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Overtime in the snow!
Feb. 13th, 2025 07:09 pmI was patting myself on the back yesterday because I didn't have to go to work until Saturday, so I was going to miss the first day of the huge freaking snowstorm we're having that's going to last all the way to Sunday. So far we've had about 30 centimeters (that's 12 freedom units for my US friends ;) ) and we're expecting at least another 40 cm by Sunday, if not more. KK had a nail appointment this morning and messaged me that the roads were okay but very slippery, and most schools closed for the day as well as the public library. People with the option to work from home were told to stay there. We also lost power for about an hour and change at 11am, so it was an interesting morning.
Anyway, I settled in for a nice snow day at home, and shortly after we lost power I got a call from my office asking me to come in for overtime this evening. *sigh* Now, I can always say no to OT, but ya girl is trying to buy a house over here, and every little bit of extra money helps, you know? The Overtime Fairy is not ignored lightly! So I resigned myself to having to put on my grown-up costume (i.e. work clothes) and put my plans for the day on hold in order to get ready for work.
KK called me when she got home about an hour later to let me know that the plough was outside, and she was just waiting for it to clear her parking spot. I had told her about the OT already, so I informed her that I'd put on my boots and run out as soon as she was in the house in order to clear the snow from my car and get it out of the driveway so the plough guy could do his thing. One of the few perks of living where I do is that snow removal service is included with the rent, which I must say is very nice, and I will miss the service if I ever move away.
In spite of what I'd just said, I decided to pull on my boots and coat and go out right away. Normally I'd have waited because it's far easier if one of us is inside to wrangle the dogs, but I didn't want to miss the window during which I could get my driveway ploughed. It turned out to be an excellent idea, because KK had rather unwisely tried to drive through a large pile of snow left by the plough and had gotten her car very thoroughly stuck in there. "I beached myself," as she eloquently put it much later. The plough driver actually got out of his vehicle and was helping shovel/push her car out of the snow bank, as were two adorable Ukrainian boys, one who seemed between 12 and 14, and the other who was no more than 10 years old at most.
The 10-year-old was the chattiest, bossiest little boy I've seen in a while, and was unintentionally hilarious in the way that small boys can be. He very seriously informed KK that Russia and Ukraine were different countries (I didn't need this explanation, apparently, probably because I told him my mother was Romanian), yelled at the plough driver for not clearing the snow drift ("The lady wouldn't be stuck if you cleared all this snow!"), and spent a lot of time whacking the snow drifts with his car brush rather than doing anything useful. Ah, youthful exuberance. He was momentarily stymied by the scraper end of his car brush, which I then showed him how to use and explained what each side was for. He then frolicked in the snow for a bit before returning to his brother to help clear more snow from the front of my car. They did a pretty creditable job, I must say, and I rewarded them with the last $10 I had in my purse. I usually like to give a $20, but I was unprepared today, unfortunately, and could not adequately reward their entrepreneurship.
I very nearly got stuck in the driveway anyway, but a bit of quick shoveling in front of the tires fixed my issue, and then the snow plough and I did an intricate dance around each other. I kept trying to move out of his way, but no matter which way I went, a moment later he'd go the same direction. It was funny but also kind of maddening. He also nearly ran over my shovel, which I had left only a little to the side as I didn't expect him to go straight to my driveway, and then he DID run over my garbage can and dragged the lid halfway to Kingdom Come. Luckily it wasn't damaged when I retrieved it, but I wasn't best pleased. However, he did clear the entire driveway, which made leaving for work a couple of hours later so much easier. In fact, when the time came, I barely had anything to clear off my car, and since the driveway was clear as well I was able to sail away super smoothly.
So I've now been at the office for three hours, and got the rather disappointing news that my offer on the latest house was also rejected. However, there were THIRTEEN other offers, so I rather think I never stood a chance, all things considered. Oh well. Further up and further in, I guess!
For now it's time to heat my dinner in the microwave and get through the rest of the shift. I need to enter my extra hours into the system so I get paid, which will be very nice when it does happen. I do enjoy having overtime pay, it helps pad out the end of the month like nobody's business.
Anyway, I settled in for a nice snow day at home, and shortly after we lost power I got a call from my office asking me to come in for overtime this evening. *sigh* Now, I can always say no to OT, but ya girl is trying to buy a house over here, and every little bit of extra money helps, you know? The Overtime Fairy is not ignored lightly! So I resigned myself to having to put on my grown-up costume (i.e. work clothes) and put my plans for the day on hold in order to get ready for work.
KK called me when she got home about an hour later to let me know that the plough was outside, and she was just waiting for it to clear her parking spot. I had told her about the OT already, so I informed her that I'd put on my boots and run out as soon as she was in the house in order to clear the snow from my car and get it out of the driveway so the plough guy could do his thing. One of the few perks of living where I do is that snow removal service is included with the rent, which I must say is very nice, and I will miss the service if I ever move away.
In spite of what I'd just said, I decided to pull on my boots and coat and go out right away. Normally I'd have waited because it's far easier if one of us is inside to wrangle the dogs, but I didn't want to miss the window during which I could get my driveway ploughed. It turned out to be an excellent idea, because KK had rather unwisely tried to drive through a large pile of snow left by the plough and had gotten her car very thoroughly stuck in there. "I beached myself," as she eloquently put it much later. The plough driver actually got out of his vehicle and was helping shovel/push her car out of the snow bank, as were two adorable Ukrainian boys, one who seemed between 12 and 14, and the other who was no more than 10 years old at most.
The 10-year-old was the chattiest, bossiest little boy I've seen in a while, and was unintentionally hilarious in the way that small boys can be. He very seriously informed KK that Russia and Ukraine were different countries (I didn't need this explanation, apparently, probably because I told him my mother was Romanian), yelled at the plough driver for not clearing the snow drift ("The lady wouldn't be stuck if you cleared all this snow!"), and spent a lot of time whacking the snow drifts with his car brush rather than doing anything useful. Ah, youthful exuberance. He was momentarily stymied by the scraper end of his car brush, which I then showed him how to use and explained what each side was for. He then frolicked in the snow for a bit before returning to his brother to help clear more snow from the front of my car. They did a pretty creditable job, I must say, and I rewarded them with the last $10 I had in my purse. I usually like to give a $20, but I was unprepared today, unfortunately, and could not adequately reward their entrepreneurship.
I very nearly got stuck in the driveway anyway, but a bit of quick shoveling in front of the tires fixed my issue, and then the snow plough and I did an intricate dance around each other. I kept trying to move out of his way, but no matter which way I went, a moment later he'd go the same direction. It was funny but also kind of maddening. He also nearly ran over my shovel, which I had left only a little to the side as I didn't expect him to go straight to my driveway, and then he DID run over my garbage can and dragged the lid halfway to Kingdom Come. Luckily it wasn't damaged when I retrieved it, but I wasn't best pleased. However, he did clear the entire driveway, which made leaving for work a couple of hours later so much easier. In fact, when the time came, I barely had anything to clear off my car, and since the driveway was clear as well I was able to sail away super smoothly.
So I've now been at the office for three hours, and got the rather disappointing news that my offer on the latest house was also rejected. However, there were THIRTEEN other offers, so I rather think I never stood a chance, all things considered. Oh well. Further up and further in, I guess!
For now it's time to heat my dinner in the microwave and get through the rest of the shift. I need to enter my extra hours into the system so I get paid, which will be very nice when it does happen. I do enjoy having overtime pay, it helps pad out the end of the month like nobody's business.
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