chasing snowflakes
learning to love winter
I started my last college semester ever. At this point, getting back into the rhythm of completing homework, abiding by Google Calendar alerts, and eating in the dining hall feels reflexive and almost comforting. On my first day back, a fresh blanket of snow welcomed me.
This is my ode to snow (as a non home owner who doesn’t have to deal with shoveling): The mesmerizing nature of snow lies in its paradoxical nature, softly fall over even the noisiest cities. As it blankets the ground, the flakes are fragile and fleeting yet wield strength through its crystalline structures and collectiveness. Then there’s the stillness, first considered a quiet winter wonderland. But it soon dances with the wind and glistens in the sunlight as people wake to shovel and sled.
Onto my snow-related picks this week as the assignments start to pile:
John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)
To diverge a bit from my movie reviews, lately I have been binging comedy specials from Ali Wong to Nate Bargatze to Game Changer episodes. A happy medium, these specials provide the quick laughs of a TV episode and elaborate story set-ups of a movie without the runtime commitment. Of John Mulaney’s specials, The Sack Lunch Bunch is by far the most stylistically distinct. Modeled after children’s programming (think Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Sesame Street), The Sack Lunch Bunch features kid actors, eccentric songs like “Grandma’s Boyfriend Paul” and “Do Flowers Exist at Night?”, and constant death anxiety.
Everything from the graphics, interviews about biggest fear, and transitional segments felt so random yet cohesive. This children’s special spoof echoes a comforting nostalgia, being unpredictable at every turn. The children themselves surprised me by their very mature performances and whimsical personalities, navigating comedy with a perspective I can only describe as child-like.
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (not on the bcu scale).
It is crazy to think about how much he’s changed since this production. Now what does this have to do with snow? Nothing much. I simply watched it on a snow day. If I were to stretch the metaphor, I would say The Sack Lunch Bunch is like first stepping outside on a snowy day when everything looks a bit different but feels deeply familiar. There’s a playful refusal to take adulthood too seriously: to plop on the ground for snow angels or shake tree branches to see snow fall. Andre Shields’ final words at the special’s close leaves a lingering warmth as the laughter fades and snowflakes melt.
Same Boat - Lizzy McAlpine
I have yet to see Lizzy in concert. I missed her on her last Older tour. I discovered her through Tiktok at the start of COVID before her popular five second flat album. Her debut studio album Give Me a Minute is delicate and hauntingly beautiful (perfect for winter), touching on unrequited love and grief. In particular, the minimalistic instrumental arrangement of these tracks emphasizes the intimacy of her words — a mediation on uncertainty and longing. For Same Boat, the melody is cozy and the lyrics tender.
“You are on my mind / When I miss the snow / You show up when I hear that song or / I finally start watching that TV show”
Like The Sack Lunch Bunch, this song speaks to a desire to recapture the lost or to experience something profoundly moving for the first time. The snow symbolizes a nostalgia of home and a cold distance between her and her crush — the fleeting nature of time and relationships.
snowboarding
Any of my close friends know about my recent snowboarding obsession, an unfortunately expensive hobby I picked up two years ago. Understandably, it would be remiss not to discuss it in at least one letter. Winter also used to be my least favorite season. Besides Christmas and the occasional snow day, I never looked forward to the short daylight hours and blistering winds. But snowboarding has given me a great reason to properly enjoy all the seasons now.
Despite growing up in the Northeast, my family couldn’t afford nor cared about this type of leisure. Inspired by my favorite Disney Channel Original movie Cloud 9, my natural love for snow, and a willing friend, I hit the slopes as an spry 19-year-old, left crying on my first day from the bruises and failed expectations.
Undeterred the following year, I came to love the sport, from the physical challenge of turning on your toe edge, to the thrill of gaining speed, to the peace of surrounding myself with trees. While I envy those who could grow up doing snow sports, I revel this opportunity to learn later in life. Perhaps I feel particularly connected to snowboarding because of the freedom it offers, both in the independence of traveling to the mountain and physicality of the sport itself.
In hopes of improving this season, I plan to take advantage of discounted lift passes on Wednesdays and make it back before my 4pm immunology class. Stay warm until next time!