LIZZY WARNER
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007
Opinions

I THINK WE'VE all definitely earned ourselves a good day off — or make that two.

During this time of year, every day seems to drag on and on. Basically what happens is you get up early in the morning when it's still dark and freezing cold, so that you don't want to move a muscle. You drag yourself to school to sit in a classroom where the heat is sky high, so that you feel like a boiling egg. After school you are forced to stand outside in the cold waiting for your parents to pick you up (and it never fails that the colder the weather is, the later they are). I must say that I agree with Elaine Gu: The cold gets old.

Snow days make things bearable, though.

Tuesday morning Naho Maeda and I woke up at 10:30 taking our good sweet time to get out of bed. For some reason there were about two or three roads around my house that never get plowed, so looking out the window we could see the piles and piles of snow on the street. Naho told me that getting this much snow, in her city in Japan, would be unbelievable (though, admittedly, this is pretty shocking to me, too).

Now that we're all stuck in this icky weather (including U of I students!), I'd suggest everyone try to make the best of it. Hopefully you didn't spend your first snow day at home just watching TV and moping around the house. But what else is there to do?

— Build a snowman or a fort. Yes, I guess it's a bit childish, but it's so snowy and cold out, there's not much chance anyone would see you anyway. And, especially in the case of making a snowman, a strong-enough male is always needed to lift the gigantic middle snowball. So guys, don't worry, it's a very manly thing to do!

— Snowball fight! True, getting hit in the face with a snowball isn't pleasant, but if you abide by the unwritten rules, a snowball fight always turns out to be a blast. Some of the unwritten rules include packing the snowball so hard that it's practically an ice ball, stuffing snow down someone's back, etc.

— Snow sundae. It's just as sanitary as sticking your tongue out to drink rainwater (though I would suggest using the top layer of snow — not the stuff touching the dirt — and to make sure that it looks really white). Get about a spoonful of snow, add a drop of syrup and half a cherry, and voila! They're not any better than regular ice cream sundaes, but it's the idea that counts!

— Go to a park. Swings might not be the best idea, since you're bound to get hurt, but instead try the monkey bars or the slides. Since the slides are covered in snow, it makes them extra slippery so that you go down really fast! I wouldn't suggest going down a slide with tons of bumps at the risk of flying off, but maybe try the swirly ones instead. There's also the monkey bars, which are really slippery (especially with gloves on!); so get some friends and see who can get the farthest in the fastest amount of time. It's extremely difficult to make it all the way across, but possible nonetheless.

— Warm your blankets. For those of you who would prefer to stay inside, stick all your blankets in the dryer, and after only a minute or two you can take them out and wrap yourself in all the warmth!

— Make s'mores. It's easy to get a fire going in the fireplace (your parents would be very happy to have extra warmth in the house), and then you just roast the marshmallows. But the whole typical chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers is so boring. Try adding shredded coconut or frost the graham crackers. We're Uni students … be unique!

But what about Valentine's Day? With no school, we're missing out on receiving our beloved Valentine Grams!

Valentine's Day is supposed to be that wonderful day when we all feel loved. Not to worry. Even when you're home alone you can still get into the holiday spirit. (And guys, pay close attention, because while it may not seem like your kind of thing, making a personal Valentine beats IM-ing your girl a message any day!) So here are some suggestions for a Valentine-themed snow day:

— Make messages in the snow. Mix together some red (or pink if you have it) dye and water, and then go outside and draw little hearts or Valentine's Day messages in the snow to passersby. A message in the snow really stands out and eventually will freeze too, so it will stay there. And if you mess up, all you have to do is cover it with clean white snow.

— Make little personal Valentine's Day cards. Markers on white paper would do fine. Fold them up really small and put them in discreet places all over your house. For example, hide one in a clean glass so that the next person who gets thirsty will see this nice little “I love you!” message before gulping down the water. And if any of your cards go unfound today, then at least someone will get a sweet message some other time.

— Rent some romantic comedies. Try “Hitch” or “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” I would suggest sticking to the comedies because no one who is stuck home alone on Valentine's Day is going to want to be crying and feeling gushy without someone else there with them! To make it even better you can bake yourself some heart-shaped cookies. It doesn't really work with chocolate chip cookies, but sugar cookies are usually very easy to shape.

No matter what you choose, I'm sure everyone will find something to enjoy. If nothing else, you can always go sledding! Just stay safe. We need you back at school before Agora Days!

[NOTE: An earlier version of this column appeared in the Gargoyle staff blog.]

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