How to Build the Perfect Snowman
(ACCORDING TO SCIENCE)
If you’re lucky enough to get a good snow day this year, building a snowman is a great way to spend it. That said, building a snowman isn’t all fun and games. It’s hard work, and you want tomake sure the end result is worth the sore legs and soggy pants. Here are some science-backed strategies for building the perfect snowman.
Pay Attention to Proportion
As you roll the snowballs to form the head and body pieces, keep proportions in mind. This is important for the
Choose the Right Snow
Snow is your artistic medium, somake sure you have the right material for your project. Yes, there is a wrong kind of snow to use when building a snowman.You want the snow to be moist enough that it packs well but not so slushy that it collapses under pressure. The ideal snow for building your masterpiece is freshly fallen snowwhen the temperature is around 32 degrees F. If the snow isn’t quite right, you canmoisten it a little by spraying water on it.
visual aesthetic of your snowman and overall stability. Mathematician Dr. James Hind fromNottinghamTrent University
developed a formula for building the perfect snowman. He recommended that a snowman be 64 inches tall, while the sections of the snowman should be 31 inches in diameter for the base, 20 inches in diameter for the middle, and 12 inches in diameter for the head. Once your snowman is built, science has just one rule for decorating: Have fun. Grab a scarf and a top hat, a carrot nose and radish eyes, or a fancy bow tie. Building the perfect snowmanmeans building a snowman that will make you smile when you see it.
Location Is Everything
Before you start stacking your snowman, pick the right location for it to hang out. Asphalt will heat up faster, so stick Frosty on a grassy lawn. If you can find a place that will be in the shade when the sun comes out, all the better.
O ver the years, I’ve represented people with all kinds of injuries: back, neck, and shoulder injuries from lifting or falling; head injuries from falls; horrible hand and knee injuries; terrible burns; and nails in eyes. One of the most horrendous cases I’ve seen in 34 years of practice (dang, that’s a long time!) involves Westin Kenyon, a young man from Lancaster, Ohio. Westin worked the usual part-time jobs while in high school (Waffle House, McDonald’s, Subway). After graduating in May 2018, full of the promise of a great new job in California working with some relatives, Westin and his fiancée, Grace, moved west. Westin and Grace met at the career fair at Lancaster High School during their junior year and have been inseparable ever since. We all know that, sometimes, opportunities seem full of more potential than they actually turn out to have (especially when we’re young, I think). Also, family can sometimes paint an overly rosy picture. It turns out the relatives really just wantedWestin and Grace to move out to California with them— the job didn’t exist. California is a very expensive place to live. Learning this and also that Grace was pregnant with baby Miles, the kids moved back to Ohio to be near family and friends. Embracing his role as provider for his future wife and child, Westin got a good-paying job with Rumpke as a loader. These guys leap off the truck to grab the trash and heave it into the back. He logged 73 hours Thanksgiving week alone. A week later, as he leapt out, the driver didn’t stop in time. Westin’s right foot was sucked under one of the huge tires and crushed. The back of it was actually ripped off.
Westin spent the next two months in intensive care at Riverside. Amazingly, though the doctors initially thought they’d have to amputate his foot, they were able to reattach the dangling heel. He’s had 12 surgeries so far and has a couple more coming soon to“debulk” the flap. He has had to learn to walk again and wears what reminds me of Frankenstein’s boot for the right foot. Still, he’s gradually been easing back into the workforce: first at Goodwill, then YMCA, and now Habitat for Humanity. He hopes to return to Rumpke next year.
I mentionWestin for a couple reasons. The first is that we just went through hearings to set his wages. Since he was in high school half of the year prior to his injury and working only part-time jobs, Rumpke set his wages at a generous $80.26 per week then increased it to $155.90. We filed a motion to have his wages (which governs the payments under the life of the claim) set at what he was earning at Rumpke. Incredibly, the first Industrial Commission hearing officer thought anything over $262.18 per week would be a“windfall”toWestin and unfair to poor old Rumpke. Happily, on appeal, the next hearing officer agreed with us that Westin’s wages should be set at what he was earning at Rumpke. This means Westin can provide for his family when he has to go off work for future surgeries. The second reason I shareWestin’s story is because of his attitude. This young man has maintained a positive attitude throughout his ordeal, even when he thought he’d lose his foot. His face lights up when he talks about Grace and baby Miles. He’s always got a smile on his face and is truly an inspiration for anyone going through very difficult times. I just wanted you to meet him.
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