Listening: Friends is on right now.

Reading (perhaps quality): Still reading Mere Christianity by CS Lewis.

Reading (definitely pulp): Nothing.

Drinking: Nothing.

February 20, 2003
8:15 pm

I'm annoyed with Arlington County right now. And with everyone in the world who drives a car. Or at least the ones that drive down the streets I have to walk on.

That's right, "the streets I have to walk on". Not sidewalks, but streets. The snow dump that occurred over the weekend means people who can't be friggin bothered to clear their sidewalks when it snows 4 inches sure as hell can't be bothered to clear when Mother Nature and the snow plows make it closer to 4 feet.

Not that I blame them, and it's not as if I've been going door to door to offer to help out. But it does piss me off that they can be bothered to clear their driveways and sweet little paths to their front doors. And that I have to walk in the street in front of their houses.

Because it's nothing resembling safe. I wouldn't want to walk in the street on Pershing or Washington Boulevard under any circumstances, but during morning rush hour? When the number of lanes are reduced anyways? And when there may be some hard pack snow on the roads to make 'em a little slippery? And drivers are still going the speed limit less than two feet from my body?

I tried walking on the snow banks. But especially since the warmer temperatures have melted parts of it its a unstable blend of slush, hard pack, powder, ice, and dirt. Yesterday after the third or fourth time I broke through the crust and got two feel of snow up my pant leg I decided it wasn't worth it.

So I walk right next to the snow drifts, as quickly as I can. If there are a number of cars and the drift is far into the street I usually wait until the mass passes, but honestly I can't do that all of the time if I want to move forward. The bus to the metro is an option I suppose but there's still that once-every-half-hour bit of it. And if the buses are anything like Metro who knows what kind of schedule they are actually on.

Of course my real beef is with the county. I know they don't have the resources to shovel sidewalks but they do have a responsibility regarding public safety. I tried to call to ask if they had suggested walking routes from the metro or what their advice was but got trapped in some labyrinth of hang ups, voice mail and lord knows what else. As a former customer service person who got exhausted talking to people I couldn't help I wouldn't be surprised if it was intentional.

Doing (life and related tasks): Should be packing for my trip.

Doing (crafty stuff): Admiring the magnets I made earlier this week.

Wanting: My apartment to be a little cooler (my radiators are crazy-effective)

Anticipating: The trip this weekend!