A few drops of water....

And the world goes crazy. Why is it when some rain falls and the temperature gets low enough to freeze it, people lose their ability to think rationally. Some people, for whatever reason, have the mindset that you can still drive 80+mph and randomly switch lanes on a wet, slippery road, or the fact that there is a bit of ice means you don't have to go to work but you can go to the mall. As to the former, I don't drive fast when the roads are dry so I definitely will not drive fast when they are wet and slippery. But as the latter, I have done both. More than 10 years ago we had a winter snowstorm with black ice underneath on the roads. It took me more than 2 hours to get to work, and I did slide around a bit, but I was given a raise because of my dedication. Even longer ago than that (more than 20 years ago) I had a job interview and I made such an impression by showing up for it during another snowstorm that I did get the job. From my time living in South Dakota, up north that is not such a big deal but here in Texas it seems if you get some snow or ice and whole cities shut down. Or at least the part of the cities not tied to retail. I would imagine that retailers show an increase in business on those days, especially the local merchants of coffee shops and restaurants. Five years ago there was another of these 3 day winter storms, So Tammi and I did not go to work but we were able to drive the 2 miles to the train station and ride all over the city goofing off. In an effort to not show any hypocrisy I just want to say I am not being critical of those who to call in, rather I just want to show what can happen when you show dedication to get to work. I also happened to be younger, more energetic and less financially stable when I made the effort to go in to work. It also helps that now, as it was five years ago, I have my wife to play with. Those long ago efforts were made when I was unattached and in need of money. But how do we justify not going to work when some people are not allowed those excuses and they find a way. The nurses and support staff here at the hospital are not allowed to call in. They are told to take a cab because they will be reimbursed for it. And what about those cab drivers? Would my employer pay my cab fair if I used that method? The fare would most assuredly be over $30 one way as I live 14 miles from work, so would it be more cost effective for them not to have to pay me at all?