February of Doom

March 1 is one of my favorite days of the year. I'm unadvisably fond of mentioning to people that March is the first month that does not end in a “y” or an “r” since August. I recognize that most people find this particular observation generally unmoving but for whatever reason it blows my mind year after year. It's like a fresh start! Meteorologically, the beginning of March offers little respite from the bitter temperatures and harsh conditions but psychologically, you can feel winter's grasp starting to weaken on my beloved midwest.

I do not like February all that much as a matter of principal, but this particular February was particularly dreadful. As many of you don't know, I drive a rear-wheel 1995 S10 Chevy pickup that I call “The Green Geezer.” The Geezer is the worst winter vehicle known to man and it doesn't take too much in the way of snowfall to render him severely hobbled. That being the case, you can imagine how these biblically-proportioned bliz-kriegs we've experienced this February would have been the complete undoing of the Geezer as a reliable mode of transportation.

Early on in the winter season I made the rookie mistake of attempting to surmount a rather steep grade just to the north of my house on the familiar route to the AU Wellness Center. Formidable slope that it was, I might have made it were I not caused to come to a full and complete stop at the top of the hill, as that is where you join with the all eastbound traffic of University Boulevard. Stopping on snow is absolute kryptonite as far as the Geezer is concerned. Stopping on snow on a steep grade? That is just the end of days. No fewer than four complete strangers wound up extracting themselves from their homes and vehicles to attempt to extricate me from my predicament. With every new passerby that inquired as to my well-being and with every curtain that was pulled back slightly to observe the unfolding circus I felt my highly sensitive masculine ego take another blow to the chin. Eventually I was exhumed from my frosty confines and once I found that I was again mobile, I drove off without even thanking those that had evacuated the relative comfort of their own business to come to my aid. If I had stopped, I wound have gotten stuck again and so I drove away like an ungrateful rich kid in some coming-of-age family film.

To be fair to the Geezer, I feel as though many vehicles might have met a similar fate under those particular conditions. The true incapability of the Green Geezer is brought to bear when coming to a four-way stop on perfectly flat roads with perhaps an inch or so of precipitation on the ground. It becomes your turn to pass through the intersection and all you can do is sit there, spinning your rear wheels pitifully while the Toyota Prius zips effortlessly on by.

One positive development that this February has seen is my return to serious(ish) lifting. I'm not sure exactly what happened between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, but somewhere amidst the holiday furor I lost that part of me that could consistently interpret a daily hour and a half inconvenience as a good idea. Fortunately, I got that back along with my lifting buddy, the AU Track and Field throwing coach. One of the nice things about lifting with a T&F coach is that you have access to all the athletic pre-wrap that you can eat!

As many of us know, the Six Nations rugby tournament is well under way with four teams weighing in at one loss apiece. That means the race for the cup is wide open, with a thrilling finish sure to be the ultimate result. Also, go Ireland.

Speaking of other things, Jonny Wilkinson just played his 100^th game for RCT, and has been posting very respectable stats amidst what can only be described as a very shaky season for Toulon. I am personally looking forward to the resumption of the Heineken Cup this April.

-Ryan