Weathermen Are Nuts

So, that light dusting we were supposed to get yesterday? Yeah. Somehow meteorologists (read: liars) somehow they thought that a storm that turned my commute home into a Fifty-Mile-Long-Ribbon-Of-Icy-Death was “just a little sugar” on top of the snow already on the ground, and it “shouldn’t even stay on the roads”. It’s amazing these guys get paid some days.

I am supposed to leave work at 5:30 pm. I normally get out and on the road around 5:45 pm, because I have some work to catch up on that is a lot easier to do without the phone ringing constantly. Yesterday, We had DB2 start locking customer tables, which breaks our website and just about every internal application we use to look at customer information. This broke at 5:27 pm. I was able to get support working on the issue and out the door by about 5:50, so I thought i was doing pretty good.

I took my backroads route to get on 83 at Shawan Rd, and the roads were covered in snow, but traction seemed good, and I only passed on accident. I made it to 83, and traffic was moving at about 50 mph, which was just amazing considering the conditions.

Then I crossed the Mason-Dixon line. There was a dramatic change. Slushy snow turned into slick ice. traffic slowed to about 20 mph, and it felt too fast. I crept to the Loganville exit and thought I’d get off here, so I’d be in less traffic, thinking the roads would not be so slick where they were not driven on.

I watched the pickup trucks and SUVs slip and slide on the road in front of me, gave them lots of space, but didn’t really have any issues as I headed down Iron Stone Hill Rd, and turned onto 214. Thank goodness for new tires, ABS, Traction Control and Vehicle Skid Control. I made my way to the hill just past the Arbor Rd, and saw a lot of people giving up and turning around. I decided I could creep up the hill. I made it about half way, when I found a car with the right front wheel in a drainage ditch. I waited for a little bit, and a 4×4 pickup came down the hill and stopped. A guy got out and started to pull chains out of his truck bed. I backed down so I was around the corner, and put my 4-ways on, and went up to help.

Barry (as I learned he was called) seemed like he had hauled many a car out of a sticky situation before. I loaned the driver of said stuck car my cell phone so she could call. And while I spoke with Tammy (I’m calling her Tammy because I can’t really remember her name, I’m horrible with names) I discovered she lives in my development. I offered to drive her home, as she seemed really worn out and in no shape for driving.

Barry proceeded to pull Tammy’s car back onto terra firma, and then offered to drive it down the hill for her. I offered to drive her down the hill. We waited and Barry brought her car down, kind of sliding it to a halt.

Barry had a boy with him, his son I guess. He was around 7 or 9 years old, I’d guess. His name was Alex.

Brief aside here. Are we condemned to an entire generation of male children being named Alex? They’re everywhere!

Anyway, I chatted with Alex while Barry went up for his truck and Tammy when to ask the owners of the driveway we were in if she could leave her car there until she could get it tomorrow. Barry came back, picked up Alex, said goodbye, and drove off.

As I drove Tammy home I found out she works in Baltimore and we discussed our commutes, and the neighborhood. I also learned that she works in a lab at John Hopkins doing research into nerve regeneration and stem cell therapy. How cool is that?

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