Something Squirrelly this Way Comes

I didn't make it into work yesterday. The storm front and other issues put me in too much pain to venture outside. It's how I spent the weekend, actually. Heating pads, ice packs, pain killers, lots of tea and horizontal as much as possible. I realize that using a heating pad and an ice pack might seem conflicting but the heating pad was for my lower back and the ice pack was for my head & neck. Different pains require different treatment.

Anyway, I'm okay enough to come into work (ie not nauseous from pain) so I head to the spot where I catch my apt shuttle. On my way to the stop, I must first cross a river of water that soak my shoes instantly. It's actually just the sidewalk but it's pouring rain and the ground is saturated, so all the water courses down the paved areas. I get through the stream and to the shuttle stop at 6.02. Shuttle usually gets there between 6.03 and 6.07, usually about 6.04. I wait. Another guy shows up. We wait. It's still pouring and the wind is blowing. So it's not just my feet that are soaked anymore, despite my rain coat and umbrella. It's also warm & muggy so all the wet on my shirt isn't rain, it's sweat. That's the funny thing about gortex wind breakers, they keep the wet out and the wet in.

The rain stops and I'm still standing there at 6.20, well past the time that shuttle should have been there. I've called the "hot line" twice and the recorded message told me the same thing, "Shuttles are running on regularly scheduled times". So I start to think maybe he was early, because of the rain. Anyway, at 6.25 we both give up and go back home. Well, he may have gone to his car to drive in but I was already late and figured I'd wait until the 6.40 shuttle. I called a supervisor and told him my issues and he was okay with the situation. There'd been massive flooding here the day before. Seriously, if yall haven't seen the pictures you should! There are cars that have been flipped over, thrown into a ravine, on their sides, with several inches of mud inside them. It's pretty nifty stuff (and no, I haven't checked on my car so I may be telling a different tale tomorrow).

Anyway, I'm back out at the stop at 6.35. No way am I even going to chance being late (shuttle usually comes by at 6.43). There's someone else already there and as I get to the stop, I see two more people heading out. That's reassuring to me because if the shuttle doesn't show, at least one of them should know what bus to take to get to a metro stop and I could just tag along. A lady gets to the stop and tells uw that that there was a note on her building saying no shuttle service today due to mechanical difficulties. I said, "that's odd there wasn't a note on my building and the hotline says that they're running on time." Then two more people come running to the stop, just as I spy a shuttle bus pulling out of the parking lot down the street (it's where the stop before mine is). One of the people gets to the stop and says that the two regular shuttles have both been flooded and are in the shop, that this shuttle is a replacement.

I get on the shuttle and have to stand. That's a first for me, though not unsual even when we have our normal sized bus. This baby was half the size. Thankfully not too many more folks pile on at the next stops (guess they had gotten notice of the shuttles not running or had given up on waiting). So the driver stops and I nearly wrench my shoulder out of it's socket and twist my ankle because I slide into the person standing behind me, who had slid into the person behind her. THEN the guy tells us, "better hold on with both hands as this bus isn't designed to carry people who are standing." Well no shit, sherlock. Thanks for telling this AFTER we bounce around like ping pong balls. We get on the highway and the driver takes the regular side instead of HOV - which is normal when we aren't flooded up to our eyeballs and more people are driving this way because of flooded roads and metro stations. Oy!

Needless to say there is a LOT of stopping and starting. Which translates into those of us who are standing into sliding back and forth and side to side. I get to work at 7.25 - nearly an hour late - and soaking wet. It's after 8.30 now and I'm still wringing wet. Perhaps I'll be dry by the time I leave for the day. I'm also shivering because the AC is on. I'm chilled on days when my clothing isn't wet. Guess this just means more hot tea & coffee for me. Perhaps some leisurely running up and down of the stairs is in order. I'd head to the restroom to use the hand dryers but we don't have those!

Ah well, c'est la vie. :) I guess I had better get some work done.