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The Michigan Daily Weekend Mage

14B -- The Michigan Daily Weekend Magazine - Thursday, November 21, 1996
Aweekly list of who 's
wherewhat's happening and
why you need to be there ...

El Cover Story

44~

JUST LIKE PEOPLE
A SNOWY SHORT STORY BY DEAN BAKOPOULOS

thursday
CAMPUS CINEMA
Blue Velvet (1986) This David Lynch film
examines the strange things beneath the sur-
face of a Middle American town. Mich 5 p.m.
Beautiful Thing (1996) Jamie, Ste and Leah-
are SoutheaSt L oro teen-agers who learn
about life during one summer. Mich 7:30 p.m,
Spike and Mike's New All Sick & Twisted
Festival of Animation (1995) This latest col-
lection of hysterical animated shorts features
Nick Park's "A Close Shave." Mich 9:30 p.m.
MUSIC
Brother Rabbit Performs at Rick's. 9:30 p.m.
Bob Dylan and Kenny Wayne Shepherd H ill
Auditorium. $25-$40. 763-8587.
Lil Ed and the imperial Flames Fifth Avenue in
Royal Oak. 9:30 p.m. $3 in advance. (810)
542-9922.
The David Stearns Quartet with Harvey
Thompson University Hospital lobby. 12:10
p.m. Free.
THEATER
Ghosts Philip Kerr directs this Henrik Ibsen
classic. Lydia Mendelssohn. $7 stu, $14, $18.
8 p.m. 764-0450.
No Man's Land Harold Pinter's classic about
an aging writer who invites a poor man to his
house. Basement Arts, Arena Theater (base-
ment of Frieze Bldg). Free. 7 p.m. 764-5350.
The Couch Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud's
famous romantic comedy. Performance
Network, 408 W. Washington St., $9 (Thurs.
pay-what-you-can), $12. 8 p.m. 663-0681.
Apartment 3A This original by Jeff Daniels
will play into December. Purple Rose Theater
Co., Garage Theater, 137 Park St., Chelsea.
$10-$20. 8 p.m. 475-7902.
ALTERNATIVES
Leslie Marmon Silko The award-winning writer
reads and speaks as part of Native American
Heritage Month. Rackham. 7:30 p.m. Free.
s frida
CAMPUS CINEMA
101Dalmatians (1996) Benefiting the Purple
Rose Theater, this exclusive Michigan live-
actien premiere stars Glenn Close as campy
villainess Cruella De Vi. Mich 6:30 p.m.

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On
(1988) In this acclaimed Japanese documen-
tary, Kenzo Okuzaki attempts to ascertain
why many of his comrades were killed. Nat
Sci 7 p.m. Free.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Special
screening of the creepy Oscar-winning classic
starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.
Lorch 7 and 9:20 p.m. $3 at the door.
On The Hunting Ground (1985) Gengh' Rhan
and his adventures in the Mongolian grass-
lands are chronicled in this subtitled Chinese
film. Angell Hall, Aud A. 8 p.m. Free.
Beautiful Thing (1996) See Thursday. Mich
9:45 p.m.
Spike and Mike's New All Sick & Twisted
Festival of Animation (1995) See Thursday.
Mich 11:45 p.m.
MUSIC
Crash Test Dummies Breaking their way into
the Royal Oak Music Theatre with Ashley
Mclsaac. 7 p.m. $20.50. (810) 546-7610.
Gargoyle Staff Performing "The Tomorrow
Man," an original rock opera. East Quad's
Halfway Inn. Free. 9:30 p.m.
Knee Deep Shag Performing with Groove
Monkey Atmosphere at the Blind Pig. Doors
at 9:30. $8.
RuPaul (S)he comes to Clutch Cargo's in
Pontiac. $20. Call Ticketmaster at (810) 645-
6666.
Tom Rush He'll be hurrying through the Ark.
For $16 you get to feel the wind. Call761-
1451.
University jazz Music Faculty Listen as they
put their Ph.D. power to use at the Kerrytown
Concert House. $5 stu, $8 and $12 in
advance. 769-2999.
THEATER

Book Signing and Reading Detroit-area novel-
ist Chris Leland reads from "Letting Loose,"
his new novel. Shaman Drum Bookshop. 8
p.m. Free.
saturday


CAMPUS CINEMA

101 Dalmatians
p.m.

(1996) See Friday. Mich 1

This is the first snow. It comes in the
middle of the afternoon, after the morn-
ing's errands have been done, after
going to the mailbox to send in the
cable bill, the bakery for rye bread and
the pharmacy for blood pressure pills.
Inside now, at the kitchen table, drink-
ing coffee with heavy cream and sugar,
- eating bread with butter, he sees the
first flakes. He puts down the newspa
per, and finishes the rest of his lunch
while looking out the window.
A week before, Nelson James buried
his dog; a year before, his wife, Lila.
Both of them, gone, died just before the
first snow came.
He finishes his coffee and bread and
gets up and looks out the window.
These are the first flakes of winter. The
fat, thick, drifting November
snowflakes. They land briefly on the
ground, but they aren't sticking.
This was the first time in 36 years
when the first snow didn't mean extra
work: no traffic reports, forecasts, ski
reports, tips on keeping pets warm, pre-
dictions for long, cold, snowy winters.

A year before, at the age of 66, Nelson
retired as the weatherman at channel 8.
They have a new weatherman now.
Warren Phillips. He is not even a mete-
orologist; he went to broadcast school.
Nelson watches the channel 8 news
every night. Warren Phillips jokes with
the other anchors. Aloud, he reads let-
ters from young viewers with weather
questions. He wears silky suits, double-
breasted, and his blond hair is slicked
back with just the slightest puff.
Sometimes, Nelson hopes he gets the
forecast all wrong.
It is almost 2 p.m. and he reads the
paper in his chair, like he does every
afternoon. Actually, he reads both the
local papers and USA Today. And he
falls asleep. Two feet away from the
chair, just next to the footstool where he
props his feet, the carpet is worn and
faded. That is where the dog, Duke,
used to sleep. Nelson doesn't look at the
spot. He deliberately keeps his eyes off
the carpet while he is in the living room.
In his bed too, at night, he keeps his
eyes on the right side, where he sleeps.

The left side, that was for Lila. It is
empty now and he won't look at it.
The days pass like this. He likes the
days to go by quickly.
When Nelson wakes up, the dusk has
already dusted the windows a deep gray-
blue. The house is dark, and he feels
along the end table and finds the remote
control. He flips on the television and
the room is filled with purple light.
Then he looks out the window, and sees
a steady stream of heavy snowtiakes.
The new weatherman, Warren,
comes on television as Nelson is stand-
ing up, getting his shoes on, putting on
his coat. Nelson wants to see the snow.
"Talk about a first snow!" the new
weatherman says on television. "We'll
let you know how much we're going to
get, after this."
Nelson flips on the porch light and
steps outside. The yellow light skims
across the yard, across the patchwork of
red and brown leaves, slowly being
buried under the powder of snow. The
snow is getting thicker, the flakes fuller,

Lumiere: The First Picture Show (1995)
Accompanied by live color commentary from
director Bertrand Tavarnier, an anthology of
pre-1900 films shot by the Lumiere Brothers
is presented. Mich 5 p.m.
Macbeth (1948) Shakespeare's tale of an
ambitious Scot comes to wonderfully moody
life in Orson Welles' classic film. Nat Sci 7
and 9 p.m.
Warren Miller Film (1996) Action and snow
are plentiful in Warren Miller's latest docu-
mentary collection of extreme skiing. Mich
7:30 p.m.
Beautiful Thing (1996) See Thursday. Mich
10 p.m.
Spike and Mike's New All Sick & Twisted
Festival of Animation (1995) See Thursday.
Mich 12 a.m.
MUSIC
Catie Curtis Tracy Chapman-like contempo-
rary folk tunes. The Ark. 8 p.m. $11.
Ekoostic Hookah Pontiac's 7th House. 8 p.m.
$8. Call Ticketmaster at (810) 645-6666.

A group of bikes look as if they h
whiter. He looks up and sees th
moon, and underneath it he can
clouds, only the swirling pin
snowy dark sky.
Next door, he sees - kneelinE
snow, wearing a bright red snc
gloves and wool hat - Ran
young boy of his new neighbors.
is patting the snow between his n
He watches the boy play, ant
thinks that if he and Lila could h
kids, they would have, and it
have been a wonderful thing to
them playing in their first snow.
Randy is 7. He has just mov

Snow days, threatened lawsuit
' U' in Michigan's winter wond

The Tragically Hip and Rheostatics
Arena. $20.50. (313) 983-6616.
Warrant, LA Guns and Bang Tango
p.m. $13.50.

Cobo
Harpo's. 8

By Stephanie Jo Klein
Daily Arts Writer
If you're looking forward to a day of snowball
fights, watching old movies and sipping hot
chocolate while holed-up in your room for a snow
day, don't plan on buying your mini-marshmal-
lows just yet.
No matter how much snow arrives this winter,
classes won't be cancelled any time soon. Having
closed down only three times in its history, the
University aims to keep its facilities open at all
times to avoid inconveniencing students and
community members dependent upon it for ser-
vices.
Winter's wrath hit campus and closed services
across the board for one day each in 1945 and
1974, and two days in 1978. The storm in January
of '78 was the most severe, blanketing Michigan
with 19 inches of snow, with flooding and torna-
does in several Eastern states.
On Friday, Jan. 27, 1978, The Michigan Daily
reported that some students were taking the
opportunity to frolic in the knee-high snow, trying
to fool Mother Nature into sunny weather by
wearing summer garb.
"A slightly sauced crowd in front of the
Carriage House apartments threw the day's big
social event-'the first beach party of the year,"'
the Daily said. "Lounging in drifts of 'sand,' the

snowbathers guzzled beer and other booze, all
day blaring sound of the Beach Boys' 'Endless
Summer."'
Erica Munzel, director of Law School admis-
sions, was a senior and a resident advisor in
Bursley Hall on North Campus in '78. She
recalled the two carefree days of cancelled classes
with a smile.
"We just had a great time and basically had a
play day, sledding on trays behind the music
school,' she said, adding that she spent the entire
two days on North Campus since the roads were
impassable. While some dorms didn't have food
service during those days, Munzel said she
remembered Bursley being very self-sufficient and
by the end of the storm only lacked for candy bars
in the snack bar.
Though Munzel and other students may have
enjoyed the reprieve from homework pressures,
not all members of the University community
have been so overjoyed.
Former Vice President for Government
Relations Dick Kennedy reflected with chagrin on
the '74 closing, when 18 inches of snow kept stu-
dents from returning to school the Monday after
Thanksgiving recess.
"Frank (Rhodes, the former provost) was in
charge and found to his dismay that closing the
University was not the thing to do," Kennedy said.


Ghosts

See Thursday. 8 p.m.

Cabaret Set in Berlin, this important musical
tackles issues of Nazism. UAC's Musket.
Power Center. $7 stu, $11. 8 p.m. 764-0450.
No Man's Land See Thursday. 7 p.m.
The Couch See Thursday. 8 p.m.
Apartment 3A See Thursday. 8 p.m.
ALTERNATIVES
Artist Reception For the artists in
"Traditions," a show featuring local Native
American talent. Art Lounge, Michigan Union.
4 p.m. Free.

THEATER
Ghosts See Thursday. 8 p.m.
Cabaret See Friday. 8 p.m.
No Man's Land See Thursday. 4 and 7 p.m.
The Couch See Thursday. 8 p.m.

JOE WESTRATE/UdIIy
Leeann Fu observes a snowman on North Campus.


Apartment 3A

See Thursday. 8 p.m.

ALTERNATIVES
Book Signing and Reading Tina DeRosa cele-
brates the re-release of the acclaimed novel
"Paper Fish." Shaman Drum Bookshop. 8 p.m.
Free.

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Weekend Magazine Editors:

Greg Parker

Weekend Magazine Photo Editor: Kristen Schaefer.
Writers: Dean Bakopoulos, Eugene Bowen, Melanie Cohen, Use Hari
Jen Petlinski.
Photographers: Mark Friedman, Kristen Schaefer and Joe Westrate.
Cover design by Greg Parker and Josh White.
Arts Editor: Brian A Gnatt and Joshua Rich.#


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