12 December 2008 - 15:25Rant Time!

Down south I realize that a huge freezing rain event threw everything into total chaos, so the school systems in those towns and counties are excused from this rant.

So, we got about 6″ of snow overnight locally, and now school and daycare is closed for the day. I am not happy with this situation. Do I get to close today? No. Does anybody else get to have the day off? No.

I am OPEN.

It’s just snow people, not lava. And we all knew it was coming. There was plenty of time to prepare. I even went to the hardware store and bought a bag of ice melt and a shovel for the store, so that when I get to work, I can be open and no one will break their neck walking up the front steps.

We live in Vermont. It snows here. Everyone else is expected to get to work on time, so why are schools and daycare centers closed? I’m frustrated on many levels, both as a working parent, and as someone who got screwed out of going snowboarding before work this morning because someone thought a random 3 day weekend would be neat. Not cool.

And as a side rant, the 90 minute delay is inexcusable too. That little disruption is caused when the buses “won’t start”. PLUG THEM IN! There is an entire channel on TV that is dedicated to the weather. Extreme cold, snow storms and heavy rain don’t just randomly happen. 

To me, it’s a sign proving just how soft we are getting. Gone are the days of walking to school uphill both ways in a raging blizzard. I can count on one hand how many snow days we had when I was in high school. And guess what? I walked to school every day. 

And so it seems, I’ve become that grizzled old man preaching to anyone that would listen, about just how tough we had it when we were young, and how we had to eat wood and rocks.

Well, now I will have a little helper today, so I apologize in advance to anyone that calls in and gets interrupted with an update on Thomas the Tank Engine and what important job he might be doing at any given time.