It looks like my cut and paste weather idea would have been especially relevant today. For those who don't live anywhere around here let me update you on what happened this morning. Apparently it snowed for about 15 minutes. I didn't know this until I stepped outside at 8:10 for my normal 20 minute drive to work. Meanwhile, the snow somehow iced over and this all took place just in time for the morning commute without giving the cities any chance to sand the roads. Therefore, traffic was moving at an average rate of parked to 5 mph everywhere. Highways, backroads, you name it.

Half an hour later, I found myself still on my street approximately six feet from my apartment. I started frantically calling coworkers on my cell phone to ask someone to answer phones until I could get here. But because I wasn't in, there was no one answering phones.

I ended up arriving at 9:30 and I thought that was a long drive. However, as people started to trickle in, I started to hear horror stories of two even three hour commutes. The record holder so far is a girl who lives about 45 minutes away on an average day. This morning it took her not two, not three, but FIVE hours to get here. I'm not exaggerating this in the slightest. Now if it took you five hours to get to work, or even remotely less than that but you started to suspect you may never get there, wouldn't you maybe pull over somewhere, get something to eat, and then call it a day and head home? I mean five hours is practically a work day in and of itself. She should get the day off tomorrow.

So this is what we deal with in the northeast. It may not be hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, wildfires, floods, or infestations of killer bees, but let me tell you it's no picnic.  ¶ 4:48 PM