Tag: Netflix

Things to Do When It’s Too Cold to Go Out

Is she trying to catch the snow in her mouth or she is screaming about the cold? You decide...
Is she trying to catch the snow in her mouth or is she so cold she is screaming? You decide…

Last week, I talked about some of the ways that you could embrace the winter or try to stave it off a little longer, but it appears that Jack Frost may have had other ideas. In fact, when I got up yesterday morning, it was a degree below zero with a wind chill of 15 below, and there were parts of New England where the actual temperature was nearly 25 below with a wind chill of who knows what. As a result, it’s clear that the winter is here with a vengeance, and ignoring it until it goes away is probably no longer an option. However, if you are stuck in your house this weekend because of the cold weather and you’re looking for something that you can do without opening your door (and turning your home into an icebox), look no further.

1. Board Games

When it comes to board games, people typically fall into one of two groups. The first group are the people that immediately think about how much fun it could be to try a new game or play an old favorite, and if you belong to this group, you should keep reading. The second group are the people that see the word “board” and immediately think it was misspelled (this group believes the correct spelling is actually “bored”) and if you fall into this group, I highly recommend that you skip this suggestion and move onto suggestions two and three. However, if you are one of the fine, upstanding people that belongs to the first group, board games can be a great way to keep you, your significant other, your friends daring enough to brave the cold, and/or your children entertained for hours on end.

In fact, you can always pull out an old classic like Battleship, Chess, Checkers, Clue, Monopoly, Risk, Scrabble, Sorry, Twister, or any variation thereof; or you can try a new game like King of Tokyo or King of New York if you’ve always wanted to be a rampaging monster, Pandemic if you’ve always wanted to be part of a team tasked with stopping a deadly outbreak, Power Grid if you’ve always thought you could handle a region’s infrastructure better than the power companies, or any of a countless number of other games. Best of all, if you don’t have one of these games, you can always find them at a local department store, comic book shop, hobby shop or, if you’re really determined not to leave your house and you’re a member of Amazon Prime, you can always pay the $3.99 for one-day shipping and have your new game tomorrow.

2. Video Games (Online or Otherwise)

If you would rather play a video game than a board game (or you prefer your board games when they are on a TV screen), you may want to check out some of the sites that will allow you to play or purchase video games. If you’re looking for free video games, you can always try out sites like ArmorGames.com, Kongregate.com, and/or Newgrounds.com. Armor Games and Kongregate both offer thousands of free games, many of which are user-submitted. These games include action, adventure, puzzle, RPG, shooter, strategy, and sports games. Newgrounds also offers thousands of free user-submitted flash games in addition to user-submitted art, music, and flash movies.

If, on the other hand, you would prefer to purchase a game rather than just play it in your browser, you can always try Amazon or Steam. These sites have a number of games that you can purchase (usually at a discounted price) and download as soon as you pay.

3. Movies / TV

If you’re a movie buff who would like nothing more than to just sit in your chair and watch your favorite films, you can always just grab a pile of DVDs from your closet or movie rack and go to town. However, if there’s a new movie or TV series that you would really like to see, but you don’t have it on DVD yet, you can always try Amazon.com, Hulu.com, Netflix.com, or the On-Demand services for your television provider. These sites and services often have some (but not all) of the latest movies and television shows, and they will typically allow you to watch them immediately for free, a one-time fee, or as part of a service with a monthly fee.

Photo credit: Luis Hernandez – D2k6.es / Foter / CC BY

2014 US Figure Skating Championships

Composure

I have to admit that one of my favorite things about writing is that it gives me the opportunity to learn new things. In fact, while I was researching this week’s blog post, I learned that the amount of snow that a particular location will get during a storm is closely tied to the temperature. Now, I know that some of you are already thinking to yourselves “No Duh Sherlock” (or a less politically correct version of that particular statement.) However, I’m not talking about whether it’s above 32 degrees Fahrenheit and we get rain or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and we get snow. I’m talking about how much snow we actually get when there is a storm.

You see, slight differences in the temperature actually play a key role in how much snow a particular location gets because the temperature affects the size and shape of the snowflakes. For example, if the temperature is 28°F in a particular location and that location is expected to receive the equivalent of an inch of water (or, in other words, an inch of rain if the temperature was above 32 degrees), that location will end up with approximately 12 inches of snow. An area with a slightly lower temperature, however, say 23°F, would actually end up with approximately 15 inches of snow.

If, after reading this, you’re wondering why any of this actually matters, the truth is that, unless you’re a meteorologist or someone who is truly obsessed with the weather, it really doesn’t. However, it is one of the reasons why two neighboring towns can end up with two drastically different snow totals, and it does prove that if the Northeast is supposed to get buried by snow, it must be pretty friggin’ cold. As a result, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy your weekend without becoming an ice sculpture with a tasty human filling, look no further.

First, if you’re a big fan of figure skating and/or you always wanted to see someone actually get into the Olympics, Boston is the place to be this weekend. This is because the TD Bank Garden and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center is hosting the 2014 Prudential US Figure Skating Championships from Sunday, January 4th to the following Sunday, January 12th. This event will feature juvenile, intermediate, novice, junior, senior, and champion skaters competing for national titles in both individual and pair competitions. It will also feature a number of well-known skaters and some not-so-well known skaters competing for the right to qualify for the Olympics as a member of Team USA. And, for those of us who think single digit temperatures are a little too cold to be wandering around in, they have wisely made sure that all of the events are indoors. For more information on the 2014 Prudential US Figure Skating Championships and/or to order tickets, please visit the Official 2014 US Figure Skating Championships website.

If, on the other hand, you’ve decided it is entirely too cold to go out this weekend and you have no interest in leaving your house at all (which I completely understand), you can always make your own movie marathon. I know it may sound lame, but grab some microwave popcorn, make some hot chocolate, and toss in your favorite movie or a movie that you’ve never taken out of the package. Sitting on the couch watching movies can be a lot more fun than it seems, especially when walking outside may result in your extremities falling off.

Don’t have a copy of your favorite movie or you’ve already watched everything you own nine thousand times? Don’t worry. You can always rent or purchase a movie from Amazon if you have a computer or a streaming device or On Demand if you’re an Xfinity subscriber. You can also watch movies for free online with Amazon Prime, Netflix, or another movie streaming service as long as you have a membership.

Photo credit: kennymatic / Foter.com / CC BY