snow days

Listening to NPR this morning while getting ready, I heard the announcements of the school closings and delays in the area. And you're probably going to laugh at this, but it really made me smile.

In an odd Proustian moment, I was sitting in the den of my old house, waiting practically with breath held while the closed schools and delayed openings scrolled on the screen. And new additions kept being added. Granted, that time would have been spent better getting ready for school, but that was a minor detail.

If the gods smiled on us, then my school's name would show up on the screen. I don't recall ever going back to bed, but when I was younger I'd probably change the channel to watch cartoons or something, and when I was older it was straight to the computer to get online.

And honestly, it didn't take much to shut us down. People from Dallas know that the entire city practically shuts down for a few tiny inches of snow. Not enough to use that snow day to build snowmen or have snowball fights, but who cares? We'd all probably be inside anyway, thoughts a million miles away from algebra and themes of English literature.

Of course there was a downside back then. We used to have two "snow days" set aside around Easter. If the school was never closed for weather issues, we'd have two days off for a nice long weekend. And if we were closed, well, then we were stuck in school in April.

But the unexpected day off had the same kind of excitement as Christmas morning.

Anyway...I miss snow days. One thing I've noticed, living in a place too where it actually snows more consistently, they don't close offices nearly as often as they close schools. And then there's that whole voluntary snow day I've heard about. Considering I don't have much of a commute to my office...chances are I probably couldn't justify a snow day.

But...maybe I ought to take a "snow" day soon? I think that might be a great idea.