THE WEISS CHRONICLES

 

Both Ann and I had a physical exam today.

No surprise.  I have lost 20 pounds from last year's appointment (giving up ice cream probably did almost all of this).  Good blood work, good blood pressure. Still problems with muscle pain and urinary issues (me) and balance and urinary issues (Ann).

What was surprising was that the urologist who I saw last spring had to retire because he had a detached retina in each eye.  When he was first on sick leave and then retired I feared it was for something much worse, e.g., cancer.

 

This morning was below 20F again.  This is at least the 4th time this month according to our outside thermometer and probably more since I don't look out every a.m. at the coldest time.

So today I was having a hot cup of tea and I remembered that my father sometimes asked for a small ice cube on top of his hot tea.

Was this just his own idiosyncrasy or was there a theory behind it.

After being on the internet for a while I found a study that recommended the ice cube on hot drinks, not just tea, to prevent esophageal cancer (image 2).

I also found a recipe that called for making ginger lemon honey ice cubes to drop in hot tea (image 1). 

 

The WaPo did a report on this event, which occurred Jan 3-4. First image is an aerial view of the problem. Second image is a map of the problem area.

If this report is to be believed, the accident that caused the backup took place about 830am on January 3 and the VA Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine, didn't understand the extent of the problem until about 430am on January 4 (if this is so she must have not watched national or local news all day on January 3, nor did any of her close friends tell her)

The article is available at:

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/01/27/i95-traffic-backup-winter-storm/?utm_campaign=wp_afternoon_buzz&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_buzz&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F35dfad0%2F61f30c3e9d2fda14d70c8545%2F596c5787ae7e8a44e7ef2d36%2F8%2F63%2F61f30c3e9d2fda14d70c8545

There is a blood shortage per an announcement by the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and the

American Nursing Association.

I had been scheduled to

give blood plasma today. I came in on time but there were quite a few people who were waiting in front of me. After 40 minutes I left.  I don't do well wearing a face mask for long periods and part of this (the donation portion) would be on my back and unable to move much.

The Red Cross people on duty told me to take some of the snacks home (I took 3 granola bars) so it wasn't a wasted trip.

 

A fellow who was waiting when I came in wanted to give blood but had a low iron count.

 

By the time I got home, the Red Cross had called me and set up a new appointment.  We'll see how that goes.

The joint statement of the AHA, AMA and ANA is here.

  Image is from January 3, sunset.

Last night, a number of school systems announced 2 hour delayed opening and a number of them announced schools would be closed. This was because the forecast had an increase in the snowfall estimated.

Then we had almost no snow at all - just some flakes on the windshield.

This is not the first time and it probably won't be the last time.

WaPo article on closures is here.

WaPo article discussing the 'snow no show'  is here. 

About 5 am today there was a break in at Bnai Israel which is the complex which houses the caterer with whom I work frequently.

The criminal is on camera and left fingerprints. The criminal was wearing a kippah and a covid protection face mask. 

Based on review of the security film, he parked near a classroom and broke a window to enter.  This did not set off alarms as it would have if he had entered one of the doors. 

The alarm went off when he turned on some hall lights and he must have cut short his operation as a consequence. 

He tried to open the cabinet in the image (it holds expensive liquor for use in catered functions) so he may have had familiarity with this operation.  There were some clear fingerprints where he bent the metal.

He broke into the caterer's administrative office. Oddly he stole a chef apron and chef coat but didn't steal an envelop containing $200 cash or the credit cards.  He also broke into the office of the Rabbi Emeritus and took some art objects.

Probably there will be a news article about this and I'll link to that when I have it.

 

Someone in the preschool a.k.a., Gan, had the omicron virus. The preschool closed for 5 days. 

When it reopened the rule was that to attend required two negative tests and the Gan was not going to open until the kid had the two negative tests.

 (I first thought that the person being tested was Oz but it was the kid in the gan).

The kid in the gan had two  'at home' kit both positive.

Then the kid got a PCR test. He tested negative.

 Then the kid got another PCR test. He tested positive.

Then another PCR test. He tested negative. 

He was supposed to have another PCR but as of now, we don't know the result (and the Gan is closed).

to be updated

 

I was at the aquatic center today to use the hot tub a.k.a., hydrotherapy pools.

 

The center currently requires masks on the pool decks but not while in a pool.

 

One couple was sharing the hot tub with me and both of them, apparently in their 20s and thin, were wearing double masks.

Also, I found this video of a man on an airplane seeming to put on 7 face masks.

Arrrgggg.

 Back on Jan 3 we had a plowable snow event (our first of the winter).   As noted in the post on that event, we went from 60F to snow in only 7 hours. It was our first of the season. Our second plowable snow event of the season was on the 10th and was an all-

snow with lots of wind event. There was enough wind to knock the power off for about 30 minutes at our house.

This time our day began with morning temperatures about 10F

(17F at National Airport).  Snow began about 2 pm.  It stayed cold for awhile and was in the low 20sF even as late as 5pm. We probably got about 2.5" or so before the snow changed to sleet at about 700pm. Then the sleet became rain by abut 730pm and the temperature kept rising and was about 40F by midnight.  So it was sort of a reverse of the Jan 3 event.

first image by Maura Leery from her post on Capital Weather Gang. It is of a part of Klingle trail which is between Cleveland Park and Woodley, just west of Rock Creek, in DC.

second image by Shashi Bellankonda of Potomac on twitter

third image is NOAA's analysis of the 500mb map (about 18,000') showing the center of the storm at that level at 7pm EST 16 Jan. which is about when the snow changed to sleet at our house. The surface center of the storm was north and east of that. 

I half expected a bad static electricity day today.

 

It is very cold, temperatures well below freezing in the daytime.

 

It is very dry with dew point temperatures below 10F.

 

However, the humidifier attachment to the heater is working and we didn't have any problem.
 

Adam Hill took this image today and posted it on the weathergang subsite at the Washington Post web site.

Because of the tall trees around here, we don't get pretty sunsets so I have to look for them on line.

This one combines the sunset with snow and, of course, the Washington Monument surrounded by flags.

 

Follow Up from Yesterday.

As noted yesterday, the area just south of DC got quite a bit more snow than we did.

This morning there was a long, long back up on I-95. It was weather related.

Six tractor trailers jack knifed.

The accident was yesterday and, some people were stranded overnight included US Senator Tim Kaine.

 

Article in Richmond Times Union (image is from there) is here.

 We had no 'plowable' snowfalls in 2021 in the DC area. Although there were 5 days with measurable snow just in February 2021, the most received was about 2"