Snow Policies

There's a two hour delay for the kids this morning. I'm not sure exactly how much it snowed last night. They said two to four inches, and it looks something like that much is laying on the ground. The streets are clear though, and it's warmer outside than it has been in about a month. Sometimes I don't get it.

I always thought a two hour delay was a great idea because it wasn't counted as a snow day. Nothing would have to be made up later. And it always seems like in a couple hours, the roads were clear enough and the weather good enough that all the little brats should be in school instead of out sledding or invading the malls. It doesn't seem like there are a lot of negatives to that until you start thinking of the wrench that gets thrown in the parents' day because they have to make arrangements for their kids being home an extra two hours. I don't even work outside the home, and it messes me up like you wouldn't believe. All because we got a little snow on the ground.

(Uh-oh. Here she goes with her two feet of snow stories.)

Being a hick from Nebraska where we were lucky to wear shoes in the winter, school didn't get canceled a lot. There was no such thing as a two hour delay in our school system, and there still isn't to my knowledge. You either went or you didn't. It was that simple. And if you didn't, there better be blizzard-like conditions and at least four inches of snow laying on the ground with the streets covered. If it even looked like a snowplow could uncover a square centimeter of pavement somewhere in the state before the busses had to carry hoards of disappointed children to school, carry they did. We always joked that school only got canceled when the military base closed. Seeing as that base is a big headquarters and one of a few ground zeroes when we were all scared of the bomb being dropped on us, closing was never a possibility. The only winter it would close would have been when the Commies made our winter a nuclear one.

But foul weather is all relative. People in Minnesota and North Dakota always made fun of us for canceling school due to negative temperatures and wind chill. Now I can make fun of Pittsburgh for delaying or canceling school due to single degree temps and more than an inch of snow on the ground. I'm already a wiener when it comes to cold after living here for nearly three years. It's amazing the difference ten degrees can make. I still don't see the sense in delaying school every time it snows just because they can, but I'm not school administration, and I'm sure the kids are damn glad of that.

Ironically, I'm debating whether to start back to training again today or not. I said I would, but I'm worried about getting myself or the dog run over by one of these morons that is defensive driving when there's nothing to defend against. I swear, some people see white, and it just sends them in a tizzy. I think my winter weather driving rant is best saved for another day though. I have to figure out if I'm going to go brave the hazards and get myself in shape, so I'm not so worried about this race anymore.