You know it’s coming, it’s inevitable. You just don’t know when.
Some people will keep a wary eye on the weather reports year round, because you never know, right? Others only start to concern themselves with the possibility of it when the wick in the jack-o-lantern has finally been extinguished. Some people dread it, they were counting on a green Christmas this year. Some people hope for it with childlike desperation, they just can’t wait to hit the slopes. We know it’s coming when our girl Mother Nature starts dropping her coy little hints everywhere. Frost dusting the front lawn and creeping across windshields in the morning, warm coffee breath magically appearing before you as you huff your way towards the office, the rain puddles of last week turned slick and icy, a freezing cold surprise on your bum when you get up to pee in the middle of the night…
We steel ourselves for its imminent arrival. We test out the old space heater to make sure it still works. We gather up extra cozy thermal throws to snuggle on the couch with. We stock up on salt, shovels, anti-freeze, car scrapers and lock de-icers. We have to be vigilant. Especially here in Canada. The start of winter is unpredictable at best. But once that first snowfall takes, we can count on a solid four to six months of unrelenting cold and darkness.
I myself, prefer to be surprised by the first snowfall. I don’t try to anticipate it, that would spoil all the fun. There are so few surprises I will tolerate in life, but the first snowfall is one of them. And there are a myriad of ways that it can surprise you.
From the classic waking up on a cold morning and peeling back the curtains to reveal a generous three-foot-deep heaping of it, to the sneak attack flurries coating your car that you encounter upon your departure from the mall, possibly laden with spoils from your early Christmas shopping adventure. I love it when that first snowfall catches me off guard.
D and I went to a movie on Saturday afternoon. It looked a little chilly out, but otherwise calm. We wore our heavy winter jackets nonetheless, just in case. We made our way to the subway station, ducking our faces from the biting cold wind that whipped about our uncovered heads. “Fuck, it’s cold out there,” D exclaimed as we hustled down the stairs to the platform. His ears and cheeks were bright rosy red. “Yeah, but at least it’s not snowing yet,” I replied.
Seven stops later, we emerged from the subway and found ourselves smack in the middle of a swirling and splendid first snowfall. Surprise, motherfuckers!
Fat wet flakes floated all around us, settling on our coats and in our hair. I imagined we were trapped in a snow globe and laughed joyously as we dashed across the street to the theatre. A brilliant surprise first snowfall.
The flakes were enormous and sticky. As we settled into our seats we wondered what kind of scene we’d be greeted with in two hours time when the movie was over. Maybe we’d be snowed in! Then we’d have to live off of popcorn and fountain sodas for the next couple of days while we anxiously awaited a ragtag group of unlikely heroes to dig us out. Maybe the power would go out and we’d be given some rain check vouchers and a bunch of awesome free shit to pacify us because they couldn’t finish screening the movie. Or better yet, maybe there would be so much snow that cars would be left buried and abandoned. Yeah, and there’d be a full blown riot in action. We could loot ourselves a sweet new snowmobile and scoot our way home through the hysterical masses. Oh yeah, I’d totally be up for a bit of light looting to cap off our date.
But, as it so often is with all of my daydreams, such was not the case.
That first snowfall was fickle. When we left the theatre we were met with sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows; everything that’s wonderful.
Well, not exactly that. But that would have been cool too, dammit. Another daydream dashed by stupid reality. But it was a lot nicer out than I was expecting. Although it wasn’t as extensive a first snowfall as I’d have liked, it did leave in its wake a beautiful view of the city. One that I can admire from the warmth of my apartment.
Surprised and delighted by the first snow of the year, I can’t wait for more. There are plenty of opportunities for my zany winter fantasies to come true this year. I believe in the magic of winter, and think that the first snowfall is a hopeful time. A time for wishes and dreams aplenty. A time for thinking about the future, and planning ahead. It’s a time for thoughtfulness and reflection. It can be a difficult and frustrating time, too. The cold, the rapidly shortening hours of daylight, the impossible driving conditions, the constant barrage of snow. It can feel eternal at times. But it is easily endured by those that choose to embrace it, rather than fight it. They don’t call it The Great White North for nothing, my friends. You can learn to love it, or move.
I’ll survive the frigid winter weather with my fingers firmly crossed inside my woolly mittens, hoping. Wishing on snowflakes, and dreaming on every visible puff of breath that escapes my lips. Because that’s how I like to be.
Always hoping, eternally hopeful.
So how was Delivery Man?
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Lol, I don’t know if I should admit what we saw to my movie reviewing chums… But I’m going to, and hopefully it won’t be so bad.
We saw Bad Grandpa.
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If people are judging you on what movies you watch then it’s time they refill themselves with fresh, cleansing douche.
How was it? I’d love to see it but figured I’d wait for home video.
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I laughed A LOT. There’s one scene when the old man and the kid are in a diner, and it was hilarious. But D thought that the actual Jackass movies were funnier. Waiting for home video isn’t such a bad idea. Especially if there’s stuff you’d rather see.
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I will but I’m waiting until the summer and watching it outside. Fuck this snow business.
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That’s not a bad idea. You could have some sort of Bad Grandpa hot tub party.
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That’s probably the best idea you’ve ever had. We could hold contests for tickets on our site!
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I feel a bracket coming on!
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Reader Madness! 64 people who read our site go head-to-head to determine the Ultimate Reader!
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And then the final two have to have a Beat It style knife fight!!!
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In a hot tub!
All right, now let’s talk nudity…
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Well it is a hot tub party so my first instinct is to say mandatory.
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Our last hot tub party didn’t go so well. R.O.T.O.R. shorted out almost immediately and Shakma’s fur clogged up the filter.
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All of this talk about nude hot tub parties has changed the outlook of my day. THANKS!!!
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Glad we could help!
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Glad we could help!
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It snowed here yesterday too – snow and sleet. I like the snow but I’ll pass on the freezing rain. I hope you have a good week!! Now I’m off to think about nude hot tub parties.
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You get snow in Arkansas? I had no idea. I thought it was too southern to be trifled with snow.
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I actually live in Oklahoma – I was just visiting Arkansas that one week. We get it all… Snow… Rain… Tornadoes… Blistering heat…
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No way!!
Do you wake up every day and sing Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day? lol.
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LOL
For the last week or so I wake up every morning singing Take a Chance on Me…..
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Amazing! I love that I have my powers of suggestion are so strong on you. Maybe I can get you to hold up a 7/11 and send all the monies to me!
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I did on the way to work this morning!! Man this bag of pennies is heavy… this is going to cost me a fortune to send up there…
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Well if you get em up here quick I can have a tasty calzone for lunch! lol
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I’ll try but I have a conference call to go to in 19 minutes…
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That sucks dude. Hopefully you’ve got something gory and disgusting that you can watch in the background to amuse yourself during it.
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You KNOW it!!
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SNOW!!!
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I love the excitement Tim. Probably means you get a bunch of snow where you live too?
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Yep, when it comes it comes think and heavy. Closes down everything down though 😦
UK cannot take a flake of snow with crashing to the ground.
In Russia they fly planes off runways at -50 and ice and snow everywhere. We get a flake of snow on a runway at -1 and everything must stop!
Love the snow though, live in a small town in the north so am fine with the heavy snow 😀
Snow men!
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Wow, everything shuts down? That can be kind of awesome. I used to love it when the snow was too deep for the school buses to manage so we’d get a day off school. Snow days were always the best days. Full of snow angels, snow men, snowball fights, snow forts. We were living the dream on snow days.
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Ah the snow forts, good times 😀
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Oh man– I always dread and hate winter because I’m miserable when I’m cold, but! I love snow. I love ice. I love anything that feels like impending doom and devastation. I like feeling like we have to stock up on food and might be stranded somewhere. Perhaps thats unhealthy… so yeah, bring on the winter storm warnings!
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Being cold does suck, that’s for sure. But the one great thing about the winter is that my pasty pale skin thrives. I don’t know about you, but the break from the sun and heat does wonder for me! And because it’s winter I don’t look out of place being cold, unlike the summer when I stick out like a sore thumb amidst the endless amount of bronzed statues walking about, lol.
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Hahaha it’s true, so very true.
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Great post. 🙂 Oh I HATE snow. And cold. And winter. But I love the thought of being snowed in at a movie theatre!
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Yeah being snowed in at a theatre would be amazing. Until you ran out of movies to watch! lol.
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