Why is it that it is entirely possible to sleep through the buzzing of your own alarm clock, but if your roommate's alarm clock goes off, it wakes you up immediately? Aside from someone else's alarm, there are a few sounds that are impossible to sleep through. A baby's crying, for instance, is nearly impossible to sleep through; it'll wake you up every time, especially if it's not your baby. Another sound that is hopeless to get any sleep during is when a roommate's bedsprings start rhythmically squeaking. When this sound wakes you up, there is no going immediately back to sleep; you have to just lie there and let the horrific images fill your head. When the squeaking stops, it is generally a good idea to break into a round of applause and then roll over and try to get some sleep. Realize that sleep may be difficult, if not unfeasible, for several days if this event occurs while you are in a bunk bed. This week, we were all treated to a sound that is also intolerable to sleep through: the sound of a snowplow scraping against asphalt at 5 o'clock in the morning. Generally, you lie there, counting the beeps as the truck backs up, then cringe as the heavy plow drags its way forward, grinding against the ground. This sound is even more insufferable with a hangover; when the grating from the snowplow meets the buzzing noise that is already in your head, it creates a cacophony of pure misery. In most cases, this goes on for less than 20 minutes as the plow moves on when his work is done and leaves to wake up other poor saps. This Tuesday and Wednesday, however, we awoke to the sounds of the snowplow sometime around 5 o'clock, but he didn't move on. He was still plowing around 6 o'clock, then 7 o'clock. By 8 o'clock the plow still hadn't moved on; something must be amiss. Getting up and looking out the window to see what was going on out there would certainly answer a lot of questions, but that would mean getting out of bed. Trying to ignore the ruckus outside was much easier.By 9 o'clock it was time to roll out of bed and start getting ready for the day, yet the snowplow was still outside, performing its job at decibel levels normally reserved for Spinal Tap's speakers. To say that irritability hung in the air would be an understatement. It had now been four hours of contemptible beeping and grinding from the infernal plow. Whatever it is he's plowing out there, there had better be a lot of it.Rolling out of bed and peering out the window, there was, in fact, an exorbitant amount of snow on the ground, and it was still coming down - sideways. I'm supposed to go to class in this? This is the kind of weather that is liable to turn an ordinary MITS bus into the Donner Party. But checking your e-mail Tuesday and Wednesday mornings was like receiving a Christmas present that had gotten lost in the mail. The university, in its infinite wisdom, decided it was not feasible to hold classes in the middle of a massive two-day winter storm. Weather sometimes makes it difficult to maneuver around campus, but going anywhere on campus Tuesday would have been impossible. Aside from the plows, the entire city of Muncie practically shut down for a day. The university undoubtedly made the right decision when it cancelled classes.Even though the weather was relentlessly harsh, it was refreshing to see Mother Nature trying to sabotage Valentine's Day. It's good to know that she thinks that the holiday is stupid, too. She is single, after all.
Paul Metz is a graduate student and writes this 'Support Your Local Cynic' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to Paul at pjmetz@bsu.edu.
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