By 6:45 this morning, I was awake, at the computer, and eating cereal. (UGH that is so early for me). I was getting ready to head out for early morning interviews for a research group that's studying bullying. For the past 3 weeks, I've been scheduled for this early-morning slot. For the past 3 weeks, I've been sleeping in. We've had snow out here. Uhm, and I guess that means that it's OK to skip work, cancel school, and forgive those already bad drivers when they park their cars all willy-nilly in the middle of the road.
When I woke up this morning, just like I did every day November through March in elementary school, junior high, and high school: I faithfully and longingly checked for school closings. Back when I was the one trying to get out of school, it was a small miracle if we had a snow day. I thought it just as likely that our next assembly would feature Samuel L. Jackson as a motivational speaker (because, you know what school admin thinks of having the phrase m****r f****r in school assemblies). This morning, true to habit, I was expecting school to be closed about as much as I was expecting to meet Ricky Martin in my bathroom, and, true to habit, I checked those school closings with no less hope. Hope, friends, it all I had at 6:45, when it was hovering around 32* outside, and when it had rained the day before, and when the roads were clear, and the sidewalks peeking through the snow, and when it was generally acceptable weather for my peers to begin their tanning for spring break out on the quads.
And holy crap! were there school closings this morning. I was amazed that there were any. But, lo and behold, our local schools were closed for the entire day, the schools where I do my interviews had a two hour delay (which means: go back to bed, Kristen), and 83 other school districts had issued closings or delays. FOR FOG. Granted, sometimes fog is a worthy and important reason to cancel school, but this stuff never would have been acceptable back at home.
So, the moral of the story is, kids, if you want to get all those snow days, live out in a rural area, or in a place that gets snow, but doesn't have the funds to handle it. Hm. I mean, the moral of the story is get involved with a research group that you won't have to do anything for, but will look great on your resume. Hm. I mean, The Moral of the Blog Post Is: check those school closings, honey.
Actually, we've got a fog here (back at 'home') that's pretty serious. A fog like I don't remember seeing here, ever, actually. It was only at the lake - by the time you get to Lost Nation Airport it's cleared - but it was scary to be on the road, especially with cars that didn't seem to think they needed their headlights on. I'd be surprised if visibility was 50 feet.
I have the same reaction as you: are you serious!? I didn't think the fog was that bad. (It was rather pretty, I thought.) Of course, I didn't go outside until 9:45. Was it that much worse earlier?
When you come in May it will no longer be the season, but in March and October Edinburgh gets a fog so thick that there's a special Scots phrase for it. I have no idea how it's spelled (I've only ever heard it said) but it's something like "Har Sidhe." I'm not sure what the literal translation is, either, but I know what it means: it's too foggy for it to be safe to walk. There are times that you can't see across the street.
When you visit, I'll show you pictures. I have one, taken while resting my camera on the roof of my car. The rest of my car disappears after about ten inches. I've never seen anything like it. Luckily, it only happens three or four times a year and it usually only lasts for a few hours.
The first time it happened, everyone was saying "It's a Har Sidhe" and nodding sagely, and I thought: "Wow! This is really cool!" and I tried to walk around in it and I bumped into a light post - I didn't comically smack my head, just didn't really see it and bumped into it and decided that tragedy really could occur and went back inside.
As a side note, the Ancient Sumerian phoneme for a really, really bad fog is Bar-Sheg (I'll send the cuneiform to anyone who asks). Sumerian is 3900 years older than Scots Gaelic and yet their name for a bad fog is very similar sounding. Huh.
Actually it wasn't the fog (although it was really bad) so much as the black ice. It was REALLY slick out this morning.
Oh, the ice. Today was a completely lazy, stationary day for me, so, come 10 pm, I asked Mendon to go for a walk with me. We got 3 feet out of our building before we both hit an ice patch and almost went down together. We really put a valiant effort into this walk, but it just got stupid. We were only able to go up to the street and turn around before I fell while trying to stomp through the snow (I didn't make it though and slipped on the ice on top of the snow. Great).
Anyways, as per the school of interviews this morning, I got word from the superintendent that the delay was due to the fog. Maybe they were fortunate enough to have some salt? Although, I can't speak for other schools and their respective "leaders."
Nathan, I'm fascinated. I've never experienced anything like that.
That's very fuzzy to me. Clever girl!
Charlie Brown was never one of my favourites, and you've reminded me of just why that is... :( There are old cartoons that are good and have aged well, but Peanuts isn't it :(