There were a few snow flurries this morning.  Nothing major.  The cold weather is here.  I can’t help wishing it would snow a little more, if only so I can experience the awesomeness that is our local snowpocalypse reporting.

Portland isn’t used to snow.  At all.  When a few inches fall, everything grinds to a halt.  Traffic slows to a crawl.  Not only do schools cancel classes–churches cancel Sunday services, which is baffling to my religious midwestern friends.  And our local news kicks into breaking news mode worthy of a terrorist attack.

The reporters are out in force, braving the snowflakes, wrapped in arctic explorer coats, snow pants, hats and goggles.  They measure the snow with rulers, apparently never having been told that snowdrifts get blown around by the wind and so this probably isn’t the most accurate way to measure accumulation.  Winter drama ensues.  Cars slide off roads.  Kids make tiny snowmen.  Trains stop running–I have no idea how our train system would even function if it had to run anywhere but on the West Coast.  One of my favorite TV moments ever involved a female journalist walking up to a man who was shoveling snow off the sidewalk and praising him for the “heroic work” he was doing.  The guy, who just happened to be from Chicago, almost died laughing.

So yeah, it’s all…kind of embarrassing, actually.  But it’s still more entertaining than run of the mill reality television.  Bring on the deadly snow!

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