Now, normally, I absolutely HATE Valentine’s Day. It hasn’t helped that I’ve been single for the previous four, but even when I’ve been in a relationship, Valentine’s day tends to just not go well for me. So, this year, instead of lamenting that I am without a special someone; I decided that I’d just do something that makes me stupidly happy.

I went skiing.

There are few things in life that make me happier than skiing, and on a day when a lot of people I know were quite unhappy, I chose to do what I knew would make me happy. Thus, my friends, Ryan and Alex, and I went up to Crystal Mountain for the day. In exchange for getting up at six in the morning, we were rewarded with 4 inches of fresh powder and a virtually empty mountain. Even though one of my boots crapped out on me; it was still amazing.

As for my evening? That was spent enjoying a G&T and watching my favorite Winter Olympic event on TV.

Yeah, best Valentine’s day ever? Just do what you love and forget about the rest. ^_^

So yesterday, my little sister got stuck at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. After being given the run around all day, she eventually was given a “possible” flight in the morning. Yeah, she was stranded.

Thus, at 8:10 pm last night, while playing with my new effects pedal (Christmas gift to myself), my dad called down “Want to go with me to Chicago?” Seriously. Without really thinking it through, my dad and I jumped in the car and headed for Chicago. Now, normally, not a bad idea, last night…kind of nuts. You see, between snow and freezing rain/ice all throughout the great lakes area, the roads were a mess. This, was not taken into consideration. All we knew was we had to get to Chicago.

So off we went. Mind you, when I went to get something from my sisters car, the ice was so slick on our driveway, I took one step outside and fell on my ass. Regardless…we were off. While Dad was concentrating on the road, I was busy trying to get some plans laid out. Mainly lodging and meeting up with Syd.

After everything was laid out (which took about an hour with my mom busy getting us hotels), we just made our way up to Chicago. Now, mind you, Chicago is about 5 hours away from my house; our trip would eventually take us just under 8. The roads were awesome…if they weren’t fully iced up, they were a nasty combination of freezing water and partial sluch. It did, however, provide an interesting list of shit that we saw run off the side of the road:

• Cars
• Trucks
• Semi-trucks
• A boat…seriously…a boat.

I mean, everything and everyone was all over the road. Thankfully, we made it ok. But it was quite an interesting trip. And yeah, no more flying through Chicago during the holidays.

[EDIT 2:21 AM]
I forgot to add the other fun part. In both directions, we also severe wind. While it was only kind of bad on the trip up, on the trip back it was crazy. The ice on the roads melted mid morning, so they were clear by the time we were on them, but the winds picked up to the point where trucks were being pushed into swaying out of their lanes. Seriously, truck trailers were being pushed into lanes that were to either side of them. My dad was fighting the wind for most of the trip.

So yeah, Ice, Snow and Wind. We weren’t too far off from our own R&B Band.

So why is Delta cold blooded? According to my roommate, the Delta Airlines “on hold” music was “Let It Snow.”

Seriously. I can’t make this stuff up.

Eastbound 520 from the 51st street overpass

520 Westbound from the 51st street overpass

I will say, I’m amazed at how…unprepared people are for snow/cold weather here in Seattle. I have friends who don’t have boots. This just seems…insane to me. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a place where it would snow occasionally, but it seems like boots should be one of those required pieces of footwear that people own. They don’t have to be the -20 degree rated boots I wear (I bought them for when I moved to Boston), but at least something snow worthy. Maybe I’m just crazy because I’ve had snow worthy boots since i was..oh…3. Even just a pair of hiking boots.

The other thing I was noticing, is that there are basic amenities that buildings around here lack that are everywhere back east and in the Midwest. For instance, lots of space and proper places to hang winter coats in restaurants. I was talking with a coworker who lived in Montreal and he and I talked about how just handling snow is not something Seattlites seem ready for. People were confused in the cafeteria that I was walking around in sandals and shorts. They actually thought I walked to work like this. Seriously. I had to explain that I walked to work and that my boots weren’t really a good idea in the office, and that my pants were wet from snow, so i brought shorts to be comfortable in. People’s minds were blown.

Then again, maybe I’m just expecting too much of people. Not everyone gets the opportunity to spend large amounts of time in the snow and cold. And unless you are subjected to a lot of it; it’s one of those things that can be quite offputting.

I wish I could say this was an exaggeration. But my office is pretty empty. People sent “working from home” emails last night. Let it be known, there was no precipitation of any kind last night. It was completely “dry.” Of course, since we lack any kind of cold weather gear in this area, there is still black ice on the roads.

I just find this amusing given what it was like in Boston. Ice still on the roads two days after snow fall that had warming temps? I mean, sure, they turn the roads into salt flats. But at least people can get around. You’d think Seattle might, I don’t know, have some kind of ability. You know, just in case. Even Cincinnati was better than this, and when I was growing up there, it was sad. This is just…pathetic.