That Four Letter Word...

S-N-O-W

It's cold, it's wet, it's slippery, and there's a lot of it here. And while I didn't want to blog multiple times on this silly white fluff falling from the sky, how can I live through what is being deemed the "snow storm of the century" out here in DC, and not give it due coverage on my blog?

When I woke up the morning of the Snowpocalypse and looked out the window, I felt like someone had picked up our building and stuck it inside a gooey marshmallow. White. Everywhere...the trees, the buildings the cars burried, the bushes, the sky...all white. I guess that's called a white-out according to my mother who grew up in upstate New York where this kind of thing doesn't shut down an entire city and bring life to a screeching halt.

Fast Forward to today...Snow day? What a funny concept. It actually hasn't snowed in two days, but the entire city is still shut down: classes, the federal government, restaurants, above ground public transportation, the whole sha-bang. Having lived 18 years in a desert and 2.5 years by the beach, snow is about as foreign to me as it gets; so this concept of a snow day is kind of novel...at first. And then we find out these classes we're  missing will eventually be rescheduled, so in the near future there will be a week with double classes. Suddenly this concept of a snow day starts to suck (truly eloquent diction choice I know).

PLUS, not working and not going to class and not being able to go out and do anything results in extreme boredom, slight depression, a feeling that you're wasting valuable days of your life, and the urge to eat to fill the time, more specifically the urge to eat cookies and hot coco. After getting a little stir crazy in my tiny apartment, a few us of decided to tough it out, bundle up, and wander out into the elements for a bit, so we went to the National Mall. I quickly realized that my "snow gear" was a naive west coast interpretation of what was necessary and practical in this sort of weather. While quite warm, the fur-lined, shiny patent leather, knee-high boots with a wedge heel I purchased as "snow shoes", were probably better suited for a catwalk than a blizzard. After nearly twisting my ankle and falling several times, I was wishing I had a sweet pair of skis like this dude to get around...

We had a little bit of fun, as documented in the video below. And then what you don't see is when we decide to go off looking for a Starbucks or somewhere to eat. This is where the excursion takes a turn for the worse. We then make two realizations: NOTHING is open and we're LOST. The damn snow had covered all the street signs, and any distinguishable buildings that could have helped us navigate our way back to the metro. Suddenly the wind picks up and the cold, wet feeling really sets in, and I begin wondering if the pins and needles burning sensation in my hands is the first sign of frostbite. Obviously, we survived and I did not lose any fingers; blogging certainly would be difficult with a few less fingers. But yes, we had our share of snow, and being cooped up in that tiny little (warm) apartment for the rest of the Snowpocalypse didn't seem so bad anymore.