Fear and snowing in Atlanta

February 12th was my first big taste of snow in 2010. Getting home from the remnants of the snowstorm would be the scariest thing I've ever experienced in my car.

I should have taken the free room at the Omni because of the weather. Instead, I braved the cold and ice for Kelly and our 2 cats Daniel and Gadget.

I was cruising at about 40 MPH on I-75 from the Williams Street on ramp to just after the Barrett Parkway exit.

I witnessed a large traffic jam just before the Chastain Road Exit, and I thought it was a mssive traffic accident. I was WRONG on that guess.

I literally guessed wrong when I slowly proceeded with caution onto a bridge on I-75 NORTHBOUND before the Chastain Road exit. I remembered that I was near the Kennesaw State University Campus and I slowly and painfully skidded out of control at the bridge.

I was skidding to the left near the guard rail and I had no control of my vehicle. My right leg was shaking up and down like never before. I had to tell the KSU police officer on duty in a loud, demonstrative voice that I had no control of my vehicle. Everytime I would hit the gas, I would spin and skid. I could not move the car straight on my own.

My inability to drive on the black ice was causing a massive traffic jam in back of me. I felt bad for myself and for the other drivers behind me.

I had to get help from the KSU police officer by him pushing my vehicle while I steered it and did not hit the gas. I was able to get back on solid ground on the freeway

As long as I didn't get over 8 miles per hour, I would not skid on the road. I had enough of the freeway I would get off of it one exit early at Wade Green Road instead of the usual HWY 92 exit I take to go home.

I was saved by the red light at the Wade Green off ramp. I would turn left ever so slowly so that I would not skid on the overpass. I would take side streets at 4-7 miles per hour in the snow and ice to get home. That long, slow journey alone took over 30 minutes. The one think that comforted me in the journey was listening to the THIS WEEK IN 1982 countdown on Sirius Channel 8 (the BIG 80s).

The big payoff was for me to come home and walk into the loving arms of my beautiful girlfriend, Kelly Sanders. I also got to hear the welcoming meows of Daniel T. Cat and Gadget M. Cat.

From now on, I want to live somewhere tropical with Kelly and the Cats.