My First Real Winter

i knew living here on the east coast was going to have its changes...the snobby new england attitude, the dismal supply of asian food (and faces for that matter), the prospect of car-less transportation, and of course...seasons.

and though it has been cold for quite some time now...and i have readjusted my measurements of what is cold. that low of 50 degrees in san diego so no longer considered sweater, hoodie, and boots weather...that has now become brisk, happy the wind-chill doesn't drop it to 40 degree weather. but through a couple of months of that...the mercury has finally dipped into the low 30s and yes, freezing temperature.

the byproduct of said temperature is of course this crazy, white, powdery substance that is unseen and unknown to those on west coast who do not have boards strapped to their feet staring down black diamonds. to those of us who typically remained at the base of the mountains, we tend to not experience the day to day snow fall. but this transplant has now experienced his first real winter.

this would be the image of the front of my house when i left it this morning at around 10:30am...this sight of white mixed with what's rest of the surviving flora already brought the excitement to my day (it may not look it, but it was snowing at the time as well...as it has for most of the day). however, the prospect of trekking through these meager centimeters of powder were not at all appealing, and the prospect of massive slippage on the ice and the perpetual embarrassment was enough to persuade me to take a bus 4 blocks to the shuttle station for school. yes...that is the west coast mentality (why walk when we can add to the pollution)


but after a day's worth of class and work and then group work back on campus, all the while the sky kept drifting snow...my surroundings became gradually whiter and whiter as green (or more orange-ish...as it was fall just a little bit ago) parks turned into snow-covered terrains fit for snowmen and snowball fights. and at my arrival home at around 8:00pm, this is basically the same view.

it is definitely a different sight to see on a winter day...and i for one am quite excited at the prospect of snowball fights with the guy standing next to me at the bus-stop and the possibility of a city shutdown due to the ineffectiveness of throwing salt everywhere. but i'm sure a few more weeks of these types of temperatures and the constant wetness, this winter wonderland may quickly turn into an icy hell. but until then, snow angels abound.