Snow Day

Under just about any circumstances, I despise being woken up by my phone ringing. Ending a peaceful slumber by the piercing and jarring noise of the telephone is often worse than waking to an alarm clock. Alarm clocks are usually within arm's length, and they have the magical Snooze button. The cell phone - which I keep in another room overnight - keeps on ringing until it kicks over to voicemail. And if I ever do get up to answer the phone, which requires getting my sluggish - and irritated - self up out of bed, and over to the other room, there's a chance it won't be important. If somehow I deem it important enough to pick up, I have to find the two or three brain cells which are functioning and find a way to make coherent sentences. So clearly, waking up to a ringing phone is not high on my list of favorites.

But not today.

When I woke up and realized my phone was ringing, I jumped out of bed, praying to get to it before it went to voicemail. I can't remember when I last moved that fast at 5:15 in the morning. And there it was - the caller ID reading my school. Putting the phone to my ear, my excitement increased when I recognized that I would not have to use any of my semi-conscious brain cells. There were three possible reasons for the phone call: a 60-minute delayed opening, a 90-minute delayed opening, or an all-out school closure. Which one was it going to be?
The recorded message of the principal of my school began. It took him seemingly hours to introduce himself. When at long last, he did announce that there was no school today, I was in such a state of disbelief, I let the message repeat itself so I could hear it again. I haven't heard sweeter words than that in a long time.

Just a couple weeks ago in December, we received 10 inches of snow, but school was still open (though we did have a 90-minute delayed opening, which I found out about after I was halfway on my way to work). I have heard stories about the north's "bring it on" response to snow, and how just about nothing closes unless it's 25 below and there is at least a foot on the ground.
Having lived as far north as Jersey (when living in America), I've gotten used to much wussier reactions to snow. Particularly (and laughingly so) in DC, where school was once canceled for Monday on Sunday night due to the threat of 3 inches of the white stuff, when there was not one flake already on the ground. As it turned out, it didn't start snowing until 3pm the following day, and at that, we only got a whopping total of 2 inches. (That night I saw people take full advantage of the onslaught of snow, cross-country skiing on my block.)

So as the disbelief settled, the excitement grew. So much so, it was pretty difficult to fall back asleep, thinking of all I was suddenly able to do today. Time will tell if I manage to get out of my robe and accomplish anything today, but for now, having yesterday finished all my "have to"s for the week, I am reveling in the stupidity of television and the fullness of my refrigerator.

Let it snow!