1-9-11 & 1-10-11

1-9-11 Icehouse.  Ice storms.  Armageddon.

Previously in the week, Jim had bought a few certificates on Groupon.com for a restaurant called Icehouse.  Jim spent $10 for a $20 certificate.  Our friend Beth met us here at the house. Jim drove us to lunch at this restaurant.  The best way I could describe the ambiance was sports bar meets high class.  It had many TV’s showing a football game but the place seemed classy. 

Jim and I ordered the Buttermilk Fried Chicken.  It came with green beans rather than spinach but the substitution was delicious.

Beth ordered the Slow Roasted Turkey Wrap which she enjoyed.

The food and service were fantastic.  The loud TV’s made conversation annoying.  We’ll go back.  Afterall, we have another 2 certificates to use.

After lunch we drove around showing Beth some of the neighborhoods we’ve discovered.

Beth departed and then it was time for some groceries.  We’ve been hearing about a winter storm coming our way for tomorrow and it started to show it’s ass by clogging up Walmart.  Some foods seemed to be wiped out.  The place was packed.  The lines were long.  You’d think Armageddon was coming. 

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1-10-11 Armageddon arrives. 

We awake to about 4 inches of snow.  I have an interview scheduled for today so Jim takes his car out into the snow.  Buh-bye.  About the time he should be at work, I call to check on his arrival.  He didn’t make it.  He kept sliding all over the road (mostly the interstate!) and called AAA to get towed home.  $27.00 later he arrives at home.

Above: He spots me in the upstairs window snapping all sorts of photos and rewards me with the finger.

The car is returned to the garage.  Jim pays.  The tow driver leaves… or so we thought.  The driver calls Jim to tell him he’s stuck in front of our house.  The truck rolled backward.  Jim grabs shovels.  I run upstairs for pixie dust aka cat litter but decide to snap a photo first.

Jim (on the right side) assists.  I spread the litter around the tires.  The driver attempts departure, the tires skid, he rolls back a little almost kissing the mailbox but then it grabs and he’s on his way.

I had an interview scheduled for 1pm.  I emailed the recruiter in the morning for verification of the appointment and never heard back.  Maybe she didn’t make it to work either.  I tried several ways to verify my appointment but was unsuccessful.  The potential employer is a large financial intuition that employs 10,000 people in our area.  The place is huge.  Anyway… I drove the Jeep in 4-wheel high, had a few small slides on turns but otherwise made it to the guard gate for the business property.  It was a ghost town.  The guard called someone and then asked for my phone number and said someone would call me to reschedule.  Half way home someone called and said that someone was available to interview me and could I return.  I u-turned, got cleared with the guard again, parked, and met the interviewer in the lobby.  He lead me past tons of cubicles – all empty.  He said hardly anyone made it in today.  I think the interview went very well!  I’m excited.

Even though the news stations are constantly broadcasting the whole “stay off the roads”, naturally Jim and I felt drawn to venture out.  We had no place to go but decided to pick up a few things at Walmart and then BJ’s.  As we slowly drove around town, we took note of all the closed stores and restaurants.  It was kinda eerie.

Tomorrow, the roads are going to be sheets of icy hell.  Jim will be utilizing the Jeep.