Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Winter Wonderland

Written today at 2:30 pm...

If I haven't said it already on this blog, welcome to Boulder... home of the freakish snowstorms that hit before Halloween. CU Students, I hope you all are enjoying your partial snow day and *fingers crossed* we'll have a lovely day off tomorrow.

I'm sitting here in my room, being slowly trapped in the building by several feet of snow, cranking up the Christmas music (I know, I know, it's early for that, but I couldn't resist), sipping hot tea... and, yeah, it's only the end of October. This storm has managed to surprise me quite a bit - there have been many years where we have had snow storms before November, but I don't remember any with quite the umph that this one has.

Anyway, I thought I'd take a moment to talk a bit about weather survival tips at CU, an in Boulder in general:

1. Never underestimate the weirdness of our weather. I have personally seen it go from 60 degrees and sunny to 25 degrees and blizzard-ing in a few HOURS, let alone a few days.

2. Always carry an umbrella. Getting soaked is the worst, particularly if you have to sit in class with damp jeans and dripping hair. There's just no need; buy a small pocket or travel umbrella and keep it around when you go out.

3. Buy and USE gloves and a hat. This might sound motherly, but people who complain about being cold and don't dress properly kind of annoy me. Cold hands and ears are awful, so buy a fuzzy set and bundle up. You'll be glad you have them.

4. Get shoes with good soles. Whatever works for you is fine, but it often rains before it snows, which - voila! - means lots of ice. No one wants to deal with a broken bone, and though you think you have a sturdy step, it only takes one patch of black ice for you to hit the pavement.

5. And don't forget the marshmallows... It's that hot chocolate/ tea / hot drink time of year, stock up!

Anyone have any fun snow or snow day related stories to share?

Stay warm, Boulderites! :)

This blog is sponsored by the CU Book Store.

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