The snow from this weekend made quite the spectacle today. Here, take a look:
Yes, that is my classroom window. I love the view, although you can see why the walk between buildings is not always so fun.
So after a commute like what you see (plus darkness), many teachers were rooting for a snow day tomorrow. I told them at lunch that I contributed my part by moving up here for the week. It seems every time I take precautions like this, we get a snow day. I'm magical!
I did not, however, tell them about the cat in my office.
See, since I moved up here for the week, that means Nash came with me. I left early to swing by the condo and drop her off, but I didn't factor in enough time for the lousy commute. I tried to get to the condo. I made four attempts to get up the hill, but slid back down every time. I thought about calling in late to put on chains or walk up the hill, but decided to just deal with it after school instead.
I drove to school and headed straight for my backstage office. I picked that one since it's the least used - my office in the other building (the one near my classroom) is shared with the janitors. I put Nash inside with a a makeshift litterbox, an open can of cat food, and a cup of water. She meowed a lot, then crawled under the desk.
And that's where I found her after rehearsal. She hadn't moved at all during the day.
I shouldn't be surprised by her stamina in the face of an unfamiliar place. When I first got her and brought her home to my apartment in Salt Lake, she disappeared. I looked everywhere for her, then gave up and went to bed, figuring she'd come out during the night.
Nada.
It was three days later (during which I had concluded that my new cat had somehow escaped and was gone forever) that I finally figured out the one place I hadn't looked. And sure enough, when I reached behind the dishwasher in the kitchen, I felt a furry ball tucked in the farthest corner under the wires and pipes.
It took the combined efforts of Emily, Ben, and me to dismantle the dishwasher and pull her out. I sealed it up afterwards and Natasha and I became fast friends.
Three days. No food, no water. This cat is a pro at Hide 'n' Seek.
So this afternoon I tried the hill twice more but still spun my wheels. I parked at the base and pulled out my chains. They're new ones. I've put on chains before, but they were on my old car. Yay! First time using chains on my new car! Yay for going 13 months without needing chains!
This happened:
(The other looked the same, but I needed it to take the picture.)
But also this:
Yes, they're still on. I didn't want to deal with them in the morning if I do have to wend my way to school through the 6-10 inches of snow (and I do like them, Dad. He sprang for the fancier self-tightening ones for me and they are easier to use, despite what the photo evidence suggests).
Ah! But the adventure didn't end there!
In going through the routine of powering up the condo, I discovered a broken pipe. Seems the temperatures that shut down school last week also defeated my leaving the furnace and water heater and 100 watt light bulbs on.
With a few phone calls to my mom and several phone calls to plumbers (because of course I'm finding this after rehearsal, which means after business hours), the conclusion was that the pipe is part of the water meter and therefore needs to be replaced by the city water people. Who are not so great about returning phone calls.
Happily, the pipe just drips now. I propped a bucket under it and found I could still use the faucets inside. I filled up a few containers and then shut it off again for the night. At least I can shower! Going three days without showering and then conducting parent-teacher conferences is not something I look forward to.
So! All kinds of adventures today! Despite all of that, though, I'm still really glad to be here:
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