How to make...

...the most of a snowstorm.

Yesterday, it snowed all day long. It was literally a downpour of snow like I'd never seen before. I had class at 10am and then a mid-term in my 3pm class. I was exhausted from my weekend class, and generally stressed out about multiple things, including the fact that I had not been able to study for my midterm.

I aimed to leave home at 8:30, knowing that I wouldn't get away until 9... and that I would need every minute of that time to make it to school in the snow. Up until this point, I had never had to leave home on any of the "snow days" for class, and I wanted to be prepared.

I meticulously scraped the thin layer of ice from my car windows after pushing away the piled snow. I also carefully cleared the snow from the path of the windshield fluid squirters. After testing the wipers and finding that only the left one even came close to clearing my window, I attempted to knock away the ice from the rubber blades. I tested them again, only to get frustrated that the right one was still useless.

Determining that whatever was causing the problem would melt with time, I started on my way. I pulled the wiper fluid lever, but saw nothing emerge to assist my wipers in clearing my windshield. The visibility through my windshield continued to get worse as I drove a couple blocks through residential streets.

I decided that I had to pull over because the small clear spot of the windshield just in front of my steering wheel would not suffice for maneuvering on city streets. I made little progress on the wipers, and ended up stopping again two-thirds of my way to school.

The drive (usually 15-20min) took 45 minutes, and I was delighted to find that there were still parking spots in my second favorite lot (which is usually full by the time I show up for a 10am class). Normally, I have to park in the far lot, which is a 5 minute walk from my building... and this seemed particularly disagreeable in a snow storm.

After my 10am class, I set myself up at one of the tables in the common room, determined to finish my assignment that was due before the midterm, and absorb as much of the test material as possible.

Before the first hour was up, I was interrupted by a couple people at a nearby table, attempting to break through the music coming through my head phones in order to get my attention. I only vaguely recognized them (there are so many people who showed up last semester who I don't have the energy to meet), but they knew me from our 3pm class. They wanted me to know that I didn't need to keep working because class had been canceled, and the midterm postponed until after Spring Break.

My first thought was of disbelief... like, they might be playing a prank or something just to see if I'd fall for it. But then I realized I wasn't in high school... so I put my books away, trying to let relief take over.

I trekked back to my car, so excited that I got to go home and chill with my roommate (who had a snow day) for the afternoon. And after placing my backpack in the back seat, I sat down in the front seat and heard a click as I accidentally bumped one of the buttons on my keychain with my gloves. I didn't think much of it and started my car, ensuring that the defrost was on.

I grabbed my ice pick, closed the car door, and proceeded to spend 5 minutes cleaning off the 2-3 inches of snow that had fallen on my car while I was in class. And when I finished, and reached for the door handle, I really didn't comprehend what had happened and why I couldn't open the car door.

To be continued...
[This is far longer than I anticipated... ha ha]