I'm an Old Fart. Let me Rip...Snow

It's been a long time since I've written anything substantial. Call me lazy, but I'm lacking any type of motivation to write this month. Come to think of it, I've been slowing down the number of posts since the winter started. I guess it must be a seasonal thing. I just want to curl up in a blanket when it's cold outside; not to mention all the snow that came this past winter. It's pretty sad really, since I used to love the snow as kid. Nowadays, it's just a big burden whenever it starts piling up.


If you ever grew up in a region with four seasons or in one with typically colder weather, snow kicked ass. Not only could you engage in some awesome snowball fights, you could make a snow man, go sledding (if there's a nearby hill), lie down and make some snow angels, or if you're ambitious enough, sculpt an igloo (I never got around to making one).

It's still only April, so there could still be a possibility of it snowing again. Everyone or at least I think everyone knows the saying "April showers bring May flowers." Well, in Michigan, April snows bring May woes, the spring April owes, I suppose. When will Spring come? Who the fuck knows? That was a terrible rhyme, but it's that strong Dr. Seuss influence from all of his books I read during my childhood. Living in Michigan, those damned lakes will most likely be affecting the weather as spring rolls around.

Since I've grown up, snow has become more of a burden for me. During college, you weren't really offered any type of snow day, if it snowed five to six inches, you were still expected to make the trek to class. The only time I had a class canceled in college by means of snow accumulation was when the professor wasn't able to make it to class. Even at that time, I still made the cold bitter journey to class only to be infuriated by a paper notice on the classroom door notifying class was canceled. What about an email? Eh, regardless, I was pretty pissed to know I could have been snuggled up in my bed at the same time.

Nowadays I work a temporary job at a freight carrier. Snow is never friendly to them honestly. Snow causes delays upon delays and dangerous roads for truckers going through a given area. As far as I know, Pennsylvania experience record snowfalls this years in terms of accumulation which definitely did not make my job any easier trying to explain to customers why they hadn't received their freight or whatever they may have. To them, regardless of rain, snow, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, or shine, they want their freight--and on time. A heavy case of tunnel-visioned customers makes for a very unpleasant day on my end; taking verbal abuse nearly every minute of the day. This is not to lessen the severity of a typical day since I do get yelled at at least three or four times daily. People just don't understand that it's extremely dangerous for a 53' truck and trailer to be moving through slick unsalted roads and try to power through snowy days. Some shipments are just going to take longer to get to their destination as a result.

Alright this is probably an extreme case of trucker trouble, but it really is risky for truckers to be out in snowy conditions.

Speaking of dangerous conditions, this last winter was the first one I experienced commuting on a daily basis. Honestly, it's scary as hell when snow and freezing rain are involved. Just think about it. It's already scary enough to be traveling down the road trusting everyone in your vicinity is competent enough to stay in his/her lane and to maintain a safe distance away as well as abide traffic lights and signs. Add in some hazardous and snowy conditions and you'll have one hell of a commute.

Boy do I hate the snow. It sure creates more problems than it solves. I guess you can take into account that it is imperative to have balanced seasons, but for me, snow is just mere eye candy every three the four months of the year. Alright...Perhaps I'm being a little bit too cynical. I could technically still have fun during the winter after a snowfall. It's purely the lack of free time that's driving me insane. Snow also isn't particularly that hazardous compared to a hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, or some other natural disaster; it's fluffy and wants to be left alone, but can be pushed and packed away when need be. There's simply no stopping hurricane when it comes around--Katrina you bitch.


So honestly, I felt pretty angry and flustered all about nothing. With anything regarding the weather, there are going to be some good and bad aspects. Some people could say rain sucks equally hard, or some people might not like sunny days. Snow doesn't completely suck; it blows sometimes as it interferes with your daily grind, but whenever I gaze outside my bedroom window after an overnight flurry, the view is quite nice.