Some snow is expected. Later this afternoon, the storm is expected to start rolling into the Washington DC area, blanketing everything in view with several inches of the white stuff. If that sounds like I'm understating the prospect, that's probably true. I added the exclamation points in the title of this blogpost as a sort of statement of the ridiculous. I never think a snow storm needs one exclamation point, much less three. It's just snow. It's just winter. It's expected. I grew up in the West and the headline that is floating across smartphones and broadcast television already is a bit much to my thinking.
It's not that I think I'm so tough and can take anything. I just think that most of us will survive this storm. Yes, it will be inconvenient. I've already had to bail on a shift at C-Span. They offered me a night or two of a hotel, but then I would have been stuck on Capitol Hill with no place to go and no way to get home. Metro trains are canceling service and closing because of the storm.
It's just that I think I can stay home, work out, do personal projects and generally entertain myself for a few days. There's enough food, water, cable TV and work at home to do to occupy me.... even if I take up blogging again.
But I have seen that a lot of people are panicked about being shut in with themselves. Some people have a hard time being alone. I'm not in favor of a solitary life, but I do think it's tolerable and in fact, I've often noted that I would rather be alone than wishing to be alone.
So here's a list of things I can more effectively do because I live alone:
I can stay up as late as I want without bothering anyone else.
By the same token, I can go to bed as early as I want without requesting permission.
I can leave a set of fingernail clippers around the house and know exactly where I left them.
I never have to wonder who took my fingernail clippers and left them sitting next to the couch?
I can spend the entire four days of being stuck inside my "cabin," doing spring cleaning and organizing, piling up boxes of stuff to take out to Goodwill or the dumpster, upon my release.
I can spend the entire four days of "stuck" making a huge mess that will rival the piles of snow expected outside my door, when I emerge.
I can always predict when the last roll of bathroom tissue will be run out.
I will have no one to go get me an extra roll of bathroom tissue, if I fail to plan.
I can order takeout delivery whenever I wish.
I can wait about a week for takeout delivery, if I decide to send out tomorrow, after the storm has done its worst.
Seriously, I think a storm is good. The northeast coast has always been green and lovely. I'm pleased to think that with a bit of snow this winter, we will retain that natural beauty after a bit of a struggle with nature.
Therefore... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
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