The Butterfly Effect

Why was I stuck in horrible traffic this past Saturday afternoon on 93 South?

The Butterfly Effect...

1. I'm inherently frugal.

2. Last Monday, Rosie and I encountered a woman down the street. I've seen her walking her dog often, and she, I'm sure, recognized us. We chatted. She mentioned that her dog was on a special diet now and asked what food Rosie ate. Turns out the bag-and-a-half that she had left over was the same brand as Rosie's. She asked if I wanted it.

3. I dropped Rosie off and returned to pick up the food. I offered her $20, but she refused. The food was the same brand, but the beef flavor, and not the chicken one. I figured I'd try mixing her usual flavor with this and then switch over to the new flavor. I read that's how you introduce dogs to new food.

4. Rosie ate the first bowl of the mixed food. I figured I was in the clear.

5. I was wrong. Rosie then stopped eating for a couple days, puking some clean phlegm a few times one morning last week. She even turned her nose up to treats.

6. She then stopped pooping. She had nothing to poop out. Not to mention that the temperatures and wind chill were vicious. Even she didn't like walking on the cold, crunchy snow/ice...and unfortunately Rosie likes pooping on grassy areas, none of which existed last week.

7. It finally occurred to me on Friday that perhaps I should switch back to her original flavor of dog food. Unfortunately, I was headed out Friday night, and then on the road by 8am Saturday morning. I should have remembered that Stop & Shop at South Bay is 24 Hours, but I didn't.

8. Since Ryan was dogsitting for the day, I left him a note to cook some chicken for her. He did so and gave her a potato as well, all of which she apparently devoured, confirming to me that she was indeed hungry but just didn't like the new flavor of food. Apparently she also pooped out a ton when they went for a walk, being that lots of melting had occurred and there were once again desired surfaces on which to poop.

9. So I'm coming back from Connecticut on the Pike and decided to take it to 93 South and hit up either the South Bay Stop & Shop or the Shaw's at the JFK/UMass T Stop. Smooth sailing back from Connecticut. Bumper-to-bumper traffic on 93 South midday on a Saturday. Huh?

10. I figured I'd just deal with it for a mile and get off my usual exit # 15 / Columbia Road. Unfortunately, it appears that a police officer had the exit blocked, which I had never seen before. Ever.

11. I turn on WBZ trying to find out what's happening. The Bruins are on. Great.

12. My next opportunity to turn around is Exit 12 - in 3 MILES....of bumper-to-bumper traffic caused by tons of people seeking to get off Exit 12 and turn around. Traffic cleared up after Exit 12.

13. Eventually, I made it to the exit, turned around, hopped back on 93 North, and passed my exit AGAIN due to excessive exiting traffic. Something must be happening at the Bayside Expo, I thought. I got off at Andrew Square and headed to the Southie Stop & Shop.

14. I ended up at home 45 minutes after I first got on 93 South, a process which should have taken 5 minutes.

15. I'm then informed that the Bayside Expo Center was hosting some Super Liquidation clearance sale. Ugh. Aren't these shows usually a bunch of crap vendors with second-hand, overstock, or refurbished junk? THIS was causing such a traffic backup? Grrr....

16. If I had never accepted the dog food, I would have never needed to buy the old flavor of food and would have taken a different route home from Connecticut.

The Butterfly Effect.