I was dreaming of a white Christmas, and all I got was this lousy white Treaty of Versailles Day...

As I write this, Eugene is crippled under the onslaught of what passes for a major blizzard in these parts. I have something like half an inch of snow in my yard right now, with periodic minor flurries still passing through now and then. This wasn't enough to deter a large group of particularly brazen-looking racoons that I spotted out of my window earlier, but it's enough to spook all the locals into thinking they'll have to miss work tomorrow. As you all know, I love the Northwest to the point where I start becoming horribly depressed if I spend too long anywhere else. However, we Northwesterners do have out faults, and one of them is that we really have no idea how to handle snow. In Chicago, there could be an order of magnitude more snow on the ground, and there would be absolutely no talk of anyone missing work; the snowplows would be out that night and the streets would be back to their usual crowded selves the next morning. Here, though, even the mention of snow is enough to get professors to collect everyone's emails so that they can send out a cancellation notice for their class. Of course, we hardly ever get snow here, so this is at least somewhat understandable; I doubt most Chicagoans would know what to do if it rained steadily for a month. Also, we have hills here, which makes getting around on icy roads considerably more difficult. It also, along with the larger number of trees here, makes for a much nicer looking snowfall than has ever graced the Midwest (or at least the urban Midwest). So, while snow in Hyde Park always put me in a foul and complaining mood, I'll admit I was actually kind of glad to see that the flurries they had predicted this week actually made it without turning into rain on the way. Expect pictures tomorrow if I am able to find photography time between classes...