Opinion by Sarah O’Rourke
Nothing makes me happier then waking up at 6:15 a.m. and looking out the window to see the snow blowing around with 50 mile per hour winds.
It’s also fun walking, or actually sliding, down the sidewalks to my 8 a.m. classes and not being able to see where I’m going.
Oh, and the absolute best part is when the snow melts and puddles form in the potholes in the street.
Then, when I wait patiently by the crosswalk to get to class, some car speeds by and the water sprays in my face.
After class I go to work, meaning I have to dig my car out of the snow. And I literally mean dig. I have a huge shovel in the trunk of my car so I can remove the mound of snow around my car left from the snowplows.
Then I get to use all the upper body strength that I don’t have to scrape the ice off of the windshield and all the windows.
Once my car is ready to go, I get to experience the joy of driving with others in the snow.
I am a great driver in the snow, but being around others is what scares me. No, lady in the soccer mom van, that speed limit sign says 25, not 50! And please don’t tailgate me if I don’t want to go 50 as well. You can go around me or slow down, but just because you are tailgating me does not mean I will go faster.
Maybe some people don’t know this, but when it snows or when there is ice on the roads, it can be pretty slippery and it is perfectly fine, and even expected, that you go slower.
If I survive the 1.6-mile trek to work, the day gets better since I can use the weather as small talk. In case you didn’t know this, people love to complain about the weather. All you need to do is say, “How’s the weather?” or “What about all this snow?” and people will talk to you like you’re their best friend.
After work, I get to go back outside and scrape even more snow off my car. But this time, it’s around dinner time and already dark outside.
Not only do I have to worry about getting ice off my car and being able to see on my drive home, but I also have to be cautious of any creepy people lurking in the parking lot who could kidnap me. I’m a very small person, so this is a legitimate fear of mine.
After being tailgated (again) the entire 1.6 miles back to my apartment, I have to find a good parking spot in the parking lot. Of course, all the good spots are taken already.
But what I find absolutely hilarious is that the snowplows will pile up the snow in some of the really good parking spots. C’mon people, I could have parked there.
With all the close parking spots taken, I am forced to park in the back of the lot. This means I have a long walk back to my apartment, and I have to risk wiping out in the street and being kidnapped again.
Once I make it back to my apartment, I know that I am finally safe from the demon snowflakes outside. And I get really excited to curl up in all my blankets and take a nap.
But in the back of my mind there’s still the thought that I get to wake up the next morning and do it all over again.
O’Rourke is a first-year pharmacy major and can be reached at sarah.orourke@drake.edu
