Why is she complaining?

Well you wouldn't know it now because the evidence has mostly melted but thanks to the snow in Boulder last night I had quite an adventure!

To learn more about the storm see: http://www.coloradodaily.com/cu-boulder/ci_17138863#axzz1Bc1NdSpK -- a sophomore complains that her 15 minute bus ride took an hour last night....

Let me paint a map for you, Arapaho is one of the main streets in Boulder that runs East and West, it's a good way to get to Louisville as it is parallel to S Boulder Road (known for connecting the two cities) and heavily traveled but not like HWY 36 obviously. Anyway, I go East on Arapaho to get to work (meaning I have to go West when I leave....) but I turn North from Arapaho to 55th (not major though it does connect Arapaho and Pearl - very major street) on the way to the office and then into the "business park" via one of two streets which both end up in the same place and are only a block or so apart. Of course I go East on the first street on the way in (because it's the first I encounter) and I exit via the second (the one closer to Pearl) when I leave because when I exit it's the first I encounter (so OCD....I KNOW!).

Normally to leave the office parking lot and then take the road (1/2 mile-ish) outward to 55th then to hit Arapaho takes me 2 minutes if I don't hit a light at 55th, 4 minutes if I do.

Last night I left work at 4:45 for my 6:00 class, knowing I desperately needed gas - so I gave myself the extra time. I didn't reach Arapaho (the street that takes me 2 minutes to get to on a good day) until just before 6:00 - mind you this left no time to get gas so I was on E the entire time. Thank God everyone was using Arapaho to go east to get to Lousiville when 36 closed because it was relatively smooth sailing from there. Until I ventured up the steep hill of 17th just South East of Boulder High - omg as soon as I got up to flat ground I decided I was pulling over, ditching the car and walking (I really had to pee!)

I ran across the street, jumped a huge mound of snow to find myself on the downslope of a minor hill and then  nearly hip deep in powder and decided, well at least I don't have to take the paths now because I am already wet. I dashed into the first building I saw to pee, came out and tried to orientate myself with the campus in the midst of the white out, I got to my building/class at 6:45 - 45 min late on the first day.

Class was alright, I have really missed literature and history so I will enjoy this a bit, but I was finding it awfully hard to focus wondering whether the place where I left my car was 1. safe 2.legal and 3. going to be snowed in when I returned.

We got out early, as is the case usually with the first night of most night classes and I was the first one up and out the door - so worried I couldn't sit still! Well the 10-15 walk/sprint/run that got me to class was out of the question because it was no longer a whiteout but pitch black out! And all I knew was a general vicinity of where my car was at and that I didn't want to walk the way I came because I was finally drying off from my snowy romp to school!

After about 30 minutes I spotted Frank (my car) which is a miracle in itself because he has been dirty as it is lately and was now snow covered to the point that you could argue my car is white not silver. Anyway, safe inside the car, and not a parking ticket in sight (!) I knew I had to get to a gas station fast. No problem, since most everyone was off the road by then, but when I got there, the gas tank door thing a ma jig would not open! I tried scraping it with my window scraper, the prying it with my window scraper, then prying it with my keys and finally I thought hmmmm warm water? I grabbed for the gas station squigie - low and behold the window cleaning fluid was all but frozen. But it was my only hope so I tried anyway, and it worked!!! Fewf!

Lastly I had the joy of doing 35 the whole way home on HWY 93 which was ice packed! But I made it home a little after 10 and gave myself a pat on the back for being so dedicated to school - congrats Britt, you are a nerd!