Praying to the Great Whatever That Today was Not as Eventful as it Could have Been.

My father warned me not to take 17 home today, but I didn't listen. I needed to stop in the Bricks of Syracuse to play Santa Clause, and the Thruway was on the other side of town. It began to rain as I left, and then it turned into a downpour from Tully on. 17 was rough. The temperature hovered between 36 to 32 degrees and once I was past Binghamton, the rain turned into thick wetness...almost a snow. The roads, too, were thickening like an ICEE. It was gross, and on one curve, I counted 7 cars off the road. Because the temperature was fluctuating, the roads didn't know what they wanted to be. For the vehicles who slid off the slickness, my guess is they timed it when Mother Nature chose to be freezing rain.

I only lost control of the car on one curve. I was thankful that (a) I wasn't too close to the edge (and cliffs) and (b) there were no other cars around. I did, however, pull off at the next exit to reestablish my sanity. I also had to pee.

When I stepped out of the car, it was sludge and rain. I heard something drop and worried, "Was that my cellphone?"

Nope. It was my keys. I checked my pockets, my jeans, and underneath the car. I parked right next to a sewer and I was sure they fell down the drain. I was in Hancock, New York, and I thought, "Damn. I just screwed up BIG time."

Here's where luck stepped in. I ate a chicken sandwich for lunch and had my Burger King bag in my hand to throw away. The keys slid out of my hands into the bag! I was so relieved. That would not have been good. I did not have had an extra set at my parents and it would be a quick second before Weijing could get my spare to me.

I looked up to the sky and said, "Thank you."

I also said, "Thank you," when I finally made it to my driveway. Although I drove into warmer weather, the rain was a torrential downpour. Wet. Yuck. But I have been spared once again.