Catherine Brinkman

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The Donner Party Log, Days 3 - 5... Irony Realized

I should've learned, a long time ago... for example, when my passport flew into the toilet in the roach motel in Dallas, just after I made fun of Beto for keeping his in a plastic bag. I should've known when I made it clear that no man from Brazil could drive better in snow than his wife from the east coast, that I'd live to eat those words.

Caving from peer pressure, on Friday I decided to go into work. Getting into work wasn't nearly as bad as trying to get home. As soon as I crested the top of the hill to get into our development, the X5 starting sliding every way except the way I wanted it to go.

Irony no. 1: After coming to a rest next to a curb and barely avoiding a collision, a dude with a snow-plow-for-rent drove by and stopped to give me driving instructions. Did he offer to plow the snow that was the problem? Of course not.

Irony no. 2: After realizing that I was lucky to have not done any damage YET, I called the Brazilian who proceeded to chain up the truck, get us turned around and home. Apparently, driving in this stuff is similar to driving through sand in a dune buggy powered with Cachaca. Yes, it took a while, and yes, we saw someone almost get run over by an out of control car, and yes, we were almost squished by that same car in the process, but alas, we made it home.

Irony no. 3: Fireplaces are fantastic things to have when it's 18 degrees outside and the electricity is down... THAT IS, IF SAID FIREPLACES DIDN'T REQUIRE A FLIP OF THE SWITCH TO TURN THEM ON. Serious winter emergency design FAIL.

So, here are some pics...

Above is a picture of our "street" from this morning. The only identifying characteristics are the little yellow divots from one little puppy with serious misgivings about urinating on ice. The car doors are frozen shut...


And, of course, inside the truck are the following: (1) the closest thing we have to a snow shovel, (2) the ice scraper, and (3) - hopefully - my blackberry, which at present is MIA. Also being frozen over? My fashion sense. Here's last night's photography-friendly outfit... that's right, monkey pj pants and my civil litigation rainboots...