I awoke at 8:15...to snow. Snow that was not envisioned by the weather report. The aggravation was compounded by the lack of a text message on my phone or an e-mail in my "Hofstra" folder. That meant the University was open, and I'd have to drive through this crap. I left about fifteen minutes earlier than I normally would for a 10:10 class. It wasn't nearly enough, as I needed nearly an hour and a quarter to cover a distance that usually takes forty minutes. I didn't even bother trying to find a faster route - I simply stayed on the Northern State Parkway and accepted my fate. Drives such as that one make me very thankful that I became a fan of The Adam Carolla Show back in November; the length and humor were more than sufficient to sustain me. I ended up walking into my first class five minutes late.
After lunch, I returned to campus, and to a familiar place...the fourth floor of Axinn Library, to kill off the time until my next class at 2:55. About half past one, I got an e-mail from the professor of said class, who also happens to be the chair of my department and my adviser. He couldn't make it in, so class was canceled. While it did give me more free time, I had to remain on campus, as I still had a 4:30 class on the schedule. Given that the weather forecast called for conditions to deteriorate as the night went on, I felt confident that Hofstra would cancel evening classes...but I had to be sure.
When my phone vibrated just after 3:30, I knew the sensible decision had been made. I packed up my stuff and left, picking up some food and some beer on the way home. I did get a scare when I heard a huge THWACK against my roof, but there appeared to be no visible damage when I arrived home. Another message came in just after 9 p.m. stating that Hofstra wouldn't open until 10:00 today. That didn't affect me, as my only Thursday class meets at 6:30.
But even that class fell to the forces of the snow, as Hofstra announced a complete closure at 6:15 this morning. When I got myself up and about, I had to wonder why this step was taken. The roads seemed fine. But...the parking lots on campus - probably not so much. And since a lot of Hofstra students (probably a majority) commute, having them come in would indeed likely create a fine mess. I have become used to snow days again, as opposed to last year, when I was still accustomed to the practices of the United States Navy and Cornell University, neither of whom is particularly enamored of fully closing on account of the white stuff.
It turned out that Northport was bestowed with more snow (16.5 inches, if you must know) than any other locality on Long Island. And it showed when I ventured out onto the roads this afternoon. Sight lines that are normally clear were almost completely blocked. As I passed Northport Village Hall, I literally could not see it - there was a wall of snow at least eight feet high. It had been piled there to await removal to some other final resting place. And most unfortunately, the barber shop that I patronize was not open for business. That, of course, can be rectified tomorrow or over the weekend. The white stuff will be with us for a lot longer.