Uni High Gargoyle Staff Blog

I think we’ve all definitely earned ourselves a good day off; 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: The cold gets old.

Now that we finally have a snow day though, I plan to finally make the best of this icky weather. This morning Naho Maeda and I woke up at 10:30 taking our good sweet time to get out of bed. For some reason there are 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).

Anyway, so now that we’re all stuck in this snow situation (including U of I students!) I’d suggest everyone try to make the best of it! So what is there to do?

— You can build a snowman or a fort. Yes, I guess it’s a bit childish, but it’s so snowy and cold out, so there’s not much of a chance of anyone seeing you anyway. And, especially in the case of making a snowman, it always requires a strong enough man to lift the gigantic middle snowball up (so guys, don’t worry, it’s a very manly thing to do!).

— Snowball fight! True, getting hit in the face with a snowball is unbearable, but if you abide by all unwritten snowball fight rules, it always turns out to be a blast. Some of the unwritten rules including 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 monkeybars 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 monkeybars, 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.

— 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 marshmellows! But the whole typical chocolate, marshmellows, and graham crackers is so boring! Try adding shredded coconut or frost the graham crackers! We’re Uni students … be unique!

Either way, I’m sure everyone can find something that they enjoy! If nothing else, you can always go sledding! I’d suggest staying at home and staying safe (we need you back at school on time for Valentine’s Day)! Besides, you don’t want to end up like Jamar Smith and Brian Carlwell (I hope they get well).

— Lizzy Warner