March 13, 2005 Archives

There was a time, back in the unenlightened days, when I could throw a few t-shirts and shorts in a bag and go away for a week. I didn't care what I wore. I packed for only myself.

I'm sure I was less 'GQ-like' in my appearance. But, it was a casual time for me and, as I said, I didn't care.

That was then, this is now.

Traveling with Helaine and Stef is an entirely different adventure in packing. Not only do we have to take what is necessary to be stylish - we need options!

I am told the suitcase to the left is by no means full. However, last night, Stef got on the scale in the bathroom to weigh it... and at that time we were 49 pounds into the 50 pound allowance. Of course with three bags per passenger, we can split the load into other suitcases.

Think about it for a second. Three bags per person at 50 pounds per bag, plus any carry ons we take. That about ¼ ton! Maybe I should have waited until after the trip to write that.

I will gladly admit to dressing much better on the road than the jeans and t-shirt days. On the other hand, I am the chief lugger of this luggage and feel each and every pound.

When I kvetch, and I have, Helaine offers me the option of packing myself. That, in a nutshell, is why I'll tote and carry and be quiet about it... and, I'll look damned stylish on vacation.

Blogger's note: This entry first ran in 2005. It gets found again each winter. In February 2008, I updated the snowfall link to CT DOT which seems to change on a yearly basis.

This seems to be a question of general interest. How much snow did Connecticut get? The Weather Service, since their switch to automated readings, has become less helpful in this regard. However, the Connecticut Department of Transportation does keep good records of each snow storm.

Here's the only problem: DOT clears the recording area and starts fresh for each reading. That gives higher totals than standard readings because there is much less settling in the DOT method. However, it's the best, most consistent source.

Any port in a storm, I suppose.