Mid-South-istas: How do driving conditions look for tomorrow in your part of the country?

Our friends K and S plan to travel from Dallas to DC for temporary work details. They're driving so they can bring their two (large) dogs along, but they're worried about weather. The direct route involves going through Arkansas to Memphis, then I-40 across Tennessee to Knoxville or so and up I-81.

Should they worry?

(DC, by the way, has wimped out on this storm again.)

Power outages are much more likely if there's above-ground power lines, right?

It's sort of weird that none of the recent storms has really hit here. Every time that nearby places get a ton of snow, we get a few inches.

Power outages are much more likely if there's above-ground power lines, right?

Yes, and especially if there are a lot of old, large trees around.

Dallas/Ft. Worth airport is already shut down, so they're getting something down that way.

We had sleet and some snow, but now everything is just frozen. I am WFH, but Jon has to go in at 1, and I really wish he didn't.

All the schools are closed here. Pretty windy and apparently a decent layer of ice on the roads with just a dusting of snow. I am not going out, because people here have no clue how to drive in it and there is no structure for sanding or salting. At 5:30 the radio listed 10 wrecks already on the roads and I think that was just Dallas, not even mentioning any in Ft. Worth.

If the power goes out, I'll be getting cold at home, but at least I have some really old candles in one of my drawers that I can pull out. I don't know if I have any matches, but I do know one of my neighbors (the one who works in my office cafeteria) is a smoker, so I can trot down to his apartment and get a light, I'm sure.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have to do that, though. My favorite thing to do on snow days is to make some hot tea, bundle up under my afghan, and cross stitch while watching mind-numbing daytime tv, all of which (except for the bundling up part) require electricity.

Is your stove gas, Kathy?

I should probably shower and wash the dishes and shit while I know I still have hot water.

Cabin crew reveal most unusual customer requests

Some passengers fail to understand why they are prevented from opening the window, while others would like the engines to be "turned down" to reduce the noise.

The foolish and sometimes bizarre questions asked of flight attendants were disclosed after 3,000 Virgin Atlantic cabin crew members listed the most unusual customer requests they had experienced.

Among the most common queries was "Please can you open the window?", from uncomfortable passengers who had failed to appreciate the benefits of a pressurised cabin at 35,000 feet.

Other unique questions fielded by Virgin staff included "Could you turn the engines down because they are too noisy?" and "Please can the Captain stop the turbulence?"

The survey of 3,000 cabin crew also laid bare the level of comfort and service some customers expect, with several asking flight attendants "Can you show me to the showers?"

One crew member was asked to book a massage for a Barbie doll, while flight attendants were also asked to help a customer locate a missing glass eye.

Other customers, who may have overestimated the amount of space on their aircraft, asked: "Can you take my children to the playroom?" and "Is there a McDonald’s onboard?".