Two inches of snow, and London virtually grinds to a halt. Tube Stations closed (3 out of the 4 within a mile of my house), people stuck in their cars on the M11 motorway for over 12 hours, half the office staff don’t turn up for work because they can’t make the super-dangerous journey in their cars.
I nominate London for the “Most Pathetic City of January 2003” Award.
And a well deserved title it would be.
I was on the phone with a collegue in London this morning, and it all sounded “most dreadfully aweful and bothersome at the same time”
Then again, having a day off at the end of the week is not all that bad.
Making snowmen in the garden 
By the way Martin, congratulations on your upcoming 1000 posts milestone!
Martin- Your post brings back memories. While in the Navy I was stationed in London in the early 80’s. I remember what things were like when there was a bit of snow. Very messy, but the extra day off was always a welcome surprise.
I used to live and work in the Washington D.C. area not long ago. Three of four inches of snow can really affect that area as well.
All the Best, Tom
Hah! That’s nothing! Here in the DFW area when someone spits on the sidewalk and it freezes there are at least a dozen car wrecks and the entire metroplex grinds to a complete halt!
Everything’s bigger in Texas, ya know, including driver stupidity!
John
It wasn’t the visible snow that worried me in Britain. It was the invisible black ice that you became aware of after your motorcycle failed to take that perfectly safe looking bend.
BTW, do the natives still favour mopeds? Almost as cool as those three-wheeler invalid cars. It was not enough just to have a disability. Your reward was to get a vehicle that was not only humiliating but also completely unsafe.
Even a foot of snow won’t stop people around here. Even though it should. I remember when I worked at a gas station, everytime it snowed the number of police going through the station would triple. On their way from one accident to the next until the highway was inevitably closed.
Luckily it gets better as the season progresses and people remember how to drive in the snow again.
A.J.
The thing that really winds me up is when we get 1/2" of snow and the temperature drops to around freezing, people set off to work without de-icing the windscreen properly, drive like they’re on a race track in the middle of summer, inevitibly crash, and then blame the roads service for not clearing the roads 
Cheers, Mac
Please excuse me, Martin, but what does the phrase, “My city is pants” mean?
Mike
What bothers me about driving in the snow is the idiots in 4x4 vehicles who gain a false sense of security because of their enhanced capability for forward motion, which encourages them to go full speed ahead without regard to the conditions of reduced traction. Unfortunately, they may not take into account the fact that when they need to arrest forward motion by applying the brakes, their vehicles are no more responsive to this procedure than their humble non-4x4 brethren.
On 2003-01-31 11:22, burnsbyrne wrote:
Please excuse me, Martin, but what does the phrase, “My city is pants” mean?
Mike
Hi Burnsey,
I wondered if that might confuse - but I love using obscure British slang!
In Britain we call pants trousers, and underpants (shorts?) are called pants (for short). Golly, now I’m confused. So in a roundabout way my city is a pair of underpants, i.e. a load of rubbish.
I forget who first coined the expression. It’s very childish, and hence very funny (to me)
“Your bicycle is pants”
“No, your skateboard is pants”
“Your bicycle is pantsier than my skateboard”
“No it isn’t, your skateboard is double pants with skidmarks”
etc etc.
On 2003-01-31 08:59, OutOfBreath wrote:
Everything’s bigger in Texas, ya know, including driver stupidity!
My sister drove down to the DFW area not too long ago. The driving, out there, rather traumatized her.
We’ve had 101 inches of snow in 2003. Yesterday was the first day with no snowfall. (Good thing, considering my passenger side mirror has left a hole in the side of my car since Tuesday night.) Today we are very excited to possibly reach 33 degrees for the first time in a very long time.
Yet…nothing has closed, except possibly a pre-kindergarten day care last week sometime.
The thing that gets me around here is that every time snow is predicted, thousands of people, knowing full well that the roads will be cleared by morning, rush out to the stores and buy at least a month’s worth of bread, milk, and eggs. Who the heck needs that much French toast anyway??!!!
Steven
(Wasn’t it P.T. Barnum who said “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public”?)
Martin,
Thanks for the translation. It sounds very logical now that I know the origin. I think you-all on that side of the pond are more versed in N American slang than we are in British slang because of the influence of American movies and TV. However, I have picked up “brilliant” from watching Premier League football on the telly.
Mike
Martin, thanks for the translation and.. background.
I feel smarter to-night. I learnt why London is pants… with skidmarks. 
I’m originally from northern Illinois. We got a bit of snow sometimes. In fact, “winter” meant snow measured in yards, and temperatures that were just as cold in Celsius as they were in Fahrenheit.
When I was stationed at Sumter AFB in South Carolina, I remember driving to base one day. There were at least three cars in the ditch - within two miles! I got to work and waited for an hour for someone to unlock the door before I gave up and went home. I turned on the TV to see if aliens had abducted everyone but me. Turns out we’d had a “snow storm” and everything was closed down.
I hadn’t seen a single flake - in the air OR on the ground! No melted water! No ice! Dry as a bone! Looked (as it usually did) just like summer.
Near as I can gather, they must have looked up at the flakes falling, got mesmerized, and drove off the road.
Sumter is seriously pants.
\
Jeff Gitchel
jeff@trainorphans.org
trainorphans.org
[ This Message was edited by: gitchel on 2003-01-31 13:25 ]
On 2003-01-31 12:24, Walden wrote:
On 2003-01-31 08:59, OutOfBreath wrote:
Everything’s bigger in Texas, ya know, including driver stupidity!
My sister drove down to the DFW area not too long ago. The driving, out there, rather traumatized her.
I learned to drive on those East Texas red clay backroads
And I mean to tell you my friend
They weren’t no easy roads
You had to watch out for all the curves
Down by Kelsey Creek
And detour through the Lindsay’s pasture
When the water ran too deep
(Double marks for anyone recognizing the quote)
(It’s not true, I learned to drive on the Isle of Wight – “Every summer we could rent a cottage…”)
Here in Alaska, life pretty much goes on regardless of the weather. I can’t remember snow ever stopping anything from happening, although this year the LACK of snow caused lots of snow-dependent events to be cancelled early in the winter. Most groups I’ve belonged to have a cold-weather cutoff, below which they don’t meet. The public elementary schools don’t let the kids have outdoor recess if it’s colder than -20 F (that’s -29 C).
Earlier this winter the public schools were closed for a day due to weather. Not for snow, not for cold, but for RAIN! We got freezing rain that turned the roads to ice, and the school buses couldn’t get through. That was a truly bizarre weather event for here.
Sarah
Gawd, we can get a foot and a half of snow and all they’ll do (if you’re lucky), is delay the schools for fourty-five minutes!
I guess we minnesotans are made of hardier stock. 
When it comes to snow, northern New York is MUCH pantsier than London. In fact we are due for a pant-load of snow at any time.
Ok, I’m a new guy, here. I’ve only been playing for a couple of years, but practice every day. I play a Sindt, and yes, the C natural makes me crazy, so on some songs I just play my fat Walton, or my Clarks (it is so quiet). I am totally addicted to the whistle. I love your posts everybody.