Hey, it's an adventure.
Dec. 23rd, 2008 10:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
plutherusFor some stupid reason, I left Eugene yesterday.
To come back to Portland.
I'd heard the snow was "bad" here, but mere phone conversations couldn't really convey the full extent of it.
The train to Portland, of course, was late. I got in at 6:30 (it was delayed getting out of the station, too, so we didn't leave Eugene until almost 2.
Once it got there, there were no taxis available. Since I had a suitcase and two bags, I didn't really want to brave the bus. But, no buses were running to the train station anyway. I called four companies, only one even answered the phone and it was only giving rides to medical personnel and in cases of medical emergency.
So, leaving one suitcase at the train station, I walked down to SW 3rd to catch the bus that would go out to my house. Trimet's trip-tracker confirmed that the bus was running, although on an alternate route, which could involve an extra ten block walk, but I figured I could handle that.
Unfortunately, it was unable to tell when the bus would come. So, I stood at the bus stop on 3rd and Oak for half an hour waiting for it. Not too bad. For some reason, the 33 was running past the stop every five minutes, sometimes two or three coming at once. Weird.
Finally got on the 17, 45 minutes later it got to my normal stop, only a block and a half away from the house. I stepped off the bus and sunk up to my knees in soft snow.
Plowing through the drive, I got to the sidewalk where it was only shin-deep. From there, stumbled to the street where it was packed enough to walk on, and only sank up to my ankles. Weird walking on the street at a higher level than the base of the sidewalk.
But, I made it home. I just wish I had managed to get my suitcase. I was thinking of going back down to the train station today to pick it up, but the bus isn't running out to here today. Not sure why, conditions aren't as bad now as they were last night.
Except that it's snowing again.
Oh, yeah, the reasons why I had to come back? (Other than sheer idiocy). My work is closed next week, so I needed the hours this week so I could pay for rent and stuff in January. Of course, shortly after I got on the train, I got a message from my boss saying that the office is closed all this week, too, because of snow.
Fortunately, I have a copy of all the files I was working on, so I can do some of the programming I needed to get done, and hopefully get at least a few hours this week. Though I could have done that from Eugene just as easily.
And, also, I wanted to be with my family up here for Christmas. This will be our first Christmas without my Grandmother. That got rescheduled due to snow, too. And, I'd have no way of getting out there. I didn't find out about the rescheduling until I was on the train out of Eugene, either.
I also got a call while on the train from the agency I contract through. Since I wasn't in the office yesterday, I didn't fill out my time sheet. I fill out the time sheet every week, but get paid every other week. Since they didn't get my last one, they were saying they may not pay me until the 9th, instead of this week like they should. They should at least pay me for the week that they have a completed, and approved, time sheet for, but they seemed to think they weren't going to. That would really, really, suck, as Christmas, plus a few different unexpected surprise expenses have left me pretty much broke. I have to go call them in a few minutes to yell at them.
But, really, things aren't so bad. Yeah, I'm stuck in Portland, but of all the various places I've been stuck for various holidays throughout the years, in a house with a good friend and his children is far from the worst.
I've got electricity, and I've got food (well, my roommate does, which amounts to the same thing.) So, yeah, overall, the whole situation with the snow and the paycheck and stuff means that, worse-case scenario:
I can't go down to Eugene for Christmas.
My rent will probably be late.
So now it's time to shower, eat breakfast, and yell at my payroll company.
Merry Christmas, everybody. Hope you're warm and safe, wherever you are.
To come back to Portland.
I'd heard the snow was "bad" here, but mere phone conversations couldn't really convey the full extent of it.
The train to Portland, of course, was late. I got in at 6:30 (it was delayed getting out of the station, too, so we didn't leave Eugene until almost 2.
Once it got there, there were no taxis available. Since I had a suitcase and two bags, I didn't really want to brave the bus. But, no buses were running to the train station anyway. I called four companies, only one even answered the phone and it was only giving rides to medical personnel and in cases of medical emergency.
So, leaving one suitcase at the train station, I walked down to SW 3rd to catch the bus that would go out to my house. Trimet's trip-tracker confirmed that the bus was running, although on an alternate route, which could involve an extra ten block walk, but I figured I could handle that.
Unfortunately, it was unable to tell when the bus would come. So, I stood at the bus stop on 3rd and Oak for half an hour waiting for it. Not too bad. For some reason, the 33 was running past the stop every five minutes, sometimes two or three coming at once. Weird.
Finally got on the 17, 45 minutes later it got to my normal stop, only a block and a half away from the house. I stepped off the bus and sunk up to my knees in soft snow.
Plowing through the drive, I got to the sidewalk where it was only shin-deep. From there, stumbled to the street where it was packed enough to walk on, and only sank up to my ankles. Weird walking on the street at a higher level than the base of the sidewalk.
But, I made it home. I just wish I had managed to get my suitcase. I was thinking of going back down to the train station today to pick it up, but the bus isn't running out to here today. Not sure why, conditions aren't as bad now as they were last night.
Except that it's snowing again.
Oh, yeah, the reasons why I had to come back? (Other than sheer idiocy). My work is closed next week, so I needed the hours this week so I could pay for rent and stuff in January. Of course, shortly after I got on the train, I got a message from my boss saying that the office is closed all this week, too, because of snow.
Fortunately, I have a copy of all the files I was working on, so I can do some of the programming I needed to get done, and hopefully get at least a few hours this week. Though I could have done that from Eugene just as easily.
And, also, I wanted to be with my family up here for Christmas. This will be our first Christmas without my Grandmother. That got rescheduled due to snow, too. And, I'd have no way of getting out there. I didn't find out about the rescheduling until I was on the train out of Eugene, either.
I also got a call while on the train from the agency I contract through. Since I wasn't in the office yesterday, I didn't fill out my time sheet. I fill out the time sheet every week, but get paid every other week. Since they didn't get my last one, they were saying they may not pay me until the 9th, instead of this week like they should. They should at least pay me for the week that they have a completed, and approved, time sheet for, but they seemed to think they weren't going to. That would really, really, suck, as Christmas, plus a few different unexpected surprise expenses have left me pretty much broke. I have to go call them in a few minutes to yell at them.
But, really, things aren't so bad. Yeah, I'm stuck in Portland, but of all the various places I've been stuck for various holidays throughout the years, in a house with a good friend and his children is far from the worst.
I've got electricity, and I've got food (well, my roommate does, which amounts to the same thing.) So, yeah, overall, the whole situation with the snow and the paycheck and stuff means that, worse-case scenario:
I can't go down to Eugene for Christmas.
My rent will probably be late.
So now it's time to shower, eat breakfast, and yell at my payroll company.
Merry Christmas, everybody. Hope you're warm and safe, wherever you are.
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no subject
Date: 2008-12-23 07:29 pm (UTC)Are you going to be in Portland while I'm there?
no subject
Date: 2008-12-23 07:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-23 09:47 pm (UTC)And maybe a snow shovel.
When were you planning on coming up/going back down? Sounds like a great idea!
no subject
Date: 2008-12-23 10:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-24 06:05 am (UTC)I'll give you a call tomorrow.
Looks like it's supposed to be above freezing all day tomorrow and Thursday, so the roads will most likely be drivable even without chains. (Though, I'd still pack them just to be sure :)
no subject
Date: 2008-12-24 08:52 am (UTC)