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Monday, March 13, 2006

Inconcievable!

Here I am, home on a Monday morning when I should be arriving at work.

We in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area are being nailed with a March storm, and that alone is not too shocking. In fact, it's tradition for us to have a storm during this particular week.

But this storm is different...it's giving us heavy, wet snow, and it's piling up so fast that the plows can't get to it and sand/salt mixtures are rendered useless.

On the news, they are telling people that the MN State Patrol is recommending that people just stay home if they can, until at least 9 am, or even better, noon. Well, I have a job in which we usually get clobbered on Mondays, so I planned to go to work, bad weather and stay-at-home recommendations or no.

Well, I drove down the side streets...slowly, and began to wonder if this was wise. It's not as though I've never driven in sprin slush before, so I really wasn't too worried, truth be told. Then I hit the road I need to take in order to get to work. I can't stay on side streets all the way as they simply do not connect or even form a connecting network of sorts. Nope, I've got to take the usual thoroughfare.

Usually, this particular route is the best option as it is not a freeway so usually it moved. Not today. After sitting in this parking lot for awhile, watching snow pile up on cars, watching one driver after another get out to clean off his her her windshield wipers, I realized the futility of this exercise.

By the time I was able to creep up to the traffic light, I knew the right thing to do was to turn around.

I went home, and just as I pulled into my garage, so did my neighbor...and she usually leaves about a half hour before I do! She hadn't gotten much further than I did in that time period--just a matter of a few blocks.

Neither one of us has EVER turned around due to weather, especially in the city! Typically that's more expected of people who live outside of the city.

The scary thing is that there really isn't that much snow out there now, only a few inches, and all of us have driven in much much more. But traffic simply isn't moving, it's icy, sloppy, and I suspect that a number of accidents has further held up what would otherwise just be slow.

I may still go in today, but I suspect that I'll be requesting my one allowed unexcused absence due to weather that the company allows us each year.

I never woulda thunk it...calling in due to weather, when I live in the burbs. In-con-cievable!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"This is my theory, it is mine, and belongs to me and I own it."

We haven't had e lot of bad winter weather these past fifteen years or so. During that same period we have seen a gradual increase in population, some from southeast Asia and Africa and others from snowless areas of the U.S.

It only takes one person to start a traffic jam. When you have thousands of people without much experience in driving in snow, you are going to have an incredible number of traffic jams.

Our Word said...

Chicken! The commute wasn't that bad - I made it to work today just fine.

Oh, wait a minute. That's right - I walk to work.

Never mind...