The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[TarnishedPenny]

The lottery is a tax on the statistically challenged.

Oh yes. On the other hand, people do get hit by lightning and I won’t miss a couple of bucks a week. It’s not like I’m including my potential winnings in my retirement plan.

 

[MrPixel]

Oh yes. On the other hand, people do get hit by lightning and I won’t miss a couple of bucks a week. It’s not like I’m including my potential winnings in my retirement plan.

And there's the entertainment value. I might buy five hits on a ticket when the payout approaches $1B. C and I will spitball "What would we do with it all?" scenarios, and the answer most recently has been to buy-out everybody in our small city and tell 'em all to get the F out.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

And there's the entertainment value. I might buy five hits on a ticket when the payout approaches $1B. C and I will spitball "What would we do with it all?" scenarios, and the answer most recently has been to buy-out everybody in our small city and tell 'em all to get the F out.

Just so. Gambling is generally a sucker game, but knowing that I’ve still been to a couple of casinos. If I put $200 in my pocket and go home when I go broke, it’s no more expensive than a night out with a show. Go for the experience and have fun.

 

[NotWise]

So, Denver is heading to Buffalo for their first playoff game since Peyton Manning.

I suspect that Josh Allen is going to have his way with the Bronco's D. We'll have to see.

 

[Duleigh]

So, Denver is heading to Buffalo for their first playoff game since Peyton Manning.

I suspect that Josh Allen is going to have his way with the Bronco's D. We'll have to see.

We will simply make da Broncos an offer of which dey will not find da ability to refuse...

Dey say we have ice water in our veins... it's actually snow.

 

[AloneTooLong]

shorts weather last week, below freezing during the night--Texas winter weather is confusing!

 

[Duleigh]

shorts weather last week, below freezing during the night--Texas winter weather is confusing!

It's like that here in south GA/North Florida. It will be 30 when I get up in the morning, and 70 when I finish work.

 

[MrPixel]

C just told me to look at the forecast. Highs in the teens all week, and 0°F for Wednesday's low. Full polar vortex until the weekend. This is nuts.

 

[Duleigh]

Welcome to the first Monday of 2025

May your coffee be hot, your Monday be short and your boss be off for the week

 

[Candy_Kane54]

I've got two pots of coffee brewing for this Monday morning. The teapot is hot and there is leftover birthday cake on the counter. You'll have to navigate through the forest of candles since I'm celebrating the conclusion of my 71st trip around the Sun.

Christmas is finally over with the Epiphany today. I won't be going out to celebrate since I'm in the middle of this snowstorm that is paralyzing the whole area (when I was a kid, this would only rate as a small snow and everything would be open).

 

[NotWise]

Happy Birthday @Candy_Kane54! You're three weeks ahead of me. How's the terrain?

Here, January weather looks pretty typical. As typical, I hope some of the moisture they predict actually reaches us.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Good morning, Literotica! On my third cup of java. Almost caught up with my paid work and haven't had any new come in so far this week. Never a good sign!

My publisher set up a substacks for me. I put up one very short, short story for now. It's one of my 750s from last year.

 

[MrPixel]

Stopped snowing early this morning, but the effects linger on. I had three packages scheduled for delivery today, one each Post Office (USPS), UPS, and FedEx. None of the three indicate "out for delivery". Tomorrow... maybe?

Earlier I went out to throw salt on the front steps thinking there might be deliveries. Should've checked the tracking first. There's no shoveling anything. We had one of those awful "ice sandwiches" - freezing rain, then snow, then sleet, then freezing rain. The combination can't be shoveled, at least safely shoveled, according to my cardiologist. Glad I didn't spring for a snow blower, since they're useless with ice. Ugh.

Hope everyone else is having a better day.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Slightly wistful that I'm in the one part of the country that has no snow, but on the other hand, it's a pain because UK snow always results in what @MrPixel calls an ice sandwich - it's rarely enough below freezing for the snow not to melt under pressure then refreeze as ice, repeatedly. Or as the Swiss experts brought in to advise British Rail on dealing with snow famously said, we have the "wrong kind of snow".

 

[MrPixel]

Or as the Swiss experts brought in to advise British Rail on dealing with snow famously said, we have the "wrong kind of snow".

Which is also why the UK is not particularly famous for downhill skiing. I can't envision skiing on this stuff. You could manage it with freshly-sharpened skis, which would need sharpening immediately after every run.

But yeah, Swiss technology for managing snow is just amazing. Their snow machines would easily eat cars.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Finally stopped snowing here but the roads remain unplowed. I won't be going out to celebrate my birthday today.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Which is also why the UK is not particularly famous for downhill skiing. I can't envision skiing on this stuff. You could manage it with freshly-sharpened skis, which would need sharpening immediately after every run.

But yeah, Swiss technology for managing snow is just amazing. Their snow machines would easily eat cars.

Yeah. Only those same snow machines can't keep trains running across the Surrey Hills, when ice has welded onto the rails again. I'd have thought it should be possible to heat metal rails despite the wee gaps every 40 feet or so, but presumably not cost-effectively for something only needed a couple days every few years.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Happy birthday @Candy_Kane54! Sorry you're snowed in but on the bright side, the coffee's hot. I've found some fresh cinnamon donuts, and you can leisurely work on your story.

 

[Belegon]

We also got just a few inches, despite a forecast that had everyone fearing 8-10 inches. Looking out the window, I think our actual was less than four. My son and I did hit the grocery store yesterday before things started, and we did buy eggs... but milk and bread we already had.

 

[Fatdog25]

We also got just a few inches, despite a forecast that had everyone fearing 8-10 inches. Looking out the window, I think our actual was less than four.

That's what she said...

 

[NotWise]

That's what she said...

... but she might have hoped for more than three.

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

As Millie said, our publisher wants to put us on Substack. I've not agreed to it yet, but I'm curious if Patreon might be a better fit. Is anyone on Patreon? When I looked at Substack, I got this conservative right-wing feel to some of the content. Yes, there is erotica on there. But honestly, I just want to understand this. I know he'll manage the accounts, but I have no social media presence.

 

[dmallord]

It's a balmy 25°F and there is roughly 3" of snow on the ground. So it was a French toast morning. Reiterating the story... there's always a run on milk, bread, and eggs immediately before a snowstorm. The only explanation is everyone is making French toast. I've battened-down hatches - the snow (or whatever) is only through tonight, we're going to see single digits the rest of the week - 20-30° below our normal. So much for getting anything done since we'll be mostly housebound.

Anyway, I was amused last night by the TV weatherfolk dancing around the pending winter storm. They were attempting to forecast who in our region was going to get lots of snow, a little less snow plus some sleet, or sleet and freezing rain. Our "band" was slated to get all three, but just a little snow at this point.

It made me recall a similar report a couple of years ago from a long-time forecaster who was waving at the map as they do. She said something like, "The computer forecast models can't seem to agree on anything at the moment, so your guess is as good as mine!"

Reminds me of the astute forecasts of an old farmer in the neighborhood where I grew up:

• Looks like daylight most of today and some dark later.
• Moons out. It could be it gets dark soon.
• See that cow on four legs? That mine. See that cow on four legs? That's mine, too. See that cow on two legs? That's... yours. And I'm not sharing the beef I get later with you!
• It's wet outside, guessin' it rained, maybe.
• Thermometer says -20. It might be cold, so take a coat... or a sweater, maybe.
• Snow's on top of the tractor. Might 'uh snowed last night.

There were more, but at my age, it takes a while to recall 'em all.

 

[dmallord]

Snow? That stuff that looks like big grains of sea salt, right?

More seriously, today was a day of enlightenment. In December, I had an audiology exam. Got the hearing aids today. What a difference and how sad I'd missed all those sounds.

• Car turn signals don't just blink; they tick, too.
• Faucet aerators make a whooshing sound, and water hitting the bottom of a stainless steel sink actually is loud too.
• Getting out of the car, I heard birds in a tree across the road.
• I heard leaves crunch underfoot.
• Buddy's click click of his toenails told me he needs them clipped.

All of that in the first thirty minutes of arriving home. Can't wait to see the effect of voices on TV.

Even the pouring of cup of coffee had new and exciting sounds. Not to mention the whispery sound of shirtsleeves rubbing against the side of my shirt as I shuffled to the bathroom. Got that flush is loud!

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Now that @dmallord can hear the coffee being poured, I'll have to check more frequently to make sure there's a pot of coffee available. The teapot is hot and today we have a variety of petit fours on the counter for those who need a sugar hit.

Now that the holidays are over, I can try to get back to writing more than a paragraph at a time. I'll be over in the corner trying to put words to electronic paper and keeping an eye on the coffee pot ...