Hey there!

We haven't chatted for a couple of weeks. I took a bit of time away from my day-to-day work responsibilities over the holidays, but I wasn't twiddling my thumbs.

Nope, my team and I have been putting in 15 hour days getting the material for the USB archive formatted and ready to go. It was truly an astounding amount of work and I believe those of you who purchased are going to be really pleased.

I had a nice holiday with one daughter, but unfortunately, my other daughter got stranded in Canada by Covid travel regulations. We missed her so much - it's been years now since we've all been able to be together on Christmas and I know that many of you with loved ones far away have run into the same sadness.

The weather in North Carolina is crazy. One day it was in the low 70s and I went hiking with the doggo. Two days later, giant, wet flakes of snow were plummeting from the sky. It's still cold here but everything is clear.

As many of you may have read, my youngest daughter was among those trapped on I95 in the gridlock. She and her boyfriend were heading back from New England to North Carolina when they became stranded.

I was really proud of the way she handled things and that she looked at it as a learning experience. But I'll be honest - I was incredibly worried during the event itself. Being stuck in your car overnight at 10 degrees Farhenheit is an emergency that is potentially life-threatening. I don't think some folks understood the seriousness of the situation.

My kids were lucky - they were far more prepared than many people on the road. Imagine those who thought they were just going one exit down the road only to be stranded for up to 20 hours. Imagine those with children or health conditions. Governor Northam held a cranky press conference in which he blamed the drivers as opposed to his own lethargic response to the problem.

The thing is, the warnings he talked about were NOT widely spread. There was no indication of trouble. for many people. I'm truly surprised that nobody died out there on the cold highway when they ran out of gas. It could easily have become a tragedy.

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING, WATCHING, & LISTENING TO THIS WEEK

This week, I have done more listening than anything, as I was working on the archive. I've decided survival podcasts are the bomb-diggity, as I can be learning while doing other things. If you're looking for some good ones, here's the list I used as a guide. No matter where your interests lie, you'll find some great content there. If you're new to podcasts, here's a free course to help you figure out the ins and outs of it.

Other Stuff You May Find Interesting:

They have literally crippled the transportation system with mandates and rules. More than 15,000 flights have been canceled since Christmas Eve.
Manhattan's new district attorney wants to downgrade ARMED ROBBERY to a misdemeanor. Is this how they plan to show felonies are decreasing with the new city administration?
Quebec bans the unvaxxed from liquor and weed stores: "The fact that authorities in Quebec are using "totalitarian" methods to make the lives of unvaccinated people miserable and instill fear in the overall population as the less severe Omicron variant sweeps across the world is nothing short of disgusting. The Canadian government has even admitted to launching a psychological operations campaign against their own people to manipulate them into vaccine compliance. "
Erica has reimagined the Pantry Challenge to fit current times with shortages and higher prices. Join here.
Seattle cops made everything worse with fake reports that the "Proud Boys" were advancing on the CHOP zone.
All hell has broken loose in Kazakhstan. The US Embassy there issued security alert warning of state of emergency and urging US citizens in capital to shelter in place until safe departure is possible. More on the story here.
A hospital in Rhode Island fired unvaccinated staff but is allowing Covid-positive staff to work. Huh?
Michael Snyder hit the nail on the head with his article on what happens when millions of employees vanish from the workforce.

Set your reminder for the Survival Preppers' livestream tonight. They'll be talking about PTSD and personal security and it's sure to be an awesome show. I'll see you in the chat!