The Gopher Way

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I don’t believe we need to know what below zero feels like.
Or why we die: that, too, I don’t think we need to know.
Why life is hard? I think not.

It’s hot inside, it’s cold out:
that’s already a lot to know. That love comes and goes,
that we grow old slowly and then suddenly not.

It helps to know that snow is a god fallen to earth.
Sometimes it helps to let in the world a bit:
some wind, a few flakes, the sound of ice cracking.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Excerpt from “I Don’t Think We Need to Know,” by Jim Moore, from Lightning at Dinner (Graywolf Press, 2005)


Here in this charming town along the Mississippi, we wait for snow. They say up to a foot or more. I tell our suite receptionist that my husband and I have a date tonight. She exclaimed, “Don’t you watch the news? Don’t you know what’s coming?” So, we’ll walk to get out if we need to. Or stay home, where it’s hot inside.

Already, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport reports flight delays:
· 10:41 pm
· Due to WEATHER/WIND, departure traffic destined to Newark International Airport, Newark, NJ (EWR) is currently experiencing delays averaging 50 minutes.
· Due to WEATHER/WIND, departure traffic destined to La Guardia Airport, New York, NY (LGA) is currently experiencing delays averaging 30 minutes.

My local pizzeria, Grandpa Tony’s, is gearing up for a hectic weekend of orders from hungry homeowners too weary to brave the snow-packed streets.


Stranger Dos and Don’ts

Those coeds over at the University of Minnesota have nothing to worry about, eh? They have The Gopher Way, a series of skyway links and underground tunnels that link the colossal campus. According to Wikipedia (I’ve never walked The Way myself), it is entirely possible for one to park, attend classes, eat lunch, and drive home without stepping foot outdoors. A parent newsletter (yes, the university now has an official Parent Program to handle all the new helicopter-type parents) recently encouraged the use of The Gopher Way:

“On a cold and dreary day with unfriendly windchill factors, more students are exploring the Gopher Way. . . . Please tell your students that if they get lost, they can ask other walkers for directions. You meet the nicest people in the Gopher Way. You also discover new places to study, snack machines you were unaware of, offices you've heard about but never visited, and even the president's parking space.”

In another communication, the university reports a different kind of campus encounter. A lot of robberies have occurred in the neighborhoods surrounding campus. Here’s one report, from the Minnesota Daily:

“At about 1 a.m. Tuesday, an unknown man attempted to rob a University student in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood. . . . Political science junior John Sandberg said while walking to a friend's house, he fell into a conversation with a man urinating on a tree. . . .”

Oy! The student was later manhandled and robbed.

So here’s my advice. Stock up on the hot stuff at home, metaphorically or otherwise, get out and walk The Way--talk to strangers, even some flakes--but don’t go near that yellow snow.