What Are the Odds You'll Have Snow for Christmas? - 11/29/09 10:10 PM

The Boston Globe ran an AP story in today's paper about  why we want a white Christmas.
 
Bing Crosby, who firmly implanted the wish and the jingle in our heads, came from Spokane where there's a 70% chance of having snow on the ground on December 25th.
 
Turns out in Boston there's only a 23% chance of a white Christmas.
 
I like those odds! Sentimentality aside - the longer the snow holds off the shorter the shoveling season.
 
Here's a website that shows the odds for cities across the country.
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The Last Foliage - 11/18/09 05:15 PM
This beautiful tree is in my neighbor's yard. 
 
Unfortunately the last leaf collection is tomorrow morning.  I snapped this in the middle of my marathon raking session this afternoon.
 
Tomorrow morning I'm going to bandage up my blisters and head out early to see how much more I can get bagged before the truck shows up.
 
I think I'll make a card with this photo and send a note to the Mayor and the DPW.  Leaf collection needs to last through November. 
 
I'm still waiting to call the gutter cleaner.  Every year I do this dance - trying … (21 comments)

Smart Growth - Too Little Too Late? - 11/17/09 08:42 PM
I went to a great CE class this morning on Smart Growth.  The fast paced class, newly offered in our state, went through about twenty ways in which towns and cities in Massachusetts are being encouraged to build in ways that reduces sprawl, encourages walkability, and conserves open land.

They were great ideas and Cambridge has already put a number of them into practice such as traffic calming, transit-oriented development, and greening up the parking lots.

But I couldn't help but think as I listened that perhaps all of this was too little, too late.  While some of the … (14 comments)

Search Engine Optimization Rap - SEO Rapper - 11/06/09 09:20 PM
I've been obsessed with search engine optimization for months. This rap song is music to my ears. It's actually full of excellent advice - and very catchy to boot.  It's "Page Rank" by SEO Rapper m0serious. 
If you click over to youtube and click on "more info" under his name you can read all the lyrics.  He's got more SEO rap videos too - you can't watch just one!
 
 
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Delayed Gratification - 11/06/09 09:36 AM
After months of mulling and limping along with my old phone I've finally made a decision.  As much as the name gives me the willies, I'm going with the Droid.
Verizon started selling the phone today and this morning was the first time you had the opportunity to buy a phone - there weren't any advance reservations.
Turns out that my every-two-year discount kicks in next Tuesday.
Should I? Shouldn't I?
I thought the discount was $50 but it's probably $100.  Hmmmm.....
My coworker and I have been planning to switch together and have been counting the days until the launch. … (22 comments)

Lines At the Polls? - 11/03/09 10:11 PM
Today was Election Day.  Around here it was a low key election - just city council and school committee positions being filled. The big story was Boston Mayor Menino's reelection to an unprecedented fifth term.
 
My polling place holds a bake sale to raise money for the kids in the school that hosts the polls. It was a great twofer - I got to vote and buy a super lunch (and dessert!).
 
My coworker went to vote in her town this morning.  When she got to the polls she noticed a long line.  Surprising, since during work hours there typically … (16 comments)