fly home

time: 5:10 AM

just got home from dropping mom off at work (she's a nurse and works the early shift). i've been absent from blogging for a while, but today is meant to be a major storm pummeling the city, so i plan on catching up. due to the impending storm, my mom did not want to drive to work. if she had, it would mean leaving her car out in the middle of the blizzard, having to walk up a slippery slope to said car, and spending 20 min brushing off the snow when her shift is done in 8 hours. so i offered to take her to work in my dad's car (an SUV). i got up at 4:30 and went out to start the car and shovel. apparently the storm hasn't started yet and there was little for me to shovel. this just means i'll have to do it later. you never get out of shoveling.

anyway, our garage is behind our house (not connected) and it opens on to an alley. while leaving the garage this morning, another SUV was coming down the path. it's always weird when you see cars out so early in the morning. yeah, i guess someone else could be taking his or her mother to work at a hospital, but it just seems unlikely - obviously a sane person would not offer to do this. what were you doing in my alley, suburban man? clearly not joy riding because the alley (which is usually slightly bumpy and very gravely - new word gravely) was smooth and shiny - perfect foundation for 6-10 inches of snow to fall on. not.

so yes, taking mom to work. we only live 5 blocks from the hospital, but in weather like this, no one would think of walking. i wish i had ice skates - i could've skated the whole way to the hospital (although technically i have only ice skated twice in my life - story for another day) - it was pure ice. pretty ice, though. it was as shiny as an ice skating rink with a few grooves that the zamboni missed. after dropping her off, while making the turn to come back on my way home, i slid into a snow bank while going 5 miles an hour. thats always fun to get your mind started in the morning ("turn into the slide. no, don't just stomp on the pedal, TURN!"). no damage done. though i did kind of wish to see another car so i could tell them to watch the turn, but again - who's out driving at this hour??