Wednesday, October 29, 2008

weather WTF?

I had to go on a long-ass drive yesterday. Part of my drive was through part of what I'd call the mid-atlantic region. I hadn't checked the weather, so I was shocked (shocked!) to find I was driving through a slush and then a snowstorm before November. That's fine, I've got all season tires for a reason. But at the top of the hills, it actually got sort of treacherous because of course they didn't have any equipment running. And then you get some truck going 30 with a narrow median strip, and you have to try and pass it with the slush and snow being sprayed on your right and from the other side of the road (smack!). Oh, and gale-force winds blowing you around.
I didn't expect to have to ramp it down to 45 on my long-ass drive. Going that speed with both hands clenched on the wheel and doing some fairly active braking/accelerating to keep control for hours is not my idea of fun, especially when I had determined my travel timing based on setting the cruise control at some level above the speed limit.

Even when I'm going to be working all day in the field, my natural tendency is to assume that the weather is going to be what it was yesterday. By this point, you'd think I would know to check the friggin' weather forecast before I go.

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