Winter In Athens

Ah yes, the wintertime.  I know this is a blog called Spring in Athens, but I don't really care for spring as much as I do winter so here goes.  Most people hate it here in the winter.  Coming from Pittsburgh, PA I'm used to the cold weather.  The beginning of my winter in Athens, Ohio was amazing.  It snowed and snowed.  I would wake up to see a thick blanket of pretty, white snow.  The streets are empty and you couldn't hear a sound.  The world around you in or after a snowstorm can be so peaceful.  I know that when "snowmaggeddon"of 2010 hit Pittsburgh, it was almost like the world had gone silent for a little bit.  My neighborhood was empty, the roads were empty, you could make snowmen on the highway near my town.  Buildings, schools, and all roads were closed.  And all I could think about was snowboarding in the streets.  I think one of the reasons I like snow so much is because I've been skiing or snowboarding for half of my life, and I don't really get cold.  The heaviest thing I wear year-round is a hoodie, long socks, and some sweat pants.  I remember some nights in Athens I would just walk outside, call someone to hang out or just call someone on the phone and walk around and talk for hours.  That's another thing, at night, it's never really dark, no matter where you go.  The snow is so reflective, and the white lights that line the streets of the Greens in Athens are bright and white, giving the world around you a different look.  Random groups of folks just burst out into snowball fights.  Hot chocolate and hot food taste a lot better, going for a run becomes a lot easier, and Jeff and Morton hill become a lot more fun.  (Hence, why I brought my snowboard for the quarter)  Unfortunately, Athens weather also makes no sense.  So for the majority of the winter, probably from early to mid-February on, the weather got just warm enough to be cold but not snowy.  So until about this past Monday, weather in Athens has been cold and rainy, almost daily.  The salt, rain, and slush on the road seeped into my jeans, and then dried a nice, hard, sodium coating onto my pantlegs.  The whole place turned from a vibrant white to a bland and dreary grey.  The campus was dampened, but not my mood.  I just hope next year's winter was a little better than this one's.  

Here's a video I made consisting of mostly Athens in Winter footage... (before it sucked)


Canon 7D Test Reel from Alex Bolinger on Vimeo.