Road Rage

Turns out it’s Christmas Eve. Hooray!

I just got done working my 24hour weekend so I’m a zombie.

Iowa had a storm this week. Winter storm Draco was his name. Ankeny got 13.5 inches, Des Moines got 12 inches and the Quad Cities got like 8.

Anywho, it was bad. Like shut down all the highways because there were jackknifed semis everywhere kind of bad.

I was supposed to work Friday at 6:30am but the storm hit the Quad Cities where I was Thursday morning and the roads got TERRIBLE so I had to call-in.

Finally on Friday the DOT website said the roads were clearing up and there were no accidents so I decided to head back to Ankeny at 2:40pm.

The backroads getting the highway were rough, as I expected them to be, but I had no trouble.

As soon as I hit got on I80 in Davenport though, I was stuck in traffic.

I checked the DOT website again and they reported no accidents or reasons for the roads to be slow which pissed me off even more.

It took me 90 minutes to go 20 miles to discover a semi was having trouble getting up and off-ramp so everyone was slowing down to 10mph of some freaking reason.

I would get to drive like 40mph for a mile and then have to slam on my brakes because there was an accident from yesterday and everyone decided to slow down and look at it.

This went on for the whole trip.

It should have taken me 2.5 hours to get from Camanche to Des Moines…..it took me 5.5

The most frustrating part is the roads weren’t even bad!

The DOT site Des Moines roads were the best in the state and still covered but drivable so I new once I got past Newton, I would be in the home stretch. Wrong.

As soon as I got to Altoona, it was like driving on roads from a fresh snow storm, not roads from a storm that had happened almost two days ago.

I80 and I35 cross each in Des Moines and one would think with the busy holiday weekend and Des Moines being a busy epicenter of travel for the midwest, they would have the roads plowed but one would be wrong.

I was completely stopped on the interstate and when I was able to drive it was like off-roading. The roads were covered in at least two inches of packed snow/ice mixture but there were big patches missing which made giant potholes. Not optimal.

My car was shaking so violently my back door came unlatched some how and Carver of course decided to look out that particular window. So I’m screaming at him to get down so he doesn't open the door and fall out onto the interstate and trying to get him in the from seat all while driving through the mix-master of I80 and I35 and narrowly missing being hit by a semi. Good times.

I would normally take I35 North to my apartment but the exit was stand still and I could see and accident from I80 so I decided against it and took Ankeny Boulevard instead. Probably an equally bad idea but at least I eliminated semis, dark interstates and fast speed. Once I got to Des Moines it took me about an hour to get 30 miles to my apartment in Ankeny.

Ankeny’s roads were bad but since we got the most snow in the state I’m was as mad. I just wanted to be home. Door to door this trip which normally takes me 3 hours took me 6.5 hours.

I’m pissed at Polk county as a whole for their lack of effort on clearing the roads. I passed 4 plow trucks in Des Moines and not one of them was actually plowing.  You'd think since the Governor works in this county we could get some shit done in a timely manner. He must be on vacation.

Our roads were much better by Sunday but I feel bad for the unsuspecting travelers that had to drive through Des Moines on our shitty roads this weekend. I hope they all made it to their destination, if not might I suggest they send their complaint letter to building with the big gold dome.

Safe travels and enjoy the holiday!

~Marissa

Tell me about it Tuesday- Puerto Rico can suck it

Sorry I’ve been gone for a bit…It’s been a LONG, yucky weekend.

BUT

It’s time for TMAT! I’m linking up with Emily, Helene, and Kathleen and their co-host Sarah!

So here’s the sitch-

Sean is on vacation in Puerto Rico for work at the owner’s R&R. Sounds relaxing right? He sounds like such a baller right? Technically Sean JUST got promoted and doesn’t start his new position until next week when he gets back but he still go to go on the trip because he earned it and has been working 7 days a week for months.

Regardless, Sean is in Puerto Rico and I’m in Iowa so PR can suck it because I can’t tell him to. I’m just a little bitter about it. I should have gotten to go but my college budget didn’t seem to have room for a plane ticket in it plus I can’t miss 3 days of nursing school and live to tell about it.

He posted this picture on Facebook today:

It’s okay to hate him

Did I mention this trip was totally free except the plane ticket?

And that I’ve been sick with a reaction to my flu shot all weekend? It looked like a breast cancer awareness softball was glued to my arm, no lie.

He keeps texting me what they are doing and asking me what he should wear. I replied “get so drunk you don’t care”. I’m good with advice.

He will be back on Wednesday and then the chaos of the new job will begin. Oh joy! :)

Happy Tuesday!

~Marissa

Tell me about it Tuesday!

I’m linking up with the Helene, Emily, and Kathleen for their new weekly link-up: Tell me about it Tuesday! TMAT is our chance to vent and honestly who doesn’t need that?! I know I do after the day I had yesterday! This can be a story, an idea, new craft, fashions, design, photos of your dog (guilty) etc, etc! 

The rules:

1. Follow the 3 hosts Helene, Emily and Kathleen

2. Copy the button and link back to the hosts

3. Please check out at least 2 other link ups!

My tell me about it moment-

Yesterday I was at the State of Iowa NSA (Nursing Student Association) Convention all day from 6:45am until 5pm at the old Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium which is now the ‘Community Choice Community Credit Union Convention Center’. No one could think of a shorter name? Anyway it was bitter sweet for me because they converted the old auditorium into the MASSIVE convention center and I remember attending state wrestling in Vets my first year as a wrestling cheerleader before we were allowed to travel. My mom drove my friend and I out just to watch for a bit and shop. Ahh the memories. 

Vets then during state wresting and now the top part serves as a banquet hall. 

Anyway, so at convention each school is allowed to bring as many members as they like and are allotted a certain number of delegates based on their schools attendance and membership. We are also encouraged to create resolutions that may help improve the health care field. As delegates, it is our job to make sure these resolutions are up to the highest standard at the state level and challenge not only each other but ask the author questions to make sure we all understand the resolution before voting on whether to pass the resolution to the house to be considered to nationals. 

Being my first year at convention, my teachers had encouraged me to observe but made sure my classmates and I were prepared if we had something to contribute. Parliamentary procedure is tricky my friends and let me tell you some of the other colleges had no idea what they were doing and 

~Marissa