Snow Day at Ohio Northern University

Last week I talked about the horrific winds that plague Ohio Northern's campus. Before yesterday I thought the wind would easily be the worst part of our winter here in Ada. Just when I thought conditions couldn't get any worse on the tundra, all hell broke loose. Well actually, hell froze over and the winds of Ada were accompanied by a base temperature of -10 degrees. The combination of frigid temperature and high winds led to a wind chill of -30 degrees. At these temperatures exposure longer than five minutes can lead to frostbite, so for the first time in about 30 years, Ohio Northern University was forced to cancel classes due to inclement weather. I couldn't believe it! Not once in my three years here on campus was there ever the thought of having a snow day in college. I just thought that was something that didn't happen in college. I now know that Ohio Northern University "prides themselves on their snow removal system" and they are not going to cancel school until they absolutely have to. My first snow day at Ohio Northern was actually bittersweet, yes, I didn't have any classes yesterday or today, but it is so cold and miserable outside that I can't do anything but stay barricaded in my room. In these kinds of situations, you truly find out what you're made of and come up with anything to avoid insanity.

If you were trapped inside for two days what would you do? You might read a book, binge-watch a TV show on Netflix, catch up on homework, or even just sleep the entire time. For me, it was a combination of all of these things. I started my microvacation off by sleeping in until noon. I think any college student would indulge in this luxury. Once I was fully rested I hopped out of bed and curled up on my couch in front of the TV. For the next six hours or so I became emotionally invested in season one of Hell's Kitchen. Man is that show entertaining, however, I can only watch a grown man scream at another grown man for a limited amount of time. It was time to start engaging my brain in something other than basic motor functions. I decided to walk across the hall to my neighbor's room where we played Fortnite for a few hours. By the time we had finished playing Fortnite it was already 11 p.m. and I was starving. This led me to meander back to my room and chef up some of the finest Hamburger Helper on this side of the country. A perfect meal for a perfectly wasted day. Soon after I finished stuffing my face I entered the dreaded food coma and passed out for the night.

Day 2 of my first ever snow day at Ohio Northern began this morning when I woke up to an email stating all classes before noon were canceled for today. I was supposed to have a class at noon today, but my teacher graciously called class off the Tuesday before. I decided this snow day needed to be handled much differently than yesterdays. That is exactly why I am here writing this blog first thing in the morning. The word for today is productivity and because of my lazy day yesterday, there are plenty of opportunities to be productive today. It’s a good thing though, to me, college is all about creating a balance between having fun and getting shit done. I think without that balance it’s only a matter of time before you go insane or drop out. This double snow day gave me the perfect opportunity to implement a 50-50 balance of productivity and relaxation.