glamourlife: December 2009

2009 was not an ordinary year. Seems like most years that end in 9 have been remarkable. I keenly remember 1989, 1999, and no doubt will remember 2009. President Barack Obama won the Presidency. Making history with an inaugaration event in DC that was bigger than the Million March. It was cold as ever that day, but hundreds of thousands of people endured the elements with elation. Me and my family walked from Southeast through Capitol Hill and on to the Mall with so much spirit, hope, optimism, and surprise realizing we were living through the dawn of a new age for our world.

2009 was a very good year, but even more complex. Steelers won the Superbowl, Yankees won the World Series, SE Titans won the #DMV 65 pound title, and the Penguins hoisted the cup. My teams truly helped make the year memorable! 2009 also had its lows. We lost Michael Jackson. My Godsister Erika Harper and her two young sons were brutally murdered by her deranged husband. My wife's grandmother got diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The recession deepened and turned the optimism of the nation that saw no flaws in our President into amnesiacs that blamed the worsening job losses, Wall Street corruption, failed banks, bankrupt corporations, and economic devastation, and almost every other societal ill on our newly elected royal family. In spite of all these trials and tribulations, 2009 was phenomenal.

Every year is fleeting. Every year is complex. Every year should be cherished. God has blessed us all with more than we deserve, and we must repay by living each day as if it were our last. The Gaskins and Glamourlife will remain committed to excellence. Continuous improvement is how we have lived, and will continue to live every day of our lives. Happy New Year to everyone. We wish you nothing but the best in 2010.

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I am an eternal optimist; except when it comes to DC area weather reports. DC is notorious for hyperbole in the Winter forecast. So much so, that retail stores become bazaars where customers fight over gallons of milk, loaves of bread, and other essentials at the mere mention of snow. Usually this is played out when we get a Winter storm warning of 2 or more inches, and ultimately end up with a light dusting, or just cold rain. So imagine the scenes when the weather forecasts for the #DMV area predicted 2 plus feet of snow?! Chaos & Disorder for real.

I was extremely skeptical, and borderline angry. It was the height of the Holiday shopping season, and all these frantic people were clogging up roads, cleaning out store shelves, and creating pandemonium. Having lived in Iowa, Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis, snow is something I have become accustomed to. DC has always managed to wow with exceptional storms though. I can harken back to the great storms of my youth. Blizzards of '76, '87, '94' etc. All seemed like fantastic surprises, and not an annual right of passage like so many hardened Midwest regions that handle snow adroitly. But even still, DC always gets hit with the strong NorEaster that runs up the coast every 5 or so years, and pummels DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC, Boston, and the whole corridor.

Unlike the Midwest though, when that storm hits, it takes days and weeks for the Washington region to recover. I remember my years at University of Iowa, we would get incredible snowfall. What was more impressive was that everything continued like business as usual. Buses ran on time, classes continued, and businesses almost never shut down. Trucks had roads pre-salted before the first flakes touched the ground, and hours after a storm ended, even sideroads were plowed completely clean.

The Nation's Capital is notorious for snow storm ineptitude. Our snow trucks still laughably use sand. I know its environmentally better, and given the historical nature of our region, more eco-friendly and sustainable preserves the roads, but salt flat out gets the job done when sand cannot. Not to mention, that DC does not have enough trucks to plow its 1,100 miles of roads, and has a policy to not plow alleys at all. That means when we do get our big snow storms, you better truly be ready to disconnect from the grid for days on end. Because the city and all businesses, roads, transit, Metro, etc. will shut down completely leaving you to fend for yourself. There is actually something quite pure and true about that though. A sort of pioneer mentality that forces neighbors to help each other. You see kids shoveling elderly neighbors steps and walkways out of necessity and community. Those same kids are quick to throw a snowball your way too for great spontaneous snowball fights. Usually, guns are not involved, but that is another story about the arrogant officer who let his pride get the best of him on the corner of 14th & U Streets in NW, DC. We will save that for another day, as this is our story of the blizzard.

In any event, the weatherman FINALLY nailed it. In SE, DC, we were blessed with 25+ inches of beautiful, powdery snow. It snowed for 20 straight hours with relentless yet beautiful grace. My kids were euphoric. Me and the Mrs. were even caught up in the fun too. 4 days after the great blizzard of '09, DC has yet to completely dig out. Kids are still sledding, schools are still closed, and the entire #DMV region is on an extended Christmas Holiday break. Happy Holidays to all. Enjoy some of our photos from the midst of the most recent storm of the century. We can't wait for the next one...