Journal

Twenty-Two Degrees Farenheit

9 Comments

Twenty-Two Degrees Farenheit (according to the thermometer in TurboSchlock that tells me outside temperature) is a magical temperature. It’s the temperature at which a Jeep Grand Cherokee which has just emerged from a car wash will, when driven at 45mph down State Street, make snow.

This was very cool to watch. The jeep looked clean and wet — no snow to be seen anywhere. But it was dripping, and trailing it was a cloud of snowflakes and ice crystals, some quite large. I watched for four blocks as the effect slowly dissipated, and the whole time I was trying to figure out why I’d never seen anything like it before. The answer is simple: water temperature must be perfect, and air temperature must be perfect. Otherwise the water freezes on the vehicle (I’ve seen THAT before) or drips off and freezes a few moments later on the road (I suppose I’ve seen that, too.)

Sometimes you have to stop and smell the flowers. In the winter you have to give pause for other stuff, because there aren’t any flowers yet.

–Howard

9 thoughts on “Twenty-Two Degrees Farenheit”

  4. hi howard… you don’t know me, but your name came up when i posted a photo in the community, and someone asked me if it was you in the photo…

    the fact is, it’s not you, it’s me… apparently we look a lot alike, and not only that, but we apparently have a lot more than just looks in common. i am a professional musician and sound engineer, and a former computer geek – i worked for openwave systems until just before the computer industry crash in 2002. we also have some things that are significantly different as well… i am hindu, i am older than you, i have a brain injury…

    anyway, i’ve added you to my friends list. you are free to do with that information what you will.

    namaste
    salamandir
    (otherwise known as

    1. Wow, that’s creepy. My first thought upon seeing that picture was “when was THAT taken? I don’t remember that!”

      I look a lot different now that I’ve lost the beard. Sadly, there are not very many pictures of “new look” me, so the old, bearded image still holds sway.

      Anyway, it’s nice to have you around.

      2. My first thought upon seeing that picture was “when was THAT taken? I don’t remember that!”

        In my high school math class, one of my classmates had identical handwriting to mine. I had nearly the same reaction when we were called upon to write answers to homework problems on the board. I’d look up and halfway down the board I’d realize that it *wasn’t* my solution I was looking at.

  5. water temperature must be perfect, and air temperature must be perfect.

    I expect the humidity, dew point, and air pressure would also make a difference.

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