[Sporin]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

Depends on the nature of the job and your boss. My wife can get away with being late, but not me.

Same here, the employer makes a HUGE difference.

My boss can be weird about this, he thinks if he can get in, everyone should be able to. Of course he lives 10 minutes up the road and most of us don't so his idea of "the roads are fine" is often times pretty different then reality.

No one here has ever been fired over this, but I've seen people get some serious grief, which stinks, but that's life in in the North.

[Air]

If you are new to the snowy north, please do not do what I saw two people doing today: sitting inside a car that was buried in the snow with the engine running. The tail pipe is blocked by snow and the car is filling up with carbon monoxide.

Both times, I cleared snow from the window and panicked when I saw someone inside. Luckily both responded to knocking; both were having their first winter experience and both became kind of angry and indignant at me.

Do not think that you should melt the snow by running the engine! If you don't have a brush, use your hands, it's not that hard. Always clear the tailpipe first!!!!!!!! The car warms up best by moving, so don't use that as an excuse, just drive slowly at the beginning.

[flu189]

The above safety tip also applies to folks in their home and apartments. Every year there are numerous Carbon Monoxide and fire deaths from people getting creative and careless with supplemental heating sources and with the cost of heating continuing to rise there will no doubt be an increase in mishaps.

[GypsySoul22]

Thanks for all the advice and comments.
Personally, I will use my judgment. I am really only seeking jobs within 15 minutes drive or so (one good option about living here.)

[vter]

To folks from here, snow is not that big of a deal. We go to work, but take our time. The only time I've had to miss work was during the Valentine's Blizzard last Feb. Not because the roads were bad the morning after, but because our driveway was not plowed.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by vter

To folks from here, snow is not that big of a deal. We go to work, but take our time. The only time I've had to miss work was during the Valentine's Blizzard last Feb. Not because the roads were bad the morning after, but because our driveway was not plowed.

I agree on all counts! The only travel stoppage I've had is waiting for my driveway to be plowed and getting the cars dug out.

For perspective, I am a native of Miami Beach (as are my parents). In my early 20s, I moved to SW New Hampshire in 1988 and to central Vermont in 1996.

When I was living in NH, I attended massage school 80 miles away in Cambridge, MA. By far I had the longest commute in my class and I was one of the only students who never missed a single day because of winter weather.

I have never had (or even driven) a 4WD or AWD vehicle. Currently I drive a 2006 Honda Civic 4-door. In winter, I put on very high-quality snow tires. The car goes like a dream. I see a lot of people driving like it's the first time they've ever seen snow! It's just no big deal to me.

However, I have never gotten good at walking on slippery surfaces. I'm fine on snow, but when there's ice on the sidewalks and streets, I tend to avoid walking, which is how I most enjoy getting around town regardless of temperature.