Karma

The pending snow in Seattle reminds me of a time when I got a taste of Karma.

My first winter in Seattle (2000) we got 6 inches of snow in one day. Basically unheard of for the Emerald City. If memory serves me correct we had two or three fronts converge on Seattle. That, combined with two mountain ranges created a recycling conveyor belt of snow. Anyway, the city basically shut down.

Where's the Karma, you ask? I'm getting to it. Because of the snow, I and my roommates Adam and Adrian were off of work. Not sure where Rob was. So, to celebrate the snow the three of us pile into Adam's Subaru to go around town driving through slush puddles.

We drove around for about 20-30 minutes hitting a couple here and there without much satisfaction. We did hit one that shot slush onto an SUV but that wasn't that great. So, we decide to go back home. On the way home we had to drive through the UW area. It was at that time where we earned some Karma, and not the good kind. As we were coming up to a corner with a bunch of students Adrian spotted a puddle and started yelling "Hit It, Hit It, Hit It!". Of course, I chimed in and Adam complied. What happened was horrible and hilarious at the same time. We hit that puddle like a speed boat and sent a wall of semi-frozen water towards the college kids like a tsunami. As I was in the back seat I had a perfect view of the action. The students all reacted like they were in Pearl Jam's Jeremy video. Right after we looked at each other and said, "Oh Shit!" and then sped home.

So, the story doesn't end here. Fast forward to the next year. I'm living in Puyallup commuting to the hospital everyday. Since I'm a cheapass I don't buy a parking sticker and have to park a ways away from the hospital. On my walk from my car to the work I have to go over the Montlake bridge which is usually pretty in the morning. Well, not on this morning. As is usually the case in Seattle, it was raining. However, this was not the usual Pacific Northwest rain. No, this was Midwest in the fall rain. Big fat drops that were just above freezing. So, here I am walking over the bridge in my raincoat and backpack, just trying to get into work as fast as I can. I can't run because that will just get me wetter.

If you know anything about the Montlake bridge you know that it is a drawbridge. Because of this, the road bed is made up of grates to reduce weight. This also has the effect of draining all of the rain into the water below. So, as long as I'm on the bridge I am ok. Well, I'm not really thinking about this at the time, just about how much the rain sucks. As a result, I am not prepared for what happens next. Just as I cross the bridge a car comes speeding up and hits the very first puddle near me. This is not any ordinary puddle, this is the size of a small pond. Next comes to money shot as a wall of near-frozen water hits me full force. I was drenched from the waist down. Luckily, the hospital has scrubs and I was wearing sandals (ah, I miss my dress code there) but one of my coworkers about fell on the floor laughing when I walked inside the hospital.

So, the moral is, What Goes Around, Comes Around. Still funny though.