A funny thing happened a week ago Friday. It began snowing in my high desert town of Albuquerque. Another funny thing happened a week ago Saturday. It was still snowing. All in all, over fourteen inches of snow dropped in Albuquerque in two days time. It was not only surprising, it was record breaking. It was the biggest snow fall since 1959. Wow.

If I was a normal human being, I could say I spent the time cooped up in the house, eating canned soup and nestled up against the space heater, but I'm not quite normal. I'm a cab driver, so instead of throwing a blanket over my head for a week, I braved the white elements and black ice to go to work for four twelve-hour shifts. To put in perspective, I have only done two other four-shift weeks in my four-year stint as an Albuquerque hack. But hey, it's my job, right?

My week began on New Year's Eve night. It is the only night shift I work all year, and the first day anyone could maneuver the roads at all. To the credit of the city, the major roads were passable in most areas, but all side roads were slick, snow packed and daunting. New Year's night is usually worth a column all on its own, but since it occurred a snow week ago, it has already blurred from my memory. There were young & old, sober & drunk, happy & sad, all braving the elements to have a little New Year's cheer. Rides all night long, and I figure out how to master those pesky side roads. When I started, a thick fog set in to the city. Fog? Where am I? What does visibility mean? Where are you headed? Where can I take you? Happy New Year's to all, and to all a good year!

I got off at 5 a.m. New Year's Day, slept four hours, and stayed nestled in my house with football & champagne. I didn't quite stay up late enough to see the ending of the Boise State-Oklahoma duel because I had to be in the cab at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning. Go underdogs everywhere, but I'm off to work again.

On Tuesday (at five in the morning), I got a dose of slick reality. Coming out of my drive way, I slid to the other side of road. Stuck. With a little master maneuvering, I managed to slide back to my side of the road and up to the sidewalk. Stuck again. Stuck so much that my brother came out to help push (at five in the morning). Still stuck. We tried twigs for traction. Still stuck. I decided to go with hot water, and in my early morning thought process (at five in the morning), my only concept of how to make hot water was to heat it on the stove. After one round, my brother asked the logical question "Why not use the faucet?" Hot water from a faucet? It's amazing what we can do these days! After dumping five pitchers full of hot water, I finally slid to the middle of the street and was off to work (at almost six in the morning). I got in an hour late, but unlike most drivers, I still made it to work, and I slipped and slid around all day. Never getting stuck like the beginning.

The sun was coming out, but the temperature only got up to about freezing. The snow & ice melted a little but it was all very slow. I learned that my fellow man has some annoying traits. If you own a 4 x 4 vehicle, you will inevitably be a jackass to other drivers. They caused accidents by driving too fast in slow traffic. A word to the wise: No matter how many wheels can drive, your brakes will work the same anyone else's on ice. SUVs & big trucks caused more accidents than any other type of vehicle. Also, people have no patience. I can't tell you how many times I heard "I grew up in the Midwest, but I came out here to escape this stuff." I didn't like it the first time I heard it, but apparently everyone used to live in cooler climates. Everyone blamed their fellow drivers for the bad driving in bad conditions. Folks, it was a record-breaking snow. Just like all other weather in New Mexico, hang in there and it will go back to blue skies and sunny days in pretty soon. At the end of Tuesday, I spent forty-five minute prying up two-inch thick ice on the road by my drive way. I vowed not to get stuck again & I didn't.

Wednesday was our first solid melt day. The temperature got up into the forties which meant mucky melting on the roads. My cab didn't have any windshield wiper fluid, and by the end of the day, I was resigned to grabbing snow to clean off the constant mud splash. The rides were non-stop. Everyone was beginning to come out of their shells and realizing they needed food and supplies. While I cruise the cab for money, it felt like I was actually doing some community service. Folks needed rides, and someone had to provide them. Driving is my job, and sometimes, it seems like it's my civic duty.

I was exhausted by the end of Wednesday but still managed to take a nasty spill on the ice after eating dinner at a Greek restaurant. Both my heels slipped instantly, and I landed square on my back. It was like a quality tackle in football, but I never saw it coming. I dropped the bread I was holding, and the shock dazed me. Incomplete. Fourth down. Time to punt. It bruised my ego more than my body, but I realized I needed another day off before I went cab crazy.

Snow plows finally made it to my side street on Thursday (almost week after the storm), and another melt day meant things were returning to normal. I went in for one shift on Friday. More muck, more mess. Many little rides, but I still kept busy most of the day. Things were getting back to normal. I never got in an accident & never got stuck in the cab for over a minute anywhere. Breathe in, breathe out.

I finished the week with my biggest one day total for money (New Year's Eve) and the best week of pay I've ever received in my life for any job. For tax purposes, let's just say I had a grand week. Although it will help in the lean times, the snow daze didn't seem to be about the money. It was about getting people around during in-climate weather. For all the lousy driving, I still saw others helping push people out of ruts. I waved to fellow neighbors as I shoveled my chunk of roads. For all the slick & messy & lousiness, there was a sense of community & a ton of good deeds going on.

Such was the way for the record breaking snow at the end of ought-six. Now, blue skies and sunny days are back in my little high desert town. Now we can really get going on this ought-seven.

Chris Jungle has been slick all week long.