Rule #1: When the first day of real rain hits, do not commute during peak hours

Rule #1: When the first day of real rain hits (typically December, but this year in late January) do not commute during peak hours. This is one of the two mornings to avoid at all costs (the second would be the first day of school, something I'll blog about at a later date). As someone who was raised on the east coast, it's really quite baffling as to what is so difficult, but I've come to just accept that the ride to work on this day is a total f'ing disaster, without fail. For ten years in a row, this rule has been 100% accurate: today being the tenth year in a row. While there are perhaps valid reasons why the roads might be a bit more slippery than usual, we are not talking about anything that would even register as cautionary for any driver that has driven in inclement weather on a regular basis (like basically anywhere in the US except the South, Southwest and California). This baffles me annually, because basically a ton of young professionals who live in San Francisco are not from California -- like me, they're from the East Coast and Midwest -- and should know how to handle themselves. In Boston, where they raise the best drivers in the country, they drive in the breakdown lanes as a standard manuever. They do this in sleet storms, blizzards and hurricanes. I don't even see any puddles and it's like we're on a code red today.

Conducting a quick market sample on the parking lot that is 101N and 101S circa the 92 bridge, I see about 25 cars. 10 of them are trucks or SUVs ***with four wheel drive***. It is not currently raining, though the roads are (kind of) wet, and people are slamming on their brakes like they're about to go over a cliff. Maybe I'm out of line here. Maybe we should all stop and put our chains on. Since the reason everyone in the Bay Area has an SUV is to go to Tahoe, I know you all have chains in the back of your rig. Safety first.

Commute today is going to be 90 minutes at least (30 minutes more than typical is the best case scenario right now). Every year this happens and every year I tell myself there is no meeting so important as to go through this and I end up missing the meeting anyway. Every year!!!

Possible future posts:
1) 280, the arguments for and against
1a) The Siren Song of South San Francisco: seeing "no traffic ahead on 101" at the 380 connector and then getting packed by gridlock exactly 1/2 mile after you've gone for it.
2) People who talk on cell phones on public transportation as the case for caning in the US
3) Rule #2: Dont be on 101 the Wed after Labor Day between 8-930am.
4) Why you can take BART to San Francisco and Caltrain to San Jose but you cant take public transportation from the East Bay to Silicon Valley.
5) 8:45am aka the Carpool lane jailbreak.
6) Why missing your train to go back for your iPod is always the right decision.
7) "Car talk": What is it? Why does it exist?
8) The Secret Path to Glory: How to cut to the front of the line getting back into the city between South San Francisco and the Bay Bridge (yes, there is a secret path through gridlock).
9) "Making great time": San Francisco to Mountain View in less than 60 minutes
10) Why you should never, ever, ever say "Traffic is light today" when you are in the car.