i'm not sure what to think? i mean they really were only thoughts, but don't you think they should be credited instead of claiming them as one's own? in the end, i'm flattered that people would think that what i wrote was worth repeating :)

adrian "ice water in his veins" fenty has me HOT

my rant on my community listserv today in response to this -

I have refrained from criticizing the mayor because the snow events of the past month really have been momentous. However, I have now moved to the anger phase after reading this bit in the Post and watching the video from NBC 4. It even motivated me to call the mayor’s office this morning and relay my frustration.

I remember a joke on my community list serve after the December storm that the city’s snow removal plan consisted of one simple word – SUN. Well, it seems that it wasn’t a joke after all.

Honestly, I do think that it was unreasonable to believe that the city streets should have been cleared curb to curb a few days after such a massive amount of snow given the city’s limited snow removal resources – putting a blade on the front of a pickup does not a snow plow make. As I explained to my father (a resident of a town of 3000 people where they average about 200” of snow per season and have about 15 dedicated snow plows) when he kept laughing about the fact that I didn’t work for four days – it would be like Baldwinsville getting 400” of snow in less time than there is between NASCAR races. And to that he quickly replied “Okay I guess we would have probably had a two hour delay!”

HOWEVER – it has now been more than two weeks since the last flake fell and it’s still a mess. (As an example, I give you 12^th St SW, a major 5 lane commuter route that has been reduced to about 1 lane in each direction with 6’ + snow banks at the intersections. ) Therefore, it is now perfectly reasonable to question this city’s leadership’s response to the storm; which I hope we can now all admit was less than adequate. And that fact dictates that the leader take it on the chin and admit that things haven’t been handled as well as they could have been AND dictates that the leader answer each question respectfully – no matter who asks it and no matter how many times it is asked.

this next part is in response to another poster. can you tell that i'm pissed?

As to Montgomery and other surrounding counties – they are none of my concern. I live, work and pay taxes in this city and it is my duty to hold my elected officials accountable for their inaction with my money – as it is yours.

And taxes – do you know how much we each paid in federal taxes because of the fallout from this??? The government was closed for 4 ½ days to the tune of $100 million dollars a day. Add in a few more delayed openings and the annual leave that’s now being taken because people don’t want to deal with the commute and that’s A LOT of wasted tax dollars that will eventually have to be replaced from somewhere.

In the end, Fenty is proving himself to be arrogant and less than a leader. A real leader seeks out help and a real leader knows when to admit that an outcome is less than acceptable and lets the public know how it will be corrected in the future. That would go a long way in getting people to move past the issue. Until that time comes, I will be stock piling snow balls in my freezer to use on election day as I go from polling place to polling place reminding people of those few days in February where Fenty showed his real character.

SHAME ON YOU ADRIAN FENTY!!!!

we get it - washington does not do snow removal

here's a preemptive post about what is sure to be tomorrow's topic of conversation across the nation - how can it be that, more than 5 days after the passing of snopocalypse, the streets in and around the district of columbia still are not properly plowed and, as such, the commute was an utter disaster. we've heard it from pundits. we've heard it from policy makers. we've even heard it from the president. truth be told - i used to be one of those people that laughed and laughed at the ineptitude of those tasked with removing the snow in washington. i mean (and this is the same justification that you'll hear from the aforementioned pundits, policy makers and presidents) i come from where they average about 200 inches of snow a year and school was rarely closed.

but then i began to think logically about what happened last week - something that often escapes those within the beltway and those who live in places where winter lasts from september to may. on average, the district receives about 17 inches of snow in an entire season. last week we got close to 40" in a span of five days. so we more than doubled our average in less than a week. that would be like syracuse getting more than 400" of snow in less time than there is between nascar races (had to put it in terms that the average 315'er would understand). i guarantee that school would be closed. okay, maybe only a 2 hour delay, but there would still be an impact!!!

forever memorialized

all that remains to document my four years at george washington university - because lord knows the last of the information "learned" during that time fled my brain right around 1997 ...

*wish i could get it to rotate

ugggghhhhh!

we've already established some implements were just not meant for shoveling. for example, it's far easier to clear the snow from your your side walk with a shovel than it is with a spoon. similarly, it's easier to open a beer with a bottle opener than it is with your teeth. i give you those examples as a lead in to my observation for the day - UGGS ARE NOT SNOW BOOTS!

uggs were invented as apres surfing footwear -although the wiki entry says that maybe they were invented for pilots when planes used to have no roofs. regardless, in neither of these scenarios were the boots meant primarily for snow. they are not waterproof, they're really not that warm and they have less than adequate soles for slippery conditions. AND dare i say that they don't even look fashionable when the street is covered with slush and the snow banks are up past your knees. it just looks like some one's trying to hard to be cute and we all know that that's just not cute!

a stripper cake?

watching the olympic opening ceremonies right now and they are doing the tribute to the canadian rockies. i swear that the thing rising up from the arena floor looks just like a birthday cake and i'm just waiting for a stripper to pop out of the top. (i'll add a clip when i find one.)

has he never heard of pee pee teepees?

i saw this huggies commercial on one of the 6 1/2 days that i've been off from work (i get to go back tomorrow!). me thinks that this father needs to invest in pee pee teepees; although he might want to explore an industrial strength option!

pitch forks, brooms and mops! oh my!

just came back from a post-snopocalypse adventure to ihop and georgetown cupcake and it was during this adventure we encountered people with the most ingenious snow removal equipment. there were many variations on the broom and the ... - the broken plastic dustpan and the broom and the pitch fork and the broom. then there was the coed with a mop (see below). but, my favorite had to be the girl attempting to shovel the ice off of her brick steps with a fireplace shovel. we didn't get a picture because we passed her before i came up with the story that we were driving around town taking pictures of interesting snow removal equipment, but you can imagine a regular size girl using an elfin size shovel to clear people size steps. funny!

oh no you didn't chris matthews!

just read in loose lips how chris matthews SLAMMED the district's lame attempt at snow removal. of course he has a point, but loose lips makes a better point when he reminds everyone that our tax base is severely limited because most people who make money in the district of columbia do not pay taxes in the district of columbia. and i would add that the largest land owner in the district - the federal government - does not pay property taxes.

have you learned nothing from family disputes, chris matthews? it's one thing for family members to call each other names and point out each others faults, but it's quite a different story when a "neighbor" tries to convey the exact same information. so back off!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

erin jackson is FUNNY

watch more here

snow is not news

snow is weather. "hey there's a lot of snow on the ground and it's blowing around" is an observation and not worthy of continuous coverage. although, there doesn't really seem to be anything else happening because there is a lot of snow on the ground and it's blowing around.

so to fill the void, i'll bring you today's news from minnesota ave se -

i shoveled.

i slept.

i shoveled.

i watched "couples retreat" and now will regularly slap people on the ass and exclaim "ENCOURAGEMENT!"

i slept.

i got bored of the internet.

i had to listen to my mom say "YOU DON'T HAVE WORK AGAIN! what is going on down there?!" for about the 100th time.

i tried the chinese restaurant on the corner for the first time (the one my neighbor described as "the ghetto version of the olive garden") and the last time.

okay, i guess "there's a lot of snow on the ground and it's blowing around" is more interesting.

nbc, cbs, abc and fox - IT'S SNOWING

we get it. no need to belabor the point. this is not a disaster. we DO NOT need minute by minute coverage. you can really wait until the 6:00 news to tell us that it's still snowing. until then - SHUT UP AND PUT THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW ON!

major announcement

i have a CRAZY case of cabin fever (even though i've been out and about almost every day of this snow event and am really enjoying myself) and will be going into my office on thursday regardless of the federal governments operating status - which i'm guessing will mirror monday, tuesday and wednesday.

you know you have nothing new to talk about ...

... when you begin your breaking weather bulletin from the "storm safety center" with the phrase - "we have nothing new to report ..." got to give them something for honesty.

i'm trying to remember

dcist has this up on their site under the title "remember when snow was fun?"

Washington, DC Snow Storm from Es Video! on Vimeo.

people are so clever

no good deed ...

i decided to venture out this morning to dunkin donuts and the grocery store. it's still pretty dicey out but i had a massive case of cabin fever and i needed an iced tea. when i got to the corner of l'enfant square and pennsylvania ave se i encountered a huge mass of people waiting for the bus - a mass of people who clearly didn't hear that metro decided not to run buses on our side of the river. so me being me, i rolled down the window and offered a ride across the river to as many people as could fit in the car. i ended up doing this a few times and was feeling pretty good by the time i made it to the grocery store. that is until i realized that one of my passengers lifted my brand new sunglasses. oh well, guess he or she needed them more?!

might be getting a little sick of this

the federal government is closed again tomorrow AND they're calling for another big dump of snow AND they keep coming up with names - the newest are snokidding and snow joke.

and THIS is a snow emergency route

i truly hope that the office of personnel management gets a chance to see all of the streets on which federal office buildings are located prior to making a decision about tomorrow's operating status. below is the street on which my office is located with the building in the background - taken around 2:00 pm today.

the spawn of snopocalypse - the gift that keeps on giving update

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS CLOSED ON MONDAY!!!

this is very exciting - really just because i'm sick sick sick and now i don't have to take a sick day. however, really concerning news was announced right about the same time. the district of columbia public schools, (in an effort to show how tough our kids are?) (revealing that fenty/rhee continue to make really bad decisions?) (clearly not having actually been out in the neighborhoods?), will open 2 hours late tomorrow. let's see, the federal government, the largest employer in the district of ADULTS, has determined that it is not safe for their ADULT employees to come to work; yet, the district of columbia public schools believes that CHILDREN, most of whom will have to walk in the middle of the street because the sidewalks are not clear, will be perfectly fine making it to school between 9:00 and 11:00 am. wonder if they'll have any teachers? never mind that all other major school systems in the area are closed, as are all of the district's independent and charter schools. this decision ranks right up there will the invention and marketing of the flowbee.

the spawn of snopocalypse - can't figure this out update

$100 bucks if you can explain the logic behind the "only plow one side of the major city street" strategy -

the spawn of snopocalypse - the aftermath update

the spawn of snopocalypse is officially over for me. we spent 3 1/2 hours yesterday shoveling out our property and the that of the old ladies across the street. and today it took another 2 hours to dig out our car (pictures at the end). most of the side streets are still completely impassable. i know this because after digging out the subaru i took a spin around the block. most side streets haven't been plowed and the others have big ruts and cars stuck every where. i, on the other hand, looked like a car right out of an advertisement. the snow was no match for me and my outback!

there is one thing though that i haven't been able to conquer - snow on the directv dish! who knew that it was actually a "dish" that would fill with whatever came down?! frustrating.

**oh, and i blew out the back of my $5.99 rain pants - see below

the spawn of snopocalypse - the assholes in action update

went to shovel out the old ladies across the street, but ended up helping a woman in a BIG SUV get unstuck from the snow plateau on which her car was suspended - who knew that it was all about clearance!? any way, this guy came by when we were shoveling and told her that for $20 he could have her free in 10 minutes. the best part was that he didn't even have a shovel! i understand the need and the want to make a little money, but how about a little humanity too?

oh, and there's no way we're going to hit the 30" mark, but i'm fine with the 18"-20".

and, unfortunately there will be no snomageddon celebration for me - i've been nursing sickness for a few days and it's finally taken hold. bummer ...

they say it's going to be a ...

BLIZZARD

ft dupont/randle circle snomageddon celebration

all you dc area friends should head over to ft. dupont park at randle circle for my neighborhood's semi -spontaneous (it was planned today) "snomageddon celebration." knowing my neighbors, we'll have a lot of fun and won't pull guns when we get hit with a snowball like that jackass on u street during snomageddon: part one in december.

the spawn of snopocalypse

here we go again. dc, the city that usually has difficulty dealing with the mere mention of snow, is gearing up for the second 16 + inch snow fall this season. i was super excited last time, but this time i'm nearly jumping out of my skin with the anticipation of driving my sweet new ride up and over a massive snowbank!

the news papers and tv stations are selling this one big time - they're calling it "historic" and "epic." the post is even running a "name the storm" contest - my favorite? snOMG.

but, my absolute favorite thing to come from the build up and hype is -

snopocalypsedc.com