Sunday, December 20, 2009
22.9 Inches of Snow
If I were still teaching high school, I think I would have profoundly mixed emotions today as I survey the powder-covered streets of my fair city this morning. The mayor has declared a snow emergency, but with the exception of a few lingering flurries the wintery onslaught has basically passed, giving road crews the time needed to excavate the major traffic arteries and get things moving again. A nationally televised NFL game is being pushed back three hours to accommodate the weather and fans are being strongly urged to travel to the stadium using public transit. The last time this much accumulation built up here in December was literally a century ago. When I wandered the streets last night, the only regular cars I saw were taxis, slowly trundling along in search of stranded pedestrians, eager to avoid the cold. Such missions of mercy were tempered, perhaps, with the knowledge that passengers would actually accept slower driving and higher fares given conditions on the streets.
I mentioned a moment ago my ambiguity towards this snowfall. Were I a teacher, I would be both impressed and frustrated. Impressed, both at the sheer magnitude of the blizzard, but also the relative calm with which people here seem to have handled it. People just went on as best they could with their holiday shopping. If there was a panic, I did not see any indication on the streets or in the news. I was even able to go watch a movie yesterday (The Fantastic Mr. Fox) after work. The theater was open, albeit a little short-staffed.
The frustration would set in because of timing. Major snowfall on a Saturday is the cruelest cut that Mother Nature can give to a public school teacher. If it had been pushed up to Friday, that might have prompted either a day off or at least an early dismissal. If the storm had started tonight and gone through to early Monday morning, there would be no school. By ending just now, the city has enough time to clear the roads for buses and the students they carry. There will be school on Monday, I have no doubt. Sorry all you teachers out there. Maybe next time.
Of course, even as a non-teacher, I can understand frustration with the idea of going to work on Monday in these conditions. Heck, if I were still living in the Invisible Suburb, I would probably not go to work today. Cleaning off my car plus driving on the highway for 45 minutes (or an hour given traffic) is not really my cup of tea on a Sunday morning. Thankfully, I don't have to make such decisions anymore. I live a block away from my office now. Neither rain, nor wind, nor record-setting snow storm can keep me from my dissertation.
Which is why, I'll be heading over there shortly. Just like I always do. A little later than my normal 9 AM start time, perhaps by about half an hour, but just as constant as ever because dissertations don't take breaks on weekends, even for record-setting snowstorms.
If I were still teaching high school, I think I would have profoundly mixed emotions today as I survey the powder-covered streets of my fair city this morning. The mayor has declared a snow emergency, but with the exception of a few lingering flurries the wintery onslaught has basically passed, giving road crews the time needed to excavate the major traffic arteries and get things moving again. A nationally televised NFL game is being pushed back three hours to accommodate the weather and fans are being strongly urged to travel to the stadium using public transit. The last time this much accumulation built up here in December was literally a century ago. When I wandered the streets last night, the only regular cars I saw were taxis, slowly trundling along in search of stranded pedestrians, eager to avoid the cold. Such missions of mercy were tempered, perhaps, with the knowledge that passengers would actually accept slower driving and higher fares given conditions on the streets.
I mentioned a moment ago my ambiguity towards this snowfall. Were I a teacher, I would be both impressed and frustrated. Impressed, both at the sheer magnitude of the blizzard, but also the relative calm with which people here seem to have handled it. People just went on as best they could with their holiday shopping. If there was a panic, I did not see any indication on the streets or in the news. I was even able to go watch a movie yesterday (The Fantastic Mr. Fox) after work. The theater was open, albeit a little short-staffed.
The frustration would set in because of timing. Major snowfall on a Saturday is the cruelest cut that Mother Nature can give to a public school teacher. If it had been pushed up to Friday, that might have prompted either a day off or at least an early dismissal. If the storm had started tonight and gone through to early Monday morning, there would be no school. By ending just now, the city has enough time to clear the roads for buses and the students they carry. There will be school on Monday, I have no doubt. Sorry all you teachers out there. Maybe next time.
Of course, even as a non-teacher, I can understand frustration with the idea of going to work on Monday in these conditions. Heck, if I were still living in the Invisible Suburb, I would probably not go to work today. Cleaning off my car plus driving on the highway for 45 minutes (or an hour given traffic) is not really my cup of tea on a Sunday morning. Thankfully, I don't have to make such decisions anymore. I live a block away from my office now. Neither rain, nor wind, nor record-setting snow storm can keep me from my dissertation.
Which is why, I'll be heading over there shortly. Just like I always do. A little later than my normal 9 AM start time, perhaps by about half an hour, but just as constant as ever because dissertations don't take breaks on weekends, even for record-setting snowstorms.
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