I’m a Chicago Teacher and while there are over 700 suburban schools closed the great city of Chicago with its great system of education is still open providing baby sitting service.
- What planet is he from again? - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:19 am:
Of course I’m surfing on State time…time at home is just too precious!
Work. Why do people forget how to drive when it snows? People in there gosh darn SUV’s who think there immune to skidding crashing into light posts, ditches, and even one car that was upside down?
Get a grip, people, and learn how to drive! it snows here. GET USED TO IT?
At work. Many places closed for transportation reasons. Pretty easy driving actually. Had several in town people tell me how they could not get out, yet several other people who drove 20 miles are here. Go figure. Pretty fluffy snow, not lake that heavy wet stuff last year. Plows are blowing right through it.
Was all set to head out to the South Side for a meeting with a stop in the loop, but (literally) cooler heads prevailed so I’m in my home office in West Rogers Park.
- Don't Worry, Be Happy - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:29 am:
In Springfield nobody made it in to the office, in Chicago about half did.
I sure hope Chicago Teacher isn’t my kid’s teacher surfing the net while the kids run wild!
This is why mass transit was created in Chicago. Metra and the “EL” got me to work. Didn’t have to deal much with snow. Ahh, when mass transit works as it is supposed to, it can be a beautiful thing.
In the South Suburbs. Had to spend a few minutes clearing the snow off of the car, but was able to get out of the driveway without shoveling. I can’t really do my job from home, unfortunately.
I don’t need to be anywhere until after lunch but I’ll get there by the El.
- Napoleon has left the building - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:45 am:
made it to work - it’s snow people, who cares
I understand about the school cancellations because of bus routes, etc. but the rest of the hysteria is hysteria.
Chicago Teacher proves a point about teacher unions. Look at the kind of image are you projecting about your job and the important work you do with a statement like that.
Most days I work from home and today is one of them. I did scrape the walks and driveway anyway, partly because it feels really good not to be injured (as I was most of last fall) and partly because I give myself a pass on any further workout after 90 minutes of shoveling. Besides, it’s Friday; I may want to make a run to the beer store later.
I could have made it to work today… but I chose to use a vacation day anyway because 1) my kid had a snow day from school and 2) there was nothing really urgent for me to do at work… activity is kind of low right now and I got a lot of stuff done yesterday.
Hubby is going to work right now although he was told he didn’t absolutely have to come in.
We live near UIS and the snow is easily a foot deep. But it’s relatively fluffy and we did manage to dig out our vehicle.
National Weather Service released a snow total 12.9 inches of snow at Capitol Airport. It looks like it as well.
I saw a car race down North 9th Street yesterday afternoon just as the weather starting to go south. A short time later, it was on the back of a tow truck.
Slow down, turn off the cell phone, and keep your hands at 10 and 2. Amazing how well that works!
I’m glad to hear the El was working - the bus system was a mess! It took me almost 2 hours to get to work, with my bus breaking down three times on my 3 mile trip to the loop. And that was after having waited nearly 30 minutes before a bus even stopped with room to get on!
I work from home, but am at my girfriend’s this week and navigated 127 and 13 to get her into Carbondale this AM. 4WD is great. We left Carbondale last night around 7 and it was starting to get bad then.
I’m a lifelong midwesterner. With and SUV (who, Pickles, you’ll be happy to know, knows how to drive it safely - I know it helps me go, I go slow enough that I can stop).
Of course I made it to work.
Actually didn’t take much more time than usual. Last night, well…
I’d be working from home, but %@$^#* MetroFi is down this morning. (Free municipal WiFi - we aren’t in an area served by DSL and I refuse to give money to Comcast). So, in the office.
Made the drive. It helped that the idiot students and parents dropping off their preciosu little idiots were off the road. School traffic slows me down qquite a bit…especially when they think they are above the rules of traffic
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:18 pm:
Made it to work an hour late, spouse & I shoveled some snow this AM. Lots of run off the road accidents around here the last 24 hrs.
Well….I plowed six of my neighbor’s drives and gave them no excuse to miss work. One gave me a bottle of wine, one threatened to bake me some cookies (83 and could never cook) and one gave me a shot of whiskey. I’m at home, drinking the wine and eating cookies, I think.
At work- got up early and shoveled before showering. Commute was a breeze - my average 15 minute drive was 16 minutes this AM. Area schools being closed helped keep the traffic volume way down.
Tried to dig out but we had 14 inches of snow where I live. Long driveway, drifted over. Car is stuck in the garage. Someone is coming to plow but not until later today. So, gosh, darn it, I’m stuck at home
I’m at home as usual. Snow day for my first grader who was in a program last night at school. When I was on the road in my SUV to pick up Hubby from the train last night, someone was driving without headlights, just parking lights. In the dark, in the snow. But he could see his dash! Dash lights should only come on with headlights, not just with parking lights. Taking Hubby to the train this morning wasn’t a problem except for people in two wheel drive who got stuck on very slight inclines and people who were driving in the middle of two lanes, one was driving right in the middle of the road (two lanes each direction, one turn lane in the middle…) down the multi-direction turn lane.
Did some shoveling last night (that was pretty much a waste of effort…) and some today, the walk and around the Yukon.
My neighbor works retail and drives a Camaro. He got stuck in front of my driveway and again twice more before he got a third of a block away. He returned home and his boss, with an SUV and on a four day weekend, came and got him and took him in to work. His Camaro is snug as a bug in his garage.
Made it to work just fine and now am home enjoying the afternoon.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 5:55 pm:
Teaching on-line from home. Creating new web-based lectures to cover for today’s missed work, answering student e-mails, and working on my taxes kept me from my favorite blog. Since I wasn’t in class or working with students, I got a ton of work done!
Of course I got to work. It took an hour- for a 20 miles commute- but I was on time. Almost all of my co-workers took the day off, which allowed me to give the state a full 7.5 hours. Lol. (Of course, none of our bosses were at work- after five years, I sort of figured they had a tough time still finding their offices).
- Louis G. Atsaves - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:13 am:
Made it to work. Still asking “why?”
- GOP - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:15 am:
Having the office at home made the commute easy.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:18 am:
Same here, GOP, but the drive up from Carbondale last night was a bit hairy.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:19 am:
Home sweet Home
- Chicago Teacher - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:19 am:
I’m a Chicago Teacher and while there are over 700 suburban schools closed the great city of Chicago with its great system of education is still open providing baby sitting service.
- What planet is he from again? - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:19 am:
Of course I’m surfing on State time…time at home is just too precious!
- pickles!! - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:21 am:
Work. Why do people forget how to drive when it snows? People in there gosh darn SUV’s who think there immune to skidding crashing into light posts, ditches, and even one car that was upside down?
Get a grip, people, and learn how to drive! it snows here. GET USED TO IT?
don’t get me started…
- zatoichi - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:28 am:
At work. Many places closed for transportation reasons. Pretty easy driving actually. Had several in town people tell me how they could not get out, yet several other people who drove 20 miles are here. Go figure. Pretty fluffy snow, not lake that heavy wet stuff last year. Plows are blowing right through it.
- erstwhilesteve - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:28 am:
Was all set to head out to the South Side for a meeting with a stop in the loop, but (literally) cooler heads prevailed so I’m in my home office in West Rogers Park.
- Don't Worry, Be Happy - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:29 am:
In Springfield nobody made it in to the office, in Chicago about half did.
I sure hope Chicago Teacher isn’t my kid’s teacher surfing the net while the kids run wild!
- HV in HP - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:29 am:
2005 Honda CRV with AWD got me to work today
- Reddbyrd - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:29 am:
In the office
- dan l - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:35 am:
Working from home…yo.
- Been There - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:37 am:
It took awhile to shovel out but it was actually worth leaving for the office late. Once I got to the highway it was wide open.
- unclesam - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:37 am:
This is why mass transit was created in Chicago. Metra and the “EL” got me to work. Didn’t have to deal much with snow. Ahh, when mass transit works as it is supposed to, it can be a beautiful thing.
- Kiyoshi Martinez - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:38 am:
In the South Suburbs. Had to spend a few minutes clearing the snow off of the car, but was able to get out of the driveway without shoveling. I can’t really do my job from home, unfortunately.
- RBD - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:40 am:
I don’t need to be anywhere until after lunch but I’ll get there by the El.
- Napoleon has left the building - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:45 am:
made it to work - it’s snow people, who cares
I understand about the school cancellations because of bus routes, etc. but the rest of the hysteria is hysteria.
Chicago Teacher proves a point about teacher unions. Look at the kind of image are you projecting about your job and the important work you do with a statement like that.
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:45 am:
Work. Thank God for 4WD.
- pickles!! - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:45 am:
I wonder if the governor made it into work at the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield today?
- yinn - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:46 am:
Most days I work from home and today is one of them. I did scrape the walks and driveway anyway, partly because it feels really good not to be injured (as I was most of last fall) and partly because I give myself a pass on any further workout after 90 minutes of shoveling. Besides, it’s Friday; I may want to make a run to the beer store later.
- Anon - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:46 am:
Great thought provoking question Rich.
- jwscott72 - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:48 am:
I’m at work although it’s my day off. Live 5 blocks from the office and, since hardly anyone made it in, they asked if I could come in.
I could either sit here and get some work done or sit at home cursing Springfield’s lack of snow plowing prowess.
- Just the Facts - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:52 am:
Made it to work on Metra - only about a 10 minute delay from the normal schedule.
- Greg - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:55 am:
10 min delay? Mine was 4 hours. Engine died.
- Healthcare Worker - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:55 am:
20 mile commute from western burbs to south side.
I agree, IT IS ONLY SNOW PEOPLE, LEARN HOW TO DRIVE IN IT!!!
Two near misses and one stop to watch the idiot do a couple of donuts before facing the wrong direction.
- Doug Dobmeyer - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 10:57 am:
I work at home - so that’s an easy one. But, I did take my wife to the el and had a mtg at a neighborhood restaurant - does that count for anything?
Doug Dobmeyer
- Levois - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:01 am:
I’m surfing at school, far away from the snow!
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:03 am:
On Time Arrival at work. Days like today are when the El earns its stripes.
- Bookworm - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:05 am:
I could have made it to work today… but I chose to use a vacation day anyway because 1) my kid had a snow day from school and 2) there was nothing really urgent for me to do at work… activity is kind of low right now and I got a lot of stuff done yesterday.
Hubby is going to work right now although he was told he didn’t absolutely have to come in.
We live near UIS and the snow is easily a foot deep. But it’s relatively fluffy and we did manage to dig out our vehicle.
- Kiyoshi Martinez - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:06 am:
IDOT actually has a very helpful site that maps road conditions:
http://wrc.gettingaroundillinois.com/winterroadconditions/wrc.htm
Something to bookmark and save for later if you’re thinking about traveling along I-57 between Chicago/Springfield.
- Siyotanka - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:11 am:
in the office and looking forward to my Key West vacation in 2 weeks…
- Anon Sequitor - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:13 am:
I shoveled my driveway,
and the neighbors,
and still got to work.
Now I plan to take the afternoon off to see the doctor about my sore back.
- jwscott72 - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:16 am:
National Weather Service released a snow total 12.9 inches of snow at Capitol Airport. It looks like it as well.
I saw a car race down North 9th Street yesterday afternoon just as the weather starting to go south. A short time later, it was on the back of a tow truck.
Slow down, turn off the cell phone, and keep your hands at 10 and 2. Amazing how well that works!
- VanillaMan - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:16 am:
Did it snow?
- Dixie - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:17 am:
I’m glad to hear the El was working - the bus system was a mess! It took me almost 2 hours to get to work, with my bus breaking down three times on my 3 mile trip to the loop. And that was after having waited nearly 30 minutes before a bus even stopped with room to get on!
- What can I say? - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:18 am:
I work from home, but am at my girfriend’s this week and navigated 127 and 13 to get her into Carbondale this AM. 4WD is great. We left Carbondale last night around 7 and it was starting to get bad then.
- Jon Shibley Fan - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:19 am:
I’m a lifelong midwesterner. With and SUV (who, Pickles, you’ll be happy to know, knows how to drive it safely - I know it helps me go, I go slow enough that I can stop).
Of course I made it to work.
Actually didn’t take much more time than usual. Last night, well…
- Ken in Aurora - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:25 am:
I’d be working from home, but %@$^#* MetroFi is down this morning. (Free municipal WiFi - we aren’t in an area served by DSL and I refuse to give money to Comcast). So, in the office.
- S. Illinois - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:29 am:
Slid from the metro east to the west side of St. Louis. Missouri roads were MUCH better than Illinois. It was like IDOT had barely even been out.
- Niles Township - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:32 am:
15 minutes later than normal, but otherwise OK.
- plutocrat03 - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:34 am:
Piece of Cake.
Road were clear. My RDW vehicle worked just fine.
I agree with the above. Too many folks have no clue on how to drive. Much less in the snow.
- Huh? - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:35 am:
At home. The thought of a 2 hour drive in the snow with the forecast calling for more made me call in for a vacation day.
- Greg - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:43 am:
Also, I should add that my 3 hour Metra delay had a touch of irony, with the fare hike beginning today.
- Anon from BB - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 11:52 am:
Did a little work at home, and then came in late. Barely made it out of my apartment complex’s parking lot, as my SUV was nearly plowed in.
- The SPC - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:09 pm:
It’s 80 Degrees and sunny here, why wouldn’t I make it to work?
- Wumpus - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:14 pm:
Made the drive. It helped that the idiot students and parents dropping off their preciosu little idiots were off the road. School traffic slows me down qquite a bit…especially when they think they are above the rules of traffic
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:18 pm:
Made it to work an hour late, spouse & I shoveled some snow this AM. Lots of run off the road accidents around here the last 24 hrs.
- leigh - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:21 pm:
Snow day, gotta check out the cross country skis……
- Don Kosin - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:25 pm:
Snow wimps!
- Bill - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:45 pm:
Work. This is nothing.
- Kevin Fanning - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:52 pm:
This is completely off topic, but anyone that enjoys Jon Stewart will be rolling around on the floor after this clip:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=148739&title=republicans-in-florida
- Justice - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:53 pm:
Well….I plowed six of my neighbor’s drives and gave them no excuse to miss work. One gave me a bottle of wine, one threatened to bake me some cookies (83 and could never cook) and one gave me a shot of whiskey. I’m at home, drinking the wine and eating cookies, I think.
- BigDog - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 12:59 pm:
At work- got up early and shoveled before showering. Commute was a breeze - my average 15 minute drive was 16 minutes this AM. Area schools being closed helped keep the traffic volume way down.
- K to the 3 - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 1:26 pm:
Of course I made it to work. Come on! It’s only a little snow-we’re Illinoisans!
- Disgusted - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 1:36 pm:
Tried to dig out but we had 14 inches of snow where I live. Long driveway, drifted over. Car is stuck in the garage. Someone is coming to plow but not until later today. So, gosh, darn it, I’m stuck at home
- kimsch - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 1:53 pm:
I’m at home as usual. Snow day for my first grader who was in a program last night at school. When I was on the road in my SUV to pick up Hubby from the train last night, someone was driving without headlights, just parking lights. In the dark, in the snow. But he could see his dash! Dash lights should only come on with headlights, not just with parking lights. Taking Hubby to the train this morning wasn’t a problem except for people in two wheel drive who got stuck on very slight inclines and people who were driving in the middle of two lanes, one was driving right in the middle of the road (two lanes each direction, one turn lane in the middle…) down the multi-direction turn lane.
Did some shoveling last night (that was pretty much a waste of effort…) and some today, the walk and around the Yukon.
My neighbor works retail and drives a Camaro. He got stuck in front of my driveway and again twice more before he got a third of a block away. He returned home and his boss, with an SUV and on a four day weekend, came and got him and took him in to work. His Camaro is snug as a bug in his garage.
Tomorrow Daddy and Little Guy will go sledding.
- Jake From Elwood - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 2:24 pm:
I pushed an elderly gent’s car out of a snow bank and picked up my Assistant on my way to work. C’mon karma machine and work your magic now.
JFE
- 47th Ward - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 3:29 pm:
I took a snow day, but also shoveled my elderly and blind neighbor’s sidewalk/stairs. Is that reverse karma, or am I trying to pay for mine?
- Norseman - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 4:07 pm:
Got stuck in the street in front of the driveway. After a push from the neighbor, I drove straight into the garage went in and got on my laptop.
- IDOT Worker - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 4:15 pm:
Made it to work just fine and now am home enjoying the afternoon.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Feb 1, 08 @ 5:55 pm:
Teaching on-line from home. Creating new web-based lectures to cover for today’s missed work, answering student e-mails, and working on my taxes kept me from my favorite blog. Since I wasn’t in class or working with students, I got a ton of work done!
- Roy Slade - Saturday, Feb 2, 08 @ 10:37 am:
Of course I got to work. It took an hour- for a 20 miles commute- but I was on time. Almost all of my co-workers took the day off, which allowed me to give the state a full 7.5 hours. Lol. (Of course, none of our bosses were at work- after five years, I sort of figured they had a tough time still finding their offices).