DAKOTA II

I had made fun of Grand Forks and its sister city, East Grand Forks, Minn., for calling themselves the Grand Cities and declaring that they are ''where the earth meets the sky.'' (This turns out to be slightly inaccurate: Between the earth and the sky, there's a layer of really hard ice.)

Comments

[Not My Usual Alias]

One rule my Dad had as a civil engineer working with water and waste systems was to never smoke when entering an enclosed space. He also let others open the door, lest something had been leaking.

I like the idea of going to a place where the only ArbusckSt option in the state is 250 miles away.

[nursecindy]

NMUA, the closest ArbucksSt to me is 30 mins. away. I've been to it one time and realized my offeecay at home was just as good and a lot cheaper. I wonder if you could even find North or South Dakota right now? I hear they've gotten a little snow.

[nursecindy]

In case you are wondering why I mentioned the Dakotas it's because they are the same state as Minnesota. Have you ever seen all of them in the same room together? Also I goofed up.

[Not My Usual Alias]

I was passing through Sturgis on the day before the big rally. It was a unique cultural interaction for a kid on his way to a midwestern Christian college.

Great people. I don't think they were drinking coffee, though.

[Annie Where-but-here]

I don't think it has snowed there recently. Snow can't get down from the clouds because the sky has frozen solid. Right now the Dakotas look like a frozen snow globe with a cute little lift station right in the middle of it.

[WVplantman]

I don't believe getting in a parked car in Minnesota in January could be worse than getting into a parked car in July in Miami. You can dress for cold, but even completely disrobing doesn't help against the heat and humidity during Miami's summer.

Then again, the scenery down here is often improved considerably by some of the ladies out and about wearing next to nothing. The poor things are undoubtly just making a misguided attempt to combat the extreme heat and humidity.

[Annie Where-but-here]

WV - good luck getting volunteers for your clinical study. :)

[judi the barberho]

WVplantman: I guess it all depends if you are more comfortable having icecube fingers and toes, or sweating. Me, I prefer being warm, because the A/C cools things down pretty quickly. When it's cold outside, the car may run on high heat all the way home and my feet would still be frozen solid.

And you really, truly do get used to it (I never thought I would!)...

[Braniff]

Judi, we must have some kind of mental connection. Just a few days ago I ventured from NJ to Grand Forks ND. I was invited out by the State's economic development group for a tour. Being the adventurer that I am, I said "sure, I'll go to ND in January!" Well, the temp never got above zero, and it hit about 20 below (but it was a dry cold, and wasn't too bad). I got a tour of Grand Forks and Fargo, but did not see the Dave Barry building. And yes, people do just leave their cars running while they're inside having lunch, a meeting, or surgery.

[Annie Where-but-here]

I'm with judi. We are huddled together for warmth.

Braniff's right -once you're below freezing, who's counting?

[Meanie the Blue]

We have five degrees here in NY/NJ today. Who wants one?

[padraig the cheesehead]

Meanie, the Wisconsin thermometer today shows 22 and it doesn't have the little "-" thingy in front of it. What does that mean? Is the earth melting?

[Meanie the Blue]

You should be saving them up, pad.

[Packer fan Cindy, the other (not nurse) one]

@padraig: Its all the Packer fans with their heaters going – trying to warm up from the game yesterday.
Do you have your NFC Championship shirt, yet?

[nursecindy]

It's 43 degrees here today and feels great! I'm like Judi though. If my feet get cold it doesn't matter how much the heat is set on I'm still cold.

[O the U(manity)]

Braniff ... y'all should've been visitin' us out here in West River Country ... when it wuz 25 below in GF, it wuz 50 degrees warmer (well, less cold ... ) in our neighborhood ...

Besides, then y'all could've been impressed by all the oil-patch-type traffic, where trucks have been known to nearly run school buses off the road ... IANMTU!

NMUA ... Sturgis in not in Nodak ... it's in Sodak ... or, as we are wont to say, "The Udder Dakota" ... (but really, yeah, great folks there as well ... nearly as nice as we do be ...

n'cindy ... we are NOT Minnesnowta! We've got a river that protects us (a little bit) frum them ... um ... folks ...
If y'all have heard of "Minnesnowta Nice" ... y'all should experience "Nodak Nicer -- a WHOLE BUNCH NICER!!" ... really ... and besides that, we've got WAY more ArbucksSt here than any rational society could ever want ... why'n'cha visit and take sum home with y'all? Please?

[O the U(manity)]

I will be dipped in Sh!t!!! That actually kinda makes sense!

Score one (in 436 kajilliontrillionbillion) for the spammer! (I wonder frum whom he stole that line ... )

[Ralph]

It was -11° F here in NH last night, which is still ten to twenty degrees above what it should be in January. If global climate change continues, we'll have to take down the 150' high fake pine tree cell towers and replace them with fake palm trees.

Where they have real problems with sewage systems is on permafrost, where you can't bury the pipes, so they have to run above ground and be heated. It gets expensive. Maybe Dave can use his expertise to suggest another solution.

[O the U(manity)]

It wuz 32 degrees on the bank when I came home frum werk today (prolly wuz warmer in mid-afternoon) ... such is life in the West River region of Nodak ...