I got stuck on route 93 south this morning at River road. There was an accident. A car flipped over. The highway was down to one lane. While the traffic was jammed up completely, we had to make room for six emergency vehicles to pass. It was pretty bad. The mile or so back up I was in took about half an hour to get through.
Drive safe in the snow, folks. Be careful out there.
Here is one of the reasons (besides the obvious ones) why the kids’ Christmas vacation week pretty much rules. Today I left the kids’ Dad’s house up in the great white north of New Hampshire, and pulled into a parking spot at work 54 minutes later.
Monday is a telecommuting day for me, but I had to go in for a morning meeting (which was then postponed) so I drove home at lunch time to finish my work day at the dining room table where I belong. 44.1 miles in 44 minutes. Absolutely brilliant.
…and probably never going to happen again.
This is probably getting repetitive, but I am so damn sick of winter… and it hasn’t even started yet.
I am not joking in the least when I tell you that the traffic on route 128 North tonight was moving just as slow as it moved during the snow storm last night.
Are you kidding me?
San Diego, here we come!
Jen had a training in Boston today. When word of the traffic nightmare trickled in she booked a hotel room to avoid it. Going to Boston cut my snow drive in half, so I joined her. 22 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes or so. I was stopped enough in town to snap a few pics.
Bestsy done good tonight, despite the wiper issues.
And one more from the sidewalk.
Things were bad this morning, but tons better than I expected. Only one single car accident, but still worse than usual in the bad traffic spots.
I took the kids to their Dad’s house this morning so that they could catch their rides to school. I was a little surprised by the state of some of the roads. The snow ended yesterday morning, but it still was a little sloppy here and there. Route 93 North seemed to be much icier than I had expected.
I’m working from home today, so I didn’t have to deal with my long commute. My wife, however, has to go to a training in Boston today. She left the house at 6:30am. She called me at 8:00 and she’d only made it about half way, if that. As of 8:15 she still wasn’t even remotely close.
Why?
Is this a case of the state dropping the ball on cleaning up the highways, or is it just an example of a phenomenon that occurs each year where most drivers react to the first snowfall of the year by completely forgetting how to drive in the snow. I would guess that it’s a combination, but frankly the snow fell yesterday and both things should have been cleared up by today.
Hang in there, my love. Be safe. I love you!
We got some snow in the Boston area yesterday. Just a dusting really. Not enough to mobilize the snow removal forces for most cites and towns. That means yesterday’s snow turned into this morning’s ice. The drive in was a touch on the slow side (44 miles in 86 minutes) but it could have been worse.
The evening commute, however, is going to be worse. We have more snow in the forecast. It’s another dusting, but it’s coming this afternoon. Just in time for the evening commute.
I want to warn Eastern Massachusetts that they had best stay the hell out of my way. My step daughter has a school event tonight and I am going to get there on time and I don’t care how bloody the path behind me gets in the process.
Pull over, I’ve got a Christmas show to see!
I worked from the office this morning, but I’m telecommuting in the afternoon. It marks the first time I got to drive home from Westwood outside of rush hour traffic. I set the stop watch on my phone when I punched out. I wanted to time the trip from my desk in the office to my desk at home.
Considering that I’ve had a bunch of two hour commute since moving to Westwood, this is astounding to me. And it makes each morning and evening commute that much more insulting.
In the office park I work in these days there are two buildings. The cafeteria is in one building, and my desk is in the other. Twice today I have walked to the cafe. Once for a drink at about 10:40am, and then later to get lunch at a little after 1:00pm.
During both walks outside, the building was being circled by a helicopter.
There are two possible reasons for this. One, given our close proximity to the traffic nightmare known either as state route 128, or US route 95, there may be a traffic situation nearby that is being constantly monitored by local news networks.
The other possible explanation for the helicopter is that Henry Hill works in my building.
Always remember, don’t call from the house phone and make sure you keep stirring the gravy!
It’s the traffic again, of course.
It’s been a little more than two months since my work group moved from Framingham to Westwood and I am so fed up with it. To get to Framingham I was leaving home at 7:50. Westwood is closer, but if I am lucky I get to leave at 7:20. This morning my beloved wife Jen left home at 5:55. I shit you not, 5:55. She called me at 6:30. She’d made it one exit down route 93 South. Maybe a mile or two. I sped up my morning routine, skipped breakfast, and headed off to work at 6:58. I managed to avoid the traffic on route 93, but I hit some on route 495 and then somewhat heavier than usual traffic on both route 3 and route 128. I made it to work in a touch more than 90 minutes. It pains me to say this, but 90 minutes isn’t bad. 44 miles and I am pleased with 90 minutes. It’s ridiculous. It’s insulting. It’s affecting my personality.
By the time I get to work in the morning I am furious. By the time I get home, and I must admit that the drives home are not nearly as bad as the drives in although they are still pretty awful, I am just beaten down. I’m exhausted. Last week my step son asked me to help him hang a poster in his room. I was so beat I almost said no. Can you believe that? I was too worn out from the day to push four friggin’ thumb tacks into his wall. Yesterday the polls in Methuen were open from 7:00am to 7:00pm. I couldn’t go before work because the traffic was so bad. I had to go after work, and despite leaving work at 5:30 I almost didn’t make it in time. I got to the poll at about 6:45. How happy would I have been if the traffic was just a little worse and I missed my chance to vote? Not happy. Not happy at all.
I’m sorry to keep venting about this to you, internet. I just need to get it off my chest. Unloading should make me feel better. It doesn’t.
Inside the Red Head's Head 