Day 55: Stopping distances

Looks like someone failed to make this turn. This car, still up to its haunches in the receding snow, has been a landmark on my journey from Exile #3's school to work each morning since the snow arrived.

At the risk of continuing to live up to the stereotype, I've got to mention the weather. Wow it was cold today. When I left home this morning it was -4 °F (that's -20 °C) and windy to boot. It took some time for feeling to return to my cheeks after a short walk into the wind from my car at work this morning, and this afternoon I had my hat and gloves on to drive most of the way home.

This evening we sat down to watch the local news. The temperatures have gone beyond bitter to brutal and questions are being asked in schools about faulty pro tractors. Professional-grade tractors in school? Faulty ones? It turns out they were actually talking about protractors but it took a while for the penny to drop. It turns out that the first inch on some that are being supplied for students to use in their state-standard tests isn't actually an inch long. If only this was a UK story: "Education standards dropped by 6.25% this year."

Exile #4 was engaged in conversation by a lady about to venture out into the cold today. What do you think of the weather? I don't loike it. So she's not getting an American accent yet.