Erie
The streets were still a mess in Erie this morning. I think I know more about how they keep their roads with generally older surfaces in generally better condition now.
I had previously observed that they were demons about sealing cracks in their road surfaces. But I think also they use a lot less salt. Some of the main roads, like the one in front of my motel, were clear, but as I went to work and started driving on the streets people actually live on, it was apparent that little had changed from yesterday. Most roads still had a layer of compressed snow on them, some a layer of slush. A few were almost clear.
Because, as I noted in the previous issue, the terrain is so much more gentle, and probably because I have the car I do, I can drive in these conditions. But it is hard driving. By 6:30 pm, I was ready to quit—I usually quit around 7:30 pm—and the worst of my fatigue lifted as I turned on my music and hit Interstate 79 for the trip home.
The verdict from this trip is that I do not appear likely to make less money in Erie should I indeed move there. I’m troubled by the failure to clear roads but if I’m taking better care of my car by hitting fewer potholes, that probably outweighs the snow plowing issues. I’ll take one more trip, like this one, in a couple more weeks, staying overnight the night of February 9th.
Ukraine
The British Broadcasting Corporation account of the U.S.’ formal response to Russia on Ukraine is about as expected, affirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and refusing to rule out a future accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.[1]
British Broadcasting Corporation, “Ukraine crisis: US rejects Russian demand to bar Ukraine from Nato,” January 27, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60145159
Gulf of Mexico
Anna Phillips and Maxine Joselow, “Judge throws out Biden administration’s massive Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale,” Washington Post, January 27, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/01/27/biden-gulf-of-mexico-lease-sale/
- [1]British Broadcasting Corporation, “Ukraine crisis: US rejects Russian demand to bar Ukraine from Nato,” January 27, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60145159↩