Golly, NYC sure knows how to whine about a little snow. The storm’s been over for, what, like two days now, and they still haven’t got their act together? Well, it’s no wonder, I guess, seeing as they apparently don’t know how to use a front end loader (by the way, is that a Kubota?). :kub:

I mean, a tow truck? Look, the beauty of having that bucket on the front end is that you drop the bucket and use it to push your front end up and off the ground, and then scooch the whole thing back (haven’t got much experience with it myself, but have had to perform that particular maneuver on more than one occasion, having buried my tractor up above the hood in snow many times already). Kinda like an inch worm. Short of being buried halfway up in mud, you can extricate yourself out of pretty much anything. Especially a little bit of snow on pavement.

Looks like he doesn’t have any tire chains, either (mayor Bloomie might want to buy a set for all the City’s snow removal equipment; they aint cheap, but they’re a helluva lot cheaper than an SUV, and he can take the money out of the school budget or something). Silly city slickers. Let’s just hope they get everything cleared up before tomorrow’s Pinstripe Bowl (aka, the unofficial National Championship game).

I dunno about you all, but I’ve been having a pretty tough time getting through the days at work this week. More than usual, even with the added boost of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee (which isn’t bad, but, as the chick behind the counter informed me yesterday, the travel mug they sold me “sucks” because you have to really wank the lid on to prevent it from leaking – tough enough for a manly fella like myself, but for a young DD counter babe, pretty close to impossible). It’s even more difficult to get the damn lid back off again (nothing to grab on to; it should be a hex head so you can get a wrench on it). Oh well, only another $13 worth left on the two cards, and then I can be done with it (at $2.01 for a refill, that won’t take long – and I damn sure aint gonna shell out that kinda jack for a cup of coffee on my own dime). I’ll miss it though.

I should buy Fair Trade coffee, of course. And I do get it every once in a while in order to assuage my liberal guilt, but, well, it’s just too goddamn expensive. A shame that those who could easily afford it are getting huge tax cuts that they’re no doubt spending on coffee that comes from Civet shit, while a sensitive liberal such as myself is on an Eight O’Clock kinda budget (I really should be getting Paul deLima; not only is it local – well, as local to Syracuse as coffee can get; they roast it here – but the current deLima is a graduate of the SU Law School, they sell Fair Trade products, and have windmills and a solar farm to generate the electricity for roasting the beans and running the plant).

But we’re only allowed to drink Hazelnut coffee here – which, surprisingly, I’ve become quite accustomed to over the past 14 years or so and am now hooked on – and Paul only sells that as a grounded blend. And we prefer to grind our own around here.

Speaking of which, our grinder is showing signs of crapping out. It’s always kind of sucked, but I was looking for a a conical burr grinder, and this was the only one I could find locally that was under a million dollars (in fact, it was on sale for like $30). Can anybody recommend a replacement? We’re not talkin’ gourmet here – just your basic drip coffee maker.

I’d like to get a hand grinder (way back during the great Labor Day Storm of ’98, we had no power for two weeks, and I had to grind coffee with a mortar and pestle, which got old in a hurry. Not that I’m anticipating 2 weeks w/o power – I hope – but I like the idea of not using electricity if I can do it myself; I guess I’ve got a little Ed Begley in me), but they get mixed reviews and I’m not sure how much effort is required (I mean, a little Ed Begley is one thing, but if it turns out to be a real hassle, then f*ck it – hook me up to the grid). And these damn things – whether hand or electric – are awfully expensive. Problem is, you read the reviews for things, and you don’t know what the hell to think.

Do they make a PTO-driven one I can hook up to the tractor?

Oh well, I reckon it’s about time to set things in motion to try and force myself through another day. I want more coffee, but I’ve already gone over my daily ration, and I hate to empty the pot entirely. But I might just have to – and then make another pot, lest I suffer the wrath of my wife. But then she won’t drink it all, and we’ll be half a pot off, and, oh, it just gets really complicated at that point. I suppose I could make half a pot. Never tried that before.

Oh well, at least I don’t have to plow the driveway.