Damn You, OPE!!*

[**Just to clarify, I don’t damn that lovely conference at all . . . just served me well as a catchy title!]

It snowed today.

“A lot.”

This is a big deal, as I think it’s snowed maybe 4 whole days this winter.

Like everywhere else, our winter in Wisconsin has been pretty mild.

And frankly, quite weird.

Last year at this time we had around 100 inches of snow.

This year we’ve had 24.

Tonight we got around 5 more.

So it’s kind-of a big deal.

[I should also say, while we’re here, that this makes me VERY NERVOUS for what Mother Nature is going to bring our way. I just can’t believe that this is IT. But I REALLY hope it is because I’m enjoying this ‘winter’ immensely.]

It was VERY pretty.

The snow was also wet and heavy and gross. I walked into a meeting today feeling like a football player wearing eye black, thanks to the walk TO the meeting and the aforementioned snow attacking my mascara. Classy.

But I digress.

I realized tonight that this snow is because OPE is this weekend in good ole’ Oshkosh, WI.

I’m not there, but when I have been, there has always been a huge snowstorm.

Every. Time.

I should be there, especially as I’m spending the next two weeks doing many phone interviews. Though I’m pretty sure if I suggested to this group of folks that they should meet me in a residence hall room in Oshkosh for an interview, too many of them might run away screaming. Not something we often do for a facilities staff interview.

Which is too bad . . . it’s a great opportunity to interview a huge number of folks in person – which, in my humble opinion, is so much nicer than interviewing on the phone. (Can you tell I have fond memories of all my OPE experiences? Because I do. Big fan.]

But I digress. Again.

Thinking about the OPE snowstorm made me think of my second trip there – when I was in grad school, looking for my first position post-master’s degree. We had a van of fun people who made it to Oshkosh and back safely. Which was pretty amazing considering the conditions. I won’t mention any names, but there were a few who weren’t comfortable driving in the city (that might have been most of the van), a couple who were undergrads who couldn’t drive (I can’t remember why … would have been helpful!) and a couple who WE weren’t comfortable driving us in a van. So . .. that left two of us. And, having been one of those two, I can confidently say that we were champs. That drive home in that snowstorm sucked tremendously. Thank goodness our passengers were such supportive colleagues (as all great student affairs professionals are), and encouraged us during the rough times.

Ah . . . . THOSE were the days!

Regardless of what side of the table you’re on this weekend, I hope you have a successful and fun OPE experience. Be yourself. J