Marketing run amok

Question: When was it decided that snowstorms needed names?

It seems the fun blast of snow 'n' ice we got in the Northeast on Friday was officially known as "Brendan." When we were growing up -- and yes, we are sooo going there and using the royal we throughout this post -- we had our own name for this kind of weather. It was "winter."

We really hope this is not just something one of the local TV stations cooked up as a marketing idea, because then we would really have to move. Immediately. (Not that we needed any additional motivation to do so.) But as we said to someone earlier tonight, naming a snowstorm is like naming a thunderstorm. And if they are naming snowstorms, why didn't that storm that pummeled upstate New York earlier in the winter get a name? (Something like Winter Storm "Anal Rapist" might have been appropriate.)

Another question: While we were at work this evening, we watched a line of trucks carting snow off company property. This didn't strike us as odd until we left for home, at which point we wondered: Where are they taking it all? We assume there's an field somewhere where they're piling the snow, but maybe it's all going on some schmuck's driveway.

Anyway, we will have to ponder this further.

Finally, we are taking a quick jaunt down to D.C. later today, so if we stumble across anything interesting we will post from the road.

Aren't you all tingly with anticipation?