1. Find a sled
My second year, I rode a stop sign down the steps of the Rotunda on our first snow day. For liability purposes, I cannot disclose how said stop sign was acquired, but I can say its sledding capabilities were top notch. Other sled options include a mattress, a large tupperware container, an actual sled, the top of a garbage can or a particularly flat and willing friend.
2. Find a shovel
Or, make sure you park where you’re 100 percent sure you’ll be able to get out. My second year, after a series of unfortunate events and a series of unfortunately aggressive phone calls, I had to steal a shovel from Boylan to get my car out of my spot. I wish I had also stolen a couple of bouncers from Boylan, as my arm muscles were not well equipped to move about 3,000 pounds of snow.
3. Make sure the servers can get to Boylan and Trinity
A bar can’t function without its staff (trust me, I work at one), so don’t be your own — literal — roadblock to having fun. Use that aforementioned shovel to give back to society and shovel some sidewalks — really earn that pitcher of Bold Rock and remember to tip your server nicely.
4. Have your rental company on speed dial
Practice never taking no for an answer. It’s inevitable that your pipes will freeze, your heat will stop working or a snowplow will pile up snow against your car. That said, expedite the process of typing in numbers and be the first to call. There is nothing a rental company loves more than hundreds of tenants calling to complain at the same time, so catch them before they just hang up the phone on you and tell you to deal with it.
5. Stock up on food and drink
The night before our last home game, I went to the ABC store in Barracks looking for a certain sized bottle of alcohol with no intent to finish it all the next day. Much to my dismay, almost the entire store had been cleared and I was left with only Burnetts and sadness. Don’t be like me: buy food, buy drinks, buy cups, buy hand warmers. It’ll be hard to drive anywhere to actually get anything, and who wants to go out in the cold anyway?
6. Bundle up
There’s nothing worse than the friend who willingly goes out in the snow only to complain every five seconds about how cold it is. Why’d you come out here if you couldn’t handle it? Have you ever seen snow before? Can you stop? Wear three pairs of socks, leggings over other leggings, your warmest jacket, gloves and a beanie. Don’t worry about looking stupid: your hands and your sanity will thank you when you don’t have frostbite tomorrow.
7. Learn to make a perfect snowball
It’s syllabus week and odds are you don’t have much work yet, so spend your time wisely by watching YouTube videos about achieving that perfect ball. Think about how much you can do: throw them at people, make a snowman, seduce a crush. People will be impressed by your ball-handling skills — you might even be recruited to play for our basketball team! Find an igloo to post up in and get your arm ready.
8. Charge everything
Your toothbrush, your phone, your computer, your wireless speakers, your brain. The power will go out, and the flashlight on your phone will only be so handy when the battery is running low. I can’t remember the last time anyone intentionally purchased a real-life flashlight, but I guess right now would be a decent time to do so. Alternatively, find some candles for a more romantic snowy evening or just one that smells a little more like apple cinnamon than your phone flashlight does. Snow days put the chill in Netflix and chill, so make sure you have the Netflix on lock.
9. Buy a generator
This is an investment piece, maybe, but when your landlord tells you there’s nothing they can do about the power until at least March, you’ll be thanking me for the purchase. Have your roommates chip in: you’d rather them crying over spilt milk than crying over spoiled milk after your fridge stops working. Disclaimer: I have no idea how to install a generator, so you might need to Google that ASAP. It could take a lot longer than the 20 minutes I have set aside for it.
10. Make sure your roommates don’t suck
Can you imagine a worse fate than being stuck in an apartment with three people who you don’t actually like? While it’s already been a semester and you’ve probably dealt with your fair share of roommate problems, it’s about to be “Survivor” up in here when you can’t get out of your front door. May the odds be ever in your favor — make sure you’re the strongest one when you have to fight over the last piece of food.
Annie’s column runs biweekly. She can be reached at a.mester@cavalierdaily.com.
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