Have tauntaun will travel

Sometimes the core part of my nature gets the better of me. Such as when I am confronted with treacherous, snow covered roads. When most people would be glad to stay home from work and relax in their sweats and, uh, “telecommute” I basically go, “Where are my car keys?”

There are two reasons for this. One is just typical macho bullshit. Like most guys I have that part of me that has a constant need to prove just how tough I am. Since I am unable to prove it through things like athletic competitions or street fights I have to settle for more pedestrian pursuits like trivia contests and being able to drive in inclement weather. The other is that I am a guy from Chicago who has worked for utilities his entire life. As a result I feel that I can drive through anything short of the apocalypse and that my job is in jeopardy if I decide not to show up for work in the morning.

Yesterday the blizzard warning kept me home from work (though I still think I could have made it in.) Today I woke up, looked at the roads from my apartment windows and went, “I can drive through this.” So I did and made my way through what could only be called a bobsled run in order to make it to my office. Where I soon discovered that they had just sent out the official announcement that all nonessential employees should stay home for the day. Sigh. I might be an arrogant bastard but even I don’t consider myself to be essential.

I will say that Delaware did a good job on clearing the main roads. The side streets looked like hell but since I don’t really have to deal with them too much I was able to make it through. It is pretty remarkable to drive down the road with two to three feet of snow piled up on either side of you. The feeling of claustrophobia that strikes you is mind boggling. Even though your lane is the exact same size it always was it just feels so much narrower. For the record, Philadelphia has had more snow this year than Buffalo. Yes, the weather has been that nutty.

(And please, don’t give me this “Where is global warming now” crap just because it snowed. Winning a hand of poker does not make you the best poker player in the world. One piece of weather data does not invalidate years of data. Last decade was the warmest decade on record. The Northwest Passage became navigable for the first time in recorded history. Something is going on with the weather.)

Short post tonight but that is what happens when you spend a few days snowbound. The Olympics start tomorrow and that will give me plenty of topics to write about. Biathalon! Curling! Nordic Combined! These are a few of my favorite things…