I read that term a lot on this forum...sounds like a big negative if we want snow. Can someone explain in layman's terms what this ridge is and what it does and what it takes to get it out of here?

a nice big storm can flatten it even a strong coldfront i think as well can but its just gonna build back. its gonna get loss for a bit after the 10th it looks like so we should have some chances of snow!

It's a High pressure area near the SE coast (inland or offshore) that pumps warmth into the northeast. If it's far enough offshore it's called a Bermuda High. In summer it's responsible for your hot humid weather. In winter it can bring 50's weather, cause storms to move to the lakes and in other cases causes freezing rain in overrunning events when cold air at the surface presses in from the north.  In those instances (which are similar to a backdoor cold fromt in summe) the ridge continues to dominate aloft but the Canadian high wins at the surface (for awhile at least). But if the SE ridge is far offshore (beyond the Bermuda High position) it's a wonderful friend as it blocks southern storms from going out to sea and helps push them up the coast.

interesting... what are the odds of that happening during a La Nina year such as this one?

You can thank the SE ridge's position for the blizzard of 96. It slid into a perfect spot. Earlier that week models had it progressively moving offshore with the storm following it out to sea well south of us. In general though the SE ridge is our friend in Neg NAO patterns.