You heard it right: I made it up to Massachusetts safely. I don't even know where to begin with this trip, but I guess I have to share this little anecdote from when my flight landed.
I got in to Boston on Sunday evening and I went over to the rental car place to get my ride for the week. When I got to the counter, the cashier and I began to converse.
"Cold enough for ya?" she asked.
I fake laughed. "Yes, it's plenty cold, considering I'm from Texas."
"Texas?! Well, I'm sure know you know how to drive in the snow," she said.
I paused. Theoretically, I know how to do that and every few years, I get a chance to put these theories to the test. It's never pretty. I told her, "Yeah, I guess I know how to drive in the snow."
"Good," she said, "because you're going to need to be an expert this week."
Sweet bearded Jesus, that wasn't what I wanted to hear; I started to get a little nervous.
She messed around on her computer for a little while longer and then she frowned. "Listen, in this kind of weather, you're not going to want the car they reserved for you. Can you possibly call someone and get them to upgrade you?"
I started to get a little more nervous. Did they reserve a moped without a windshield for me? It was 9 PM on a Sunday and I had absolutely no idea who to call. At that point, after being on a plane forever and putting up with a bunch of travel crap, the rational part of my mind broke. I said, it doesn't matter what the car is, I'll be fine. I also said that no, I wasn't interested in any insurance.
To summarize, for an icy week in the North Pole, I get a death trap with no insurance. That's how she made it sound at least. In reality, the car is this bright-red Chevy HHR, which is a wagon-type thing. My thinking is, any car that boxy has to be safe. Also, I don't possibly see how I could get into an accident with another car when I'm in a vehicle that brightly-colored. I'm probably visible from space.
More good news is that the hotel is literally 1/8 of a mile from the office. I don't really have much of an opportunity to destroy the Pimpmobile. Tomorrow will be my one chance, when it's supposed to snow and ice heavily overnight. I've already made up my mind, though; I'm walking to work. The hotel is on top of this hill and I have absolutely no idea how to get down that hill on an icy morning without taking out a few trees and mailboxes along the way. I would rather cover my pants in leaves and bark and attempt to slide down that hill on my ass than risk anything involving 4 wheels, little red wagons included.
More importantly, the job seems like a good one thus far, and I like my coworkers. Hopes are high.
Posted by Cody at February 12, 2008 6:47 PM