Over the weekend the temperatures were basking near the upper thirties here in the Tundra of the Great White North. Suffice to say I was not surprised to find a small puddle of water on the wood floor of our Great Room caused by a leaky drip-drip=drip from the ceiling above. "Friggin ice dams!", I roared to the wife. This was followed by my yearly soliloquy of how this was going to be our last winter in Minnesota and how we would be moving to the southern warmness of Arizona or Texas ASAP.

What the heck is an ice dam you ask? For those of you who have never lived north of Nebraska let me explain. An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. The following shows a cross section of a home with an ice dam.

Now, we really don't have a huge issue with these. This is only the 3rd time in 17 years that we've have to deal with it. It seems to take the right combination of heavy snow, followed by very cold temperatures with periods of thaws and the whole cycle kicks in. Usually, I deal with it by occasionally shoveling snow off the roof. This year, I had been lazy. Removing snow from the roof eliminates one of the ingredients necessary for the formation of an ice dam. So, here is me from the last weekend. Thinking about moving to Minnesota soon? This may be one thing you'll have to deal with. I'll take my chances in Arizona and tolerate an occasional gecco in my house over this crap.

I'm Going to Pee My Pants

There was a huge television event last night? Did you catch it? Was it circled on your calendar and spoken about 23 of the 24 hours each day for weeks leading up to the prodcast? If you have no children, you may have let this one slip by. It was the season opener (season seven) for the Fairly OddParents.

The Fairly OddParents is an Emmy-winning American animated television series shown on Nickelodeon, where it is currently one of the most popular shows (second only to SpongeBob SquarePants). COD Jr. eats them up. He also enjoys the classics, such as Jonny Quest, but loves the fast pace of this show. Mom and Dad like it too.

The episode was called Fairly Odd Baby and was a hoot. After Timmy wishes that Cosmo and Wanda would have a baby, the Pixies and the Anti-Fairies join forces to kidnap the baby and use his/her untapped power for world domination. It will be up to Timmy, Cosmo, Wanda, Jorgen, and some explosive burritos to save the first fairy baby born in 10,000 years.

Did you happen to catch it?

Coming Saturday

My 1997 interview with then Vikings offensive coordinator Brian Billick.

Posted by briankeithmaas@msn.com at February 19, 2008 01:07 AM