With the possibility of Armageddon a perpetual concern throughout 2012, the world came up winning just by staying afloat and making it through Dec. 21. With the Mayan calendar behind us, it is time to look forward to the many better things 2013 has in store, especially for those lucky enough to wear orange.

—Compiled by The Daily Orange Feature Staff, [email protected]

Weather

2012- Seasonally affected

At the beginning of 2012, Syracuse had an uncharacteristically boring winter season. Snowfall was at a decade-low point with an embarrassing 12.9 inches of snow by mid-January, and skiers and snowboarders had little to look forward to other than possible sunburn as they took to the slopes.

2013- Winter wonderland

As 2013 begins to take shape, Syracuse is back in precipitation action when it comes to snowfall. The city has already accumulated 39.3 inches of snowfall, eclipsing last season’s total at this time by upward of 26 inches. Syracuse is way ahead of Rochester, Binghamton, Albany and Buffalo in terms of snowfall, making it a frontrunner for the coveted Golden Snowball Award, given each year to the Central New York city with the highest snowfall.

Concert venues

2012- House brought down

The Westcott Theater and The Lost Horizon had some good shows in 2012, but the roof was brought down for all the wrong reasons. True, Matt and Kim played a sold-out show, but there was little variety in genres and bands overall.

2013- Mixing it up

The concert lineups have changed. The Lost Horizon is adding pop-rock, hip-hop and indie-rock into the mix, while The Westcott is switching it up even more. Bela Fleck and his banjo will infuse the theater with some folk music in the spring. And for those who were swept up by ‘90s’ boyish charm, Aaron Carter is coming to Syracuse in February. He may not be Nick Carter, and he certainly isn’t bringing back the Backstreet Boys, buthe is sure to excite some fans.

Transportation

2012- Dazed and confused

In 2012, South Campus was just getting used to the new bus system. Slocum Heights and Winding Ridge got their own morning bus routes, but for some reason, the buses were just as crowded. How did it happen? Students were confused.

2013- Learning curve

We’re only two weeks into the new year, but students are finally beginning to learn the bus schedule. For those who haven’t mastered it, here are a few tricks: The Winding Ridge and Slocum Heights routes go to and from campus. And perhaps the best-kept secret of all is that the Manley bus goes straight to Winding Ridge.

Music

2012- Overplayed

Although it was a nice change from hearing greek houses blare tunes to the wishful lyrics of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” it is time to lay that song to rest. And while we’re at it, let’s leave “Gangnam Style” in 2012 for fear of it becoming this generation’s “Macarena.”

2013- Baby-faced Brits

The British Invasion of the ‘60s that once gave the world iconic boy bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who is back again in the form of five floppy-haired, dreamy heartthrobs. That’s right, One Direction is here to stay.  Feel free to start blasting their singles, frat boys. Feel free to start dressing like them, too.

Fashion

2012- No-pants dance

There are some who wear pants. And there are others that wear baggy sweatshirts, tight leggings and Ugg boots. 2012 was an infestation of this heinous trend that affected anyone from middle school kids to 20-year-olds. While unifying people of different ages can sometimes be a good thing, in this case, it wasn’t. It looked tacky and sloppy, and was just a way to maintain some semblance of sex appeal while being able to wear the same clothes for three straight days.

2013- Actual-pants dance

Fortunately, as 2013 picks up, the colored pants trend is starting to pick up, which will inject some freshness and liveliness into outfits. And most importantly, the actual inclusion of pants.

Published on January 14, 2013 at 2:45 am