Thunderdome 2015 » Printable Version of Topic » Atlanta Winter Shitfest 2011

Forum: General Stuff
Topic: Atlanta Winter Shitfest 2011
started by: Troy

Posted by Troy on Jan. 11 2011,06:43

We had a rare winter "event" in Atlanta: 4-6 inches of snow, followed by a nice hard layer of sleet. I'm sure the northerners out there think it's not a big deal, but in Atlanta... it's up there with one of those biblical events that wipes out civilizations. Atlanta lacks any infrastructure to deal with snow whatsoever.

I live in the heart of midtown Atlanta, right across from the "Central Park". I have not seen a SINGLE snowplow in 48 hours or so. Roads are completely closed, and still covered in ice. I would have no trouble walking to my office, which I do everyday, but most of the people on my team can't even get out of their driveways. I have seen about 3-4 accidents just listening and looking out my window, countless others stuck.

Pictures from Tuesday morning.

Off the right balcony

Off the bedroom balcony

Straight down to the street

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 11 2011,07:08

The road in front of my house looks like that right now, and I drive a Trans Am every day.

Not to say it is "no big deal..." but really? I used to live in the south, and honestly, y'all milk these light snow days for all they are worth. ;)

To me a better excuse would be "I don't own a winter coat," because that is at least more likely than, "I am not capable of driving a little slower in order to compensate for the slippery conditions."

Posted by TheCatt on Jan. 11 2011,07:26

We have about 1/2" of ice covering everything here, so the town is shutdown. Of course, it doesn't matter when you can work from home.

I've no problem driving in snow. I drove my 90 Civic through 8" of unplowed snow (From Athens, GA to Winston-Salem)... it's the other idiots that are the problem.

Oh, and for the record, idiots in Detroit can't drive in the snow either, they just do it.

Posted by Troy on Jan. 11 2011,07:30

Yeah, I've had a front row view of the idiots. I know how to drive in snow, I feel comfortable doing it, and have done so on a lot of occasions in Western N.C. But the people on the streets terrify me. Yesterday, I walked to the office to pick up some files, and saw a guy slide into a red light, then when it turned green, floor it. He spun his tires out, and instead of letting off to get traction, just kept on revving up the engine, he proceeded to fishtail, end up in 3 different lanes, and then just continue driving to wherever the fuck he was going.

It's just not safe out there.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 11 2011,08:00

Ok, I can buy that. Too many other people on the roads don't know the "slow down and compensate for conditions" trick.

Posted by Troy on Jan. 11 2011,08:04

(GORDON @ Jan. 11 2011,08:00)

QUOTE

Ok, I can buy that. Too many other people on the roads don't know the "slow down and compensate for conditions" trick.

This person did it so badly he blew his own car up.

< http://www.11alive.com/video....3646001 >

Posted by Malcolm on Jan. 11 2011,10:41

Shit. We've had that much snow in late May and April some years, easy.

Posted by Troy on Jan. 11 2011,10:43

(Malcolm @ Jan. 11 2011,10:41)

QUOTE

Shit. We've had that much snow in late May and April some years, easy.

I bet your city of less than 5 million people has more than 0 snow plows.

Edit: 8 salt trucks, still no snow plows.

Posted by Malcolm on Jan. 11 2011,10:51

(Troy @ Jan. 11 2011,12:43)

QUOTE

(Malcolm @ Jan. 11 2011,10:41)

QUOTE

Shit. We've had that much snow in late May and April some years, easy.

I bet your city of less than 5 million people has more than 0 snow plows.

Edit: 8 salt trucks, still no snow plows.

Not my fault y'all's infrastructure plan sucks. I've got an A/C unit. I need to turn it on maybe half a dozen times per year. But I still have one just in case.

If they don't want to keep plows around and pay/maintain them themselves, they can keep someone on retainer that does. If they still bitch about that, then perhaps they should look for jobs other than running a large urban city and stop fucking their citizens with excessive taxation (not that I know Atlanta does that for a fact, I'm just playing the odds).

Posted by Troy on Jan. 11 2011,10:53

(Malcolm @ Jan. 11 2011,10:51)

QUOTE

(Troy @ Jan. 11 2011,12:43)

QUOTE

(Malcolm @ Jan. 11 2011,10:41)

QUOTE

Shit. We've had that much snow in late May and April some years, easy.

I bet your city of less than 5 million people has more than 0 snow plows.

Edit: 8 salt trucks, still no snow plows.

Atlanta gets snow like this once a decade and a half.

We average 2 inches a year. Imagine if you got 3x your yearly snowfall in one storm, on one night.

Yeah, can't see why we aren't prepared for that.

Posted by Malcolm on Jan. 11 2011,11:18

QUOTE

Imagine if you got 3x your yearly snowfall in one storm, on one night.

If that happens up here, a new Ice Age is coming shortly.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 11 2011,11:40

(Troy @ Jan. 11 2011,13:53)

QUOTE

(Malcolm @ Jan. 11 2011,10:51)

QUOTE

(Troy @ Jan. 11 2011,12:43)

QUOTE

(Malcolm @ Jan. 11 2011,10:41)

QUOTE

Shit. We've had that much snow in late May and April some years, easy.

I bet your city of less than 5 million people has more than 0 snow plows.

Edit: 8 salt trucks, still no snow plows.

I bet your city has more money in lost productivity today than it would cost to have a few plows in a garage.

Posted by unkbill on Jan. 11 2011,14:55

(Troy @ Jan. 11 2011,10:43)

QUOTE

(Malcolm @ Jan. 11 2011,10:41)

QUOTE

Shit. We've had that much snow in late May and April some years, easy.

I bet your city of less than 5 million people has more than 0 snow plows.

Edit: 8 salt trucks, still no snow plows.

My grandfather lived about a mile from the Gulf in Alabama. He lived up here for a long time. I remember the rouds beings iced over there. The cops would stop him and he would laugh and tell them to go home. Most southerners think you have to give it tons of gas to get throu. Funny. Like the differince between front wheel and rear wheel drive in the snow. Will take rear wheel every time.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 12 2011,06:00

QUOTE

Like the differince between front wheel and rear wheel drive in the snow. Will take rear wheel every time.

Not me. Which will have more traction, front wheels with an engine sitting on them or rear wheels with a set of golf clubs in a trunk sitting on them?

I do remember a time driving through the Rockies down by Albuquerque. I think this would have been late 91 or early 92. A blizzard hit and there was easily 10-12 inches of snow on the road with near whiteout conditions. The only two cars pushing through in the left lane was me and a guy from Michigan.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 12 2011,10:20

I just ran the snowblower for the second time in 18 hours.

Sigh.

I really do miss the south. I think I am retiring in Alabama.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 12 2011,12:58

QUOTE

I just ran the snowblower for the second time in 18 hours.

It has snowed twice this year.

Yesterday's snowfall wasn't even equal to Atlanta's. I point that out because you were teasing Troy about southerners' inability to handle that snow.

Had you waited until this morning, you would have used the snow blower once.

You used a snow blower, not a shovel. I expect to hear this from you in the summer: "I miss the snow. I've had to mow every week!!!"

Despite predictions of doom, it has been kinda mild this winter, except down south where it's been cold.

You are a woman.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 12 2011,13:10

I wonder if he rakes his yard twice a day in the fall because a few more leaves have fallen since the last raking.

You talk about your TA driving through snow, and your other car is an SUV of some type. Why clear the snow at all? Like I said last time it snowed. I was out there for about 10 minutes clearing snow off my driveway and stopped because it was stupid. All of our vehicles can drive through it. Don't be so anal about your driveway! Old man. . .

Posted by Malcolm on Jan. 12 2011,13:23

(Leisher @ Jan. 12 2011,14:58)

QUOTE

Despite predictions of doom, it has been kinda mild this winter ...

I've got a few metric ass-tons of snow up here that disagree.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 12 2011,13:26

QUOTE

I've got a few metric ass-tons of snow up here that disagree.

I figure that you guys would just blame that on Favre.

And yes, I know you have been hit hard, but we were supposed to get nailed this year and haven't. We get 1 blizzard every 20 years and our last blizzard was in 78. Last year's winter storm doesn't count. It wasn't a blizzard.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 12 2011,13:32

I don't like tracking snow into the house from the driveway, I don't like walking through slushy snow, it is a challenge for me to walk over lumpy, slushy ice, and I don't like seeing the school kids have to walk in wheel ruts on the street to get to the bus just because no one else clears their sidewalks... so I now snow-blow 150 yards of sidewalk all the way down to the bus stop.

I cleared the driveway last night after the bulk of the snowing so the wife wouldn't have to walk through deep drifts in order to get to her car and get to work, and I cleared it again this morning because we got another inch overnight, and there was more drifting due to wind. The kid was sledding down the porch steps while I was blowing snow.

I don't know what the big mystery is, beyond y'all are lazy and inconsiderate of others who need to use your sidewalks, or park in your driveway when they visit you.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 12 2011,13:36

Actually, I shoveled last night. I was out there for 20 minutes doing a 2 car driveway, the entire sidewalk from neighbor to neighbor, the sidewalk around the side of the house to the garage cans, and the sidewalk to the front door.

Loved every minute of it. It wasn't too cold, and the snow was all powder. I could have used a broom. 20 minutes listening to a podcast, getting exercise, and not being annoyed by kids or a wife.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 12 2011,13:38

One of my neighbors actually was using a broom.

Posted by TPRJones on Jan. 12 2011,13:43

(GORDON @ Jan. 11 2011,09:08)

QUOTE

To me a better excuse would be "I don't own a winter coat," because that is at least more likely than, "I am not capable of driving a little slower in order to compensate for the slippery conditions."

Asking a Southerner to drive safely on ice and snow is like asking someone from New York city to safely fire a rifle. Sure you'll find some rational ones that can handle it well, but most of them will just FREAK THE FUCK OUT on general principle at the basic idea and it's all downhill from there.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 12 2011,20:06

It's not uncommon for us to shovel a path to the car doors and the sidewalk from the driveway to the house. Which only takes a few minutes, of course. We don't have sidewalks out by the road.

And who visits you? Didn't you build a fence to keep people out? ;-)

Posted by Troy on Jan. 12 2011,21:01

Send food and blankets. Also, DVD collections.