OT: The Thread About Nothing CCVII: The sNOwstorm

[devilsblood]

As per the drive home. Roads were covered in sleet all through the NY thruway coming south. We were in a Saturn something or other, and the two and a half hour drive going up turned to 3 and a half coming back.

Saw 3 accidents on the way back, 2 involving tractor trailers, 1 involving a box truck. Which didn't at all keep other truck drivers from blasting pass us. I know they need to keep speed in certain spots, but I thought there was some pretty reckless driving going on.

 

[New Jersey]

Haha I love Subarus, I had an old 81 GL (predecessor to the Outback) wagon way back when I was a kid, put 250k on it, that thing was indestructible till an old lady in a Lincoln Town Car totaled it. Solid all around car, great in crappy weather, I used to drive it on the beach too lol.

f***ing badass

 

[JK3]

****ing badass

I always wanted a Brat though, the Japanese El Camino, two seats in the back of a pickup bed, what could go wrong lol? My buddy just saw one at a Barrett Jackson auction that went for 15 grand haha.

 

[MartyOwns]

As per the drive home. Roads were covered in sleet all through the NY thruway coming south. We were in a Saturn something or other, and the two and a half hour drive going up turned to 3 and a half coming back.

Saw 3 accidents on the way back, 2 involving tractor trailers, 1 involving a box truck. Which didn't at all keep other truck drivers from blasting pass us. I know they need to keep speed in certain spots, but I thought there was some pretty reckless driving going on.

i’m surprised you made it the whole way home in a saturn. even if there was no snow, that would be impressive

 

[devilsblood]

Anyone gullible enough to believe you'll get more in your paycheck AND still get the same refund amount is just that. Gullible.

Well if the idea was that we were getting a substantial tax cut then I don't think it's that odd to think you could get both.

Obviously how much of each is significant.

I have been getting $20 more a week in my pay check. If I get $1000 less in my tax return? Well I'll be calling bull shit.

 

[devilsblood]

i’m surprised you made it the whole way home in a saturn. even if there was no snow, that would be impressive

My buddies commuter car. We were joking that is was an SS on the way up and an AWD on the way home.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Well if the idea was that we were getting a substantial tax cut then I don't think it's that odd to think you could get both.

Obviously how much of each is significant.

I have been getting $20 more a week in my pay check. If I get $1000 less in my tax return? Well I'll be calling bull ****.

Wait til the NJ Rain Tax kicks in

 

[BenedictGomez]

Wait til the NJ Rain Tax kicks in

I feel sorry for the driveway pavers.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

You may want to bag tomorrow and start skiing on Wednesday after the fresh powder arrives.

Hearing reports that the ice up there right now post the rain is the worst some have ever seen it. Fatality yesterday at Jay Peak, and a near fatality of a HIKER (really) at Stowe who needed Medivac.

The good news is, 7" to 12" forecast should make it fine by Wednesday.

Day 2 in the books and you were right about yesterday. It was nothing but scratch and sketch with 38 of 78 open. 1 1/2 groomers was enough to decide it wasn't worth putting a fresh wax through that.

Today however... 72 of 78 open with plenty of pow in the trees. I knew we got at least a foot last night but was surprised to see how much it covered. Best day I've had in VT in a while.

It didn't let up until around 6 and more is coming tomorrow and Fri so you're in for a solid weekend.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Day 2 in the books and you were right about yesterday. It was nothing but scratch and sketch with 38 of 78 open. 1 1/2 groomers was enough to decide it wasn't worth putting a fresh wax through that.

Today however... 72 of 78 open with plenty of pow in the trees. I knew we got at least a foot last night but was surprised to see how much it covered. Best day I've had in VT in a while.

It didn't let up until around 6 and more is coming tomorrow and Fri so you're in for a solid weekend.

The trees weren't icy today?
Stowe posted today that they were advising people to avoid the glades and stay on groomed (tweet below), and that was after 8" (I heard from a worker they got 11").

Glad to hear you had a good day. Forecast looks like n.VT might squeeze 3-5 out of Friday's now. Looking forward to getting up there. Thinking Jay, Smuggs, or Sutton.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

The trees weren't icy today?
Stowe posted today that they were advising people to avoid the glades and stay on groomed (tweet below), and that was after 8" (I heard from a worker they got 11").

Glad to hear you had a good day. Forecast looks like n.VT might squeeze 3-5 out of Friday's now. Looking forward to getting up there. Thinking Jay, Smuggs, or Sutton.

Don't know about stowe as vail hasn't bought smuggs yet (the fear is palpable with the locals that it's inevitable and the 2 will be combined) but everything I dropped in to was anywhere from fine to exceptional. Even had a chance to make fresh tracks here and there.

Anything to really avoid was visible and I didn't encounter much crust at all.

If you're familiar with the runs it was shakedown I hit twice which is the largest and longest one. Popped in and out of a few others that I'd only be guessing as to what they're called.

 

[EliasFTW]

I always wanted a Brat though, the Japanese El Camino, two seats in the back of a pickup bed, what could go wrong lol? My buddy just saw one at a Barrett Jackson auction that went for 15 grand haha.

My name is JK3

 

[BenedictGomez]

If you're familiar with the runs it was shakedown I hit twice which is the largest and longest one. Popped in and out of a few others that I'd only be guessing as to what they're called.

Shakedown's awesome; much of that area past Shakedown you can pop into as well. Doc Dempsey's is one of my favorite glades (it starts as a small, wipe open mogul field, but turns into thick woods).

For a real long woods run you can do Shire, then into Bermuda, down past the pond, and into unmarked woods just past the pond back down to Madonna II.

 

[BenedictGomez]

After much thought and deliberation, we've decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.

LULZ

Marshall: Poll shows Queens residents want Amazon

80% of Queens registered voters, and 77% of those living in the 12th State Senate District approve of Amazon's plans to establish its second headquarters in Long Island City.

 

[BenedictGomez]

This is hysterical! The amount of economic-fail packed into one sentence is impressive. LOL

 

[New Jersey]

I feel sorry for the driveway pavers.

Really looking forward to people prematurely tearing up their asphalt driveways when they probably don't need to.

The bill, S-1073, does not directly impose any fees on property owners.
Instead, it allows municipalities and counties to create their own local stormwater utilities that could then charge property owners a fee based on "a fair and equitable approximation" of how much runoff is generated from their property.
The utility could then use the funds generated by the fees only on its system, such as reinforcing or replacing pipes or creating green infrastructure like rain gardens and tree planting to absorb water that would otherwise carry trash, bacteria and heavy metals.
"This is a tool that would only be used by towns that recognize they have a problem," said Chris Sturm, a water policy expert with New Jersey Future, a nonprofit that advocates a balance between economic development and environmental protection. "It's an important tool. It's one that can make a significant difference in the right towns."

Republicans and other critics have referred to the bill as a "rain tax."
The bill imposes a fee on properties designated by the local utility. It does not impose a wide-ranging tax on a community.
"Flooding and runoff are problems, but you shouldn't create unfair authorities with uneven taxing practices," said Sen. Tom Kean Jr., the Republican leader.
Kean said the bill allows local government too much discretion over who would be charged.
"You're creating a new layer of government that will not be regulated," he said. "The concern is uneven enforcement."
Supporters say this would not target single-family homes but instead large commercial properties like strip malls or office parks, where large amounts of asphalt and concrete allow stormwater to easily flow offsite, gather pollutants and discharge into a waterway.
"The bill allows discretion for the local utility, because different places require different solutions," Sturm said. "This will be negligible for the vast majority of homeowners. This is for properties that have large impervious surfaces."

Senator Kean cherry-picking the things he likes local property taxes footing the bill for to prop up his argument. I mean, two-square-mile boroughs in this state already get complete control over school districts and police forces, but letting counties have the authority to tax for environmental projects? That's where the overreach begins, I guess. The "Rain Tax" rhetoric is designed to terrify individual homeowners into thinking their property tax bills are suddenly going to go up another $1,000 a year. Seriously, this is that level of hysteria. Also worth mentioning that this probably will be a non-issue in communities where flooding isn't a big issue.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Really looking forward to people prematurely tearing up their asphalt driveways when they probably don't need to.

If you live in a locale that puts the Rain Tax in place, you'll definitely pay a tax on your driveway. Is it, $1,000 per year? No. But there will be a fee.

 

[New Jersey]

If you live in a locale that puts the Rain Tax in place, you'll definitely pay a tax on your driveway. Is it, $1,000 per year? No. But there will be a fee.

My borough is 200+ feet above sea level and not near any major tributaries of the Hackensack or Passaic that are flood hazards. My borough is also already home to a water treatment facility utilized by surrounding boroughs, exactly the type of facility the "rain tax" would fund. (Fact check: Not 110% "exactly," it's a treatment plant that mostly handles raw sewage and industrial runoff. The similarity is in principle as the overseeing agency of said sewage treatment plant, the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority, could, in theory, expand operations to include storm runoff as the agency already exists without creating a "new" entity which would have tax-levying power.)

It's not a high priority on the concern list.

 

[BenedictGomez]

It's not a high priority on the concern list.

It wont affect me personally either:

A) I don't have a paved driveway

B) I live in Hunterdon & any politician who tries to enact Rain Tax here wouldnt survive 5 minutes against the lanterns & pitchforks

 

[New Jersey]

It wont affect me personally either:

A) I don't have a paved driveway

B) I live in Hunterdon, and any politician who tried to enact a Rain Tax here wouldnt survive 10 minutes against the lanterns & pitchforks

What it *will* effect is retail, particularly retail with paved surfaces massive enough that they tend to already be the type of big box nationwide firms that have mastered economies of scale, or malls backed by multi-national firms like Westfield that already pay even higher taxes in other parts of the world in which they own properties.

This isn't going to cause the price of a gallon of milk at Walmart Supercenter to go up $2.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

Shakedown's awesome; much of that area past Shakedown you can pop into as well. Doc Dempsey's is one of my favorite glades (it starts as a small, wipe open mogul field, but turns into thick woods).

For a real long woods run you can do Shire, then into Bermuda, down past the pond, and into unmarked woods just past the pond back down to Madonna II.

Hit the shire, doc's, and the infamous black hole today and all I can say in regards to those Stowe tweets is apparently those Vail boys don't know how we do it out east.

Entrance to the hole:

Would have hit more if I wasn't tasked with teaching my gf how to ride earlier. If you've never attempted it, don't. Splurge on privates and a massage to save your yourself a makeup dinner.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Everyone in my office laughed when we heard Amazon isn't coming anymore, and we'd be their talent pool (Skilled tech jobs).

Boohoo, poor Richest Guy In The World will have to get his subsidies somewhere else. World's smallest violin.

Edit: Amazon also said in the statement that they'll be adding more employees to their already 5000+ in the five boroughs.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Hit the shire, doc's, and the infamous black hole today and all I can say in regards to those Stowe tweets is apparently those Vail boys don't know how we do it out east.

Good to hear. Stowe warned people not to go in the woods again today and closed most of their gladed terrain, meanwhile Smuggs and Jay have all glades open. It's puzzling. My plan is Mont Sutton Saturday (to avoid PDW Saturday crowds) and Jay Peak Sunday.

Would have hit more if I wasn't tasked with teaching my gf how to ride earlier. If you've never attempted it, don't. Splurge on privates and a massage to save your yourself a makeup dinner.

Too late. And yes, no bueno. Good news is after taking 2 or 3 of those lift/lesson/rentals sessions she became hooked, and today is a solid intermediate skier. She doesnt do trees and refuses moguls, but other than that she loves the sport.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Boohoo, poor Richest Guy In The World will have to get his subsidies somewhere else. World's smallest violin.

If that's what you take from this, a "we stuck it to the rich guy", battle cry, then you're like the guy who celebrates winning a meaningless hill while losing his entire regiment.

 

[None Shall Pass]

If that's what you take from this, a "we stuck it to the rich guy", battle cry, then you're like the guy who celebrates winning a meaningless hill while losing his entire regiment.

Not really. I just think this whole process, from the start, was a stupid farce. I mean, come on:

Amazon: We're looking for a new place for a headquarters.
Every city: *Bends over backwards to convince Amazon to come there*
Amazon: Okay. We actually chose two places. One is directly next to the capital of the United States. The other is New York City. Please pretend like you didn't see that coming.
Mayor of NYC, and the Governor of New York: Wooohooo, this is awesome, we're so happy to have you! (Side note: Governor Andrew Cuomo literally said "You can call me 'Amazon Cuomo' ")
Small amount of New Yorkers: Hey, this looks like a crappy deal?
Some state senators and other less powerful politicians: Hey, this doesn't seem all that fair to us.
Mayor of NYC, and the Governor of New York: Guys stop
Amazon: FINE WE'RE LEAVING YOU BULLIED US RIGHT OUT OF HERE.
Pretty much every New York City resident: *shrug*

What a big, stupid mess. I'm laughing at how stupid it was. I'm completely indifferent to them coming, not coming, whatever. I'm just not in favor of tax subsidies for them, nor any major entity.