All the Best for 2011

New Year's Eve -- traditionally a time for reflection -- 365 days in 2010 to think about.
Lots to be thankful for, lots to be sad about, lots to be excited about and lots to worry about -- in other words, this year had it all (for me anyway).
One year older and (one hopes) wiser too.

To all my friends I would like to extend my warmest wishes for 2011.
First and foremost I wish you all good health (something we take for granted all too often).
I would also like to wish you success and happiness too.

For 2011, I have some simple hopes (some might call them resolutions):
I am looking forward to the challenges and the opportunities I am sure the new year will bring.
I hope to be able to do the right things.
I hope to continue learning and expanding my horizons.

I wish you all the best for 2011 !

White Christmas

Mother Nature helped make the wishes of many children come true this morning by coating Pittsburgh with a blanket of snow and delivering a White Christmas.
The temperature was a few degrees below freezing and we had about an inch (3 cm) on the ground this morning, as I grabbed the shovel to clean the driveway.

I paused during the shoveling and gazed in wonder at a nature-made Christmas tree, outside my house.

The silence was absolute, every sound muffled by the snow -- even the birds and other critters were being quiet.  The lyrics to 'Silent Night' came to mind:

Silent Night

Silent night holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;
Christ the Savior, is born
Christ the Savior, is born.

Silent night holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

 

The work completed, I snapped a couple more pictures before heading inside to warm-up.

I'd like to wish everyone a merry Christmas.

May all your wishes come true.

Ready for the Holidays?

You know this thing with the cold is getting very tiresome ... !
And winter doesn't officially begin until December 21 !
We have been under this constant barrage of frigid arctic air for many days now.
It is very cold and windy = a bad combination.
The temperature this morning was 15F (-9C), however when the wind was factored-in (the so-called wind-chill temperature), it felt like 4F (-15C).
Yesterday's high temperature was 16F (-9C), today we will get as warm as 22F (-5C), however we are not expected to get warmer than the freezing mark for the next few days.

With all this in mind, we might have a "white Christmas" after all -- or at least a very cold one.
The good news for me was that the temperature warmed-up to a few degrees above freezing last weekend and I was able to install the various lighted decorations outside my house (they help to put you in a Christmas mood, don't you know?).

Street view at night in the falling snow - reindeer in "liftoff" mode

Driveway/Walkway view - you can also see some neighbors' lighted decorations in the background

Now that the lights are up, all that is required is to actually get into the spirit!
I wish you all a blessed Christmas.

Unseasonably Cold

It was 18F (-8C) when I left my house this morning of December 9, 2010.
The projected high temperature is 25F (-4C) today.
I was listening to the weatherman who was explaining that so far in the month of December, our temperature has not yet risen above the freezing point and that temperatures are significantly below normal (duh).

A few random thoughts:

• The road crews have been busy applying salt to roadways. As a result, cars are covered with gray salt splatter and the car washes likely expect to do a brisk business as soon as people want to see their car's original paint color again.
• There are fewer Christmas decorations outside houses (including mine), since the frigid weather makes it so much tougher to string the lights, etc.
• People will be in for an unpleasant surprise when they receive their utility bills, as the heaters have had to work overtime to keep us warm.
• The walking trails through the woods where I go to stretch my legs are so much quieter these days - even the animals seem to be staying under cover.  I expect most creatures see the "walking fool" and wonder why in the world he goes on his walks.

Things will likely change tomorrow, when the temperatures are expected to rise a few degrees above freezing and what falls from the sky will be liquid instead of frozen -- though of course it will certainly freeze later, causing slick roads, heavy, ice-covered tree branches and all sorts of other "un-fun" conditions.

Parting thought: only 16 days until Christmas!

Winter has Arrived

We woke up to 30F (around -1C) this morning and the weatherman was talking about all the rain from the last 24 hours changing to snow later in the day.
I didn't pay much attention ... I was running late.
Then I stepped outside and noticed the landscape was covered in white.
I snapped a quick picture of my car in the dark, before clearing off the light blanket of wet snow.

The commute in to work was a bit sloppy and the traffic was pretty snarled.
Thankfully there were no accidents or cars that had driven off the road.

First "snow-on-the-ground" of the cold season on the first day of December.
I must admit it looks pretty.
Ask me how I feel about the snow in a couple of months though, and I might have a slightly different opinion...

Even though technically there are still a few weeks left in autumn, I would like to wish everyone a "Good Winter" (Kalo Xeimwna in Greek).

What makes a Fan?

Saturday seemed pretty ordinary until the opportunity presented itself to go to the 1:00 pm Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game against the visiting Calgary Flames.  We are not what you may call a "rabid" Pens fans, however both my daughter and I jumped at the opportunity to attend.
This game was being played at the new Consol Energy Center - a really nice venue, as hockey arenas go.

We wore our Pittsburgh Pens black shirts, braved the wind and the cold (it was around 38F or 3C at noon time) and filed into the arena along with a whole bunch of other fans.  This was another sold-out game, so there were plenty of folks there (capacity is stated at over 18,000 and there were folks standing too).

The game started with a 3-0 run by the Penguins, and the fans in the Arena were going wild!

I snapped this picture immediately after the Penguins scored their second goal, while every person in the Arena was on their feet.

 
Then the Flames came alive.  They scored a goal and were really pressuring the Pens.  With little time left in the last period, the Flames pulled their goalie and replaced him with another player, so they could outnumber the Pens players, as they tried to score again.

There were mere seconds left in the last period and the Penguins were still leading by a score of 3-1, however they were short-handed, as they had a player in the penalty box - the Flames now had a two-man advantage.
Then I saw the Penguins captain, Sidney Crosby, entering the game.
Time seem to slow down and the thought raced through my head that he just might try to score again (Crosby had scored two of the Pens' three goals in the game at that point, including the 200th goal of his career).

With 37 seconds left to play, Crosby indeed scored an "empty-netter", achieving the elusive hat-trick and setting-off a frenzied celebration in the crowd!  Hats rained onto the ice from all directions, as the fans showed their appreciation for Crosby and game was suspended for several minutes, as the Arena crew tried to collect them all.

The game ended with the Penguins winning 4-1, while the excitement was palpable in the crowd.
Here's a link to a recap of the game online.
After the game we walked rapidly through the cold, stopping traffic and savoring the victory.
Maybe we were not quite die-hard fans, but on this day, most Pittsburghers certainly counted themselves as Pittsburgh Penguins fans.

This picture was taken right after the game ended, as the Penguins players were congratulating each other.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Leaving the house at 7:00 am yesterday, I noticed a pretty thick blanket of fog and it felt quite cold. 
My car was covered in what appeared to be rain drops. 
Upon closer examination however, it became clear the water on my car was frozen.

I snapped a picture of my car's roof, before I began to scrape the ice off the windshield and windows.

The meteorologists are talking about "freezing precipitation", or "wintry mix" starting tomorrow.
Indian Summer seems to have left us for good.

Thus the title of this blog entry, and a cute little song too: Baby It's Cold Outside
(link to YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3H6YE-40xg)