The news media will continue to call this “Snowmaggedon” (and The Weather Channel will use their silly winter storm naming scheme and call it “Leon”) but I don’t think it was the snow and ice that caused Atlanta’s problems as much as it was Atlanta’s problems with snow and ice.
From my office build we watched traffic grind to an icy halt starting a little after noon as schools and offices all closed at once, sending people to the streets en masse as if they had just been freed from jail. Some of the roads in the area remained a solid sheet of cars and ice until well past 9pm.
I knew I was toast and not even a resumption of MARTA (who had another opportunity to look like this city’s superhero and failed) was going to help. I joined a cast of twelve stranded coworkers for dinner at Chuy’s, eight more from my office were at another table, as we closed down their kitchen around 8:00pm. After returning to the office we heard that Total Wine was open (Target too, I really should have gone there instead) so a couple of us slip-slided our way there and purchased some beer for the inevitable night at the office. As we left Total Wine we ran into a few people who said that they work in our building too; they were smarter than us as they’d secured a hotel room for the night. Even with beer in hand we did not get the invite we were hoping to get; this tactic worked much better at Spring Break in 1985/1986. I watched in awe at what could only be described as a sea of road-raged Atlantans as people attempted to drive with little concern for their safety or those around them. And finally three of us help push a car down the road as best we could with little to no footing; the woman driving had hit the ice and slid into the curb, bending the tie-rod of the front-right tire, thus rendering it nearly useless.
Upon returning to the office I allowed myself to drink one beer. I thought it was going to be a fun night of camaraderie but instead, like eight people trying to decide where to go to lunch, we sat in an office trying to figure out what to watch on Dish Network, Netflix, or YouTube. Disgusted, which is why I avoid group lunches, I marched myself back to my cube and laid down to attempt a night of sleep.
Readers of this space know that sleeping at the office is nothing new for this intrepid blogger, but I didn’t get the world’s greatest night of slumber due to a lack of adequate bedding and blanket. The office build kept the heat on all night, which was appreciated, but I was still cold and the floor was, well not a bed.
Had I made it home last night, and many didn’t returning to the office after hours of sitting in gridlock, I’d be able to work from home today. Instead here I am, feeling somewhat fortunate that I have some clean clothes (read “underwear”) into which I can change later. However, I’m wondering what food will be available (though I’ve a sufficient store of fat to burn) and if/when the temperature will elevate to a point that will melt the sheets of ice that blanket this city’s network of roads. Think warm thoughts please.
Today’s Daily Challenge
Recall what was happening the last time you ate when you weren’t hungry.
We need to eat when we are hungry, of course – our bodies need energy and nourishment. However, many of us often eat because we are bored, stressed, or feeling down. Other times we may eat to reward or entertain ourselves. By thinking carefully about the last time you ate when you weren’t hungry, it may help you pinpoint an emotion or situation that can make you pause and think it over next time.
Well this is easy because it happened only yesterday. I was disappointed in myself.
ITP Flickr Pic
This a photo of the city of Atlanta.
What?!?! You probably can’t see it because it’s covered in ice and therefore it’s all white.
Today’s Personal Project
Get home, but only if I can do so safely.
Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – cranky
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – Parents Magazine’s list of “Twenty+ Fun Activities To Do In The Snow”. Maybe it’s my crankiness but I am tired of websites posting lists which use a slideshow that forces you to click through to see the items; I know the only reason they do so is to get more page views for advertising purposes.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – I haven’t been able to leave
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 220 pounds
Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~18.6 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 5 (2 cardio)
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0
January Goals
– clean my basement to the point where I could have people over
– hire a plumber to fix all of the sinks at the ITP Estate
– walk no fewer than 75 miles
– have European trip plans in place, if not carved in stone
2014 Goals: Measurable
– Get my weight down to 190 pounds so that I can wear a 36″ waist pants comfortably
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Completely run at least one 10k
– Fix all (or at least most) of the things which are wrong with the ITP Estate
– Sell the ITP Estate (tentative)
2014 Goals: Unmeasurable
– Continue to Simplify, simplify, simplify
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions
– Start, and continue, to make my own bread using my bread machine as well as using the technique outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
– Read and discard magazines during the month in which they arrive (even digitally)
Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2014
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
C’mon you people sitting around in your warm homes, entertain me.
One bit of good news for me is that I heard LA Fitness is open, so at least I can go get a shower and, if I’m feeling energetic, a workout.
What a day. This make the first SnowJam in… 84 (?) look like a cakewalk. I expected trouble but nothing to this magnitude. I hope everyone is at least warm, wherever they may be.
My brother thought he was working 2nd shift last night and tried to get to Buckhead from Lilburn. I don’t know where he gave up, but he managed to get back home at 4AM. I have no idea if that was with a car, but I doubt it.
-FP
I am lucky enough to be able to work from home when I need to. Yesterday I left the office around 11 and watched the madness unfold from home. Laura abandoned her car about half way home from work and walked, I drove to the edge of the neighborhood then walked to pick up Travis from after school care. I really feel bad for the teachers who stayed at schools all night tending to kids who could not be picked up and the bus drivers that brought the kids home. There was even a bus that came through our neighborhood at 9PM dropping kids off.
Glad to see, or read, that everyone is safe. I’m on the treadmill at LA fitness currently and will be hobbling back to the office soon. Hopefully I can go home sometime today.
I AM AT WORK!!! My boss called me at 9:30 a.m. and told me he made it in. Then he said, “I am coming to pick you up.” Uhhh, what? So, I walked up to the mall, said a quick hello to my car, which I left snug in a parking lot and met my boss. Ugh. When are my efforts to get a new job going to be rewarded??!! Thanks for listening to me vent. The End.
We are fortunate to be “stuck” on the farm, but I don’t think it’s going to melt today.
I’m so glad Steve is here, but the non-stop tv is about to make me cranky. I never turn it on during the day and the endless snowmagedon coverage isn’t bringing anything new to the table.
In our finite wisdom, we decided not to make a grocery stop yesterday when we were out for lunch. If we don’t get out today, we will likely run out of dog food. With seven dogs in residence, it may not be long before they start looking at us as food!
The horses are in the barn so I’ll get my exercise shoveling manure. I’m off to google how to keep the snow from sticking to their shoes and making snow-stilettos so they can go back out for a few hours. Yesterday I had to pry a 3-inch thick ice pack out of their feet – I’d hate for them to tweak a tendon or worse from walking on stilts.
Stay warm y’all!
And Laura – that sucks balls. Seriously. Your boss is a moron.
I was going to mention that in my update Laura, your boss is an idiot. The city is still in a state of emergency and we are all urged to stay at home unless completely necessary. Why the hell did he even try to go to the office?
You are one dedicated employee, I hope you find something soon 🙂
I actually came to the office, my computer at home is a POS, so it was too aggravating. And, Becky was there talking non-stop & I really need to get some work done.
So tell the story of Becky…
We will most likely still be esential staff only tomorrow. If Debbie doesn’t kill me, this should be a good thing.
I will a little later – I’m so slammed with screwed up stuff because of the weather.
And – the roads are slushy right now, not very slick at all on the main roads. Sal & Marty walked over this morning, I was shoveling hte steep part at hte end of the driveway by the road. Sal was stuck in Sandy Springs, not sure what time she left the store, but got home at 1130pm.
I just got home via I-285 E/S -> I-20 W.
I jus wolfed down leftovers. I am in for the night and might take a nap.
Well, I thought I had posted earlier…
I made it home yesterday in just over an hour, not great but all things considered I count myself lucky. I just Briarcliff to Moreland…roads weren’t bad, just crowed. Of course CDC is closed today, may be closed tomorrow but our office is “always open”… I went to the gym this morning at 6:30…roads were icy but doable (if you were really, really careful) plus the gym is like 1/2 a mile away. I was the only one there other than my trainer.
I just made a trip to EDR, Moreland was in good shape, even some of the side road were mostly clear. Things are thawing and drying…roads should be much better tomorrow.