Hardly any. We've had maybe an inch total so far. Enough to track in the house, not enough to break out the plow.

Hoping we don't get a big snowfall while we're gone for the week, and I think they're predicting just a little bit.

we're at about 90 inches. Want some? :P

We'll book a room. Got snowmobile rentals up there? My Texas girl has never done that, would love to try it someday.

snowmobiliers EVERYWHERE and most of them pay no attention to anyone. I almost hit several on the way home last night. Assholes just fly across the intersections, never slow down, never look.

We'd have to take a guided ride. I've only been once, and that was over a decade back.

lol, we all have our faults, but unlike others, sarcasm does not seem to fly past your head :p

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Decorating the Christmas tree.
In out tradition it should be done on Christmas Eve, but we're planning to be away from home then.

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Austria building a front to resist the self-endangering, harmful lunacies, of EUSSR. That smart, cute kid, actually has a spine! 3 Cheers for the restoration of hope, for Europe's sake (and defense)!

Being able to share this with you guys:

Penumbra: Black Plague

https://www.gamersgate.com/giftcard/83A822EE9409C7E65D13413D4BB0DF9C

:D

I'm pretty f***ing relieved right now : https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/cyril-ramaphosa-is-the-new-anc-president-mabuza-his-deputy-20171218

The ruling party of South Africa just elected its new leader, and Cyril Rampahosa just won instead of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. For the first time in my life I am actually cautiously optimistic for the future of the country. It's an incredibly weird feeling. Cyril isn't the best choice for president but he's the strongest one yet to challenge the, as of a few hours ago, previous president Jacob Zuma. The previous guy that went up against him and lost was Kgalema Montlanthe who would be my first choice for president of the country.

I think almost the entire country is sighing a collective sigh of relief. Why? Because there's a hope that the Zuma faction's time might finally be coming to an end, hopefully with massive arrests in the future. Why does everyone hate the bastard? There's a painting that will give you a surprisingly accurate idea, but I'm not going to link it. It is borderline disgusting pornography. But it's accurate. Just google : 'Ayanda Mabulu zuma gupta painting'
Basically the sack of shit has been selling the country to a rich busy family from India, the Guptas. Here's a political cartoon about it by a famous local cartoonist: https://citizen.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2017/04/Zapiro-759x537.jpg?x68991
(They guy with the showerhead is Zuma and the guy undoing is pants is a Gupta brother)
The family has (hopefully had) so much influence that they used the country's main military airbase to fly in wedding guests for a Gupta wedding (and the wedding it seems was paid for by the government as well). And even more damning, the previous deputy minister of finance came forward with allegations that he was offered the role of minister of finance by the guptas for something like 30 million dollars if he would agree to work with them. Let that sink in : a business family offered the position of minister of finance of South Africa to someone.
Let's see what else? Oh right, the Guptas it seems even financed a race-baiting social media campaign to stir up racial tensions and divert attention away from themselves and the rapidly growing catchphrase 'state capture' aimed at them and Zuma. Luckily this was discovered and caused the collapse of the PR company that designed the campaign : http://time.com/4926830/bell-pottinger-jacob-zuma-guptas-racism-scandal/
And then there is Zuma being hellbent on bankrupting the country through an obscenely expensive deal with the Russians to build nuclear reactors in South Africa. The government even helped the Guptas to acquire a Uranium mine to, I would guess, supply uranium for these reactors down the line.
Then of course there is the over 700 corruption charges that he had on him before he appointed as head of the National Prosectution Authority someone who simply dropped the charges.
And not to even mention the incredibly damage that was done to the country's economy, image and race relations during his reign. God damn the asshole. I'll be able to die happy if I can just see these guys thrown into prison.

The best part? Check out the piece of shit's reaction when he heard Cyril won : https://twitter.com/NickolausBauer/status/942803526199271425

It's not all sunshine and roses though. It seems a possibly horrible person was voted in as vice president, and Zuma still has tons of loyalists in government. In fact he is still president of the country until 2019, that is unless the ANC recalls him. That is what we are all hoping for right now. Cyril will now have to play his cards extremely well.

Woo-hoo! The tax bill passed! Won't save me all that much, but even so, I won't say "no" to $4000 a year (approximately.) If anything that's a really nice computer or a first class plane ticket to Europe, or an excellent rifle, or just a few extra stocks in my portfolio.

Pretty sure mine are going up, so enjoy Europe for me on my nickel.

Please attach photos.

I'll attach photos, of course, but it's not your nickel. It's my nickel that I get to keep.

Unless, that is, the government buys me a ticket. Which, I somehow doubt they will. The only plane tickets the government ever bought me were the ones I got while I was in the military, and they were the type I did not want.