American Idle

Snow in San Francisco? Could happen late Friday

By Jason Samenow

Unusually cold storm impacting West Coast

Temperatures are on the upswing across the eastern third of the United States, but a very stormy and cold pattern is taking hold over the West Coast. A winter storm warning is in effect for Seattle, where three to six inches of snow is expected through Thursday (including potential snowfall rates of one inch per hour north of the city into this afternoon). The same storm will dive southward, impacting much of California, Thursday into Saturday (from north to south). In the San Francisco Bay Area, the potential for some very rare snowflakes is on the table.
The San Francisco National Weather Service Forecast office writes:
ON FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY A RECORD COLD AIRMASS IS FORECAST TO DROP OVER THE REGION WITH SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE VERY LOW ELEVATION SNOW SHOWERS BETWEEN 500 FEET AND SEA LEVEL.
Measurable snow is very rare in San Francisco, and has only occurred in the area 11 times since 1856 according to meteorologist Jan Null of Golden Gate Weather Services, who has compiled a record. The last measurable snow to occur in San Francisco occurred in 1976 when one inch fell.
As for the snow potential Friday into Saturday, Null wrote in an email to colleagues: “The toughest part of the equation is whether the precipitation will phase with the coldest air during the coldest time of day. Any of a number of subtle changes to the airmass and its trajectory over the ocean could make dramatic differences to the eventual outcome.”
In the North Bay Hills of San Francisco, at elevations above 1,000 feet, snow is a better bet than at sea level and a winter storm watch has already been issued for Thursday night and Friday:
ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL OF SEVERAL INCHES WILL BE LIKELY FOR ALL ELEVATIONS ABOVE 1500 FEET WITH A GOOD POSSIBILITY OF AT LEAST 1 INCH OF SNOW DOWN TO 1000 FEET.
As you head south toward Los Angeles, unseasonably cold temperatures are expected by Saturday with highs in the 50s and lows in the upper 30s Saturday night. Snow will be possible in its nearby hills. The National Weather Service notes model forecast “thicknesses” – a measure of how cold it is – are unusually low:
IF THESE VALUES VERIFY IT WILL BE THE LOWEST [COLDEST] THICKNESSES RECORDED IN AT LEAST THE LAST 10 TEN YEARS.

If this is true, we should get a nice dusting of snow in the Oakland Hills and, of course, on Diablo. I’m supposed to be riding my bike around 1000ft so I plan on bundling up.

We finally decided on a bed. Ordered the Northwest Panel bed from Harvest Home in Corte Madera.
We had the choice of pine or birch and we went with birch because it looks better, has a nice grain and is stronger.
We also went with a hickory finish which is quite dark brown. Should look really good.
It’s supposed to be delivered in 6-8 weeks. Patience.
Here’s the blurb on it:

Influenced by craftsmen and designers of the past. The Northwest Collections are timeless pieces that have relevance across cultures and stand the test of time. A pass of your eye over the surfaces of our furniture reveals time-honored methods of joinery that leave you comfortable with your investment. As a sign of our commitment to quality, all Northwest pieces are guaranteed for life against any defects due to materials or workmanship. All pieces come in over 20 different finishes.

It’s handmade in Canada and guaranteed for life. What’s not to like?

We had a little shaker this evening. The epicenter of the 4.1 quake was down in San Jose. I was at work and didn’t feel anything in Hercules, but Quel was home in Marina Bay and felt the house swaying quite a bit. It was her first earthquake, so she was a bit startled.
It was a good test of the new house, which was built (supposedly) to modern California Seismic Building Codes on a post-tension concrete slab. The building shook, didn’t fall down and there were no cracks. I hope that the same will happen with a larger and/or closer earthquake. Of course building to seismic code with only make a building more earthquake resistant, not earthquake-proof.

The explanation usually given for the “stuck on 39″ running joke is that he had celebrated his birthday on-air when he turned 39, and decided to do the same the following year, because “there’s nothing funny about 40.” Upon his death, having celebrated his 39th birthday 41 times, some newspapers continued the joke with headlines such as “Jack Benny Dies – At 39?”

Happy Festivus to all!!!!

Diablo got more than a dusting of snow yesterday. There are some amazing pictures of the frosty, snow-blanketed Mt. Diablo on Flickr here and here.

When you live with cats, your going to, occasionally, notice a slight acrid urine smell around the house. It’s just part of the program.
For the most part, these smells are isolated to the litter box, which is how it should be. Every once in a while, I’ll notice a smell outside the box, which means that one of my cats, usually Fil, has decided the litter box was not clean enough for her liking and she decided to improvise her own box. I have two boxes for them and I’ve become fastidious about keeping it clean, but she still pisses on various throw rugs, newspapers or piles of clothes, now and again.
I’m sort of used to the odor by now, having lived around it for six years, and usually I can find the litter box du jour and toss it in the washing machine or dump it out in the trash. But every once in a while, I catch the whiff of cat piss, but can’t for the life of me locate the smell. There’s a hint of an acrid smell in the air, I search for it, can’t find it, and then it goes away. It hits me again, then I lose it.
This happened today. It took me all morning to realize that FIl had peed on my pajamas and I was carrying the smell with me all over the damn house. Fucking cats. Can’t live with ‘em. Can’t drown ‘em.

Ok, so I’m not really going to recover my stuff that was stolen when I was in Chile, but I’m well underway in the process of replacing everything. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

• Canon G9
• 80GB iPod Classic
• Oakley Jackknife 6.0 frames & lensesv
• 4GB SanDisk Extreme III Memory card
• House keys
• Leather Wallet

So far, it has cost me about $785 to replace everything. An expensive lesson. I’m not going to replace it all. I can’t even remember everything in the bag. And some things like the wallet and the iPod needed to be replaced anyway.

In an increasingly common occurrence, area man Andrew Hecht was rushed to Berkeley Alta Bates hospital following a major cardiac arrest induced by his two cats, Makelani and Filemu.

The events unfolded around 10:33pm when Mr. Hecht opened his bedroom window before going to sleep because of the unusually warm evening. In a sleep deprived state, also caused by the cats, he opened the window just a bit too much, investigators said. They estimate sometime between 10:33 and 10:47, the cats slipped silently out the window.
Mr. Hecht was able to rescue both animals, return them safely inside and call 911 before losing consciousness. He was rushed to the hospital after EMT first responders discovered him passed out the floor of his living room.
“It was ugly”, said EMT Jarvis Greenview, the first licensed medical person to arrive responding to the man down call. “I arrive on scene. I notice the ‘man down’ is still down. And the cats were just sitting on him. Surveying the situation and surroundings, it was clear as day: the cats did it.”
In the past year alone, Greenview has been called to the scene of 43 cat-related coronary incidents.
Mr. Hecht was rushed for emergency treatment to Alta Bates where he revived after several hours in the operating room.
“Mr. Hecht is lucky to be alive”, said James Gostowski, Head of Cardiology at Alta Bates. “Feline-induced Myocardial Infarction is one our top killers. It’s one the most fatal forms of cardiac arrest.”
Feline-induced Myocardial Infarction (FIMI) is an acute episode of heart disease marked by the death or damage of heart muscle due to insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle usually as a result of a coronary thrombosis or a coronary occlusion. It is characterized especially by chest pain, shortness of breath and proximity to one or more cats.
Aasif Gupta, a third year cardiology intern at Alta Bates, summed it up. “Sure, cats can be cute, and, while not fully researched, the healing powers of purring is undisputed in the medical community. But they are killers.” Gupta added, “you’d be foolish to keep one or more at home.”
Mr. Hecht will remain at Alta Bates for several days under close observation. When reached for comment, Makelani and Filemu just stared blankly.