Friday, January 25, 2008

It Never Rains Here


Great Googilly Moogilly, it is raining like a mutha out here. I can't remember the last time it rained this hard for this long. Normally I don't mind driving in the rain, but coming home this morning was the second most scariest drive I've had in the last twenty years.

The scariest was driving from Flagstaff Az. to Phoenix in a monsoon where it was like someone had aimed a fire hose at my windshield and you have to guess whether to keep your speed and pray the car (somewhere)in front of you keeps their speed, or slow down and pray the car (somewhere)behind you slows down too.

This morning was the second, only because I got off at 5 A.M. and traffic was really light. Hitting that lake on the freeway in the dark didn't help. I drive a F-150 Supercab long bed P/U, a vehicle that is not known for it's ability to handle hydroplaning with ease. As those of you who have driven P/U's know, with the lack of weight over the rear end, anything that happens usually will cause your ass end to try to get in front. I had the same problem with my '65 Mustang (the lift kit didn't help). Luckily I was only going 55 and no one was close so I just let the truck coast through it without major corrections and she stayed pretty straight, so it just had a pucker factor of 6 out of 10.

The rest of the drive home was low speed and only minor harrowing, although the wife started calling my cell to have me pick up something on the way home. On a good day with no traffic and on cruise control I may answer the phone, today I took the phone as tossed it in the passenger seat so the vibrate wouldn't distract me.

Surprisingly, work wasn't bad. Even though it rained hard most of the night, the site was able to keep up with the extra water, so I was wet and cold most of the shift, at least I wasn't having to come up with "innovative" ways to dispose of the rain water.

Our satellite dish was another matter. Every time the rain would start pouring, I lost the damn signal. I missed the end of two programs due to losing contact with the satellite. I wouldn't mind if it happened during the middle of the program, as I miss a lot of those normally on a shift. With TV now-a-days, if you get the beginning a bit of the middle and the end, you can fill in the pieces, but to see most of an hour program and miss the last ten minutes...you've missed the whole program.

Luckily I've got cable at home, so as I write, I can watch the program again and get the answer to why all that crap happened.

I ain't leaving the house till this quits or I have to go back to work tonight.

No comments: