Skip to footer

'Blizzard buddies': A good way to meet people, or creepy?

Those bound to be snowed in for a few days quickly post ads so they don't have to do it alone.

|
Carlo Allegri/Reuters
People walk up 5th Avenue at Central Park as it snows in the Manhattan borough of New York January 26, 2015. Winter Storm Juno has brought blizzard warning for New York and much of the North East United States.

With the entire northeast preparing for what may be a record-setting storm, people are stocking up on storm essentials, such as water, food, and ... blizzard buddies?

Business Insider reported that Craigslist has exploded with ads from people in urban areas looking for someone to keep them company if they get snowed in for a few days. Some are seizing the opportunity to look for a potential significant other, while others simply want to avoid being alone.

One poster, who identifies as a 41-year-old white male from New York, posted : “Food-check. Water-check. Shovel-check. Salt-check. Someone to pass the time with during the storm- _______.”

Another Craigslist advertiser seeks to extend his snow-shoveling abilities to help a “damsel in distress get out of the snow.”

“Getting ready for the big snow storm heading our way and not looking forward to shoveling yourself out? Don't worry I can do it for you,” the anonymous poster said in the ad. All he requests is a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate to keep him warm while he does the job.

In an ad titled “Looking for a blizzard friend,” one individual has very specific requirements for any potential takers. He plans on going to their place, and requires that they have a strong WIFI connection, backup ethernet connection, their own Netflix account, great taste in ordering on Seamless, their own charging cords (the poster will NOT be sharing his), and cheese.

Those in fear of being snowed in have also taken to Twitter with the hashtag #BlizzardBae. Bae, which began as an acronym for “Before Anyone Else” is the newest term of endearment of among younger generations, and is now aiding people in not having to spend a day alone.

Whether you find a blizzard buddy or not, be sure to cover all your bases and take precautions to ensure a safe and snowy week.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to 'Blizzard buddies': A good way to meet people, or creepy?
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/2015/0126/Blizzard-buddies-A-good-way-to-meet-people-or-creepy
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe