Snow Mob

Ugh. I wasn't able to dodge the work bullet this time. I got called in at 8:30 in the morning. I let the phone pick it up and waited a half-hour, but I really didn't have any reason to say no. I was going to go over to the Acme anyway this morning to pick up my paycheck and do my weekly grocery shopping.

Work was a total and complete madhouse. There were lines literally half-way across the store, even with every working register open and almost every employee up front. This is a bad day for Mother Nature to decided to dump anywhere from six inches to two feet of snow on us. First of all, we're still in the beginning of the month. Second, this is Super Bowl Weekend, and anyone who can actually get out to do so is going to be getting ready for parties. Third, today is Friday, which is when many people (including me) get paid, snow or no snow.

I told Donna I'd work four hours, 12-4. The snow was supposed to arrive by late afternoon or early evening, and I didn't especially want to get caught riding home in it. It actually didn't look very snowy riding to work. In fact, it looked and felt like an ordinary, damp, cloudy day in early February in Southern New Jersey.

I had a big shopping trip to make after work, too. There was no way around it. I had the hardest time with the Acme Yogurt I wanted. Most of that was almost gone, but I did manage to round up six Light flavors. (Wasn't as lucky with the plain. I decided to try the new Plain Yoplait Greek Yogurt instead.) There were plenty of brown egg cartons left (even with them on sale), and I grabbed one of the two remaining half-gallon skim milks. Tuna was the other problem. I had to really dig for the last of the Acme Canned Light Tuna. Had no problems whatsoever with the fruits and vegetables or canned white beans and cinnamon, and I make my own bread.

Shopping for one person who can't carry much on a bike has it's advantages, too. The express lines were much shorter than any other line, and I was able to get out with only a five-minute wait and a minimum of fuss.

Ironically, despite all the bedlam, it didn't start snowing until more than an hour and a half after I finally got home. It's coming down as I type this. Looks quite pretty, too. The whole world is nothing but white and silver. It looks like it's up to about 6 inches on my porch at press time.

And as it turns out, I didn't need my paycheck so badly, either. My tax refund check arrived in the mail today, all $1,097 of it. I'll deposit it in the bank tomorrow if I can make it there without trouble.