Snow Day

So Yesterday (which should go down in history as The WORST DAY EVER) we awoke to this.

Now many of you from any other State besides the WDC/Northern VA area will read this and go, "SOO?! It's Snow! No biggidy." However, unless you have ever tried to drive here when this has hit the ground, you wouldn't understand the "biggidy." In fact, I recall the day after Obama took office, he made a comment that he would change Washington when the area schools were closed because of a light dusting. I, too used to mock this (but treasured every snow day I was given!!) until the day the gov called a "delayed arrival, liberal leave" (meaning you can use a vacation day without having pre-approval to do so) rather than a snow day. Naturally, I wasn't going to waste a vacation day on that (its not THAT fun) so I decided to head into DC to work.

After literally 6 hours on the Dulles Toll Road where I was thankful to reach speeds of 2 miles per hour, I finally made it to work. Northern VA drivers truly have a gift! They manage to literally FLIP their cars (going at the high rate of speed of no more than 10) , I gotta admit...that takes some serious talent. By the grace of God, I had filled up the gas tank the night before -otherwise, I would not have made it - people were abandoning cars all over the toll road (which didn't help the traffic situation!)

Trust me, I understand how retarded it is to call a snow day for less than 6 inches of snow (but yet, I still back it, because its fun for me. Do you see??). I grew up in Montana - where there was no such thing as a snow day...out west, they call it Monday. The only day my school ever closed was when Mount St. Helens erupted and it was snowing volcanic ash...we went to school for the first few days while it snowed ash, until some sciencey person pointed out that breathing the ash might kill us, so once we had circa a foot of ash on the ground, school closed the next day. I recall it distinctly because it was SUCH A WINDFALL! Immediately, of course, I put on my snow boots and ran outside to try to build ash-men in the ash - little known fact, ash does not roll into balls like snow. So we switched, to making ash-angels! I think I might have had to throw away my clothes - by the time I came inside (after inhaling ash particulates for circa 6 hours) I was covered in soot.

Thank God the schools closed to keep us safe.

Yesterday, http://www.opm.gov/ (where all federal employees excitedly go whenever their is a dusting of snow to see if the fed called a SNOW DAY - -and for the last 4 years have been hideously disappointed every morning) declared liberal leave to be in effect (I fully blame Obama for this). However, this time I decided I probably SHOULD use a vacation day. I figured that I probably shouldn't show up for my first day in the new office to meet the people covering Sudan in tears - I'm just guessing they might not think that was professional. I figured I would find out where Sudan is, and what it is they say they do tomorrow. I'd just wing it - why change now?

So yesterday, while I cried all day, Poods slept far, far away from my blubbering and this is what Kernel did. He got out every toy (most are all chewed up, de-stuffed, de-squeaked and disfigured) and took inventory. Then, he moved them to different rooms in the house, I can only assume so that he would never be without something to destroy/play with at any given moment.

Today, life goes on. The snow has started to melt and my tears are starting to dry up. I will go meet the new people and pretend to know how to spell Khartoum.

Eventually, I will be happy that Kernel will be going to a new home where he will be loved and get a lot more action during the day. Plus, on the upside, not only will he be able to inventory his toys, he will also be able to inventory Brandy and Jesse's three boys' toys as well.

I'm sure they'll be thankful.