Blizzard 2010

It's almost Thanksgiving.  Along with talk of travel plans, there was a lot of hype about today's blizzard.  It's true, I did go to the store yesterday to buy food.  The wind was really strong for a good part of the day.  Schools were closing - the U canceled afternoon and evening classes, work was talking about closing early, and did.  And there was good reason.  We were getting reports from coworkers in Nevada that they were closing offices there because the snow was blowing so hard there was little visibility.  That storm was coming here.  It was kind of fun to be excited about a big storm - kind of like what we do at home when snow flurries are forecasted.  I left work early, no snow yet, and got home safely.  My roommate came home later, after the snow had started falling and lots of people were sliding off the highway.  When the temperature drops 12 degrees in 20 minutes and it snows 5 inches, and you're cozy inside your apartment, of course the storm isn't a big deal.  But the weatherman isn't doing predictions for our little niche of the valley - the forecast is for the whole state.  How is he supposed to know it's not going to be a big deal for you specifically?  Because it was a big deal for those people in the northern part of the state.  And even last weekend when there was no hype, people were left for days with no electricity.  So how do you know it's not going to happen again?  I'm on the defensive for this one folks.  I just got a little tired of hearing Utah natives bragging about 'how this is nothing.'  'They're calling this a blizzard?' You should be saying - wow, I'm happy it wasn't worse - I'm so happy my electricity is still on and I have running water and my car is still intact and I'm not sitting on the side of the highway somewhere in a ditch.  Can we have some gratitude here?  Can we just give the weatherman a break?  Why do you think he's going to be right anyway?  Isn't it good to expect the worst and have it turn out better?  Besides, if it isn't so bad out there, why was I the only one outside walking around tonight?  Why was everyone else holed up in their apartments glued to the news and gloating that the weatherman was wrong?  Tomorrow the high is 16 degrees, low tomorrow night will get down to 2 degrees! 

I've been in worse and I'm a Georgia girl.  I'm happy to get off the roads, play in the snow, and embrace the cold.  That's why they make parkas and longjohns!  (and laptops for working at home)