Half-Assed
That’s what IP called the debacle that was today’s response to the ice/snow storm that hit the DC area. Yes, there’s ice. Yes, there’s snow. Yes, you should plow, and yes, you should shovel even though your lazy federal employee butt called in today. Some of us slogged through it all for your agency without the benefit of your benefits.
However, everything done was done half-heartedly. The federal government didn’t close, but it sort of did. The sidewalks were cleared, but not really. Regular services were suspended, and some places locked down without any kind of notice. I sat on the Red Line today waiting for an hour for some mess to clear up at Dupont Circle. I made it in, and was the only one; IP made it in, and was one of the only ones. Forgive me if I’m a little bitter at having to trek through everything simply because I don’t have a kid or can’t take unscheduled leave. With everything practically shut down, the government should’ve just bitten the bullet and shut down completely. Why should I sit in a federal building when three-quarters of the employees on my floor are still in bed? Even the ones who could’ve gotten there easily?
I pulled out my YakTrax, I bundled up, made it to where I needed to be. This is nothing, District of Columbia—but if you’re going to insist it is, then pull out all the stops and shut the hell down. Learn how to deal with snow—plow the roads properly, clear the sidewalks where you can, and for Pete’s sake, shut down if all your efforts are just going to lead to a lot of people being shut in. When I went to IP’s to exercise tonight, not only was our gym closed, but his car was plowed in, and we had to make our way back to my place on foot, on sidewalks that hadn’t been touched and were quickly becoming skating rinks. My annoyance increased at yet another inconvenience and slog through this mess; I felt annoyed the majority of the day. Annoyed at how seriously people seem to take this piddly weather, annoyed that they their seriousness leads to a whole bushel of problems that make it even more difficult to negotiate this weather. It’s not hard, people—keep it clear and we can move about. But if you keep it half-clear and demand that we go about our lives (if we can, that is, you add hastily), you’re creating an even stupider situation for us who actually try, and would do it without complaint if you didn’t make it so damn hard.
And prepare, please prepare, for the fact that it’s going to stay cold and ice will be around for a while. Dig out those you corralled, and keep the salt moving! It’s not just one day and boom! Over! Snow tends to stick around when it’s cold, and what’s been melted can become ice. So you work against it as best you can. Not just a once-over and then a dusting of the hands. Work with the Michigander who knows snow, people (and how to drive in it). Geez!
I’ve always laughed at news reports that featured snow in the south because you could clearly see that people had no clue what to do. I wish I could laugh now, but when all the south does is ruin the day for those of us who are hearty enough to try, it makes me want to call in tomorrow and let the rest of you deal with the mess I had on my hands today. I would very much like to make an ice-ball and throw it—hard—at the person who decided that keeping the government half-open was a good idea; it made everything come to a screeching halt regardless, and the result was a tough, complicated and exasperating day for those of us not afraid of ice or white powder.
