Oh for a Snow Day

The folks up in upstate New York probably don't have to be told that it's winter. Were one to make such a crack in their prescence I'm sure that violence would ensue and not for an unwarranted reason. Over the last few weeks they have received a sum total of nearly 100 inches of snow. That is just shy of 8.5 feet of snow. When you figure that the average houses have eight foot ceilings you get an idea of just how much snow has fallen. There are those who say that people in upstate New York should be used to heavy snows but this is a bit out of the ordinary. As expected, the region has come to a standstill simply because nothing can move until the roads and avenues are cleared. And when you have eight feet of snow on the ground, it's a bit of a chore getting it put aside or out of the way. All this made me nostalgic for the days when I was in school and you would go to bed hoping the next day would be a snow day. I'm sure this is a bit more than most kids were expecting.

There's something special about a snow day. The fact that it's an unexpected holiday makes it something worth enjoying. I remember that my brother and I would enjoy looking at it from the windows as it fell and then going out early the next day to begin clearing the driveway and walkways. Then after all the chores were done it was time to head out with your friends and go sledding, have snowball fights and build snow forts. There was nothing quite like it. These days, had I the time, I would still go out and enjoy the snow the same way. We are supposed to be getting snow in the Washington area over the next day or so although they aren't calling for anything near what has fallen in New York. That's a good thing I guess.

Still, there are people out there who would do anything in order to get a snow day. When I was a student in high school one of the big scandals was the fact that someone had typed up a letter on school letterhead stating that a field trip was to take place on a certain date and that a group of students with the permission slips were to be released on that day. The letter was even signed by the principal using his usual signature image file for the records. Nothing unusual at all in that request other than the fact that all the kids being taken on the field trip were known troublemakers and detention hall regulars.

It turned out that this was a forgery by someone who had access to the computer systems in the school. The culprit was never found, but it should have clued me in to the direction people were starting to go in order to get a day off. Case in point is the case in Trenton, Ohio where two students hacked the school website and put up notices that school was closed due to winter weather. This despite the fact that there wasn't even snow forecast. The students were caught and punished but it just shows to what lengths people are going to get a snow day.

During college, exam time was always a tense time. Everyone cramming to get that last bit of knowledge tucked away before the fateful hour of the exam. Some people get too tense sometimes and realize that they aren't ready. During my first semester at the University of Maryland, in the span of one week, the fire alarm was pulled five separate times during exam periods. Finally the culprit was caught and he sobbed about not being ready for the test. Unfortunately for him it didn't help his case with the state for triggering false alarms. Still, even in college, if one waited long enough, one could get a snow day there as well. The University of Maryland was notorious for never closing. Once the entire state was closed for a Hurricane and the campus was the only place open. Winter weather was a cake walk next to that.

It was again during exam week. Snow had been falling all night long and there was already about 7 inches on the ground and plenty more was expected. Ordinarily I would have stayed home and lazed about in my sweats but this was exam week and I had two exams that day. After slipping and sliding my car to campus and then making the miserable walk to class, I sat and waited and waited and waited for the professor. Just before we all collectively stood up to leave since the professor was still not there, we were dismayed to see him walk in with our exam papers. Still not off the hook, my friend and I headed over to the library to study for our calculus exam later that afternoon. We were huddled in the library when it was announced that the campus was closing due to the snow. After all these years, it was still great to finally get a snow day again! Part of me wished they had decided earlier before the snow got deeper but who was I to argue with a snow day? Even today, while driving in I kept my eye on the clouds, hoping that they will bring snow with them. I guess we'll find out tonight and I'll again go to bed with the hope of seeing a blanket of snow on the world in the morning.