Rainy Days and Mondays

I woke up with the alarm, but shut it off. Then I woke up again just after 6:00 a.m. I hustled to leave (skipping my Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon swirl toast). It was the first day of the I-96 shutdown and I didn’t know what to expect!

I got dressed watching the news and saw that the I-94 expressway was a parking lot! But, when I left for work, Plymouth road was about the same… Maybe they all tried I-94? Experts (sic) say it will take 2-3 weeks for everybody to sort out their best alternative route.

On the other hand, I realizes I was lucky as I was heading west toward Livonia, while most people were going east to Detroit.

It was funny as almost everybody got to work early! Vicky got off Telegraph and onto Schoolcraft (the I-96 service drive that’s been closed to one lane) and said it was a breeze! Nobody was on it!

It was cold and cloudy so I walked inside at 10:00 a.m.

I went home for lunch.  I ate a bratwurst on the bakery bun (I had to slice it open, but it tasted great! I hope I remember these the next time I need a hot dog or bratwurst bun). I added some more potato salad as my side.

I walked inside again in the afternoon.

At 5:00 p.m., I headed home. Here my luck ran out. Apparently, all the people who took I-94 in the morning decided Plymouth Road was the way to go tonight. I spent several times sitting though the same lights. But the worst was when I got to San Jose. I swear I spent at least five minutes sitting in the turn lane, waiting for traffic to clear. It never did, but finally some folks took pity on me and let me through. I got home just before 5:30 p.m. For comparison, I used to get home between 5:11 and 5:15 p.m.

So, that’s the new reality, I guess.

Sidebar: That’s certainly still not a big deal to my co-workers who live in Waterford, or my son Jeremy, who lives in Port Huron and works in Bloomfield Hills (or me, back in the day, who lived in Columbus and then St Clair but worked in Livonia). You folks will have to forgive me but it was still annoying!

It had already started raining, but I braved the elements and took the trashcan out to the road. I fixed a tall glass of buttermilk (with pepper added) and then did some computer work and play.

I finished just before 7:30 p.m., just as Jeopardy winded up. I warmed up the last of the beef tips and egg noodles for my dinner. I watched some tape TV but went to bed by 10:00 p.m.