Winter Storm Hype: Undetermined, but probably a fail

The above photo was taken at the casa de madre. It is a photo of one of the first snows one winter, with all that fluffy white stuff covering up the golf course she lives on.

This is not a particularly large amount of snow, for Michigan standards. A few inches at best, and we're used to that. In fact, I'm pretty sure we've already had over 27 inches or so this winter alone.

Because, you know, it's Michigan.

Whelp, tomorrow evening and into Wednesday afternoon, weather reports are spouting off obscene numbers. At first, it was 10 inches.

Oh my, everyone said, 10 inches, wow.

Then it became 12 inches.

Goodness, everyone said, that's an awful lot of snow. I'd hate to have to do all the shoveling in the driveway.

Then, in the latest report, it was stated that the metro Detroit/Ann Arbor area could get as much as 17 inches of snow.

OHHHHH MYYYY GOOODDDDD, everyone said, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!

I recently started following Pure Michigan on Twitter, because, well, I live in Michigan... and I like the outdoors... and I liked Tim Allen's Pure Michigan campaign commercial even more. But all day they've been talking about the snowpocolypse... and news sources (mine included) are actually asking people if they've taken the time to fill up their gas tanks, charge their cell phones, and stock up on bread and mustard (you know, the staples)... and friends and family are worried about being buried alive in white, fluffy stuff.

Usually when we get winter storm advisories, I scoff. Because this is Michigan. It snows. Michigan does not discriminate against the months of fall and spring, either. It will snow occasionally during those months. I also scoff because it never, NEVER snows as much as the dear old weather man predicts.

In this particular case, I only have one reason to be worried for people. Usually when it snows a lot throughout the day it doesn't matter because salt trucks and snow plows are constantly making the rounds. Sure the back roads can get tough and you might have to drive 30 mph in a 50-mph zone, but it's totally manageable. The difference between that and this is that a lot of this snowfall is going to take place during the night... so it will have time to pile up. I'm sure plows will be out late at night and uber early in the morning, but keep in mind that our road commission cut back on snow plows this year. That means it takes longer for the plows to reach all major roads, plus fewer people working during the late shift, and they hardly ever touch the "non major" ones. That's a real problem, especially when there aren't any cars on the roads to sort of even things out.

So, if 17 inches of snow is what we actually end up getting between sundown on Tuesday and nooner on Wednesdays, then, yeah, it's A LOT...

Luckily for me, Wednesdays are my day off. So I'm not really at any danger of missing something terribly important. I will likely do what I do on every Wednesday, which is get up at 9 a.m., drink my coffee, eat a biscotti, stay in my pajamas, read a book, and have a Netflix marathon. That means the worst-case scenario for me is losing power, because it would mean A) no Netflix, and B) emergency bonfires in the kitchen to keep my cats from freezing to death.

Here's hoping I don't have to break out the kitchen matches.

Cheers.

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The CSA Hunt Begins!

So I've decided to do the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm share thing. I've considered it before, but since it's something I've never tried I'm a little intimidated. For example, how do I know which CSA to choose? What if there is bad weather and I don't get the produce I'm expecting from my lump sum check? What types of produce would I care about receiving the most? What if I get all these vegetables that are unrecognizable and I don't know how to cook them?

Right now my biggest waffle is whether or not I want to choose a produce-only CSA, or another type. There's this place called Old Pine Farm that does humane meat farm shares, which will end up including beef, bison, pork, lamb, chicken and emu. Yes, bison and emu, which were both recently added to the healthy red meats list by the American Heart Association. I sort of feel like a meat CSA is the right way to go for Chris and I because we eat a lot of meat and it's the most expensive thing at grocery stores, so this could end up being a way to save the most money for super awesome meat.

But I also buy a lot of produce, and I like the idea of cooking with just seasonal vegetables straight from a local farm. The question is, which one? Organic or conventional agriculture? Meat and potatoes farm, or a farm that focuses on greens? TOO MANY QUESTIONS!!

I recently heard about this lady in Ann Arbor who sort of knows everything about local farms and farmers markets, and she has this CSA booklet thingy for the Ann Arbor area to help match people with the right one. I'm going to give it a read and see if I feel enlightened. If that doesn't help, I'll probably fork over the $25 to meet with her and ask some questions. The last thing I want to do is continue to not get involved in CSA programs just because it's new and intimidating.

Stay tuned... and if you're interested in a CSA in the A2 area, you might want to take a look at her guide as well... http://thefarmersmarketer.com/farmers-marketers-csa-guide/.

The CSA Hunt Begins!

So I've decided to do the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm share thing. I've considered it before, but since it's something I've never tried I'm a little intimidated. For example, how do I know which CSA to choose? What if there is bad weather and I don't get the produce I'm expecting from my lump sum check? What types of produce would I care about receiving the most? What if I get all these vegetables that are unrecognizable and I don't know how to cook them?

Right now my biggest waffle is whether or not I want to choose a produce-only CSA, or another type. There's this place called Old Pine Farm that does humane meat farm shares, which will end up including beef, bison, pork, lamb, chicken and emu. Yes, bison and emu, which were both recently added to the healthy red meats list by the American Heart Association. I sort of feel like a meat CSA is the right way to go for Chris and I because we eat a lot of meat and it's the most expensive thing at grocery stores, so this could end up being a way to save the most money for super awesome meat.

But I also buy a lot of produce, and I like the idea of cooking with just seasonal vegetables straight from a local farm. The question is, which one? Organic or conventional agriculture? Meat and potatoes farm, or a farm that focuses on greens? TOO MANY QUESTIONS!!

I recently heard about this lady in Ann Arbor who sort of knows everything about local farms and farmers markets, and she has this CSA booklet thingy for the Ann Arbor area to help match people with the right one. I'm going to give it a read and see if I feel enlightened. If that doesn't help, I'll probably fork over the $25 to meet with her and ask some questions. The last thing I want to do is continue to not get involved in CSA programs just because it's new and intimidating.

Stay tuned... and if you're interested in a CSA in the A2 area, you might want to take a look at her guide as well... http://thefarmersmarketer.com/farmers-marketers-csa-guide/.

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thundafunda.com

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The CSA Hunt Begins!

So I've decided to do the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm share thing. I've considered it before, but since it's something I've never tried I'm a little intimidated. For example, how do I know which CSA to choose? What if there is bad weather and I don't get the produce I'm expecting from my lump sum check? What types of produce would I care about receiving the most? What if I get all these vegetables that are unrecognizable and I don't know how to cook them?

Right now my biggest waffle is whether or not I want to choose a produce-only CSA, or another type. There's this place called Old Pine Farm that does humane meat farm shares, which will end up including beef, bison, pork, lamb, chicken and emu. Yes, bison and emu, which were both recently added to the healthy red meats list by the American Heart Association. I sort of feel like a meat CSA is the right way to go for Chris and I because we eat a lot of meat and it's the most expensive thing at grocery stores, so this could end up being a way to save the most money for super awesome meat.

But I also buy a lot of produce, and I like the idea of cooking with just seasonal vegetables straight from a local farm. The question is, which one? Organic or conventional agriculture? Meat and potatoes farm, or a farm that focuses on greens? TOO MANY QUESTIONS!!

I recently heard about this lady in Ann Arbor who sort of knows everything about local farms and farmers markets, and she has this CSA booklet thingy for the Ann Arbor area to help match people with the right one. I'm going to give it a read and see if I feel enlightened. If that doesn't help, I'll probably fork over the $25 to meet with her and ask some questions. The last thing I want to do is continue to not get involved in CSA programs just because it's new and intimidating.

Stay tuned... and if you're interested in a CSA in the A2 area, you might want to take a look at her guide as well... http://thefarmersmarketer.com/farmers-marketers-csa-guide/.

Website for this image

thundafunda.com

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Monkey Business: Pass

Baby monkey. Baby monkey. Riding.. on a pig... baby monkey.

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Golden Globe Fail: Social Network wins Motion Picture Drama

Final award being presented by Michael Douglas because the guy had cancer and is still going strong, very bravely and with a wonderful attitude and sense of humor. He makes a great joke after his standing ovation... "there's gotta be a better way to get a standing ovation." As always, his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones looks beautiful. 

Nominees for Best Motion Picture Drama are Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The King's Speech, The Social Network.

And the winner is... Social Network. Sigh.... well, this means I have to see it, because I never go into the Oscars without having seen the Best Picture nominees. UGH! I'm sure I'll be pleasantly surprised... maybe.... 

Jana (hardly) likes this.

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Globes #6: Wrapping up

Alicia Keys presents the clip for Black Swan. Another great one. Creepy and beautiful. I hope Natalie Portman wins for acting this.

Halle Berry presenting nominees for actor in a motion picture comedy or musical. Johnny Depp is nominated twice, once for Alice in Wonderland and for The Tourist... so he'll either win by odds or lose twice. Others are Kevin Spacey, Paul Giamatti and Jake Gyllenhaal. Not the strongest of categories. Giamatti wins and gives a funny speech because he is a funny man, and he's not drinking any freaking Merlot!!! His film was Barney's Version, which I believe is on the film festival circuit right now.

Side note: Barney's Version is the movie that caused Rachelle LeFevre to lose her Twilight role as Victoria. She overbooked and wouldn't be finished with Barney's Version in time to do Eclipse rehearsals... aka Summit (which has money now) gave it to Ron Howard's redheaded daughter, Bryce Howard. I think, based on ratings and the quality of material, LeFevre is the one laughing now.

The Inception supporting dude is here to present the clip for Inception, which still awes and amuses me.

Jeff Bridges (last year's best actor in a film drama) presenting award for Actress in a Motion Picture Drama. Nominees are Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, and Michelle Williams. Globe goes to Natalie Portman for Black Swan, which is awesome... because she played a real ballet dancer, lesbian and psychopath ALL IN ONE MOVIE. Her speech is excellent. Not only does she talk about getting knocked up by her choreographer, but she refers to her costar as Mila "sweet lilps" Kunis......

Tim Allen and Tom Hanks presenting for best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, AKA the weakest category of the night... not for lack of choices. They just *really* don't like Jonah Hill (Cyrus, Get Him to the Greek), high school comedies (Easy A) or too much gaymance (I love you, phillip morris... Kids Are All Right took up the gay token bid) Nominees are Alice and Wonderland, Burlesque, The Kids Are All Right, Red, The Tourist. Kids Are All Right wins. The highlight of that award was the awesomeness of having both Tim Allen and Tom Hanks on stage, reminding everyone that Gervais is blowing this big time.

Sandra Bullock presenting award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. Nominees are Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth, James Franco, Mark Wahlberg and Ryan Gosling. Colin Firth wins for The King's Speech. I guess I'm a little surprised because I was considering the momentum of Social Network. I'm delightfully surprised, especially considering he had to speak in a stutter throughout the film. You try it. His speech was cute. Again, I'm biased. He'll always be my Darcy.

Break! One more to go!

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