sharing stories about driving in snow, dealing with other people trying (and failing) to drive in snow

In which naturally WE are perfectly safe and sensible drivers in snow: it's all those OTHER fools who cause the problems.

In which naturally WE are perfectly safe and sensible drivers in snow: it's all those OTHER fools who cause the problems.

Well, yeah! Actually, I moved to NC after only driving for a summer in MI--I have very little winter weather driving experience. But people who know I'm from MI assume I have mad skillz.

Busy this week: I've got a phone interview tomorrow, and I'm working on three online classes right now, and a doctor's appointment on Thursday, and I've got to work on writing a midterm and write my syllabus and set up my gradebook and everything before classes start next week. And I need to go grocery shopping, because I don't really have much food in the house. And I need to insulate a few more windows. And the guy I've been seeing wants to see me sometime this week, and I feel really bad being all, "Um, maybe? I'll see if I can find time?" but really, I've got a million things to do, and then I'll be tired after I do them. (And having him just come over here isn't really an option, since another thing I need to do is clean my apartment, which has reached kind of epic levels of clutter.)

I have therapy tomorrow and I really don't want to drive up to Burlington because the timing is right when we're expected to have snow squalls with neary zero visiblity for 15-30 minutes. I do not want to be on the interstate or the other roads for that. AND there's an extended Wind chill warning and exposed skin can frostbite in less than 15 minutes. There's a chance I'll have to park and make a 10 minute walk.

But I think I've cancelled the last two therapy appointments so I can't keep doing that.

There's drama over my supervisor at work. He's kind of an ass, he's ex military - ex Polish military so he has a certain demeanor and way of dealing with peopole that's abrasive. He yelled at a co worker yesterday and used profanity on the sales floor and so today during their review my coworker said if he ever did it again he's quitting on the spot. He's planning on calling our coporate HR line but it wouldn't be the first time someone has complained by my supervisor he's done stuff like that before and made sexist and homophobic remarks but nothing happens. No one wants to work in our department because of it.

Hil, you know, if he likes you he'd probably rather see you in your cluttered house than not see you at all. Guys usually don't care that much about clutter anyway (generalizing, I know), and maybe he'll help with the insulating! Just tell him what's going on.

What Zen said.

askye, yuck. That is not cool at all.

No snow here or forecasted, but it is going to get below freezing this week. Which, given our generally elevated and uninsulated houses, sucks.

I found out today that another friend of mine (and Nora's) has terminal cancer. It's the head of the nonprofit down here that hosted our organization as well as thousands of other volunteers over the last decade. I feel so... beyond words. My stomach is so clenched I can't stand up straight. I've had a slice of king cake for dinner, and I think that's all I'm going to manage. I feel like I've been a bad friend because I have only seen him a dozen times, maybe, since moving here. His house got foreclosed on and the nonprofit went under, I think. I don't know how long he's been sick or what the prognosis is, beyond "terminal." (Plus, on my end, I'm still grieving KR's death and that's going to become a lot more vivid again over the next month because she was all about PARADES. There's going to be a lot of catching beads through tears at 8th and St. Charles.)

I called my friend tonight after I heard and I'm going to go see him Sunday, I think.

I just can't. Just can't. Fuck cancer. Fuck all of it.

*ahem* Thanks. Had to get that out. I think I'm going to just go to bed.

{{{smonster}}}

Fuck cancer.

askye, that sucks. I hope there's some resolution for it.

Zen, thanks. This is really beyond clutter, though, and I'd need to do a significant amount of work before I'd be comfortable having anyone over. He's already helped with some of the insulating, and I think I might need his help on one more window, though I think I can do the rest by myself. I definitely need to go grocery shopping tomorrow, after my interview -- I've got some leftover mac and cheese that I'm saving for breakfast, and then not much more that can be made into meals. The high tomorrow is supposed to be 17. I really wish there were grocery delivery here.

This is really beyond clutter, though, and I'd need to do a significant amount of work before I'd be comfortable having anyone over.

Eh, I understand that; I'm in that situation all too often myself.

I hate going out when it's freezing cold. I want delivery of everything.

Considering there have been multiple complaints about him to managment and to corporate HR I'm pretty sure that the resolution is going to be - my co worker will try to get into a different departmetn (he's already trying) and/or he'll quit. And nothing will happen to my supervisor and he'll continue to drive off employees.

In Feb there is a big survey they do for the entire company. I'm going to be brutally honest, it's not anonymous if you leave comments but it's the only outlet I have.

Another successful day on Elementary where I YET AGAIN did not end up in the slam.

For instance, at lunch, I did not throw and elbow into the person next to me and shove their unconscious figure beneath the table when I saw a certain person looking for a place to sit. EVEN THOUGH he had just put a whole bunch of whip cream on his desert AND was actively taking a bite. I'm a goddam humanitarian.