Blizzard

It seems like Winter has been going for eight or nine months but in reality it has only been a bit more than half of that. Nearly every trip to Michigan since October has been in the midst of a snowstorm. I always wondered what "lake effect snow" was really like and for some reason imagined that New Jersey suffered from it and from "Nor'Easters".

Last week I talked to someone in Michigan on Monday and heard it was raining in the morning but nice and sunny in the afternoon. Looking forward to the changing season, I flew in less than 24-hours later. During the flight the pilot reported the weather to be snowing with -8 (F) temperatures and 30mph winds which looked exactly like this:

There were slideoffs and rollovers everywhere. The new snow was 8-10" deep and four more inches was predicted overnight. I didn't bring warm winter clothing - shame on me!

Oh well, so far this Winter it has been warmer/nicer in New Jersey than Michigan. There has been no real snow to speak of with some cold nights but it rains much like Seattle in the dark months of the year. I flew home in the late evening hours, in the dark. Not long after getting home with a totally clear night sky we watched the lunar eclipse. Even in NJ we could see the moon and watched it fade out and then back in. I would share a photo with you but they didn't turn out so well.

I remember as a child waiting with anticipation for a big snowstorm. One that would be deep enough for sledding and was likely to cancel school. Living in Sandpoint, Idaho this happened all the time. It was not uncommon to get 1-3 feet of snow in the mountain community surrounding Lake Pend Oreille. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandpoint,_Idaho or http://www.sandpoint.com/ or http://www.city-data.com/city/Sandpoint-Idaho.html are good places to look at the area.

So when we moved to Boise, I had conjured up images of nice peaceful snowfalls throughout the Winter. It is Idaho after all... but apparently we hit the mildest winter in recent years. A couple of light snowfalls blew through but nothing substantial, you did not need 4x4 to get around town.

Moving to NJ we once again imagined those major snowstorms that are seen on the national news. Two, three, or more feet of snow in a single dump. That is what I had imagined NJ to be like... along with lots of salt on the roadways to cause all cars to become rusty by their fifth birthday. The winter of 2007-2008 has been yet another letdown for anyone who like snow. Mild temperatures and rain have been the norm.

Until... last Friday. The biggest baddest winter storm of the year hit the NYC metro area, including NJ. I woke up in the morning to five inches of snow... and the drive to work being such a long commute, normally takes me about five minutes. This day it took almost ten minutes! This is what my commute looked like:

So for the next few months I will enjoy snowstorms as I travel to Michigan and (hopefully) warmer weather in Tennessee. NJ will probably be somewhere in the middle. In any case like the title of this blog, No road is long with good company, so thank you for coming along!

Frequent Flier

As January ends and February begins an interesting record is about to crash and burn. Continental Airlines requires either 30 flight segments or 25,000 miles to reach the Silver Elite status and I will have 28 segments. That's not bad for one month. By the first of March I could be hitting Gold... and by May will hit Platinum (Platinum status requires 90 segments or 75,000 miles). I could hit double platinum before the year ends, although I don't think they give you anything more for it.

What does it mean to be a frequent flier? When arriving at a larger airport there is a special area to check-in where only the frequent fliers can. There is a shorter line through security and you are allowed to be the first to board the plane. If checking bags they put a special Elite tag on it for faster offloading. For me these are the real perks. Why? It is not because of some special feeling or hidden narcissim, no... let me explain.

Last night I was seated in First Class on the 737-300 from Cleveland to Newark, a short 61 minute flight. As the second person on the plane, there was plenty of room for my suitcase and computer bag in the overhead. After about 40 minutes of people streaming by my seat, just as the door was to be closed, another First Class passenger came on board. She had a suitcase and computer bag as well but was in a bulkhead seat (that means no seats in front of her so no place to put her stuff). By this time the flight attendants had already removed the economy class passengers belongings from the first class overheads... except for one large suitcase that wouldn't fit anywhere else. This suitcase took the space rightfully belonging to the last lady on board but it was too late. Two other people had to (err, volunteered to) accomodate her luggage, taking up their precious leg room.

Getting on the plane first also gives you a chance to get comfortable in the spacious but not too nice seats up front. The really nice first class seats are found on long distance flights and planes (not the 737). The flight attendant takes your coat to hang in a forward closet then offers a drink. Yes, up here the drinks are free and there is time for one before take-off and two more during the hour long flight but I rarely have more than one vodka-cran during these short flights. I need to be able to find the limo driver waiting for me in Newark. Ok that is another perk but it comes from my employer and is available to all of our employees.

The main difference between Silver, Gold, and Platinum are the ability to get free upgrades for companions and increasing priority for the upgrade. Each flight credits you for a certain number of miles no matter your status but with the FF programs you get incrementally more miles for each real mile.

Most of my flights are short flights on the ERJ 135 or 145 planes. These hold about 48 people and every seat is first class... so I'll take it when I can get it.

Winter?

I have been such a slacker, not writing for almost a month. Since the last posting I have been fortunate enough to spend about five nights in my own bed. It has been interesting traveling to Knoxville through the winter, especially having just completed the novel 'Flesh and Bone' by Jefferson Bass that is set in Knoxville with a plot around the infamous Body Farm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Farm). You can read more here: http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/10/31/body.farm/index.html.

This evening it would be a little eery to go searching for the exact location as it is snowing a heavy wet snow. The news channels are all lit up with the snowstorm news, many school districts are announcing closures for tomorrow, reporters are interviewing
third shift' workers wondering how they will drive home in the white stuff, and there were several large planes grounded at the airport-rerouted from Atlanta and full of people sitting on the tarmac. The city of Knoxville has been "pre" spraying the roads with a wet salt mixture for three days now just to prepare for this storm.

I can hardly wait for morning to see the carnage that everyone seems to be expecting. It is almost like the frenzy that would come with huricane preparations but its barely 32 degrees and the snow is melting as it lands. The weather guy just told school administrators to wait until the morning before deciding on closures... good advice I would say.

Earlier this week I was in Kalamazoo, Michigan on the presidential primary day. Apparently John McCain had visited Kalamazoo on the same day but none of the others did. With all of the media frenzy on this topic you would think that everyone in Michigan would be talking about it. I never heard one person mention it although I wondered if McCain was staying at the same hotel. Back to the winter topic, it was cold and snowing there with several inches of accumulation during the day. No one even gave it a second mention but that is understandable, it was a minor storm compared to the several others I've witnessed there this winter already.

Back in New Jersey it has not snowed enough to matter although jackets are required most days. Over the last month I have seen 78 degrees for a high and 11 degrees for a low here in Knoxville. The San Francisco Bay Area was in the 60's, with palm trees and other blooming plants giving no indication that it was the last week of December.

Wherever you might be, be warm, be safe, and keep the rubber side down!