But look, the snow softly falls
Freshly fallen snow is one of the many beauties of winter. With the snow just softly sitting there, on tree branches, riverbanks, other people's cars, etc., it's truly beautiful. But then, by the next morning, the elements have gotten to it. It has since been shaken from the branches, brushed off of vehicles and been exposed to sand and dirt. Wandering humans and animals have also disturbed the peaceful resting of the snow by trudging through it en route to wherever they are going. But it is not just in walking that these passer-bys have altered the appearance of the snow, it is also with their urine. Animal urine is not particularly pleasing to the eye, and human urine, by definition, shouldn't be interesting either, but for some reason, it is to me.
There are certain characteristics that distinguish the human from the animal variety. Human urine generally falls from a higher point, and thus makes a deeper imprint in the snow, unless your terrain is frequented by cows, horses, deer etc., or it can also mean that it hits the tree at a higher point. It is occasionally accompanied by shoe or boot footprints. The most interesting point however, is that it tends to more artistic.
Recently I was walking through the woods with a few female friends, down a trail on which I had walked the night before. Along the way I stopped and pointed at a coloured patch of snow beside us and said, "Look, someone wrote their name in the snow." I heard a quick Pavlovian "Ewww!" then was swiftly swatted after they read in capital letters, "WILL".
While some would like to tut-tut this seemingly obscene male artform, I encourage it. This morning, I saw that some guy named Dan left his name in the snow along the path. It was legible and indicated a general level of sobriety. It is essentially a harmless and very temporary form of vandalism. I spelled out my name today for anyone taking the same path to campus as me, even though it would have been snowed over in the next half hour. I will however likely do it again before the winter's over. I encourage anyone who can to do the same.

   [ posted by William @ 9:58 PM ]