It’s December. It’s Western New York. It should be cold and it should snow.
End of story.
But ... it’s not the end of the story, otherwise this would be a pretty short and boring column. (It may still end up long and boring, but stick with me here).
Seriously, though, can we get over the fact that it was cold this past week and snowed a few inches in parts of Western New York?
Two things happen every year: 1. It gets cold. 2. People complain about it.
If you wanted to throw in a third thing that happens: People complain when the national media likens freezing cold to Buffalo. And that’s it.
People started fearing the “great storm” around Tuesday. Teachers and students were crossing their fingers with hope of a snow day. TV news people were hyping the pending snow pounding, leading every newscast with the forecast.
It was all the talk.
Then the snow came, and the real weather “story” ended up being the wind, more than the white stuff.
Regardless of the snow or wind or frigid temperatures, the real story would have been if it weren’t cold for the first week of December. It wasn’t freezing or there wasn’t snow, wouldn’t that be newsworthy?
It’s an odd thing in these parts where we obsess over the weather. Everyone turns into a junior meteorologist. Everyone thinks they know where the storm is coming from or where it will hit next.
These water cooler meteorologists have the amount of snowfall predicted and what hour it’s all coming. When faced with another opinion, they always stick with their weather information as if it’s gospel. Maybe it’s just two different news sources.
And then — then — once this weather hits (if it even does hit and in the fashion we all fear), we’re all in the dumps and complaining about the great inconvenience of being cold or having to shovel.
But, if the national media comes to town and says “look at this snow in East Aurora” we get all bent out of shape. I don’t get it. We either need to embrace the fact that it gets cold and snowy here in December and people will point as us because of that, or you move somewhere else where the people don’t have an image complex.
In 1817, Benjamin Franklin made famous the phrase: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
In 2009, Tim Marren said: “In this Western New York nothing can be said to be certain, except snow and ice and lots of it right around December. Oh, and chicken wings. Those are certain too.”
Bundle up and get used to it. It’s only December.
Tim Marren is the managing editor of the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Contact him at Tim.Marren@
lockportjournal.com or 439-9222.
Columns
Related Photos
MARREN: Yes, it’s cold — it’s December!
- Columns
-
-
LEFFLER: The things that actually matter
To hear some people tell it, this great republic of ours is on the brink of disintegration.
-
Your friends are great ... at Facebook
The internet has been the facilitator of a lot of good things; it allows us to comparison shop without putting on pants, lets people check the weather report without having to watch the rest of the news and it’s made keeping in touch with friends and family a breeze; cruising through Facebook seeing pictures of your friend from high school’s new baby, a twitter feed full of self-promoting tweets about your neighbor’s new online start-up, a status update from your nephew that talks about meeting Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly. Reading all of these updates from the exciting lives of your friends and family while you sit at home, it can at times feel like everyone is living the dream but you.
- The war against the English language
-
VINCENT DAVIS II: Oil prices and the 'Bro-conomy'
Can we be serious for a moment; not too long, but longer than usual? Gas prices are going up folks. US oil drilling is at its highest point in more than 10 years. But when Toyota Prius commercials come on TV during sporting events, we know longer make fun of them for advertising a “fake car” that “only a hippy or English professor would drive.” Instead, we think to ourselves “40 miles a gallon, that does sound nice ...”
-
‘Mailing it in’ is not good enough
The U.S. Postal Service has been mailing it in for years. It has stuck like an old postage stamp to a business model that was going nowhere fast, literally. Snail mail is still the USPS stock in trade, and it has increasingly earned its nickname. And for a poorly run operation, it certainly does cost a lot. USPS must offer competitive shipping options, guaranteed faster delivery times and overall service enhancements — or the death spiral of an American institution will continue.
-
Gadgets Galore
The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has come and gone, but the gadgets introduced there likely will be part of our future for years to come. Record numbers were set with attendance, vendors, and square footage of exhibit space. Innovations were unveiled, and in some cases, expectations dashed.
-
LEFFLER: I remember the scream
If you’re sick of news of the run for the White House, I’ve got some really bad news for you: It’s about to get worse.
-
Put some Apple accessories under the tree this year
- War of 1812 has lots of connections to us
- Don’t overlook freedom
- More Columns Headlines
-
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
