(I wrote this 1/15)
So today, we woke up to a temperature so cold, the digital thermometer would only say "0Fl" There are so many different things that you can interpret from those 3 characters, but I think the real message was, "It's too cold for me to tell you what the temperature is." The old fashioned analog thermometer was hovering somewhere around -23. When I got into my car, and backed out of the garage, the car said it was -22. Needless to say, it was very cold today. The local weather station reporter was featured on CNN. One of the stunts he pulled was using a regular banana to pound in a nail. (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/weather/2009/01/15/kare.banana.hammer.cnn) You just gotta love this state.
On my way into work, I was looking around. It was so clear! There was a wonderful rainbow around the sun, where the ice particles in the air would reflect the sun. It was too cold for clouds to form, or because there were no clouds acting like a blanket, it was cold. I'm never sure which one it is. Either way, it was cold, and the roads were just like an ice rink. Normally, I enjoy driving in these types of conditions. I'll slide my car around the corners, and slam on the brakes when I come to a stop sign, using the ABS to stop my car. But today was an exception. Today was one of those days where you don't want to make any mistakes. With a temperature this cold, any mistake can cost you your life. Being stranded on the side of the road turns from a major inconvenience to a Weather Channel survivor story. So, I was very cautious on my way into work today.
As I was cresting the hill on our frontage road, I saw some cars in front of me. One car was in my lane and facing 90 degrees to the way it should be. There was another car in the left hand side of the road, facing me (for those of you in the UK, this car is facing the right direction.) Anyway, I am now coming down the hill in a heavy SUV, driving on ice, and I have a small window in which to place my car. Fortunately, I'm able to slow down in time. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING makes time slow down like having your car heading towards an accident, and having your foot matting the brakes, and nothing happening. I stopped in plenty of time, but the feeling of helplessness will make your body drop a ton of adrenaline into your body.
As I pass the sideways car, I see that it spun out, and was stuck in the embankment. The other car that stopped had a guy, who was helping to get her car unstuck. This is one of those times, where you can close your eyes, and keep on driving, or pull over, and try to do the right thing. I didn't really stop and think, I just knew that somebody was stuck, causing a hazard, and I should help. I found a safe spot to stop my car, and headed back up to see what I could do. I hoped up into the snowbank (snow up to my shins) and started pushing the car, while the lady put the car into reverse, and hit the gas. Nothing. The front wheels would just spin. So, I start pushing down on the hood, trying to get the car to bounce on the tires, thus getting more traction. The font of the car will not budge in any direction. She stops spinning the tires, and I take a quick look underneath. Lots and lots of snow/ice under the engine. The car is high centered! At this time, I really wish I had a shovel! I kick at it a little bit with my boots, but doesn't really help much. By this time, two other cars had stopped, and we had 4 of us helping. I ran back to my car, and grabbed my ice scraper. It is about 2 feet long, and has a hard plastic edge for scraping the ice off of the windshield. I took the edge, and started poking it into the snow under the car. Snow started coming out, so I kept on poking. After about 30 seconds, the car drops about 2 inches. Success! She puts the car into reverse, and backs out. Yay.
Here is where things get a little funny. In sunny California, we would probably all pat each other on the back, and talk about things. In frigid cold Minnesota, as soon as the car moved, we all started dashing back to our cars! Job done, danger averted, time to get warm! By the time she got out of her car to say "Thanks", all of us were half way to our cars, able to look over our shoulder to say "You're welcome."
I feel I earned one more karma kredit today. But the funny thing about karma, is you never really know when it is paid back. Things that happen behind closed doors (can you say layoffs?) can effect you in big ways. I'll keep my eyes open.
posted by RICHARD