I had to search so hard for a kerosene heater yesterday. I'm pretty sure I got the last one available within 75 miles, and I'm up bright and early to go pick it up. I don't want someone at the store to sell it before I get there. I would have gone to pick it up immediately after the purchase last night, but I wouldn't have made it before the store closed. I've been just relying on our generator and space heaters for backup in a power outage. I've never actually had to use that setup since we moved here in 2016. If both the electric grid and generator fail, at best it would get extremely uncomfortable for a brief time, at worst it could be deadly conditions for days. So, I decided get a proper backup heat source. This might be the scariest forecast for an area I've lived, in my life. Almost entirely Ice instead of snow, predicted for our area, and twelve straight days of lows under 20°F. It is predicted to be at or below freezing after the storm, until next Wednesday. I did not panic buy anything else.
I think the real takeaway from the game is we can all bask in what an embarrassing clown Michael Irvin truly is. He’s not a coach, not a trainer, just some noisy retard on the sideline— who also happens to be SIXTY fucking years old. Stop feeling up teenage college girls, you piece of shit.
So, let me set the scene here in SoVa, before this storm. I bought what I believe to be the last kerosene heater in the surrounding cities and counties. It was from a mom and pop farm store that sells boots, guns, seed and feed, etc.... The box is faded and dusty. It's been in the store for years, the owner confirmed. I called them as a last resort, because I didn't think they would actually have one. It was more expensive than the big box stores by $70, about 35%. I feel lucky to have found it. I hid it in my backseat and covered it with a spare coat, best I could, because I don't want to have to fight over it, or have it taken from me, during the rest of my errands. Then I go to Lowes because I need something in which to store kerosene. I got the last fuel can with a capacity larger than 2 gallons. It is a metal can labeled for gasoline, and cost $73. I also saw a few jugs of kerosene alternative, and grabbed 2, just in case kerosene is hard to find. If the burn rate is accurate, it's enough to last about 24 hours, for $62. I did finally find some kerosene. It was $7 a gallon. My new can holds about another 24 hours worth. Lowes did have a handful of propane heaters left. However, they had no propane tanks. According to signs at gas stations, propane is gone, or at the very least it is already scarce in the area. Their fuel can stock was down to a handful of 2 gallon plastic cans, and maybe 30 of the 1 gallon size. I was stopped twice, by other shoppers, on my way out of Lowes and asked about where to find the fuel can and fuel alternative. I expect whatever stock they did have, is all gone by now. Early bird gets the worm, as they say. And, we're still more than 48 hours from the storm. The real panic hasn't even begun.
I have a terrible feeling about this storm for area I'm in and others that will get mostly ice. The combination of ice in the forecast, plus the long stretch of frigid temps that will follow. It has the potential to plunge so many into a situation they might not survive without preparation. The area it will affect is so large, any aid that is available, will stretched thin. My neighborhood is so weird. Across the street is one of three homes that belonged to a deceased man that made $14,000 a day. Then there is the old crackhead, a few houses the other direction. He probably doesn't even know this storm is coming. He hasn't had electricity since sometime in early 2025. He just smokes crack and survives, somehow. He has the ability to burn wood for heat, so he will probably be alright. I don't know who has better chances of survival, the extremely well off widow, or the guy with absolutely nothing because he sold it off feed a crack habit.
Wood is easy to come by, burns for hours, and can generate a lot of heat. My money is on whoever has the ability to burn it indoors without killing themselves via smoke inhalation.
He's not a prepared crackhead. He doesn't have a big store of wood to burn. He doesn't put much effort into heating his home, I do know that. I tried to help the guy last year. I took him to the ruritans to get help getting his electric hooked back up. Took him to the food bank, even shared some of our frozen meats with him. He just continued to get worse and worse, spend more and more on drugs, and I had to step away. It wouldn't shock me to see him ripping slats off his barn and burning it.
Northern Virginia/DC area is expected to get ~10inches and the forecast says it'll transition to freezing rain for the last few hours. The area hasn't quite entered panic mode yet, but road crews are brining the roads and nearly all the bread & milk was gone when I ran into our local Walmart for some odds & ends tonight. The one item I haven't been able to find in any local store is paraffin oil for my oil lamps in case the power goes out. I did find K-1 kerosene, but I'd prefer not to use that. The snowblower started right up when I checked it this evening which probably means it will absolutely refuse to run at all when I need it this weekend.
Imagine that, health insurance denied the sleep study that doctor suggested. Got a call from that office and they are just ordering an automatic CPAP machine for me that should be ready to pick up next week sometime. I was told it has a low and high setting, you start on low and and the machine ramps up as needed. I am really looking forward to getting good sleep and not being exhaused 24/7. I have been on a alcohol bender basically for the past 7 years. When I say bender, drinking daily and in excess but being functional. Started with bourbon but I realized within a couple months of covid starting that it really fucked with my entire sleep pattern. I switched to vodka in late 2020 and have been hitting vokda tonics nightly until about 2 weeks ago. I got to the point that I started getting hangovers which I never had. I guess I can't drink like this in my mid 50s so I cold turkey'd. First couple nights sleep didn't happen, but other than the apnea tyring to off me, sleep has been much better. Dreams are amazing when your brain isn't shutdown do to alcohol.
It's pretty amazing what quitting or even cutting back on alcohol can do for us and how we feel. Up until August I was what i guess is now considered "gray area" drinking. At least 4-5 days a week, though not a lot, two, sometimes three beers or cocktails in the evening. When I started this weight loss regimen, of course the alcohol had to go. It wasn't hard, it was just a huge lifestyle shift. I noticed how much better I felt ( though I still don't sleep for shit ) and the weight started coming off. Then in November when I started Wegovy, that really helped me with cutting back even more. I've considered stopping altogether but, fuck that, I enjoy the taste now and then. Problem is, I don't seem to feel the effects like I once did and I've read GLP's slow the absorption of alcohol, though i still feel full. As a result, I'll have one or two and then my stomach is telling me that's enough.
Looks like Old Man Winter is on his way and he's going in dry. Sub=zero temps tonight and most of next week with a foor or more of snow this weekend. I don't mind winter but hate when it gets that cold, I worry about my animals. They get through it and I do everything I can to make it easier for them, but I still worry.
We're not built for this, you heartless heathen! Our detailed forecast is like this... Saturday 5p-7p - Freezing rain up to .15" Saturday 7p-5a Sunday - Snow 3"-6", up from previous forecasts Sunday 5a-3a Monday - Ice 1"-2", I'm guessing sleet rather than freezing rain. And then, no relief from the bitter cold. It's insane how badly this can go for the unprepared with widespread icy conditions greatly increasing the chance for extended power outages, in an area that so many rely on electricity for heat. As they keep increasing the ice forecast here, I want more and more to go out and find another 24 hours of kerosene, getting me up to about 72 hours.