tsar4

Note the word "almost". Nobody sings on Difficult to Cure anyway.

For the past hour, the temp has been -22°F with a "RealFeel" of -53°F...and there are towns colder than us. I think they said there are 18K without power. The creaks & pops sound like doors slamming in the house (temperature contraction).

Original incarnations are almost always the best.

I think you misspelled "Ozzy".

But that era sucks.

Difficult to Kudasai

How did I miss the obvious pair of Bobs?

Big old Ruby Red Dress Wanders 'round the town Talking to herself now Sometimes sitting down Don't you get too close now Ruby runs away Poor old Ruby Red Dress Born on a sorry day I can hear her say Leave me alone Won't you leave me alone Please leave me alone Now leave me alone Oh, leave me alone Please leave me alone Yes, leave me Leave me Leave me alone Won't you leave me alone Please leave me alone Now leave me alone God, leave me alone Just leave me alone Oh, leave me Leave me Big old Ruby Red Dress Everybody laughs Say she's got no future And never made no past Something hurt that Ruby Something she can't bare You look at her real close now You see a little tear When she says now Leave me alone Won't you leave me alone Please leave me alone God, leave me alone Oh, leave me alone Just leave me alone Please leave me Leave me Leave me alone Won't you leave me alone Please leave me alone Now leave me alone Oh, leave me alone Just leave me alone Oh leave me Leave me Some folks say some farm boy Oh, from Tennessee Taught it all to Ruby Then just let her be Her daddy tried to hide it Tried to keep things cool But something happened to Ruby She broke down to a fool Who just said now Leave me alone Won't you leave me alone Please leave me alone Now leave me alone Oh, leave me alone Please leave me alone Yes leave me Leave me Leave me alone Won't you leave me alone Please leave me alone Now leave me alone God, leave me alone Just leave me alone Please leave me Leave me Leave me alone Won't you leave me alone Please leave me alone

It's tax season, so it's only going to get worse.

No thanks, I can still wait some more. At least until after John Wick 3 is on one of those free HBO weekends.

My Mom got a call today from a number that has been reported to have a foreign sounding person claiming to be from Apple Support (she knows not to pick up & instead read me the number). I've never owned or purchased an Apple product & she's only had what I've bought her.

Awww, now - that's not very neighborly!

Chicago Uber -

https://wgntv.com/2019/01/28/faucet-furnace-fingers-easy-tips-for-keeping-your-family-safe-in-the-cold/

https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/01/28/chicago-colder-than-siberia-antarcitca-mount-everest/

Yeah, we've got a couple too. Provided a powerline doesn't snap, they should help.

Similar warning as the OP, but this time from our local PD - Wed Jan 30th high is -12 -12 degrees for high! This has never in the history of weather happened here. Understand that if these temps hold true it's very likely many homes will experience heating issues. One of the most common furnace calls is that something is wrong with your furnace because the house temperature is falling at the thermostat. That won't necessarily indicate an issue. Furnaces are not designed for the load your home is going to experience this week. If your furnace was designed to maintain 70 degrees at an outside temperature of 0 then anything below that temperature and your furnace will not be able to keep up. It will run non stop but you will continue to lose temperature. Many people should expect home temperatures to fall into the mid to lower 60's during the 96 or so hours of an extreme arctic blast. Also if you set your furnace temperature back while sleeping or at work to save energy DON'T do it this week. Put your thermostat into a “hold” mode because your furnace might be able to barely maintain in these extremes but it will not be able to catch back up! Put on a sweater, throw an extra blanket on your bed and buckle down for some scary cold weather!

Also...

Probably good advice if you're in the path of what we're going to get Wednesday (be safe) - I own a heating company and wanted to share this for all. Monday night through Thursday we all will experience temperatures and wind chills that our homes' heating systems are NOT designed for. -20 to -30-degree temperatures with wind chills into -40 and up to -50+. Newer homes will struggle to maintain temperature and older homes will NOT maintain temperature and the temperature WILL drop while the heating system is working at full capacity. 1. Please raise the temperature in your home on Monday, 2 to 4 degrees above your normal setting. 2. Take all programmable thermostats out of setback mode and set on a permanent HOLD. 3. If you have a furnace; replace the filter. 4. Keep garage doors closed. 5. Limit opening exterior doors. 6. Make sure air vents and radiators are not blocked or obstructed. 7. If you have a 90%+ furnace and boiler: You must keep the intake and exhaust clear of ice and snow. During these cold temperatures, ice can build up. A 90%+ furnace and boiler have 2 white PVC pipes; an exhaust pipe and an intake pipe that are generally on the side or back of your home. In some instances, they are on your roof, do NOT go on your roof to clear the pipe. If the temperature in your home is dropping and your radiators are HOT with boiler systems or you have HOT air coming out of your vents with furnaces DO NOT PANIC. Please make sure that your heating system continues to operate. If the temperatures drop in your home, it will not be able to recover until temperatures rise and the windchill diminishes. Our heating systems cannot overcome temperatures -20 to -30 with wind chill up to -50+. They are sized to operate at 0 degrees outdoor. Put your thermostat on hold 70 degrees or higher. To help minimize temperature loss you can boil water, make soup, or stews; they help introduce humidity and warmer temperatures into your home. DO NOT USE YOUR OVEN or a GRILL TO HEAT YOUR HOME. Please check on neighbors and elderly residents during these extreme temperatures. Stay warm and safe this week and share this email with any of your family and friends.

https://healthydebate.ca/2017/08/topic/vaccine-safety-hesitancy

I think the biggest concern I had at 6 yrs old was if we'd get home from whatever store in time to see the latest Batman episode.