# Boston-area Dopers: Got a plan for the snow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 19, 2008, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913 "2008-12-19T15:29:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/1 "2008-12-19T15:29:20Z")
I tried to weasel out of coming to the office today. Work from home? No. Vacation day? No. No big deal. They’ve got a business to run, and I’ve got a job to do. I’d rather be home, but so far - no snow! I bought the kids little snow shovels this morning, and bought an extra snow shovel in case the missus wants to get into the act, too. We’ve got milk and bread and eggs, so no panicked trip to the grocery store to hoard up all the food. I’m a little concerned about my commute home this afternoon, since historically an employer allows you to leave once the weather reaches it’s worst. I can do the commute in 35 minutes without traffic. During the last bad winter storm (last season) it took me 3 and a half hours to get home. Oh, well. I’m on vacation next week, so I won’t have to worry about getting in here on Monday (by then, predictions are we’ll have a total accumulation of two and a half feet). I’m sure our regular, weekly trip to the grocery store is going to be a huge pain in the ass, and I think we’ll end up skipping the kids’ swim lesson tomorrow morning. Man, what a pain in the ass winter weather can be. On the bright side: White Christmas for the kids! (yay!) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/2 "2008-12-19T15:35:05Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > I’m a little concerned about my commute home this afternoon, since historically an employer allows you to leave once the weather reaches it’s worst. The extreme irony of this hit me the hardest last year. “It’s dangerous out there, folks. We think you should be spending the next 11 hours in traffic.” Yes, I knew people who were in traffic for 11 hours. My plan for the snow? It involves hot cocoa and a good movie. I plan on taking the T home before the first flake hits the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/3 "2008-12-19T15:45:15Z")
I’m in Providence - yeah, we are leaving at noon and I’ve got 4 to 5 books to finish, a slew of netflix and lots of hot soup…and a cuddly wife. So, we’re all set. BTW - I am new to Rhode Island, we moved from the far away land of Connecticut and aparantly no one has told Rhode Islanders that they are in fact New Englanders. The whole darn state is shut down. What’s this huge storm we are hearing about last year, people being stranded etc…etc…I don’t remember that in CT. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/4 "2008-12-19T15:48:54Z")
My son’s school cancelled for the day, they made the call last night so that was nice. My work is sending all but essential personnel home at noon. Then he and I both have the next two weeks off. Of course the latest forecasts are for the snow to start sometime around 2 pm, so it all seems a little premature to me. But I guess they are trying to avoid a repeat of last year’s disastrous December snowstorm evening commute that **tdn** alludes to. I was able to avoid that somehow but I don’t remember how…I think we were let go early that day too. As for our plans, I just picked up my son’s new skis at the store last night so hopefully we will get some local skiing in. He is also really excited about sledding. Santa is bringing him a new sled but he doesn’t know that yet. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/5 "2008-12-19T15:53:39Z")
Still not a single flake in Burlington, MA. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/6 "2008-12-19T15:54:28Z")
I’m unemployed. I’m gonna sit home and watch, and try to keep the driveway and walks shoveled as we go along, instead of leaving one huge job for the end. Strictly speaking, that’s my landlord’s responsibility, but I try to help out when I can. And I’ll believe two-and-a-half feet when I see it. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/7 "2008-12-19T15:55:23Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > I’m in Providence - yeah, we are leaving at noon and I’ve got 4 to 5 books to finish, a slew of netflix and lots of hot soup…and a cuddly wife. So, we’re all set. > > BTW - I am new to Rhode Island, we moved from the far away land of Connecticut and aparantly no one has told Rhode Islanders that they are in fact New Englanders. The whole darn state is shut down. What’s this huge storm we are hearing about last year, people being stranded etc…etc…I don’t remember that in CT. I think Boston was at the bottom of that storm, so you didn’t get hit by it (IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![mmouse9799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mmouse9799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmouse9799)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/8 "2008-12-19T15:56:59Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > Still not a single flake in Burlington, MA. :dubious: It’s supposed to start between 1 and 2 according to the hour-by-hour [weather.com](http://weather.com) forecast. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/9 "2008-12-19T15:59:35Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > What’s this huge storm we are hearing about last year, people being stranded etc…etc…I don’t remember that in CT. Yeah, you might not have gotten it there. We had three major storms in one week. IIRC, Thursday, Sunday, and Thursday. The second two weren’t a huge deal. The first – well, everyone in the state was told to go home at the same time, which was right when the storm was its worst. People sat in traffic for huge amounts of time. 10-11 hours was common. ---
**Author:** ![mmouse9799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mmouse9799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmouse9799)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/10 "2008-12-19T16:04:41Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Yeah, you might not have gotten it there. > > We had three major storms in one week. IIRC, Thursday, Sunday, and Thursday. The second two weren’t a huge deal. The first – well, everyone in the state was told to go home at the same time, which was right when the storm was its worst. People sat in traffic for huge amounts of time. 10-11 hours was common. A lot of people ran out of gas, IIRC and just left their cars on roads, which added much to the traffic jams and problems. Lesson Learned: Make sure you have a full tank if a storm is expected. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/11 "2008-12-19T16:51:00Z")
I took the precaution of getting laid off so that I could deal with this. I’ve got some shovels for the snow. ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/12 "2008-12-19T16:52:30Z")
I’m unemployed also so I’m at home waiting to see those flakes. I do see the front on the weather map at [NOAA](http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Boston&state=MA&site=BOX&textField1=42.3583&textField2=-71.0603&mp=1), so I guess I’ll see those flakes sooner rather than later. My husband’s office is open and since he’s considered one of the most senior there, he kinda has to be there. No worries, though, the Orange line is great and his stop isn’t all that far from our home. Got all our grocery shopping done yesterday and I’m sewing another dress for our lil [granddaughter](http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tvOe-G3QIy5AtZ1oQAtNnA?authkey=oy3JPigFGeg&feat=directlink). The cat is trying to [help me](http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-M2g_ClsHwuPcBBArNGhRg?feat=directlink). ---
**Author:** ![Elysium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Elysium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysium)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/13 "2008-12-19T17:01:32Z")
I’m with **tdn** and taking the T back to Quincy in a half hour. Thankfully my house is a quarter mile from the center, so I can walk home before the craziness starts. But last year…geez. Our old apartment complex was at the top of a large hill and my husband spent 3 hours pushing cars up the hill to help with the blocked street leading up to our place. Cars were lined up a half mile on either side of the street just waiting to get into the complex (it was fairly large, several hundred units). That sucked. Who knows why the plows never came to sand the hill. I saw several cars try to just gun it up and get stuck half way. I plan on spending tonight watching episodes of Dr. Who with some cocoa and a few cats. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/14 "2008-12-19T17:03:20Z")
> [@Elysium](#): > > I’m with **tdn** and taking the T back to Quincy in a half hour. If you were with me, you’d be taking the T to Brighton. ---
**Author:** ![Elysium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Elysium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysium)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/15 "2008-12-19T17:20:01Z")
Haha, figuratively, man. You know what I mean. I go from Malden to Quincy, so opposite way really. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/16 "2008-12-19T17:25:45Z")
What’s my plan? P-A-R-T-Y!!! No, really. It’s our holiday party at work tonight, and they have not cancelled or closed the office, so it’s party time. Of course, our party involves Rock Band, Wii games, badminton and maybe poker, so we’ll have plenty to do while waiting for the roads to clear 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/17 "2008-12-19T17:44:34Z")
Wow, I had no idea so many Bostondopers were unemployed. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![mmouse9799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mmouse9799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmouse9799)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/18 "2008-12-19T17:50:14Z")
> [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](#): > > Wow, I had no idea so many Bostondopers were unemployed. ☹ Me Neither. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/19 "2008-12-19T17:50:41Z")
yeah it basically does suck large nasty things. But hey, the snow will be pretty and _I_ don’t have to drive in it or take the T in it. ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913/20 "2008-12-19T18:32:23Z")
I see snow flakes! Lots and lots of 'em! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-area-dopers-got-a-plan-for-the-snow/477913.md?page=2)