AN ODE TO ALL OUR SNOW DAYS – NOT REALLY- An Unpopular opinion

By Harris Morand; Freshman

This year, schools all across the Northeast, including yours truly, Oakmont, have had many snow days. 

It has been a while since the last snow day, and I am glad those days are getting farther and farther behind us. 

By now, I’m ready to rant about my experience, and put you straight through what I experienced. And, maybe I can even bring a bit of humor as well.

I’m sure we all remember hearing the superintendent announce yet another snow day, waking up to the swift realization that you won’t be having school that day, and there’s a good chance you won’t tomorrow. Then you’d look out your window and see what feels like 5 feet of snow. 

While your thought of a day off might seem fun, for people like me, that thought is completely obliterated when you remember you have to shovel. And when you look back outside, that 5 feet starts to look more like 12 feet. 

Then, your back pain from yesterday’s round of seemingly 10 feet of snow decides to come back, and get a warm welcome. And to top it off, if you’re me, it’s then remembered that you have to bring in a lot of wood, to keep the fireplace going. 

If you couldn’t tell by now, it’s already shaping up to be a tip-top day!

Entering the kitchen to tell what time it is, you’re greeted by a very fascinating sight: your backpack. It serves as an advertisement to the mountain of homework you left behind yesterday, claiming that you’d “finish it tomorrow.”

Look at that. Tomorrow finally came.

If you’re like me, after you cuss under your breath, you figure it’s time to just get it done. Math, science, English, social studies, whatever. And the fact that there’s not much stopping you from zoning out, makes writing or typing a single word so hard. 

Finally, you finish your seemingly endless work. Then, you’d figure that you probably have time to go on your phone. But, then you hear the sound of a snowblower in the driveway. 

Time to shovel.

The moment you step outside, the cold and dry air slaps your face harder than Will Smith. You already feel hot underneath your coat, but are still already freezing. You try to lift up the snow, and you feel all 33 of your vertebrae crack.

After about 15 or so minutes, you’ve barely made any progress. The snow is heavy and wet, and your shovel feels useless. Your back already hurts, and the snowfall is relentless. However, you muster your strength, and push through the snow.

However, if you’re like me, it’s not over yet: you still have to shovel a path to the aforementioned wood pile. By now, your boots are soaked, and the snow that went down your back feels cold and painful. 

Making matters even better, there is the constant and comforting reality that most of your friends are probably inside right now, not breaking their backs with shoveling.

After way too much time, you finally finished shoveling.  You go inside, and take off your drenched coat and boots. But before you can enjoy your free time, you just remember that since the roads are so icy and snowed-in, you can’t leave your house. 

For those like me, all you can really do is play on your PC (if you had power), watch TV, or take a nap (which I do not recommend – naps are horrible). And you better be happy with the snacks you have. If not, well it’s not going to be a good time.

Later that night, when you go to bed, you think about how everyday has felt the same; get up, do work, shovel, boredom, bed. Comprehending your now groundhog day-like situation, you hope tomorrow will be different.

But, this hope of a difference vanishes upon the moment you see a missed call from the Superintendent, on the 4th hour of you scrolling through your phone.