Friday, December 19, 2008

The Downfalls of Snow in the Northwest




I love the snow, only if my life can exist as it normally does, while the snow falls and sticks to the ground. This worked well in Idaho, a place where snow is normal, people can drive in it and do not think that life ceases to exist outside of one's house when snow falls. As you all know, this does not work in the Northwest.


I only worked one day this week, therefore we had four snow days. Now some of you may be writhing in jealousy, let me remind you that the state requires we make these days up. Not in Feb, or Jan when we have holiday's abound. Nooooo, we make them up in June when the sun is out, horse shows are in full swing and there are more important things to be done than to educate students who can't sit still because the sun is shining.


Northwest drivers also seem to believe their cars are incapable of working when snow lies on the ground. As I sat in Jarred's ceramics room yesterday, waiting for him to get out of school, I actually heard a student tell him that she needed to leave school early because her car was old and didn't run in the snow. WHAT? Jarred's response was a quizzical "OK?" but he was really thinking, "What a lame excuse, your car does run in the snow, you just need to get out and drive it." So here, I sit on Friday, stuck in the house knowing all my students are also in their houses when we could be sitting together in school, there's nothing else to do now, right?


Before the snow hit, Jarred and I did manage to get some final biking in for the year. Jarred got me a single speed (no gears, just pedaling) cyclocross bike for Christmas. I love it!




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