It was soooooo cold...

**auld argonian** · 7th January 10, 07:15 AM

We had the local morning news on today and, like all local news organizations everywhere, they were predicting "the end of life on Earth as we know it" because it's snowing and will most likely keep snowing for the next day or so. Everybody on Def Con 5! Captain to the bridge! Klingon cruiser off the port bow! Cats sleeping with dogs! Start stockpiling foodstuffs and toilet paper!

...oh, for the love of Mike, it's snowing...this is Chicago...it snows here and, as one brave and iconoclastic TV weatherman once said, "If you don't like it, move somewhere where it doesn't snow." (Although according to the news reports this week, I don't know where that would be.)

So they start running the crawl across the bottom of the screen...

SCHOOL CLOSINGS!?!?!?

School closings? There's maybe two inches of snow on the ground and they're closing the schools? What kind of sissies are we breeding in this Great Nation of ours?

I'm sitting at the breakfast table with my daughter, saying (in my best/worst phoney, stage-voice, Scottish accent), "School closings? In my day we didn't close the schools for snow...I went to Catholic school and the only time they closed the school was when the Pope died...okay...the Pope and President Kennedy! But that was it! I'll tell you what...you take your snow day off, me bucko's...do ya know what they're doing up there in Canada? Eh? Well they're in school, snow or no snow! Those Canadian kids are going to be that much ahead of you and when you apply to that fancy-pants graduate school, don't be surprised if there's a Canadian kid ahead of you because they have the perspicacity to get off their butts and hitch up the dogsled and get to school, snow or no snow!"

Seriously, though, I know that this recent streak of weather is making it tough on some of you in the parts of the US where it doesn't often get this way...so take it easy and be safe. Hope that nothing serious happens and that those of you who don't get snow that often at least get a chance to enjoy the good part of it like snowball fights and sledding.

Best

AA

**NewEnglander** · 7th January 10, 07:19 AM

I'm not sure at what age you outgrew the total and absolute JOY that a snow day brings, but I can tell you that at 30 I still LOVE me a snow day.

Of course, I'm a teacher so it means a day off...

**macwilkin** · 7th January 10, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by NewEnglander

I'm not sure at what age you outgrew the total and absolute JOY that a snow day brings, but I can tell you that at 30 I still LOVE me a snow day.

Of course, I'm a teacher so it means a day off...

I'm a teacher, and I dread snow days -- because a snow day means one less day in a 16 week semester, and one less lecture to give, etc.

T.

**Spc. Scott** · 7th January 10, 07:28 AM

I work at Cornell University and it never closes for snow until your already at work.

**NewEnglander** · 7th January 10, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by cajunscot

I'm a teacher, and I dread snow days -- because a snow day means one less day in a 16 week semester, and one less lecture to give, etc.

T.

Oh sure, rescheduling is a pain in the ****, but (for me) it's totally worth it.

Of course, I work at a private school and we don't have a limited number of snow days...which means that there's no threat of extra days tacked onto the end of the year.

**Tobus** · 7th January 10, 07:37 AM

...oh, for the love of Mike, it's snowing...this is Chicago...it snows here and, as one brave and iconoclastic TV weatherman once said, "If you don't like it, move somewhere where it doesn't snow." (Although according to the news reports this week, I don't know where that would be.)

South Texas, apparently. We get a lot of "snow birds" from Chigaco here. The locals hate them. "Dem yankees talk funny".

There's maybe two inches of snow on the ground and they're closing the schools? What kind of sissies are we breeding in this Great Nation of ours?

For you folks up north that are used to snow, I agree, that's no big deal. Two inches of snow down here would shut down the city. We don't have de-icing equipment, snow chains, snow plows, or any of that stuff. I guess that makes us sissies.

**Inchessi** · 7th January 10, 08:19 AM

I live in a flood plane, so while we may get a snow day, like my better half is enjoying today(teacher), She also has four "Flood" days built in.

**Arlen** · 7th January 10, 09:05 AM

I know the feeling. We keep getting 'Winter Storm Warnings' whenever it snows more than an inch here. This is Idaho! There's supposed to be snow in the winter. I'm in easy driving distance of a fantastic Ski resort and the weathermen are worried about three inches of snow?

**cessna152towser** · 7th January 10, 09:53 AM

Yes its the same story here in Scotland. I have seen deeper snow here, I have known the winters to be much colder, yet just because the typical winter temperatures of around or below freezing point have been continuous for three weeks without a milder spell in between, our so-called leaders seem to be making a big drama of it. The councils are complaining of running out of grit for road clearing, they have suspended refuse and re-cycling collections, the buses have stopped running, all blamed on "accessibility issues at depots". The schools closed on 18th December for the holiday break and were supposed to re-open at the beginning of this week but then it was decided they will not re-open till next Monday, 11th January, as Health and Safety rules mean that many of the school buildings are declared inaccessible - modern speak for saying you need to trudge through a few inches of snow to get to them. There was a television news feature yesterday on one of the few private schools which had re-opened this week, and they were not letting the kids outside at playtime for health and safety reasons. In my school days, an old upturned metal dustbin lid made a marvellous improvised sledge during the school morning break in wintertime, nowadays this would never be allowed. Many people are now left without electric power for longer than necessary because health and safetly rules restrict access by power line workers to carry out repairs. I still haven't received my monthly income from my investment fund, which was due to be paid into my bank account in the last week in December and there is nobody in their office can answer a phone and explain why. Come on, this is Scotland, its is winter time, why the lack of preparation for frost and snow? It seems the world grinds to a halt now every time we have frost or snow thanks to health and safety rules.

As Auld Argonian said, we are breeding a nation of sissies. That goes for Scotland as well as the USA, we really need to learn from the Canadians.

Rant Over, and to end on a lighter note, the one big advantage of the weather having stayed cold continuously over several weeks is that the Grand Match or Bonspiel is likely to be held next Tuesday on the Lake of Menteith. The ice needs to be at least seven inches thick to support the weight of 2,500 players and their equipment in this curling competition between North and South and the Bonspiel was last held in 1979.

**auld argonian** · 7th January 10, 10:51 AM

I wish I could be there for the curling...sounds like a great setting and the more curling I see, the more of a fan I become.

I am being (or trying to be) funny about all of this...trying to lighten up what can potentially be a bad set of circumstances for the parts of the country that aren't prepared for it. I think that we all understand why they might not assign a high priority to snow removal down there in Texas...I'm sure that there are other things that the local governments have to spend their money on (rattlesnake abatement?). One of the most dangerous things is the trees that freeze from the cold and then get lots of snow weighting them down...these are the ones that really aren't used to the serious winter weather and break all over the place squashing cars, taking out houses and bringing down power lines just when the electricity is needed to heat homes.

Look at it this way, my sister-in-law and her husband, the retiring cop, decide to move to Florida to get away from these winters. Now they're driven out of their house by brush fires from one side and hurricanes from the other. Brother-in-law was looking for a young cop to give his service revolver to but I told him he ought to keep it for the alligators that he would be encountering pulling his car out of the driveway...he laughed...guess what he found between him and his Toyota a few months later? Wherever you go, it's going to be something.

Alex's news about his area not being prepared surprises me. A while back, here in Chicago, an entire city administration got booted out of office because they flubbed the snow removal during what was an average blizzard (you know that you're hardcore when you refer to an "average blizzard"!).

Alex, have you considered running for public office? I'm from Chicago...we can send over a couple of "campaign aids" to help stuffing the ballot boxes...

Best

AA