Snowpocalypse February 2010, Corcoran Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome. Email him at scott@borderstan.com.

Finally. This weekend I finally felt the season was actually winter when my Gmail theme background turned white, and the view outside my window matched it. I think it’s safe to say this winter has been unseasonably warm and lacked the bite to even have me thinking about grabbing the boots out of the back of the closet.

So, after a bunch of cold windy days with annoying rain, this weekend we finally got some powder. Sure it only lasted one evening and it wasn’t cold enough to last more than 24 hours — but it finally felt like winter.

I come from the land of New Jersey where snow is a bit more regular and a snow day doesn’t happen when a report thinks there is a 40% chance of ice. DC has always made me laugh because while residents know it may snow every once in awhile, sheer panic occurs when it happens (being prepared won’t always save you).

Planning for Your Next Snow Day

With snow on my mind, here are some things to enjoy the next time DC goes in lockdown and we get a snow day.

Layer Up and Get Out There. If there is enough on the ground, the temperature is nice and cold, and it’s still coming down, there are not many good excuses for not having a little romp in the snow.  The Borderstan area does not have a lot open park space, but Meridian Hill Park and Stead Park may be good areas for snowman building and snow-angel making. For the hardcore, take your garbage can top and head to one of these areas in the district that have good hills. There always tends to be a great neighbor vibe when it comes to playing in snow, so definitely get out there next time.

Don’t Just See a Movie, See an Imax. Lots of people go see movies on snow days and I don’t blame them; the allure of theater popcorn (always tastes better) and “movie theater-only candy” (like Buncha’Crunch) is strong. But if you are going to spend the day indoors, I recommend going big and going Imax. The one in the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall is easy to reach.  Sometimes they play regular movies, but most of the time it’s one of their own great shows. Frankly, looking at today’s movies, I think the Imax is the better way spend your money and day.

Prepare for the Olympics with Ice Skating. Skating while it’s snowing is a great experience. The Sculpture Garden Ice Rink is easily accessible and worth a visit. Yeah, everyone wobbles a little and falls are standard so take the risk and enjoy it.

Of course, snow also lends itself to serious Netflix show marathons, sleep catch-up, trips to malls, Kindle usage, and delicious homemade hot chocolate. There are also small special events, but I think the key to a good snow day is plenty on the ground, cold temperature, and a good hill near by.

On My Mind

SUPERBOWL. My Giants vs. my gf’s Patriots. REMATCH. More words on this game and Borderstan activities during in next week’s column.

Links! Links! Ice Cold Links!

• Starbucks is adding booze; about time, I think.
• Like anyone cares what the goalie of the Boston Bruins thinks about Obama.
• D.C. Auto Show coming soon… sometimes these things are cool.

The ice skating rink in the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art. (M.V. Jantzen on Flickr)

From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome. Email him at scott@borderstan.com.

Life moves in cycles. When things are going your way for chunks of time, you better damn well expect that the next metro escalator will be broken or be stuck talking to a bland Capitol Hill employee at a holiday party. High and lows, boredom and excitement, I am convinced that the day-to-day nature of our lives moves in a circle. I take this model to what’s going on in the sports world. Sometimes your team goes through long periods of loss or mediocrity, only to then shoot up to the winner’s circle (unless you are the Pittsburgh Pirates).

I consider a great holiday season a decent movie to watch and plenty of Chinese food, but for everyone out there, here is a small guide to bringing a little extra happiness to the sports fan in your lives.

The cycle also applies to excitement. Let’s just clump October/November together as it was nothing more than a standard football time (‘cept the St. Louis Cardinals World Series win, that was great). However, in the last two weeks we have easily seen some of the more exciting news in some time ranging from the NBA orchestrating team trades, the undefeated Green Bay Packers rolling and a huge brawl in an otherwise great day of college hoop upsets.

Overall, December has been quite the month and with the beginning of the NBA season looming, the cycle must be on a high note (January will be meh, besides the Super Bowl, of course).

December is also that other time of year when all of a sudden things get brighter, people are happier, and work productivity hits a wall. I am not a Grinch but also have never really experienced the true joy of the holiday season (my holiday is about an amazing war victory over Greeks). I consider a great holiday season a decent movie to watch and plenty of Chinese food, but for everyone out there, here is a small guide to bringing a little extra happiness to the sports fan in your lives.

Extra Happiness For Your Sports Fans

Show Some Love. Give em a big hug. Everyone needs more hugs. Everyone

Create Memories. Coming from a guy with enough baseball hats to field a little league team, the average sports fan has plenty of team-affiliated apparel to keep them happy. If you want to be the unique person, the gift of game-day tickets is going that extra mile because things are just things. But experiences last forever and you never know what you may see.

Inside Scoop vs. Never Miss a Game. In the 21st Century, much of the everyday life of the sports fan goes through their laptop or some other internet driven device (PS3, XBOX, etc.). For these types of people I’d recommend two things. First, a subscription to ESPN Insider, which gives you access to every writer and stat guy ESPN has to offer. Second, a subscription to either MLB (baseball), NFL or NBA so your favorite fan never misses a game. Either of these are for more devoted fans but shows that your actually know your fan.

Enjoy the Winter. By enjoy the winter I mean get outside with your warm coat, a hat and go ice skating! There are a handful of places to skate in the district. Sure, most of us aren’t too graceful on the ice, but it’s easy going and always a fun time. Throw in some pre-skate eggnog if you are nervous.

For people you don’t really care for, every sports league has fantastic websites full of great little items that I am sure the sports fan in your life would appreciate. For everyone else, cookies and scarfs I hear make nice gifts. Look next week for the sports schedule breakdown of the holiday season.

Thought of the Day

A Marion Barry movie? Hell Yea.

Links! Links! Ice Cold Links

• A response to Rick Perry’s “Strong” ad (which I wont actually link for obvious reasons).
• Some DC news anchors may need to hold back sometimes.
• This airport is way too close to the beach.