Snow

[magid]

Note to the bicyclist last night:
Please, when you decide to ride your bike at night in a snowstorm, consider having reflective clothing, since you don't seem to know you're legally required to have lights (front and back; that reflector doesn't count). Also, it would be nice if you didn't take most of a lane with your weaving.
Thank you.

That was the most egregrious, but certainly not the only, stupidity on the roads in this storm. Why do some people not turn on their headlights? Or try to gun their cars, when all it gets them is fishtailing? Or walk in the street with their back to traffic (on major roads, too)?

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I started the shoveling season last night. My back and shoulders keep reminding me of it this morning.

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The first snow was small flakes and dry, perfect for sliding on if there ever got to be enough in one place. I need to figure out if there's anywhere I can walk to that would be nice to ski around (rather than driving: even after the storm stops and I dig the car out, it's a hassle to find a parking space if I give one up). Not as good as going out into the woods somewhere, but able to do in an hour or so.

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I put on my insulated workboots this morning, since they seemed the perfect option for the slog into work. I haven't worn them in years, but they felt fine on my feet. There seemed to be some sand from the treads in the hall before I left, but I ignored that.

Which turned out to be the wrong decision. Partway to the T, my boots started falling apart. Literally. The heels of the soles seemed to have come mostly off, flapping along as I walked. It got worse as I continued, my heels lower than the rest of my feet. I didn't want to turn back, since I'd already slogged through some mid-calf snow. Of course, on the train, I kept looking at everyone else's perfectly intact footgear, and wondering how odd I looked.

When I got to work, I took them off, and the heel part of each sole is completely gone, and the odd spongy stuff underneath (well, above, if the boot is upright) has also started ripping off, in pieces. And the front of each sole also has pieces that have come off. I've never seen this happen before. And no, these aren't boots I've worn a lot.

Luckily, I have some summer shoes at my desk, and there's a shoe store down the block. I'm still debating walking over in my open-toed sling-back shoes...

Still, very peculiar.

Comments

[bitty.livejournal.com]

8-10 inches of... what... exactly?

[magid.livejournal.com]

Heh.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

I've had boot related experiences something like yours. It sucks. My main issue today was with the people wandering in the middle of the snowy street on cell phones. Its almost like they want to get hit or something. That and the people dumping the snow back into the street.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I just can't imagine what caused this one pair of boots to disintegrate, when an older pair is just fine (er, not falling apart in the same way, anyway: there are cracks through both the uppers and the soles).

I can understand walking in the street, and if it's a side street, even the middle of the street, as long as you're aware of traffic and willing to get out of the way when cars come. Not all sidewalks were shoveled when I was walking. I don't understand not paying attention to traffic, though.

Even last night I saw some people snow-blowing into the street. Grrr.

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I had to drive last night and saw my fair share of idiots along the way. 2-3 cars with headlights off. The fool who cut me off as I'm coming up a hill, almost forcing me to stop. (And if I'd've had to stop, it was back to the bottom of the hill for me!) The SUV on the freeway who got within a foot or so of the car in front of him and then suddenly switched into the right lane, not leaving much clearance between him and the third car he cut in front of. (I'm surprised this didn't turn into a major accident.) And much more. It's interesting how inclement weather brings out all the nutjobs on the road!

[magid.livejournal.com]

Another nice one: a person who pulled out of her parking spot on a side street, drove to the intersection with a more major street, then stopped to clear her car off.

I suspect lots of people think they know how to drive in snow, while the ones who know they'd rather stay home than risk anything do stay home.

[volta]

On driving with no headlights in snow: one does this (in unpopulated areas) for the same reason one would do so in heavy fog; it increases visibility by decreasing reflected light.

I have personally done this in many situations where I could only see far enough ahead to creep along at ~20mph with the lights on, but had sufficient visibility for 60-70mph with the lights off. I would not do it in town with traffic though.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Point. I don't think the visibility was horrible during the storm. Not ideal, sure, but not at all as bad as fog.

I keep wondering if the drivers just forgot to turn their lights on, or what else they were thinking. Though I don't like the arbitrariness of it, some of the people last night were good arguments for those automatic headlights.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

I've had the experience of discovering only when I've gotten to an unlighted neighborhood that my car's headlights were so covered in snow as to be useless. I learned from that experience.