thin ice

Last wednesday we had 3/4 an inch of snow at about noon. Now I know this is nothing compared to what many places get, but the interesting this is what it caused: a "clusterfuck." Yes, that is what one guy i know named it. I want to describe the craziness in order to expand your vocabulary with this creative new word.

About 11am I got in the shower after breakfast, a 2mile walk, and some reading. I was headed to church eventually. When I got out, I noticed snow was falling and it began to accumulate on some of the road surfaces. This made for bad conditions for the inept southern drivers of the triangle. I left the house to meet Natalie for an after lunch walk and the traffic had already began to pile-up, literally and figuratively.

After walking, we left the mall to go back to her work. The 5 minute drive took 30 minutes. As it turn out, this was fast.

The snow fell for 3 hours as most. It covered roadways and then froze while everyone was out at lunch. School decided to let out, which sent crazy soccer moms to the roads, busses on their routes, and slow drivers out to cause havoc. It took an hour to go the five miles from natalies work to our apt. Again, as it turns out, we were lucky becuase we live in town. With the suprise snow, everyone began to head home from school and work at the same time causing a clusterfuck. The roads were completely jammed due to overload and ice. Friends of ours had their 45 minute communtes turned into 13hour drives. I am NOT kidding. It took three people I know 11-13 hours to complete their normal 45 minute commute, not becuase they had to dirve carefully, but becuase they could not get down the road because of a traffic jam. Every road in and around Raleigh was fully packed.

People were getting out of thier cars to pee in the woods, strangers were giving out food to stranded motorists, fire stations were taking people in who were stuck in traffic and 3000 Wake county pulic school students were stuck at school for the night, unable to be brought home by the busses or picked up by their parents. Not becuase of road condiditons, but becuase the roads were full. what a clusterfuck.

So, when it snows where you are, enjoy it. And if it causes a clusterfuck, let me know.

Thin ice caused it, and is what I am treading on by using the word so much.
peace