TANGENTS: Rocking along on a snow day

by John Saccenti, Managing Editor
   I know most of the words to nearly every Hannah Montana song. It’s not something I brag about, nor is it something I’m ashamed of. It is something that simply is, and there is nothing to be done about it.
   I acquired this skill the same way we acquire any skill. I listened and listened and listened, mostly while driving my daughter around (she’s the real fan) on errands, or to camp, or to school, or because I had to get things done and there was nowhere else for her to go, which is where I found myself Monday during a snow day.
   Ah, the snow day. Never did two words simultaneously evoke such pleasure and pain — pleasure at the memories of sweet, unexpected days off from school, and pain at the thought of unexpectedly having to find someone to watch our children or bring them in to work, work from home, or call out and face the consequences the next day.
   I decided on a combination, to work from home, and head out to the “office,” which on Monday meant covering the 6 inches of snow that fell. My daughter and I took the 15-minute drive from East Brunswick to Thompson Park, “rocking out” to some oldies but goodies from Ms. Montana, and tried to make it a day of work and play, which is something many parents also planned.
   The top of the hill was windy and cold and filled with the chatter of kids and the smiles of dads clearly glad to have the day off, one of whom said he was “technically working,” but still wanted to remain anonymous. Despite that, he was clearly glad to be away from the office and a little disappointed that days like these are few and far between.
   ”We’re just too connected these days. We need to slow down and spend some time with our families,” he said, referring to the Internet, Blackberrys and all the other ways we’ve found to keep ourselves busy and to squeeze work into every facet of our lives.
   The Monroe resident wasn’t the only one thinking that way. In fact, with a hill covered in brightly clothed children and adults all acting about the same age, Thompson Park was mobbed.
   ”I’m loving it,” said Nancy Hague, of Beaverbook in Jamesburg, who brought her kids, Dylan, C.J. and Alissa, out for the day. “They’re having fun, but I’m freezing.”
   Jamesburg firefighter Dwayne Fitzpatrick, out with his daughter, Brielle, said he called out of work because of the storm. Commuting every day for about an hour takes its toll, and with the snow, it’s not something he was looking forward to.
   ”I didn’t even want to mess with it,” he said.
   In the back of Village Park in Cranbury was a small, snow covered hill, its peak bald with dirt and teeming with kids. At its top was a group of adults acting as traffic cops and eyeing the hill’s slopes in anticipation of the one good run they were hoping to make.
   ”I’ll go down on a sleigh, not on a snowboard,” said Rob McMahon, who brought five of those kids, two his own and three belonging to the neighbors. It was a work from home day and he headed out to the hill for a late “lunch break.”
   Eric Muni, of West Windsor, said he was impressed with the children’s stamina.
   ”They keep saying they’re not cold, and they keep coming up,” he said.
   The co-owner of Conway and Muni Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, Mr. Muni said he worked during the morning before heading to Village Park with 15 family members. But it wasn’t all for the kids, as his snow covered knees attested. With a smile, he looked down the hill and said, “The heavier you are, the farther you go.”
   At 2 p.m. cars were still pulling into the back lot at Village Park. At the same time, those just arriving at Thompson Park were having a hard time finding a place to park. It seems that no matter who they were — the commuters, the stay-at-home moms, the students out of school — heading out on a snow day just seemed like the thing to do.
   Just like learning all the words to Hannah Montana while spending time with your daughter.
John Saccenti is Managing Editor of The Cranbury Press and the South Brunswick Post. He can be reached at [email protected].