Events

It seems the weather forecast was correct: The 10 am (1600 UTC) temperature at O'Hare was 2°C, the first time it's been above freezing in Chicago since January 27th, and only the third time since January 15th. I'm going to go outside and bask in the warmth right now...

I may have had my fill of snow, but Parker hasn't: The consensus at the play group yesterday evening was that the warmer weather will turn the park into a mud pit, which the dogs will love almost as much. It's still not April, I guess. There is one aspect of the snow that Parker won't miss, I think: Poor guy.

It's possible that the temperature in Chicago could go above freezing this afternoon for the first time since January 27th. This is the longest stretch of below-freezing weather we've had since I returned home in 2000. Hey, I like records as well as the next athlete, but I'm pretty tired of this one. Stay tuned.

I don't know what Parker was saying to Dexter, but it does look like Dexter is taking the kid under his wing, so to speak: Also, I'd like to point out that neither of them cared about the -26°C wind chill, but Dexter's dad and I sure did. Pretty sunrise, though:

The ParkerCam is back, and this time, it's personal. Parker is at home today, but I've decided to give up a little of my own privacy so that he can continue to be famous: This also lets you, gentle reader, play "where's Parker?" all day. Is he by the door, hidden from view off to the left? Looking out the window? Or just lying on his back with his paws straight up in the air? Around 1pm, you might even get a glimpse of the dog-walking service. Update: Apparently the upload can be a bit slow, so...

Did anyone else remember that a year ago today (Feb. 13 in the U.S.), Dick Cheney shot someone? How time flies...

So I'm walking home at 8:15 pm, and I hear Civil Defense sirens. I'm just old enough to find the sound chilling. When I was a kid, CD sirens meant "tornado" or "Soviet missile attack." They sounded for about two full minutes, which I thought was gratuitious. See, Evanston, Ill., sounded their CD sirens tonight to tell everyone to move their cars, just in case people missed the 20 cm of snow on the ground (parking restrictions take effect after 5 cm of snow). I also found out, this storm has dropped more...

So I'm in my office, working on stuff, when all of a sudden my speakers go haywire, then dead. Yup: Parker bit right through the speaker wire, destroying the best computer speakers I've ever had, which were about $150 back in 1998. Destructo-beast from Hell, that's what he is.

You know, sometimes I forget things. Today, for example, in getting Parker to give my boots back to me and rushing to get to the play group, I forgot the ParkerCam at home. So, Parker is in the office, but this is probably the only office-puppy shot we'll have today: And how was the play group? Well, take a look outside Inner Drive World HQ's office window and imagine: That's the view from 6:40 am CST (1240 UTC). What you can't see clearly are the 42 km/h wind gusts. At least Dexter and Key, two of...

The temperature in Chicago hasn't gotten above freezing since the 27th, and we're getting more snow—50 mm so far today. At least it's warmer: for 7 of the past 9 nights the temperature has fallen below -18°C, but right now it's a balmy -3°C. Oh, who am I kidding? Syracuse, N.Y., has over 30 cm of snow on the ground, which is nothing compared with the 3 m reported in parts of nearby Oswego County. And up in Crane Lake, Minn., it's -31°C, and not likely to get warmer any time this week. I guess it's not...