Snow Problems

I don't get it. I live in Minnesota where we traditionally and historically get assloads of snow each and every year. I've been driving in snow since I was 16. Most everyone I know has been driving in snow their entire lives. There's the occasional person here and there that moved to Minnesota from outside of the midwest, but they usually learn how to drive in snow after a winter or two. So, really, there shouldn't be that big of a deal when we get a couple of inches of snow, right? That's what you'd think, but yesterday night it felt like suddenly the Minneapolis area was overtaken by a bunch of out of towners who had never seen a snowflake before.

Usually I just avoid driving altogether when it's snowing out since I have learned in my few years in Minneapolis that the people here are much different than the people in rural Minnesota--they actually aren't that good at driving in the snow. Maybe it's because they really only do city driving and didn't get the practice having to drive for miles to do anything like I did in the farm country of southern Minnesota, or maybe they just don't drive that much, but whatever it is, snow totally kills any ability to get anywhere in the Twin Cities area in a managable amount of time.

Most days, I can just let it go and factor in some extra travel time and know that my buses to and from downtown won't exactly be on time, but last night I hit my breaking point. After work I hit the gym and was down at my bus stop at 6:20 pm to catch the 6:25 pm bus. I figured it might be a little late, but wanted to be there early just in case they left early to try to compensate for the snow. That, and if I miss teh 6:25, I only have one other bus (the 6:49 pm bus) to catch home from my bus stop. After that I have to go to a different part of town to catch a different bus that drops me off in my neighborhood, but about a 10-15 minute walk from my house.

I waited... and waited... watched buses for other routes go by... checked my watch... and waited. I waited in the blowing below zero cold and snow until 7:00 pm. I stood there listening to my Zune for 40 freaking minutes and neither of my buses showed up. There were two other people there with me waiting as well and we were all pretty upset with Minneapolis public transit. I couldn't take it any longer, though, as I was freezing my ass off and was not in the mood to wait any more. So I hopped back into the skyway system (thank God for the Minneapolis skyways) and walked down to Kristi's place and stayed there.

Minneapolis public transit, thanks for wasting a huge chunk of my night. I really appreciate it, you bunch of clowns. I'll leave a complaint message with you, but just like in times past, it won't matter. They don't care when buses are late or don't show up, even when people are depending upon them to get where they are going.