Days 14 & 15

I have this ever-present fear that my car is going to be towed. It doesn't necessarily have to be snow-related. If I park on the street and then take the bus somewhere, the walk back to the car the next morning is anxiety-inducing. If I go to a bar and take a cab home, the trip back the next morning is nerve-wrecking. Even if my car is parked outside of my house, I get nervous that someone is going to tow it for some reason unbeknownst to me. 

This recent snowstorm and the amount of times I've had to move my car definitely worries me. I check and double check the snow emergency rules. I check Ottawa and Cherokee, the streets that border Morton, to see where other people are parking. I've had to park on Ottawa this time around and Ottawa is down the street and I can't see my car. If I parked on Cherokee, I'd be able to keep an eye on my car. That's where my neighbors are parked and it would make me feel a lot better if my car could be near theirs. 

I also wish that they would just plow everything and get it over with. I can't get out of my neighborhood, or rather, I'm scared to try. If I get stuck, there is no one around to help me. I may try later today once it "warms up." That's the other problem. The high today is around zero and if I get stuck, I could freeze to death. Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but c'mon! I need to get out of my neighborhood! My street still looks like this: 

My ears perk up every time I think I hear a plow and I spring to the window to check out things. St. Paul and Minneapolis have canceled school today, which means that both cities are having some issues. St. Paul has declared two snow emergencies and Minneapolis is debating calling another. 


The two cities are very different when it comes to snow removal. Apparently, neither is better than the other. Minneapolis plows "even" and "odd" sides of the street, based on the house numbers. Day 1 (which is really the first night) is night plow routes, which are main streets. Day 2 is either even or odd sides of the street and then day 3 is the other side that wasn't done on day 2. St. Paul plows night plow routes (which are posted on the streets) starting at 9 pm the day the emergency is called. Night plow routes in St. Paul are main streets and one side of north-south residential streets (Cherokee and Ottawa). Starting at 8 am the next morning, all day plow routes and east-west residential streets are done (Morton). Day plow routes still haven't been done in my neighborhood. 


I have things that I need to get done today: I have a stack of bills to mail, xmas presents to buy, a library book to pick up (Big Sur), and I need to buy and drop off that American Eagle gift card for the kid who took my shifts this weekend. I want to go to the gym. I'm sick of being in my house! Although, I may start tackling Mt. Laundry if I'm stuck inside much longer...