This Sunday morning, I saw the first snowfall of the season. Until I started to live in Tokyo at the age of eighteen, I was in Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. My high school was in Sapporo, the capitol of Hokkaido. It is best known outside Japan for hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics, and the Sapporo Snow Festival, which draws more than two million tourists from around the world. Therefore, snow was my old friend. Playing with snow, skiing, and ice skating were best winter entertainment for kids in Hokkaido.
However, I have little wisdom for living in the snowy country. Most serious is that I have no experience to drive a car in snowy winter. Before the driving to my office, I checked the Internet to find the tips for driving on frozen roads. OK, now I got the theory of winter driving, but what I need is a practice. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the road was not frozen enough to try my knowledge. It's snowing even now, so the road may be icy at night. I'd better go back home earlier today.
Winter in the US is a biggest season for shopping. From Black Friday to the Christmas, retailer s are eager to loosen the consumers' purse string. Vecere Jewelers in NJ is no exception. Their ads says,
If it snows 4 inches or more on January 1, '08 we will refund your full purchase price on any in-stock jewelry, including designers!
The purchase from November 23 (this year's Black Friday) to December 24 is eligible for the rebate. The snowfall is measured at the Weather Measurement Station at Trenton, Mercer County Airport on January 1, 2008, between the insured hours of 12:00 AM and 11:59 PM (24 insured hours).Let's pray for heavy snowfall only on the new year day. Also, please pray for my driving safety in winter. Thank you in advance.
