I got to be live and on the air on a local radio station today!
(It was really exciting.)
Here's what happened:
When I left my house at 7:50 this morning there was maybe a quarter inch of snow on the ground. It was my first day at my new bank branch, and I needed to be there at 8:15. It's really only a ten minute drive at the most, but I allowed extra time like any responsible, ready-to-look-good new employee would and should.
Well, the roads. were. horrible. Apparently, salt that was put down didn't stick because there wasn't really much snow on the ground for it to stick to. Falling temperatures caused flash freezing and black ice.
When I pulled out of my neighborhood, vehicles were stopped in both directions -- a solid line of cars, like interstate rush hour -- on what is normally a two-lane highway with a very average amount of traffic.
I take a right turn out of my neighborhood (as you well know, from the time I almost died pulling out several weeks ago in icy conditions) and about 100 yards away there is a stoplight. (The road there is called Murphy Lane... how cool is that, son?!)
So. There's me in front of my neighborhood. There is a stoplight 100 yards away.
It took me one hour to get to that stoplight. You read that right. One hour to drive one hundred yards. (Well, hubs says it's 100 yards. All I can say is that going the opposite direction on my way home tonight, I counted from one-thousand-one to one-thousand-twenty in the time it took me to go that same distance.)
Anyway, people were calling in to the radio station, 102.3 The Max (the 90's and today!) to talk about where they were and what they were seeing on the roadways, so duhspice. I called. I was sitting still with my foot on the brake. I'd already talked to my mom four times and my husband six times. I was boredspice.
And it rang! And then they answered!
(Oh, and by the way, Lambert and Lindsey, the morning team, said that you had to describe where you were sitting as a "hot mess.")
So, when George Lambert answered... well, here's a loose transcript:
Lambert: Goooood morning!
Amber: Goooood morning!!!!
Lambert: You sound like you're either in a really good mood or like you're about to kill someone. Who's this?
Amber: This is Amber, and I guess I am in a good mood, it's just that I. am. not. moving.
Lambert: Where you at?
Amber: I am at the hot mess that is the intersection of Highway 22 and Murphy Lane. It is worse than stop and go. I have been on the road for over an hour and have only moved one hundred yards.
Lambert: Ohhh, that sucks. Can you see what is going on around you? Is there a wreck?
Amber: No, I can't tell. But cars are sliding around everywhere, and I see an ambulance up way... so maybe they are clearing up a wreck? I don't know. But it's my first day at my new job, and I am over an hour late!
Lambert: Do you want us to call your new boss for you?!
Amber: Nah, I'm good. He's not there yet either!!
Lambert: Do you want to give a shout out to where you work?
Amber: I don't think I'm allowed. I think it's against the rules.
(I totally wanted to, obviously. I was tempted! But, because I work in a bank, we are not supposed to talk to the media about it... and stuff.)
Lambert: Okay! Thanks for calling!!
So, yeah.
I was on the radio.
Whoa-oh-oh.
On the radio.
(It was really exciting.)
Here's what happened:
When I left my house at 7:50 this morning there was maybe a quarter inch of snow on the ground. It was my first day at my new bank branch, and I needed to be there at 8:15. It's really only a ten minute drive at the most, but I allowed extra time like any responsible, ready-to-look-good new employee would and should.
Well, the roads. were. horrible. Apparently, salt that was put down didn't stick because there wasn't really much snow on the ground for it to stick to. Falling temperatures caused flash freezing and black ice.
When I pulled out of my neighborhood, vehicles were stopped in both directions -- a solid line of cars, like interstate rush hour -- on what is normally a two-lane highway with a very average amount of traffic.
I take a right turn out of my neighborhood (as you well know, from the time I almost died pulling out several weeks ago in icy conditions) and about 100 yards away there is a stoplight. (The road there is called Murphy Lane... how cool is that, son?!)
So. There's me in front of my neighborhood. There is a stoplight 100 yards away.
It took me one hour to get to that stoplight. You read that right. One hour to drive one hundred yards. (Well, hubs says it's 100 yards. All I can say is that going the opposite direction on my way home tonight, I counted from one-thousand-one to one-thousand-twenty in the time it took me to go that same distance.)
Anyway, people were calling in to the radio station, 102.3 The Max (the 90's and today!) to talk about where they were and what they were seeing on the roadways, so duhspice. I called. I was sitting still with my foot on the brake. I'd already talked to my mom four times and my husband six times. I was boredspice.
And it rang! And then they answered!
(Oh, and by the way, Lambert and Lindsey, the morning team, said that you had to describe where you were sitting as a "hot mess.")
So, when George Lambert answered... well, here's a loose transcript:
Amber: Goooood morning!!!!
Lambert: You sound like you're either in a really good mood or like you're about to kill someone. Who's this?
Amber: This is Amber, and I guess I am in a good mood, it's just that I. am. not. moving.
Lambert: Where you at?
Amber: I am at the hot mess that is the intersection of Highway 22 and Murphy Lane. It is worse than stop and go. I have been on the road for over an hour and have only moved one hundred yards.
Lambert: Ohhh, that sucks. Can you see what is going on around you? Is there a wreck?
Amber: No, I can't tell. But cars are sliding around everywhere, and I see an ambulance up way... so maybe they are clearing up a wreck? I don't know. But it's my first day at my new job, and I am over an hour late!
Lambert: Do you want us to call your new boss for you?!
Amber: Nah, I'm good. He's not there yet either!!
Lambert: Do you want to give a shout out to where you work?
Amber: I don't think I'm allowed. I think it's against the rules.
(I totally wanted to, obviously. I was tempted! But, because I work in a bank, we are not supposed to talk to the media about it... and stuff.)
Lambert: Okay! Thanks for calling!!
So, yeah.
I was on the radio.
Whoa-oh-oh.
On the radio.
Comments
I would have been so stressed out by being late that I probably would have picked every piece of dust out of the center console. That's who I am, pickyspice.
Nah, only you can pull off the spice.
And yes. Murphys rock.
We really do.
Did you have a Kindle? A Sony reader? At least an iPhone to blog and read on Kindle aps and keep up with the news?
Uh huh. Long time ago; I traveled about 15 feet in rush hour traffic on the Beltway (just outside DC) in 90 minutes. Traffic. During that wait, I read the mail I'd picked up the day before and my Mom complained about waiting through two cycles of a street light in down town Oroville Calif. Took her ten extra minutes to get home during rush hour.
Perspective
.............shole
@ Ashley - Well, I hope you didn't have to drive up 22 yesterday morning!
@ Madwoman - I liked pickyspice! You can do spice, too. :)
@ Shandal - FOUR hours?! OMG. Traffic jams blow chunks.
@ Natalie - Goooo Murphy's!
@ Carissa - I wish they had asked me to "name that tune" or something. Being on the radio was fun, but is second to karaoke.
@ DHole - The only thing electronic I had with me was a basic cell with no internet. (I don't know why it won't connect... I should have internet access on it!) I was mad that I didn't even have my checkbook with me, because I could have gotten it caught up and balanced!
A radio station in Chicago does this thing called "Your Request Sucks" and I got through with a request for the Pee Wee's Playhouse Theme Song...
Kinda rocked my socks.
No,
I fucking HATE traffic.... I have to deal with it WAAY too much.
Congrats on your on-air moment. Should've plugged your blog.
I'm just sayin'
JD