Snowpocalypse Now, Redux

DC is all ablaze with this ginormous snow storm that shit down on us on Friday and Saturday. The final countdown was anywhere from 17 in to 38 in or more. DC itself got 20 inches, which is substantial for any northern city. The city is at a standstill. It's Monday and people still don't have work, and there is no end in sight. And the best part is that we're supposed to get another storm on Tuesday and Wednesday, and there's even talk that another storm might hit us next weekend.

Woof.

This is extremely rare. We have had two storms already this winter that measure in the Top 10 of the Worst Storms on record for DC. This last one hit #4. Everyone has been speculating as to what might have caused this. Here are some of my favorite theories.

Hell is currently freezing over because a Republican took Ted Kennedy's seat.

The weather is spiting Obama's statement that DC doesn't have real winters and that we're basically all pussies. That showed him! Way to shut the government down for an entire week!

Tai Shan, the panda born in the National Zoo a few years ago, finally left for China on Thursday. We all thought that he would be happy to get out of his parents house and go meet some girls, but apparently he misses us. My favorite name for the snow storm is Tai Shan's Huge Dump.

I personally have my own theory, which I believe is the only possible reason why all of this is happening: my best friend is in town. Bridget has a way of attracting horrific weather. Since she came down to DC to do research at the National Archives, we have had exactly three snow storms, each one worse than the next. And it's not over yet. DC is supposed to get yet another snow storm with accumulations from 10-20 inches. Seriously, Bridget. What the hell?

I'm supposed to drive to Massachusetts on Tuesday, but it's looking less and less likely that I'll even make it that far. The snow is already past my knees, and with another 10-20 inches, I'm not sure I'm even going to be able to walk through the snow without getting majorly stuck.

DC isn't really the best city for snow. We have exactly 5 plows, and none of them have any idea what they're doing. They drive 30 miles an hour barely scratching at the 8 inches of packed snow already on the road.

Yeah, this next storm is going to be fun.

A Nintendo Love Story

My mom moved out of my childhood home this summer. She packed up all of the junk that had been collecting dust in my garage and attic and tried desperately to find somewhere to put it. Among the things she packed up was my brother and my old Nintendo and Super Nintendo. My mother, being the wonderful person that she is, asked both my brother and I if we wanted them. My brother passed, the fool that he is, but I decided to hang onto them, because you never know when you might be in the mood for some Duck Hunt.

Boy, was that a good idea. The box has been sitting next to my TV for about 6 months. Finally, on Sunday, I decided to open it up and see if I couldn't hook something up. What I found was a veritable cornucopia of 90s awesomeness. As I pour through my old games, I found a well of nostalgia I didn't even know I existed. I barely played when I was younger! But I could remember hours and hours of watching my brother play, cringing whenever he made a wrong move, or trying to jump with him as he dodged opponents. Yes, I was THAT kid.


I started out with Metal Marines, on Super Nintendo. I used to play this game constantly, rarely getting past level 2, but always coming back for more. I became determined to beat it. I would finally defeat the game that had thwarted me for so long. I sat down at 3 pm, thinking that I would play for an hour or so. I looked up 7 hours later, and realized that the entire night had past. Opps.

The best part about this rediscovery however, were people's reactions. My best friend laughed. My boyfriend sighed and shook his head. When I told my cousin, who had spent about as much time watching my brother play the game as I had, immediately burst into the theme song for Metal Marines as if she had heard it yesterday. We both started singing along at the top of our lungs in the middle of the restaurant, and got more than a few stares.

I have yet to get to my Nintendo. I was having too much fun to switch systems. But I did realize that the last game I played on Nintendo was Duck Hunt. I'm glad that my former self had as good of taste that I have today.

For anyone who has a Super Nintendo, I fully recommend the throwback. The early 90s were simpler times, with easier controllers and blocky graphics. No need for cameras to watch your actions or voice commands. It was easy- up, down, left, A, right, B, up. What more could a nerd ask for?