Snow Day?

I asked the conductor this morning if there was a chance the trains wouldn't run tomorrow (or Thursday for that matter) and he said, yeah, there's a chance.

This is one of those new things.

I remember the blizzard of '96 and the subways shutting down. It might be the only time, excepting the strike, that I remember subways not working (ok, and September 11th). Subways are more reliable than postal workers. Yet this train thing, I just assumed a little precipitation would totally short its circuits. After all, it's above ground (yes, I know, subways too are above ground in some places, I just don't go to those places) and runs on wires or something.

Also, will my street be plowed? How soon does this happen. We had that other snowstorm, but I think it was short, or at least short enough that by the time I woke up, our drive had already been plowed (Pablo rules!). Will there be enough traffic to make the main streets passable? Do people just flip out and huddle shivering in their houses? Do I have enough diet-friendly snack food?

Additionally, how is my house heated? I know it's gas, but does it need electricity to make the gas? See also hot water. Will we lose power? So things freeze and/or explode? Will trees fall on my house and/or the electrical wires? Will we, god forbid, not have television? See also internet and phone service.

Much like not every paying for water or steam heat, this whole navigating winter in a house as opposed to an apartment is fairly bizarre. I don't know if we're going to be out in the abandoned streets searching for stray cats to eat for dinner or forced to talk to one another by candlelight because we have no alternate entertainment (and don't scoff at me, you know that 1 hour of candlelight chatting is way different from 6 hours).

Or, much like the buttload of snow I was expecting on Saturday, this could turn out to be another false alarm designed only to fill 36 hours worth of news. Still, if you don't hear from me by Friday, please, send help.