Banter Thread

[strongwxnc]

Well hello weather underground automated forecast...damn tease! Lol


.

[magpiemaniac]

I had my propane tank topped off today.  Sorry, folks.  That means no Christmas snow east of the Apps.

[MegaMike]

Hey guys,

I'm moving to Durham, NC in several days and I wanted to ask, how should I prepare myself ? 

I lived in New England my entire life (MA->VT->CT->MA) and I'm mainly worried about insects/snakes.

To be clear, I'm not worried about the weather...

[BullCityWx]

Just now, MegaMike said:

Hey guys,

I'm moving to Durham, NC in several days and I wanted to ask, how should I prepare myself ? 

I lived in New England my entire life (MA->VT->CT->MA) and I'm mainly worried about insects/snakes.

To be clear, I'm not worried about the weather...

Durham is the best place to live in the Triangle. Where are you going to be working?  Do you have a place to live already? I’ve only seen one cottonmouth since I’ve been here. Mosquitos can be rough in the summer but the further you are from a body of water, they get better. 

[MegaMike]

13 minutes ago, BullCityWx said:

Durham is the best place to live in the Triangle. Where are you going to be working?  Do you have a place to live already? I’ve only seen one cottonmouth since I’ve been here. Mosquitos can be rough in the summer but the further you are from a body of water, they get better. 

Good to know! I'm mainly worried about spiders navigating their way into my apartment then biting my hand off (joking). That's my greatest fear. COVID might be on that list too since it'll be difficult to acclimate to an area that's partially shutdown.

I'll be working with ORAU as private contactor for the EPA so basically graduate school all over again.

I have a 6 month lease at the Reserve at Patterson Place in Durham. Their fitness center sold me on their complex.

Would you suggest getting anything like a dehumidifier? 

[magpiemaniac]

31 minutes ago, MegaMike said:

Hey guys,

I'm moving to Durham, NC in several days and I wanted to ask, how should I prepare myself ? 

I lived in New England my entire life (MA->VT->CT->MA) and I'm mainly worried about insects/snakes.

To be clear, I'm not worried about the weather...

Oh, boy.  Another New Englander moving South.    I thought we hit our quota already.  j/k  Welcome, MegaMike!

As a native Southron, I’ve never lost a minute’s sleep over snakes, insects, and spiders.  This isn’t Australia.  If mosquitoes do bother you in the summer, use picaridin spray or lotion.  My wife uses it some, but they don’t bite me often.  When I see a spider in the house, I either ignore it or pick it up and take it outside.

Remember that grilling is not the same as barbecuing.  Barbecuing is low, slow, and indirect and is not done with a Weber in the backyard.  When you pass people on country roads, it is customary to casually flick your hand holding the top of steering wheel as a polite greeting.  When you’re fixing to go over yonder, leave in plenty of time.  I-40 can be a bear sometimes.

A dehumidifier (usually in an older, musty bathroom) is only necessary in the summer if your A/C isn’t running often enough.  If you have good HVAC ventilation in newer construction, it’s usually not needed.  I don’t bother with one.

[MegaMike]

3 minutes ago, magpiemaniac said:

Oh, boy.  Another New Englander moving South.    I thought we hit our quota already.  j/k  Welcome, MegaMike!

As a native Southron, I’ve never lost a minute’s sleep over snakes, insects, and spiders.  This isn’t Australia.  If mosquitoes do bother you in the summer, use picaridin spray or lotion.  My wife uses it some, but they don’t bite me often.  When I see a spider in the house, I either ignore it or pick it up and take it outside.

Remember that grilling is not the same as barbecuing.  Barbecuing is low, slow, and indirect and is not done with a Weber in the backyard.  When you pass people on country roads, it is customary to casually flick your hand holding the top of steering wheel as a polite greeting.  When you’re fixing to go over yonder, leave in plenty of time.  I-40 can be a bear sometimes.

A dehumidifier (usually in an older, musty bathroom) is only necessary in the summer if your A/C isn’t running often enough.  If you have good HVAC ventilation in newer construction, it’s usually not needed.  I don’t bother with one.

This is great!

My mother lived in SC for a few years and her fear of the local wildlife transcended onto me. I exaggerated a little bit for a laugh, but there's sincerity with what I wrote. From what I read online (probably not be reliable), spiders like the Brown Recluse and Black Widow are relatively common throughout NC. I presume this isn't entirely true or nothing to be worried about?

I'm looking forward to experiencing the culture change! I imagine there's a pretty big difference b/n people from the NE and the SE in general. The only problem I foresee is that I don't barbecue and I don't watch college sports 

[magpiemaniac]

23 minutes ago, MegaMike said:

This is great!

My mother lived in SC for a few years and her fear of the local wildlife transcended onto me. I exaggerated a little bit for a laugh, but there's sincerity with what I wrote. From what I read online (probably not be reliable), spiders like the Brown Recluse and Black Widow are relatively common throughout NC. I presume this isn't entirely true or nothing to be worried about?

I'm looking forward to experiencing the culture change! I imagine there's a pretty big difference b/n people from the NE and the SE in general. The only problem I foresee is that I don't barbecue and I don't watch college sports 

You’ll fit right in.  The only thing I ask is that you don’t go to Canes games at PNC Arena and cheer for the Bruins.    I’m a season ticket member, but I sometimes skip the Boston games.  Talk about insufferable.  Haha!

If you avoid sticking your bare hands in dark holes, you’ll never come across a Brown Recluse or Black Widow.  When I was young, my father was bitten by Brown Recluse while moving an old wood pile, but it was minor.  Depending on where you live around here, you’ll see more Whitetail Deer in a day than venomous spiders in a decade.

[BullCityWx]

1 hour ago, MegaMike said:

Good to know! I'm mainly worried about spiders navigating their way into my apartment then biting my hand off (joking). That's my greatest fear. COVID might be on that list too since it'll be difficult to acclimate to an area that's partially shutdown.

I'll be working with ORAU as private contactor for the EPA so basically graduate school all over again.

I have a 6 month lease at the Reserve at Patterson Place in Durham. Their fitness center sold me on their complex.

Would you suggest getting anything like a dehumidifier? 

Oh cool. I didn’t know the EPA had such a big presence in RTP until I got here from Charlotte. 

That is a decent enough part of town. It’s about 10-15 minutes, give or take, to downtown Durham from there. If it’s a longer term thing for you after the six months, you may want to try for north of the eno if snow is important to you. You’ll do a bit better than  most of the metro there but where you really want to be is north of 85 for that sort of thing. I know you think down here it won’t matter but trust me, it does make a difference. 

[buckeyefan1]

1 hour ago, MegaMike said:

This is great!

My mother lived in SC for a few years and her fear of the local wildlife transcended onto me. I exaggerated a little bit for a laugh, but there's sincerity with what I wrote. From what I read online (probably not be reliable), spiders like the Brown Recluse and Black Widow are relatively common throughout NC. I presume this isn't entirely true or nothing to be worried about?

I'm looking forward to experiencing the culture change! I imagine there's a pretty big difference b/n people from the NE and the SE in general. The only problem I foresee is that I don't barbecue and I don't watch college sports 

Welcome MegaMike! 
The spiders don’t bother me, it’s the flying palmetto bugs that freak me out  Mosquitoes will carry you away, so keep your spray of choice handy. The noseeums are the spawn of satan. We have the following seasons...Almost summer, summer, molten lava and a glorious 2 weeks of fall. Dress accordingly and be prepared for humidity so thick, you can slice it. I’ve been here 30ish years and I still haven’t found where yonder is, but it’s in every request for directions. Barbecue is for eating, not cooking, because it’s too hot already without having to keep coals under the meat. I leave it to the professionals. You’re on your own when it comes to sports though  The best thing about living in the south is when it does finally snow, everything closes and the only thing to do is play in it. Don’t ever wait to play in it because it’s melted before the day is over. Life is much more relaxed than up north and the people are super friendly. Magpie is correct about the casual waving, especially on the back roads and neighborhoods. You’ll get teased about your accent here and after you go home to visit, they’ll tease you about your new southern slang and drawl. One more thing......The SE crew is the best of the best

[jburns]

58 minutes ago, BullCityWx said:

Oh cool. I didn’t know the EPA had such a big presence in RTP until I got here from Charlotte. 

That is a decent enough part of town. It’s about 10-15 minutes, give or take, to downtown Durham from there. If it’s a longer term thing for you after the six months, you may want to try for north of the eno if snow is important to you. You’ll do a bit better than  most of the metro there but where you really want to be is north of 85 for that sort of thing. I know you think down here it won’t matter but trust me, it does make a difference. 

True.  Sometimes the difference can be as much a going from a dusting to a full half inch. A dusting will only shut down the schools but a half inch shuts down everything. 

[jburns]

2 hours ago, BullCityWx said:

Durham is the best place to live in the Triangle. Where are you going to be working?  Do you have a place to live already? I’ve only seen one cottonmouth since I’ve been here. Mosquitos can be rough in the summer but the further you are from a body of water, they get better. 

Don’t scare him with mosquito talk. Most don’t get any bigger than this.

[MegaMike]

1 hour ago, magpiemaniac said:

You’ll fit right in.  The only thing I ask is that you don’t go to Canes games at PNC Arena and cheer for the Bruins.    I’m a season ticket member, but I sometimes skip the Boston games.  Talk about insufferable.  Haha!

If you avoid sticking your bare hands in dark holes, you’ll never come across a Brown Recluse or Black Widow.  When I was young, my father was bitten by Brown Recluse while moving an old wood pile, but it was minor.  Depending on where you live around here, you’ll see more Whitetail Deer in a day than venomous spiders in a decade.

I'm not too big into the NHL. I rank major league sports as; NFL>>>MLB~NHL>>NBA>MLS. The Pat's are my favorite team followed by the Red Sox, Bruins, then the Celtics. I mostly watch the B's and the C's during the playoffs with the occasional regular season game. Fun fact: the first Pat's game I remember is the AFC div. game vs. the Raiders. I have no memory of the Pat's having a losing record... Super impressive!

Noted. I won't stick any of my appendages inside any dark, empty void 

1 hour ago, BullCityWx said:

Oh cool. I didn’t know the EPA had such a big presence in RTP until I got here from Charlotte. 

That is a decent enough part of town. It’s about 10-15 minutes, give or take, to downtown Durham from there. If it’s a longer term thing for you after the six months, you may want to try for north of the eno if snow is important to you. You’ll do a bit better than  most of the metro there but where you really want to be is north of 85 for that sort of thing. I know you think down here it won’t matter but trust me, it does make a difference. 

I plan on moving back to MA after a year of work for the EPA. They want me to get the "EPA experience." After that, I can work remotely from anywhere I'd like.

My time in NC will be ironic. I got my degree in atmospheric science because I love winter weather. My most fond memories involve snowstorms. To name one,  during the blizzard of 05' (Jan 22-24), I remember seeing cars slowly becoming engulfed by snow w/near hurricane force wind. For nearly 12 hours, I remember pure whiteout conditions. When the event ended, I remember going outside and thinking to myself, "I feel like I'm on Hoth." In some places, the snow was taller than I. To this day, nothing compares...

Oh! I was ~14 at the time so I was probably 4' 6'' or something like that... So nostalgic! I created snowfall maps for fun. You can view them here (only for the NE US) if you'd like:

https://github.com/msw17002/Historical-Precipitation-Analysis/tree/main/Northeast_Snowfall

 

52 minutes ago, buckeyefan1 said:

Welcome MegaMike! 
The spiders don’t bother me, it’s the flying palmetto bugs that freak me out  Mosquitoes will carry you away, so keep your spray of choice handy. The noseeums are the spawn of satan. We have the following seasons...Almost summer, summer, molten lava and a glorious 2 weeks of fall. Dress accordingly and be prepared for humidity so thick, you can slice it. I’ve been here 30ish years and I still haven’t found where yonder is, but it’s in every request for directions. Barbecue is for eating, not cooking, because it’s too hot already without having to keep coals under the meat. I leave it to the professionals. You’re on your own when it comes to sports though  The best thing about living in the south is when it does finally snow, everything closes and the only thing to do is play in it. Don’t ever wait to play in it because it’s melted before the day is over. Life is much more relaxed than up north and the people are super friendly. Magpie is correct about the casual waving, especially on the back roads and neighborhoods. You’ll get teased about your accent here and after you go home to visit, they’ll tease you about your new southern slang and drawl. One more thing......The SE crew is the best of the best

Some new terminology here: Palmetto bugs and noseeums. The worse I run into are horseflies. They're super annoying! I was never bitten by one thankfully.

So Magpie meant casual waving! I thought he meant something different lol. Thanks for clarifying that!

I look forward to any winter or severe weather event! I'm severe weather deprived... I usually get nothing significant (severe) where I live now.

The accents will be fun! I always like listening to different dialects. Oh, the anticipation!

[magpiemaniac]

3 hours ago, MegaMike said:

So Magpie meant casual waving! I thought he meant something different lol. Thanks for clarifying that!

Whoops.  Yes, I meant an actual casual wave with your driving hand while on more rural two-lane roads; not that other one finger wave you see in the cities.  LOL!

[magpiemaniac]

The new radar website from the NWS is terrible.  Change my mind.

[davenc]

On 12/23/2020 at 3:13 PM, MegaMike said:

Hey guys,

I'm moving to Durham, NC in several days and I wanted to ask, how should I prepare myself ? 

I lived in New England my entire life (MA->VT->CT->MA) and I'm mainly worried about insects/snakes.

To be clear, I'm not worried about the weather...

I live in Concord (about 20miles ne of Charlotte) Durham is where I would live if I had to move to the Triangle.

  Not assuming you are liberal, but Durham is. (often voting more (D) then even San Francisco County .CA.) A fact in which I love to share with my friends on the other coast.

  Durham has a great Arts scene for a city it's size with a beautiful pac. 

  So yeah, you will enjoy your year down South!

   BTW. Charlotte is just a short 2hr drive from Durham, and has NFL, NBA, and MLS. (starting in 2022). You will find plenty(too many) of fans from NE acting as obnoxious as we love them to be when the Patriots are in town.

  BTW part 2.  yonder is used mostly by native Appalachian people. You won't hear it often in Durham.

  Lastly 

  In the South "Tea" does not mean to grab the biscuits because it's 2pm.

Tea is a beverage that better be in all native North Carolinians fridge.

How to prepare the "House wine of the South"

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil.

Remove pot from burner.

Add 2-3 cups(you read that right) of sugar to hot water then 3-4 tea bags.

Let steep for 2-3 hours.

Remove tea bags. Squeeze out tea bags if you prefer a stronger tea taste.

Stir to ensure all sugar is dissolved. 

Pour into a gallon container, add water and stir. 

Lemon is optional. 

Welcome to North Carolina!

 

[magpiemaniac]

1 hour ago, davenc said:

BTW part 2.  yonder is used mostly by native Appalachian people. You won't hear it often in Durham.

There are places around the Triangle that haven’t been considered traditionally Southern in decades.  The dialects have become diluted and local elected bodies are comprised of fewer native Southerners than before.  You go out to the western edge of the state and some would consider Carrboro (if they’d heard of it) to be another planet populated with communists.  I guess the closest Tractor Supply to Durham and Chapel Hill is probably Hillsborough as that’s saying something.  

[Shack]

Merry Christmas, Southeast Crew !!!

Yes, it snowed in Lizella, GA on Christmas.

I didn't see it fall, but some of my neighbors have the video proof. 

I was up about 1:00 am and saw the little band incoming but it set up just south of me. 

A smattering of flakes,

Is all it takes,

For Southerners like us,

Such happiness makes,

It falls for a moment,

And sticks for a  few,

It alters our feelings,

Enhances the view,

We track it's incoming,

With models and prose,

Rejoice! "negative tilt",

We mourn the, "warm nose,"

But a  Maconites dream,

Primed with each flake that I see,

Is the promise again,

Of February, '73.

 

[buckeyefan1]

^^^^^^^ what shack said

Merry Christmas SE peeps  

[Avdave]

On 12/23/2020 at 3:13 PM, MegaMike said:

Hey guys,

I'm moving to Durham, NC in several days and I wanted to ask, how should I prepare myself ? 

I lived in New England my entire life (MA->VT->CT->MA) and I'm mainly worried about insects/snakes.

To be clear, I'm not worried about the weather...

Well welcome to the Triangle.  I moved down from Southern New Hampshire then to Northern Virginia. I left there in May 2016 and moved to Apex. Stayed a year and then my wife and I built a house in Morrisville but in the Durham County side.  Im 2 miles from RDU Airport. Durham is a great place. Lots of different food choices, lots of street fairs/festivals, the DPAC which is the main choice for shows and concerts in downtown Durham. The American Tobacco Campus is really neat and in downtown.  Durham Bulls, although they are the Triple A of the Rays, it is a great ballpark and I always go when Pawtucket (soon to be Worcester) Red sox come to town./ I too, am a big Sox, Pats, Bruins and Celtics fan.  My Mets too though that comes from my roots in North Jersey.  The PNC arena usually will have more Bruins than Canes fans in it when they come to town. It is a fun place though. 

As for snow and wintry weather, usually up by Roxboro and Person county is the best spot in relation to the triangle for snow.  Its a heck of  a commute though, unless it doesnt bother you. Summers blow dead rats here. It is humid and hot from May to SEptember even into October. FAll is a short period here, though we do get fall color through Thanksgiving. Again its not like New England falls. Spring can be nice or cool and wet here.  WE do get some good T storms here and the occasional effects from tropical systems. 

Traffic isnt an issue here. Though people who live here say it is, but after living all my life in the Northeast, it really isnt that bad. The town of Cary actually has an acronym for it. Containment Area Relocated Yankees.  Cary is basically anyone from the Northeast.  Apex is more of a variable of people from the mid west too. 

 

Pizza, I mean real pizza is tough to find here. I found one place that I have to pick up in Apex off Rt 1, called Big Sergios, they are from Brooklyn.  Chinese food is well hard to find too. There is Chinatown here, like Boston and NY and DC have but it is tolerable for the food. 

If you have any other questions let me know, glad to help

[MegaMike]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

Today is NC + 2 for me. I'm still getting everything setup (furniture/internet), but I'm beginning to get a sense of the area. I live in a nice community surrounded by Massachusetts' equivalent of Route 1 on steroids (15/501). The only sketchy area I've seen so far is along 15/501 near Walmart, otherwise, not bad!

Obviously, NC has a much different feel... Even the dirt looks different than in NE (more clay?).

[BullCityWx]

23 hours ago, MegaMike said:

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

Today is NC + 2 for me. I'm still getting everything setup (furniture/internet), but I'm beginning to get a sense of the area. I live in a nice community surrounded by Massachusetts' equivalent of Route 1 on steroids (15/501). The only sketchy area I've seen so far is along 15/501 near Walmart, otherwise, not bad!

Obviously, NC has a much different feel... Even the dirt looks different than in NE (more clay?).

Yep, you still have clay around Durham. Once you go east of the fall line, the soil turns less and less clay. There’s actually so much clay here that you have a lot of ceramics and such being made with it. Randolph County has a lot of homemade pottery stores. 

[FLweather]

Watch your fire pile.

Baby copper heads like hiding in wood  piles

You go grab a log bam a foot long copper head.

When they young and cold . They can't  control their bite too well .

You might get a dry bite or a wet bite.

 

 

[Avdave]

On 12/29/2020 at 12:35 PM, MegaMike said:

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

Today is NC + 2 for me. I'm still getting everything setup (furniture/internet), but I'm beginning to get a sense of the area. I live in a nice community surrounded by Massachusetts' equivalent of Route 1 on steroids (15/501). The only sketchy area I've seen so far is along 15/501 near Walmart, otherwise, not bad!

Obviously, NC has a much different feel... Even the dirt looks different than in NE (more clay?).

Yeah 15/501 reminds me s little of Rt 1 in Saugus and Lynn  area.  You are fine in that stretch from MLK Blvd down to I 40 and into Chapel Hill.  Wegmans will be opening in the spring 2021 right off 15/502 in chapel hill too.  I know they were building in Eastern Mass the last few years but its an awesome supermarket    Also when you go north on 15/501 take the freeway split towards I 85 at MLK drive. Get off the last exit before I 85 onto Hillsborough Rd. Turn left end of the ramp and go over 15/501 and then on your left is a small building called The Dog House. Good hotdogs there and french fries. They use Vienna beef for their dogs. Good stuff. 

 

Like Jeremy said it is all clay an rock here in the Triangle. It sucks when digging and it is a mess when it rains. IT stains your shoes, socks, etc. Until you get past Raleigh and Garner the souil will turn into more sandyish on the coastal plain

[BullCityWx]

3 hours ago, FLweather said:

Watch your fire pile.

Baby copper heads like hiding in wood  piles

You go grab a log bam a foot long copper head.

When they young and cold . They can't  control their bite too well .

You might get a dry bite or a wet bite.

 

 

Only copperhead we’ve ever found was right after Florence under our trash can. It was a baby.

[FLweather]

That big hill(mountain) in rougemont right off of 15/501 near the county line.

I've heard of timber rattlesnakes around that area too.

[FLweather]

Gospel music coming  from a church roughly 1/2 mile away. 

Fireworks in the background. 

How bad can 21 be?

Happy New Year's 

[Shack]

Tornado Warning just came over my weather radio.

Welcome to 2021 !!!

[metalicwx366]

We’ve had 2 inches of snow so far this winter in Germany. 4 different busts this past two weeks. Literally always borderline temps whenever we get a storm and snow lasts like one day before melting lol. 

[buckeyefan1]

31 minutes ago, metalicwx366 said:

We’ve had 2 inches of snow so far this winter in Germany. 4 different busts this past two weeks. Literally always borderline temps whenever we get a storm and snow lasts like one day before melting lol. 

Then you should feel right at home then