snow slush snow cold nyahghh

life in the midwest can be charming.  however, the majority of us would argue this as an untruth in late february.  there are those few, however, who revel in the bitter cold, for whatever sick reasons.  i'm of the belief that just as the battered woman tragically tells herself that she's living her only reality, these poor souls have convinced themselves that not only do they not have any other choices, but that they love it!  bring on the salt trucks!  three cheers for moon boots!  huzzah!

one such person is my roommate jayme.  we had a discussion on the porch the other day, she enjoying a some smoky air, and i enjoying some clean air, that involved my general disdain and her apparent love for deep, bitter, cold ass winter.  her comment was "i love it when it's really cold!"  and then she giggled.  i responded "i'm going inside."

another is my pal jeremy.  jeremy's love for winter stems from his hatred of heat.  few things are more evil in his eyes than the baleful gaze of the lifegiving sun peeking over the horizon to make his life miserable for twelve hours.  jeremy enjoys air conditioning, and if his wife heidi would allow it, would probably have the windows wide open in winter.

for me, winter provides the chance to snowboard, although admittedly i haven't been this season.  part of the reason is that it's been so damned cold!  it doesn't have to be, and shouldn't be that cold when you are willfully exposing yourself to the elements, intent on experiencing joy.  this brings me back to square one, which led me to comprise a list of things to do to distract yourself from the cold. 

1. pretend you're a bear in hibernation.  yes that's it, sleep as much as possible.  even when you wake up, go back to sleep, or at least lie in your bed for a good 30 minutes, and much of the time, you'll probably pass out for another 15 minutes or so.  rinse, repeat, until you can't stand it.  with any luck you'll wake up next week and have lost five pounds.

2. do some spring cleaning.  having a clean environment will make you cheer up a bit, and might make you feel more healthy, and less depressed.  just don't leave the doors and windows open to let the fresh air in for too long.

3. pantry rotation.  once a year or so, i try to blow through all the crap in my pantry.  winter is a great time to do this, because then you don't have to go out and shop as much.  also, it brings that can of beets to the front of your mind so you can finally eat it or give it away a food pantry, where someone else will get it and also not eat it.

4. look at photos of sunny places on the internet.  this works for some, and for others, it makes them want to grab the nearest bottle of mad dog.  use with caution.

i got nothing else.  i'm off to bed, again.

Comments

[JMack]

See you thurs night at Dorma bro!

[Michael]

I always thought that experiencing the seasons in all their occasional harshness brought out a certain depth in a society. In places like California everything is so perfect, and I often wonder if that contributes to their seeming shallowness. There's something about trudging through a foot of snow and passing someone else going the other way; there's a nod you give each other that says, "we're in this together" that other places simply can't duplicate. I always felt that, in a way, this was something to be proud of in Wisconsin, and that I wouldn't trade it for anything.

At least I felt that way until I read your post. Now I realize I was rationalizing and it was all bullshit. God, I hate winter.

[waiken]

glad i could convert you to the dark side, yet again!

[Jmack]

Marco?!

[Johnny Mack]

Anyone still posting? Hehe

[T]

Anyone still here? Hello???? hello????
Oh there's an echo...neat.