Yak Yak

Scenes from Massachusetts this morning included a slick, very clear, casing of ice on everything, me chipping my car out of the ice (I must admit that I took the lazy way out and turned on the car, cranking up the heat to start melting the ice from the inside...or I wouldn't have gotten to work until noon. Ice breaking off your windows looks alarmingly like you've just shattered the window itself.), and many annoyed locals slip-sliding their way across parking lots and sidewalks.

At first, I was a bit annoyed when I came out of my building to find this sight:
That's about 1/4 inch of ice over the entirety of my car. Not pictured: similar ice all over the ground.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I was thankful that all I had to do was chip my car out and then drive to work on the well-salted, well-sanded public streets. I did not envy all of the students I saw sliding and shuffling their way down extremely treacherous sidewalks trying to get to school.

I'm well-acquainted with the ice. Last year in a single week I had not one, not two, but THREE painful and embarrassing falls on the ice in our apartment parking lot or trying to cross streets. They left me with a good dose of humility, a painful arse, and a lingering dread of walking on the ice.

Today I faced the ice in the parking lot with my usual sense of trepidation, but armed with a new tool. Say what you will about "practical gifts" at the holidays, my Hanukkah present from Matt is already worth its weight in gelt.
My very own pair of glow-in-the-dark YakTrax (note all the ice on the ground behind my feet...). Despite the "black ice" all over our parking lot, I was able to chisel out my entire car without slipping or sliding once! Free, once again, to enjoy the season without having to fear for my rear (and the falling there-on) every time I step outside. Woo! What more can a girl ask?

(Yes, Mom, Dad, etc: I drove very carefully. I was very glad the streets appeared to be quite clear, but still drove carefully.)

As an aside: I'm doing some hacking this week - if the blog looks strange or gives errors or behaves oddly, it's not you, it's me. Stay tuned for further updates on the matter.