You know what's a terrible thing to blog about? Weather.
Because everyone has opinions on the weather and no one wants to read about such a mundane, everyday occurrance. Well, tough nuggets folks, because this morning, I thought Milton, Florida was going to be swept away by a two-hundred foot wall of water. I thought I was going to see entire houses floating by the office where I'm temping this week.
No, I didn't see that. But, I did see a car sitting in a considerable amount of water. You know how "experts" say not to drive into a puddle of water because you never know how deep it is? Well... take heed. Take very careful heed. The poor woman missed the pavement completely and drove/floated over a three-inch curb and into a drainage ditch. She noticed neither curb nor ditch because the water was halfway up her car door.
She called into the office to say she would be late for her interview... she was at the building, but couldn't get out of her car. She was semi-hysterical. I told her to call her insurance company. They were minimal help, but did end up calling the firemen to rescue her. She's got a busted-up car that still runs and, bless her heart, she still did the job interview.
Blake called me in the midst of all this and asked if I could run the car up to him (we carpooled). He forgot his knee board and gloves at home. I said I would drive up if he wanted, but by all accounts, the roads were pretty much undriveable. He opted to borrow his forgotten items from a colleague for which I was very glad.
Things are calm once more, though the skies still look like the underside of someone's muddy boot. The parking lot is no longer Lake Milton. I would, however, like to relate one more thing. When someone is in trouble, panicking and confused, have some humanity. This being my first day here, I wasn't sure if there was a procedure if someone had an accident on the grounds or if this sort of thing had happened before. I told the woman's situation to the facility manager and he seemed more disgusted by the woman's stupidity than concerned for her safety. He didn't want to go outside and get all wet himself. What did she expect him to do? Well... I don't know. I felt pretty helpless myself, but at least I wanted to go out and have a word with her. I called her back to see how she was and offered to call the police or fire department or tow truck. Yes, she made a grave error driving into the water, but you know what? She's paying for it with her tears and her car.
Kindness is free.
