The roads have been really icy since the first snow fall. This is my first winter driving and I must say it wasn't very kind on my nerves the first couple times I attempted it.

Even those who were equipped with Blizzaks must have been nervous when driving in the freezing rain a few weeks ago. I, for one, have rather a tendency to be a white-knuckled driver (as many of my friends can attest.) Perhaps that is because I do not have Blizzaks. In all honesty, I do not have any winter tires of any kind.

Though icy roads can be rather stressful, they can be useful as well.

It does rather lead to exciting driving experiences. And really, there are some pros to the slickness of the roads. For one, since there is little friction, your tires last longer.

Parallel parking is easy on the ice, especially since on icy roads cars often end up driving to the side as it is. It puts me in mind of a detour sign in Japan that was mistranslated into English. It read: "Stop: Drive sideways." (Quick side note: If you like reading mistranslations, one of my favorite websites for them is Engrish.com.)

Also, have you seen the preview for the new "Fast and Furious" movie? It's called the "Tokyo Drift" and it has cars sliding gracefully around corners with grand displays of skill using centrifugal force. It is impressive and all on dry roads, but it comes quite naturally on Fairbanks roads. We who drive around here don't even have to try.

You know it's really icy when you can see clear reflections on the road's surface. That can be pretty handy sometimes. For instance, if you have left your house in a rush and you want to know if you look presentable or not, merely look down at the road. Its mirror surface should give you a satisfactory reflection.

It's times like those when you wonder whether a Zamboni driver got loose. Perhaps he was fired and is now icing the streets in protest. The roads certainly would look like ice rinks then.

Sometimes I am tempted to try ice skating on the roads. At times, I've noticed that the roads in North Pole seem about the right thickness and smoothness of ice for satisfactory ice skating.

I am sure I am not the only one who has pondered the possibility. My brother's the sort of person who would take advantage of ice rink roads. I can totally see him slapping ice skates on and being towed behind a car much like if one were to go water skiing. Perhaps he could use downhill skis.

Speaking of thick ice, the Anchorage roads are a winter driver's nightmare. Luckily I have never had to drive down there, but just walking around is scary. There are all sorts of neat formations that look as if the puddles had little tidal waves that surged up and then froze. I cannot help but wonder if it's due to the amount of salt they dump on the roads down there.

I have great admiration to those who have to drive around there every day. I am glad that, in comparison, our roads are not too bad. It would be even better if everyone would help corral the runaway Zamboni.