After an abnormally warm December, winter is here, and in Buffalo that means snow – lots of it. It hasn’t happened yet but we’re bound to have at least one bad storm this year with the potential to cancel classes or at the very least, trap us inside for the weekend.
The easiest thing to do when you're snowed in is plop down on the couch with a bowl – or two, or five – of your favorite snack and binge your life away on food and Netflix. When the final credits roll and the bowl is empty, here are some other, more creative things to do with friends.
Play a game
Whether you choose a multi-player console game or a board game, games are a great way to get involved with your roommates, floormates and anyone else who’s around while you’re snowed in.
If board games or console games aren’t your style or if your roommates drive you nuts, there are plenty of phone-based apps to can play, such as Clash of Clans, Sudoku and Candy Crush. Heads Up! is a popular team-based game and both the Apple and Android app stores have a multitude of single-player games.
Card games are also a simple and cheap option. There are tons of card games that are easy to learn to play with a little help from the Internet.
Get culinary
Being trapped inside is the perfect excuse to make that cookie recipe that has been sitting on the shelf that you’ve wanted to try. If you’re feeling generous, you can even share some with your roommates. You can also experiment with recipes you’ve wanted to try but didn’t have the time to figure out how to make them.
If you’re looking for recipes but are new to the cooking scene and don’t know where to go, the Internet is full of free recipe websites. Allrecipes.com is helpful for general recipes and bettycrocker.com is perfect for desserts.
Watch a movie
In the age of Netflix, some might forget that there are other types of video entertainment out there besides TV shows. Movies are a great way to spend a few hours of time, especially if you’re trapped inside and feeling a little lazy. So pop in an old DVD, or rent a new movie from Redbox if you can get to one, and enjoy your time inside in one of the best ways possible: on the couch.
Do a home workout
Being trapped inside doesn’t mean you haveto spend the whole day doing nothing. If you want to exercise but can’t make it to the gym because of the snow, a home workout might be your best option.
There are a lot of free workout videos on YouTube that vary in length, from six minute abs to full hour-long workouts. There are also paid services such as Beachbody On-Demand, which offers streaming for popular workouts like Insanity or P90X.
Go outside
Believe it or not, trekking out of your warm house and into the snow is possible, and even fun. Grab some friends and warm clothes and build a snow fort, or – if the weather isn’t too bad – hop in the car and hit one of several nearby ski slopes. Don’t have a car? There are plenty of hills around North and South Campuses perfect for sledding. If the roads are too bad to travel you can still have fun outside. After all, you’re never too old for a snowball fight.
John Jacobs is the assistant features editor and can be reached at john.jacobs@ubspectrum.com.
