Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Should We Talk About the Weather.

North Texas is getting a major cold front right now. What started out as a 75 degree day has quickly become 35 degrees with a chance of getting even colder in the next few hours. Add to that some rain and what you get are icy roads and sleet in an area known for its year round warmth. The funny thing is how crazy everyone in Texas gets about it all.

It started in the office when someone asked if we were ready for the blizzard coming our way. Then came an email with a phone tree listing of who should call whom upon any circumstances in the morning. And then the obligatory mention of wanting to come in late and leave early to miss the highway traffic. Why is everyone so afraid of the weather? The answer, right after this...

{insert Target Christmas Ad, with that catchy tune I can't find the name too, here}

Everyone anticipates the worst when icy weather comes to North Texas. From buying groceries, to school closings, to office phone trees. If you ask anyone why, they'll tell you it's not because they're afraid to drive on the ice, but because they're afraid of how other people will drive on the ice. I heard it at work, I heard it at On The Border, I hear it from Lyndsey all the time, and then someone mentioned it while being interviewed on the news tonight. "I'm more worried about the other drivers out there," people say. Even the Getty Images rep from Chicago said the lady at the Car rental place told him to be weary of all the other drivers out there. Apparently, Texans don't know how to drive on ice because it's not a common occurrence.

Don't you think if we're so busy worried about how others drive, we might forget how to drive ourselves? I say, if you do plan on driving, worry about yourself, your car, your windshielf wipers, your heater, your seatbelt, your parking brake, your Starbucks Peppermint Mocha in the cupholder, and your break pads. If everyone takes care of their personal travel needs, we won't cause any harm to each other. That's why I take the train to work.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ice helps me drive faster.

surrender to the ice.

RagingCapitalist said...

where are you, jason puckett???

Angie said...

you should talk about something--we need a puck update pronto!

Anonymous said...

Oh Jason, you should be used to people's inability to drive! You just moved from Atlanta. Glad to hear you're doing well!