The speculation began on the weekend before last. Tulsa was buzzing with news that a big snowstorm was headed our way. Of course, I knew that probably meant five inches...Tulsa's version of "big" is very different than such definitions in Colorado. I was in definite need of a snow day. I was feeling a little burnt out and overwhelmed, wrapped in a pending sinus issue. So, going to school on Monday, I was really looking forward to a Tuesday snow day -- when the storm was supposed to hit. The anticipation in our building for such a weather event was something you could cut like a knife, among students and teachers.
Lo and behold, the big one hit. It started with thunder, lightning, and a mix of water and ice pounding on my roof Monday night. By Tuesday morning when my 6th grade class would normally start, we had those five inches. And, over the course of that day, we got about five more, although snow drifts I trekked through in the afternoon were sometimes over twenty inches.
It was amazing. One of the best snow day experiences, ever. My roomie and I had stocked up on food the night before and used the opportunity to have a small feast with friends...I also spent a lot of time watching 30 Rock, movies, and reading. I did go outside and trekked to my apartment office, walking along the river. My friend and I had a ridiculous time...sometimes, the snow was merely an inch, sometimes, it was up to our waists. The wind was biting even though the sun was shining, and snow consistently blew in our faces.
All the cars in the parking lots were buried and silly snow drift formations decorated our complex. The next day, a few cars were able to dig out and move into the world, but for the most part, Tulsa was at a loss. It was never equipped to handle so much snow, much less the 1" of ice (at least) that had accumulated under the snowpack.
So, school was cancelled that Wednesday while they worked on clearing the roads. And Thursday. And Friday. And then it was the weekend, and was very cold. I made it out into life on Saturday, and spent a few hours at the coffee house working. I also got a haircut and did another grocery run. The Super Bowl was entertaining enough, but I started to feel ill that Sunday night and thought I may have to take a sick day on Monday (or be suffering).
And then school was cancelled on Monday because the side roads and neighborhood streets were still treacherous. And, the school parking lots hadn't been cleared. Then, Tuesday was cancelled, in anticipation of another large system sweeping through Tulsa. And swept through it did -- Wednesday, when school was cancelled for the seventh day. About seven inches fell in my area, but by afternoon, the sun was shining and on snow day #8, I feel like it hasn't haulted Tulsa.
Except, school was cancelled again today. I'm supposed to be flying out to DC tonight to go to the Teach for America 20th Anniversary Summit; everything seems like it' s a go at the airport. I already put in a sub request for Friday, but I have a feeling we just had an early spring break.
Minus the beach in Cancun.
TPS put out a survey to get ideas on how to make up the days...adding time to the school day, having classes on Saturdays, canceling what was supposed to be a four-day weekend next weekend, trimming spring break, and adding to the end of the year were all considered. We'll see what the school board ultimately decides this week (I'm fine with everything, except I think canceling spring break would be a shame for travelers. I didn't have any concrete plans yet, but I wanted to make some!).
Oh, and my 8th graders have their state writing test on Feb. 23rd...even without 2 weeks of test prep time erased across the state. I even took to texting some parents and students and assigning practice essays over the snow days just to try and make up for lost time!
Next week is going to be crazy. But, I'll be glad to see my kids again, get back into a routine (so much time stuck at home can really ruin any understanding of time and motivation), and move on.
This week was a blessing in disguise, because the Sunday illness turned into a serious throat issue that I saw my doc about on Monday, and got antibiotics and steroids just in time to treat. The rest afforded to me by being couped up definitely helps the recovery, so that was useful.
But, when I wish for a snow day again, I am going to be more careful. One or two snow days? Wonderful. Nine? A little bit of overkill.
Over and out, from "Snowklahoma" (as the weather channel apparently calls us -- Brian Williams even said it on the NBC Nightly News, and mentioned "Tulsa Town"...awwww),
~MJ
The picture up top is from the first storm, after the big stuff subsided. The wind was still strong and the drifts growing; the one in the shot was actually covering most of the first floor apartments. More pictures from Snowklahoma on Picasa
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